The two-year scheme has been made possible by the British Hedgehog Preservation Society and the very generous support of National Lottery players.

Hedgehogs are a distinctive and well-loved spiny mammal, but the species has suffered severe losses across the UK. Rural hedgehog populations have declined by over half, and in urban areas, up to a third have been lost between 2000 and 2014. They need our help!

[quote]“Rural hedgehog populations have declined by over half... They need our help!”[/quote]

Thanks to £58,400 from HLF, we are working to improve hedgehog habitats and encourage communities to act collectively to prevent numbers falling further.

The reasons behind the declines are not fully understood, but we know that there are many contributing factors. Changing farming practises have resulted in the removal and degradation of hedgerows, which are important connecting and nesting features for hedgehogs. Loss of permanent grassland has reduced foraging habitat and chemical use is impacting the invertebrate populations hedgehogs prey upon.

The impact of habitat degradation is exacerbated in some areas by increased badger density, a predator and competitor of hedgehogs. In urban areas, impermeable boundaries like walls and concrete gravel fence boards make it difficult for hedgehogs to access habitat, and this, alongside roads and tidy gardens, are all making it very difficult for hedgehogs to thrive.

This week marks Hedgehog Awareness Week (Sunday 30 April – Saturday 6 May) which is a national campaign run by the British Hedgehog Preservation Society. Here in Ipswich, thanks to National Lottery players, we are running a range of activities to promote action to help hedgehogs. But regardless of where you live, you can help too!

Five simple steps to help hedgehogs

Below are five simple steps that will go a huge way in helping your local hedgehog populations:

• Make sure hedgehogs can access your garden. It might sound simple, but lots of gardens have very few ground level access points. All they need is a 13cm x 13cm hole in the bottom of the fence, or gap under the gate
   
• Be a little less tidy. Hedgehogs love eating bugs, so having patches or strips of longer grass, keeping leaves on the ground and planting wildflower seeds will help create feeding habitat (and will encourage other lovely garden visitors like butterflies)
   
• Have a wild corner. Create nesting habitat by having a wild corner with a log pile or piles of old vegetation – you might be rewarded by having an over-wintering hedgehog or even a family during the summer
   
• Reduce your chemical use. Slug pellets and other pesticides are harmful and reduce the prey hedgehogs rely upon. Hedgehogs are a natural pest control and are very much considered a gardener’s friend. Encourage hedgehogs and amphibians to control your slug numbers
   
• Spread the word. Encourage your neighbours to help too – hedgehogs roam around 2km in a night and so need access to lots of gardens to survive. You can become a Hedgehog Champion through the national project Hedgehog Street, or find out if you live near a more local scheme, like the SWT Ipswich Hedgehog Project

For more information about the SWT Ipswich Hedgehog Project, please head to our website and project blog.