People in part of a village in Nottinghamshire are delighted they've been crowned the winner of ‘Britain’s Biggest Hedgehog Street’ by wildlife charities. Residents on Dale Road, Keyworth, have 42 ‘Hedgehog Highways’ that link more than 30 gardens.
These Hedgehog Highways, 13cm square gaps, in or under garden fences or walls allow hedgehogs to roam between neighbouring gardens in search of food, mates and nesting materials – a small action vital for the species’ long-term survival.
Many residents led by Jennifer Manning-Ohren, of the non-for-profit community group Wild Things Keyworth, have been working to make Keyworth hedgehog friendly since July 2021. Dale Road hedgehog carer Rachel Cox said the work had brought the community closer.
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The 59-year-old said: “There’s a village wide scheme, Keyworth Hedgehog Highways, and there’s a lady called Jenny who runs it. I’m the 'super hedgehog carer' for Dale Road, I’ve been doing it for a couple of months and there was already a thriving WhatsApp group and it was already a thing.
“Jenny told me about the national award and I put it out there and it captured a lot of the imaginations of lots of people. Hedgehogs are on the red list for being endangered, they need room to roam, they can roam up to a mile at night."
She added: “It was a delight, to me it says a lot about the community. The hedgehogs have benefited, and it’s also brought people together. It’s built the community stronger."
Dale Road was awarded by wildlife charities The British Hedgehog Preservation Society (BHPS) and People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES), who together run the nationwide campaign Hedgehog Street. As well as Dale Road, the Wild Things Keyworth have managed to drill 150 Hedgehog Highways in local fences and walls, making Keyworth a hedgehog haven.
Another resident on Dale Road, Hannah McRobert, told Nottinghamshire that the whole village loves hedgehogs. The 37-year-old who has lived on the street for six years said: “I think it’s great. I’m just not sure how it will work in my garden. It makes you feel like you have a community, our little road, in the whole of the country.
“I will definitely encourage them. I’ve always loved hedgehogs, I think the whole village loves hedgehogs.”
Oliver Elston-green, 39, who has lived on the hedgehog street for a year, said: “They knocked on everyone's door and gradually everyone heard about it. They came round and brought leaflets and really explained that they are really endangered and we can do things about it. I haven’t seen any yet. There’s definitely a love for hedgehogs here.”
Jennifer Manning-Ohren, who set up Wild Things Keyworth and masterminded Keyworth’s ‘Hedgehog Street’, says: “Being crowned ‘Britain’s Biggest Hedgehog Street’ is really rewarding. Gill, Nick and I have been creating Highways around the village since July 2021, but hearing about this competition made us wonder if it were possible to get one whole street on board. Rachel has done some magnificent work to rally Dale Road. We’re delighted that our team effort has paid off.”
“Seeing hedgehogs using the Highways we’ve created for them is magical – some people in the village hadn’t seen hedgehogs for 30 odd years before ‘Wild Things Keyworth’ was set up. Helping our local hedgehogs has also encouraged people to speak with their neighbours more, creating a unique relationship here. It’s amazing how hedgehogs can bring people together, and we’d encourage any community to set up their own Hedgehog Street.”
Grace Johnson, a Hedgehog Officer for Hedgehog Street, says: “Two of the main pressures hedgehogs face in urban areas is habitat fragmentation and lack of suitable habitat. Connecting gardens is the best way to combat this, as it means hedgehogs can access a range of different habitats.
“Keyworth is a fantastic example of how a community can come together to help hedgehogs, and we are thrilled to see that their efforts are paying off with regular hedgehog sightings. Connecting 42 gardens is a huge accomplishment, so they are very worthy winners and we’re proud to crown them as ‘Britain’s Biggest Hedgehog Street’.”
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