Council’s hedgehog conservation work to be officially recognised
Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council will be officially recognised for its efforts to protect hedgehogs as part of its plan to increase and promote biodiversity.
Hedgehogs play a valuable role in the ecosystem but are now classed as vulnerable to extinction in the UK because human activity has reduced their habitat and food sources.
The council is supporting hedgehog conservation efforts and will be commended for taking steps to protect these important animals while carrying out grass cutting and grounds maintenance. The British Hedgehog Preservation Society will add the council to its Hedgehog Heroes Roll of Honour because we display warning stickers on our mowers and strimmers reminding crews to check the area for hedgehogs before using the equipment.
As part of its ongoing hedgehog conservation work, the council also recently ran a ‘Homes for Hedgehogs’ competition asking children to design a home for a hedgehog and explain why they had chosen the features they included.
On Thursday 12 June, during Great Big Green Week – a week-long campaign to tackle climate change and protect nature – the competition winners were selected by Council Leader Cllr Max Holloway, Executive Member for Environment Cllr Sandreni Bonfante, and Chief Executive Ka Ng.
All winners are children from local schools in the borough:
- Annabelle Gatford
- Reevie Fitt
- Siddharth
- Miles Crofton
- Lucy Webb
Each of the winners will receive a generic hedgehog home to place in their garden or school.
Cllr Max Holloway, Leader of the Council and Executive Member for Economic Development and Climate Change, said:
“It was fantastic to see so many brilliant entries to our Homes for Hedgehogs competition. There were some really interesting designs that show how inventive our residents are and how much they care about our environment.
“Congratulations to the winners and to all those who took part – we were really impressed by all your entries.”
Cllr Sandreni Bonfante, Executive Member for Environment, said:
“Hedgehogs play a valuable role in the ecosystem and we’re determined to protect them, so I’m really pleased that the council will be added to the Hedgehog Heroes Roll of Honour in recognition of our conservation efforts.
“We’ll continue to look for new ways to protect our wildlife as part of our commitment to increase and promote the wonderful biodiversity of our borough.”
