Inspired by the recent Hedgehog Friendly Fencing campaign, Jewson will soon offer gravel boards with pre-installed Hedgehog Highways, giving hedgehogs vital access to gardens.
National builders’ merchant Jewson is the first major national company to sign-up to Hedgehog Street’s ‘Hedgehog Friendly Fencing’ campaign, which was launched in July.
Jewson has pledged to help native hedgehogs by offering customers a number of innovative solutions including gravel boards with pre-installed ‘Hedgehog Highways’. These 13cm square gaps (usually in or under garden boundaries) – give hedgehogs much-needed access to other gardens and green spaces, which is vital for their long-term survival. The company is now working with wildlife charities People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) and The British Hedgehog Preservation Society (BHPS) who together run Hedgehog Street.
Hedgehog Street’s campaign urges Hedgehog Champions (volunteers who’ve pledged to make their garden hedgehog friendly in a bid to boost populations) and members of the public to contact local and national fencing companies, requesting hedgehog friendly fencing options in their product ranges. Hundreds of people have taken part so far, including 17 year old Hedgehog Champion Dylan Allman whose involvement in the campaign and passion for hedgehogs inspired Jewson to take action. Dylan started his Hedgehog Aware campaign during lockdown and since then has helped Hedgehog Street to spread the word about how everyone can get involved.
Habitat fragmentation is one of the main reasons why Britain’s hedgehog population is in decline, but Hedgehog Highways are one of the best ways to help. According to BHPS and PTES’ State of Britain’s Hedgehogs 2022 report, rural hedgehog numbers have dropped by up to 75% in some parts of the country since 2000, and although urban hedgehogs appear to be faring slightly better, they all still need our help.
Grace Johnson, Hedgehog Officer, Hedgehog Street explains: “We’re thrilled that Jewson has responded to our latest campaign and will soon be offering hedgehog friendly gravel boards. We know that fences with Hedgehog Highways in are an effective solution in combatting the ongoing decline, and we hope more suppliers and manufacturers will follow suit and offer hedgehog friendly products too. We’re also extremely grateful to Dylan, whose dedication has led to this new relationship.”
Dylan Allman, Hedgehog Champion, adds: “Hedgehogs are classified as vulnerable to extinction on the Red List for Britain’s Mammals (2020), but thankfully there are lots of ways we can all help these charismatic creatures. Hedgehog Highways are a key step, but it’s also really important to check for hedgehogs before strimming and mowing – raising awareness about these factors inspired me to start my Hedgehog Aware campaign. I’m so pleased that Jewson are going to be offering such a wonderful wildlife-friendly range of products that I know will help encourage the trade and public to be more aware of hedgehogs, and play their part in helping stop their decline in numbers across the country.”
Jewson’s new ‘Supreme Concrete Wildlife Gravel Board’ will be available in 30 regional stores and online in the new year. If popular with customers, they’ll be introduced to more stores across the country. The board will have a pre-installed 13cm square gap, just the right size for hedgehogs to travel through in their nightly search for food, shelter and mates.
Matthew Handley, Category Innovation Manager, Jewson says: “We are constantly looking for ways to help our industry become more sustainable, and this latest product is a great example of how small changes can have a positive impact on the planet. We are proud to be supporting Hedgehog Street’s Hedgehog Friendly Fencing campaign and look forward to seeing the difference it makes this winter and beyond.”
Other companies are already helping hedgehogs, including Jacksons Fencing, Birkdale and Selco Builders Warehouse. Since the campaign began several local fencing suppliers have pledged to help, but Jewson is the only national company that has responded to Hedgehog Street’s latest call to help.
And, as autumn sets in, hedgehogs will soon be hunkering down to hibernate over winter. To help them prepare, create leaf piles and compost heaps which could make the perfect nest; encourage natural insect food with log piles; offer sources of water; provide a hedgehog house filled with leaves, twigs and natural materials as an alternative nest option; and always check for hedgehogs before strimming, mowing and ahead of Bonfire Night.
Those without gardens can help too, as the Hedgehog Friendly Fencing campaign is ongoing. Download the template letters from www.hedgehogstreet.org/hedgehog-friendly-fencing and join the hundreds who’ve already helped by asking local and national fencing companies to get involved.
It is hoped that with the help of the public, and Hedgehog Street’s ongoing work with conservation NGOs, academics, farmers, landowners, UK government, housing developers and now fencing companies, the fate of native hedgehogs can be turned around.
For top tips on how to help hedgehogs, visit www.hedgehogstreet.org.
Header image credit Christopher Morgan
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For high res images, interview requests or further information, please contact Adela Cragg:
T: 07532 685 614
Notes to Editors
Available for interview
- Grace Johnson, Hedgehog Officer, Hedgehog Street (a joint campaign between BHPS and PTES)
- Dylan Allman, Hedgehog Champion who helped initiate the relationship between Hedgehog Street and Jewson
- Matthew Handley, Category Innovation Manager, Jewson
About hedgehogs
- Hedgehogs are in trouble. The State of Britain’s Hedgehogs 2022 (SOBH) is the only comprehensive review of the status of Britain’s hedgehogs and was jointly published by BHPS & PTES. The SOBH report revealed that rural hedgehog populations have continued to plummet, declining by between 30% – 75% across different areas of the countryside since 2000. The largest declines are seen in Eastern England.
- In stark contrast, the SOBH report also showed that urban hedgehog populations are stabilising and may even be recovering thanks to greater awareness, and individual and community actions.
- The reasons for the decline are complex and are not yet fully understood. Two of the main pressures hedgehogs face in both rural and urban landscapes is habitat loss and habitat fragmentation. Urgent action is now needed to try and boost rural hedgehog numbers before it’s too late, whilst continuing the positive work taking place across our towns and cities.
- But, there are lots of ways to help hedgehogs! Make a Hedgehog Highway in your fence to connect your garden with your neighbours; leave patches of nesting materials such as leaves and twigs, or provide a hedgehog house; put out supplementary food and water; record all sightings (alive and dead) on the BIG Hedgehog Map; and become a Hedgehog Champion.
- More research is being funded by BHPS & PTES. A range of academic research projects are currently being carried out, aiming to further scientific understanding about the causes for the decline and most importantly what can be done to reverse this threat to this iconic species.
- In 2015, PTES and BHPS launched a 10-year species conservation strategy at the first UK summit on hedgehogs in a decade.
- Hedgehogs are ‘Britain’s Favourite Mammal’, according to the 2016 Royal Society of Biology poll.
About Hedgehog Street
- Hedgehog Street is a joint campaign by wildlife charities: the British Hedgehog Preservation Society (BHPS) and People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES). It’s an ongoing project which was launched in June 2011 and encourages people to make small changes in their own gardens, which will make a big difference for hedgehogs. To date, over 125,000 volunteer “Hedgehog Champions” up and down the country have registered to help, but we always need more volunteers!
- Hedgehog Street is working with The Rt Hon Chris Grayling, MP for Epsom & Ewell who is the Species Champion for the UK’s native hedgehog.
- Hedgehog Street is also liaising with farmers or rural landowners, housing developers and greenspace land managers, to help better manage their land to support wild hedgehog populations.
- The charities’ Hedgehog Street gardenwon Gold at the 2014 RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show and People’s Choice Award in the summer garden category.
- Visit www.hedgehogstreet.org for more information.
About BHPS
- BHPS is a UK charity founded in 1982 dedicated to helping & protecting hedgehogs native to the UK. Through their campaigns, advocacy and educational projects they work to raise awareness of the practical steps we can all take to help reverse the decline of hedgehogs in the wild, improve their welfare and safeguard the future of this much-loved animal. They also fund research that provides important new insights into the conservation and welfare of hedgehogs.
- Visit www.britishhedgehogs.org.uk/ and follow BHPS on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & LinkedIn.
About PTES
- PTES, a UK conservation charity created in 1977, is ensuring a future for endangered species throughout the world. We protect some of our most threatened wildlife species and habitats, and provide practical conservation support through research, grant-aid, educational programmes, wildlife surveys, publications and public events.
- PTES’ current priority species and habitats include hazel dormice, hedgehogs, water voles, noble chafers, stag beetles, traditional orchards, native woodlands, wood pasture and parkland and hedgerows.
- PTES has Species Champions for two of its priority species: for hedgehogs The Rt Hon Chris Grayling, MP for Epsom & Ewell and for water voles The Rt Hon Hilary Benn, MP for Leeds Central.
- Visit www.ptes.org and follow PTES on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube & LinkedIn.
About Hedgehog Aware
- Dylan is a Hedgehog Champion as part of the Hedgehog Street initiative.
- His website is www.hedgehogaware.org.uk
- He is well-known across South-East Wales and the wider area as a hedgehog action hero! He has appeared in national newspapers and media, including Sky News and BBC Radio 4 earlier this year.
- Dylan’s ‘Be Hedgehog Aware’ campaign has been really successful, seeing a number of manufacturers and distributors of gardening equipment pledge to take action in order to reduce the number of gardening-related injuries to hedgehogs. Companies including Genpower/Hyundai Power Products as well as STIGA now have strimmers and lawnmowers coming off the production line with the ‘Be Hedgehog Aware’ sticker on, to remind users to check for hedgehogs and other wildlife before starting work.
About STARK Group
STARK Group is a leading business-to-business distributor of heavy building materials for the construction industry in Europe, with a strategic focus on serving professional builders from its more than 1,150 branches.
STARK Group has pro forma net sales of approx. EUR 9 billion and employs more than 20,000 people across Europe. The Group empowers professional builders with insights, product knowledge and sound advice, as well as advises suppliers about market developments and customer feedback.
STARK Group is aiming to reach net zero emissions by 2050 across the entire business, is a signatory to the UN Global Compact, and works within fully validated science-based targets to keep global warming below 1.5°C.