cheltonianwildlife Helping Hedgehog’s


Find outmore about the urban hedgehog project that is launchingwithinCheltenhamandGloucester


Hedgehogs are theUK’s favourite mammal according to a recent poll, butmany peoplemay be surprised to learn that gardens in towns and cities such asCheltenhamand Gloucester are vital for these endangered animals. GloucestershireWildlife Trust has


launched a project to improve urban green spaces for hedgehogs and urgently needs to recruit 75 volunteers in Kingsway (Gloucester), and SwindonVillage andCharlton Kings (Cheltenham). The volunteers will createHedgehogWays, neighbourhoodswhere hedgehogs canmore safely between gardens. Volunteerswill receive training from specialists atGloucestershireWildlife Trust and ongoing support. “Thanks to information fromlocal


people,we knowthat a number of hedgehogs are already living in these areas.Hedgehogs have the potential to be safe and supported in these


places,with the help of local people. Gardens can easily provide food and shelter for hedgehogs, and help them tomove to other areas of safety,” says JoWorthy-Jones, an urban wildlife specialist atGloucestershire Wildlife Trust. HedgehogWay is supported by


the People’s Trust for Endangered Species and theBritishHedgehog Preservation Society.Volunteers can spend as little or asmuch time as


48 JULY /AUGUST 2018 THECHELTONIAN


they can spare andwill assess gardens and other green spaces to see howhedgehog friendly they are; start tomake these places better for hedgehogs, and report sightings of hedgehogs.Once a familiar andwell- loved visitor to our gardens, hedgehog numbers have fallen significantly in the last fewdecades. It is estimated that there are 1.5million hedgehogs in theUK, down from36 million in the 1950s.According to the People’s Trust for Endangered Species, losses in towns and cities appear to have slowed, and the number of hedgehogs found in urban gardens at nightmay be increasing..


Tofindoutmore aboutHedgehog Way, visit gloucestershirewildlife trust.co.ukor email jo.worthy-jones @gloucestershirewildlifetrust.co.uk


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