The Ipswich Hedgehog Project helped raise awareness for the plight of hedgehogs locally, nationally and (miraculously) even internationally. Funded by local benefactors alongside the National Lottery Heritage Fund and British Hedgehog Preservation Society, at the time this project was one of two local projects working towards the aims of aims of the Conservation Strategy for the Western European Hedgehog.

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It was a very fun project to coordinate and its media exposure early on was a catalyst for enthusiasm from a huge range of stakeholders across Ipswich. I promoted the project on CBBC, Channel 5, Countryfile, ITV, BBC Look East, Radio 5 live and regularly on BBC radio Suffolk. I worked directly with over 6000 people to raise awareness for hedgehogs through talks, walks, school assemblies, park events and workshops. Over 400 people helped with our footprint & camera surveys across the town, we radio-tracked 10 hedgehogs as part of a study with Nottingham Trent University, we had over 3000 new hedgehog sightings logged and over 780 gardens recorded as accessible for hedgehogs. We saw a 25% increase in sightings recorded from across the UK and a 25% increase in the number of planning applications in Ipswich conditioning hedgehog-friendly fencing. I developed a 'Hog Spotter Activity Jotter' family activity booklet alongside our graphic designer and created an evaluation handbook for groups wanting to set up similar projects elsewhere. 

 

You can find tips for helping hedgehogs in your garden here, and read more about the project here. If you're setting up a similar project and would like to chat, feel free to get in touch!