North Solihull urged to get behind project to help hedgehogs

PRICKLY PROBLEM: Hedgehog numbers are falling nationwide.
Photo/Steven Cheshire

RESIDENTS in North Solihull are being urged to get behind a borough-wide project and do their bit to help out hedgehogs.
The animals, once a common sight in local gardens, have seen their numbers plummet in the past 20 years.
Now the Warwickshire Wildlife Trust has launched an initiative to turn Solihull into the UK’s first Hedgehog Improvement Area (HIA).
The charity’s campaign will draw attention to the massive drop in the population and look at various ways to protect the species.
While a lot of national news coverage earlier this month focused on a special sanctuary being created in Elmdon Park, the project covers all of Solihull and people in areas including Castle Bromwich, Kingshurst and Chelmsley Wood are encouraged to get involved.
When Other Side of Solihull contacted the wildlife trust for more information on the campaign, we were told that residents who reported sightings or offered to get involved in surveys would be giving the initiative a massive boost.
A spokeswoman said: “One of the first tasks for the HIA is to improve our sightings data, because when we know roughly where hedgehogs are present (and absent), we can very specifically target conservation work.”
All sightings will be fed into a community map, giving conservationists a better idea of the population spread across Solihull.
Simon Thompson, the trust’s newly appointed hedgehog officer, said that even simple steps like making a five inch hole in your garden fence (roughly the size of a CD) would be a massive
help.
Part of the problem at present is that solid barriers make it difficult for hedgehogs to seek shelter, forage for food and find a mate.
To find out more about the project or getting involved in the hedgehog survey visit www.helpforhedgehogs.co.uk