Helping Hedgehogs

Posted on: 29/06/2018

Harrodian brothers Ned and Will are donning their walking boots this summer as they attempt to hike Coast to Coast across the UK in aid of hedgehogs.
 

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Ned (aged 13) and Will (aged 10) will walk 309 kilometres from St Bees, a coastal village in Cumbria to Robin Hood’s Bay, a seaside town on the Yorkshire Coast. The boys also ran a stall at the Harrodian Summer Fair where they raised £300 charging customers £1 each for 5 balls in a game of Hedgehog Pong (above).

The money that they have raised so far and continue to raise will be donated to the British Hedgehog Preservation Society and the work they do to protect the declining species. Once a very familiar sight in British gardens, numbers of hedgehogs have now dwindled to perhaps fewer than one million. 

The boys were inspired to do the walk by the work of 'Barnes Hedgehogs', a local group spearheaded by Michel Birkenwald, that has been working with residents to make gardens in the Richmond borough more hedgehog friendly.  

The most important action is to ensure there are small holes in fences, no larger than a CD case, to join up gardens and give hedgehogs the space to roam. A single hedgehog travels 1-2km a night in search of food and usually ranges over an area of 10 hectares (24.7 acres).  A number of holes have been created in Barnes already forming the 'Barnes Hedgehog Highway.'

It saddens me that despite reading about hedgehogs in books growing up, I’ve never actually seen one.  I want to do the walk to raise money to protect hedgehogs so that thousands of kids like me don’t grow up without ever seeing these iconic and adorable creatures

Ned

The boys will be setting off on 9 July 2018 and anticipate that the hike will take two weeks to complete.  The longest walk in any given day is 37km and the boys will be staying in local guest houses and B&Bs along the route.

Ned said, 'It saddens me that despite reading about hedgehogs in books growing up, I’ve never actually seen one.  I want to do the walk to raise money to protect hedgehogs so that thousands of kids like me don’t grow up without ever seeing these iconic and adorable creatures.'

Fay Vass, Chief Executive of the British Hedgehog Preservation Society said, 'We are delighted that the boys are so enthusiastic about helping hedgehogs, the challenge they are undertaking is amazing and we wish them luck every step of the way.  Hedgehogs need more friends like Ned and Will!'

We are delighted that the boys are so enthusiastic about helping hedgehogs, the challenge they are undertaking is amazing and we wish them luck every step of the way.  Hedgehogs need more friends like Ned and Will!

Fay Vass, Chief Executive of the British Hedgehog Preservation Society

Michel Birkenwald from Barnes Hedgehogs added, 'By drilling holes in walls and fences to build our very own Hedgehog Highway, Barnes has a real opportunity to lead the way in the protection of hedgehogs in the British Isles.  It’s fantastic to see local residents collaborate and take collective responsibility to protect our wildlife.'

To donate to the cause, visit https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/edward-battersby

For local residents interested in learning more about how they can protect the hedgehog population in Barnes, contact Michel Birkenwald on  mbirkenwald@hotmail.co.uk.
 

For more information on the work of the British Hedgehog Preservation Society visit www.britishhedgehogs.org.uk.