Pembrokeshire Hogspital and the Bluestone Foundation continue to work together to provide ‘safe spaces’ for hedgehog releases.
Over the past five years, the Bluestone Foundation has been part of several heart warming hedgehog releases.
“This spring we were delighted to have rehomed and released more hedgehogs who received incredible care from Pembrokeshire Hogspital,” they shared on social medis.
“The Bluestone Foundation grant has supported Pembrokeshire Hogspital to help build an intensive care unit. We also got a little help from our community!
“We asked Bluestone's followers to name the hedgehog's new 'lodges’. The new official lodge names are Tŷ Draenog and Hodge Lodge!”
The Pembrokeshire Hogspital which is based at Sutton West Farm in Haverfordwest, shared: “Thank you for your support and providing a safe space for hedgehog releases.
"What a fantastic start to our new topic - ‘What’s the Right Material for the Job?’ Today we were lucky to welcome Ginny from Pembrokeshire Hogspital, who visited Dosbarth Whitesands, Saundersfoot, and Newgale to help us launch our learning in the most inspiring way!” the school shared on Facebook.
“The children were captivated as Ginny taught us all about how to care for hedgehogs and the materials that help keep them safe and warm.
“We even had a very special visitor — Cherry Cake, a real hedgehog! The children learned how we can protect these amazing animals and the environment they live in.
“Now we’re excited to begin investigating which materials would be best to build a safe and cosy hedgehog house.”
Industry experts estimate that hedgehog numbers have been decimated in the last 20 years, and, sadly, new research indicates that millions of Brits have never had the privilege of seeing a hedgehog in the wild.
To help raise awareness of the issue, the week commencing May 4 has now been designated as ‘Hedgehog Awareness Week’ - with the aim of educating Brits on how serious the issue is, and how they can support these stalwarts of British wildlife.
According to new data from MyBuilder.com [which has launched its Trades to the Rescue: Help the Hedgehogs campaign to help provide the right guidance for Brits to turn their environments into a hedgehog haven] - 25% of all Brits have never seen a hedgehog in its natural habitat. And it’s a problem that seems to be getting worse.
Experts believe numbers to have declined by 75% since the year 2000.
Andy Simms, from MyBuilder.com, said that adapting gardens has been credited by hedgehog experts as making a massive difference to the welfare of hedgehogs.
“Simple changes can make such a difference, and don’t have to cost much, either,” he said.
“Consider leaving wild areas, installing a little hedgehog house, and covering up any drains or holes that could be a hazard. Our guide will give you plenty of budget friendly ideas - and our expert gardeners are on hand to give any advice should you need it.”