Gains Gold award in national preservation programme
Picture: Alexas_Fotos from Pixabay
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The University of Roehampton has been designated as a Hedgehog Friendly Campus by the British Hedgehog Preservation Society (BHPS).
With the help of volunteers from SW15 Hedgehogs as well as staff and students, a programme to encourage good use of the green space on campus to help hedgehogs and wildlife has been implemented. They were tasked with a set of initiatives to gain accreditation and have been successful in the Bronze and Silver awards and now have gained the Gold award.
The Hedgehog Friendly Campus is a national accreditation programme funded by the Universities. FE colleges and primary schools across the UK are urged to take part, completing activities that help to bring hedgehogs back from the brink.
Programme manager, Jo Wilkinson, says, “Hedgehogs have declined by up to 50% in the UK since just the year 2000. They are now vulnerable to extinction in Britain, due to things like habitat loss, development, roads and garden hazards. Campuses, whether they’re urban or
rural, can do great things to help hedgehogs and raise awareness of their plight.”
Since 2019, the programme has worked with over 150 universities, FE colleges and primary schools all working towards Bronze, Silver or Gold accreditation. Teams have been installing log piles and hedgehog houses, as well as litter picking and taking part in campus hedgehog surveys.
Other activities include:
- Bug house building
- Pond ramps
- Hedgehog highways
- Teaching local youth groups about hedgehog decline
- Fundraising events for the BHPS
- Hedgehog first aid sessions
Contact the British Hedgehog Preservation Society if you are worried about a hedgehog on 01584 890801.
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February 18, 2022
