News


The Camborne / Redruth / Hayle Gazette March 2017


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Branston Prickle helps children to understand need to save hedgehogs


STEPS are being taken to turn a coastal community into Cornwall’s first hedgehog-friendly village. The work in Portreath to support hedgehogs is part of a larger initiative called Operation Hedgehog, which is about working with residents and busi- nesses to make Cornwall a healthier place for hedge- hogs.


The move is being sup- ported by Cornwall Coun- cillor Joyce Duffin, Corn- wall Council, Portreath School, Portreath Parish Council, Portreath Im- provements Community and Feadon Farm Wildlife Centre.


As part of the scheme, schoolchildren had a visit from a hedgehog called Branston Prickle. Gary Zammit, from


Feadon Farm Wildlife Cen- tre, took Branston Prickle to Portreath Community School, where pupils were given tips on how to make their garden hedgehog friendly. These include let- ting a bit of the garden stay wild, keeping the gar- den free of netting or gar- den refuse and not using garden pesticides which poison hedgehogs and other wildlife.


Operation Hedgehog was set up by Cornwall Biodi- versity Initiative and the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Nature Part- nership in response to the decline in hedgehogs in Cornwall. In 1950 there were 36 million hedgehogs across the UK, but it is es- timated that there are now fewer than one million.


By STEPHANIE GREATOREX


Hedgehogs live in gardens, woods and fields and their numbers have declined be- cause of green spaces be- ing tidied up, develop- ment, increased traffic, lack of insect food and nesting sites, and pesti- cides.


Councillor Joyce Duffin, who represents Mount Hawke and Portreath, said: ‘I’m delighted that Feadon Farm Wildlife Cen- tre visited the school and took part in launching this initiative to help Portreath become Cornwall’s first hedgehog-friendly village. ‘I encourage everyone to make small changes to their gardens where they can so that we can create better environments for hedgehogs to live in. It’s really important that we support Operation Hedge- hog to help stop the num- bers of hedgehogs declin- ing both in Portreath and across Cornwall.’


An information leaflet explaining how people can help was delivered to all households in the village. A follow-up talk for adults is also being organised. For further information, email operation.hedge- hog@cornwall.gov.uk. ‘Help-a-hedgehog’ posters for town and parish council or commu- nity noticeboards are also available on request. If you see a hedgehog during the day, or find one which is sick or injured, call Prickles and Paws on 01637 831299.


BRANSTON Prickle, left and above being held by staff, was the star of the show during the school presentation


GARY Zammit speaks to pupils at Portreath School about the decline in hedgehog numbers


Tips to avoid fuel poverty if you aren’t on mains gas


CITIZENS Advice Cornwall has is- sued a new advice booklet from its base at Camborne Community Cen- tre to help rural households who are not on mains gas supply avoid the risks of fuel poverty.


Householders who are off-gas usu- ally rely on electric heating, heating oil, LPG or solid fuels, such as wood, coal or coke. The tips are part of the charity’s Rural Energy Campaign, first issued to mark Fuel Poverty Awareness Day on February 17. According to official statistics, the Isles of Scilly (20.4 per cent) and Cornwall (14.9 per cent) are the worst and eighth worst areas, respectively, in England for fuel poverty. This happens when a household’s required fuel costs are above the na- tional average and if they were to spend that amount, the money they were left with would tip them below


the official poverty line. Research by Citizens Advice shows off-gas households are more often in fuel poverty than those on mains gas. A quarter of off-gas households in Eng- land are in fuel poverty compared to 10 per cent using mains gas. Citizens Advice Cornwall chief ex- ecutive, Neil Colquhoun, said: ‘Many homes in rural parts of Cornwall, and the whole of the Isles of Scilly, are not connected to the mains gas sup- ply. This can mean that heating costs are more expensive and can be a drain on the household income. ‘Our advice offers people ways of reducing their costs by taking some simple steps whilst still keeping their homes warm.’


The new advice is contained in a booklet also giving helpful informa- tion about the benefits and help you may be entitled to, such as the Gov-


ernment’s Winter Fuel Payment for pensioners, Cold Weather Payment and Warm Home Discount Scheme. The Citizens Advice Rural Energy Booklet is available by e-mailing mail@cabcornwall.org. uk with your name and address or write to Rural Energy Booklet, Citizens Advice Cornwall, The Community Centre, South Terrace, Camborne TR14 8SU.


Tips: q Shop around: Shop around for the best deal. It can be cheaper to buy


fuel like oil, in summer. q Know your rights: Most suppliers belong to trade associations. Check your supplier is a member and what they should be doing to offer best practice customer service. The Fed- eration of Petroleum Suppliers has a customer charter; the Solid Fuel As- sociation operates an approved mer- chants scheme; and UKLPG has a


vulnerable persons’ protocol. q Check your heating system: Have


your boiler and tank serviced annu- ally. Leaks from oil tanks can be costly. Make sure your tank is cov-


ered by home insurance. q Be energy efficient: Make sure your loft space and walls are well in-


sulated where possible. qRenewable heating: Heat pumps or biomass boilers can provide cheaper


heating than conventional fuels. qProtect yourself: Check your fuel is


secure from theft. q Check your tariff: If you use elec- tricity storage heaters, make sure you’re on the right tariff. Use online switching tools to see if you could


get a better deal. q Oil buying clubs: Some communi- ties have oil buying clubs to get bet- ter bulk deals from suppliers. Check citizensadvice.org.uk/oilclubs


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