I am a self-confessed hedgehog fan, we’ve lost a third of all our hedgehogs since the millennium. I am passionate about helping to stop the decline of hedgehogs and other wildlife in our countryside. For me it’s about ensuring that the next generation can still get to see hedgehogs in the wild.

My love of hedgehogs started when I was given a soft toy hedgehog when I was around 7, shortly after this I saw my first real hedgehog snuffling around in our garden and I was thrilled. This spikey, noisy hog was intent on eating its dinner without taking much notice of my squeals of delight. When I was 18 my parents gave me a gift of Life Membership to the British Hedgehog Preservation Society and my love of wildlife and hedgehogs has grown and grown since.

When I heard about the Hedgehog friendly campus campaign, I knew that the University of Warwick would be the perfect place to get involved. With all of its lovely green spaces and wild areas I feel sure we have a few hedgehogs on campus. One of the most exciting things to find out during this campaign is do we definitely have them living on campus and what we can do to encourage more of our spikey friends to take up residence.

So, what can you do to help? There are so many ways you can get involved and by making a few small changes you will soon start to notice a difference.

My simple top 3 things that we can all do to help hedgehogs are:

1. Pick up litter. Wearing suitable gloves pick up any litter you see lying around. Make sure you squash all cartons and cans as hedgehogs can sometimes get stuck in them as they investigate the contents, their prickles get stuck in the carton or can.
2. Don’t use chemicals and slug pellets. With more people getting into gardening, start as you mean to go on, there is no need to use chemicals which harm not only hedgehogs but other animals and beneficial insects. There are lots of organic alternatives such as sheep wool pellets for slug prevention and garlic spray for aphid control. But nature will take care of itself if you leave things as they are, nature will provide a natural balance. I was inundated by aphids in the garden this year, but I encouraged the birds and other natural predators such as ladybirds to come into the garden which meant that within a few days the problem was solved by nature; and the birds got a tasty treat too.
3. Be untidy! Yes, it’s easy, leave a wild area, it doesn’t have to look unsightly you can pile up some sticks and leaves and hide them behind a tree or bush. The hedgehogs will be able to snuffle through the pile to look for grubs and bugs. Hedgehogs eat slugs, snails, worms and beetles which like to hide in damp areas. I pile up fallen leaves that would make a cosy home for a visitor, these will eventually rot down and disappear into the soil.

Whatever you can do to help Hedgehogs and other wildlife I guarantee you will be rewarded by the amazing feeling that you have helped them. There is something magical about succeeding in encouraging wildlife and seeing a wild animal thrive because you have made it welcome.

I hope you get involved with the campaign on campus and help us stop the decline of hedgehogs.

December 2021