We successfully gained the Gold Award from the Hedgehog Presevation Society for the Academic Year 2022/23. Hedgehog Friendly Campus is a national award scheme designed to protect hedgehogs, enhance their habitat and create awareness, funded by the British Hedgehog Preservation Society. We are now working on attaining the Platinum Award!

To achieve the Gold Award, many students and staff took part in various campaigns, events and initiatives. The Gold Award was achieved by: Using the MyGreenspace App to promote hedgehog friendly volunteering and actions; Giving a talk on our hedgehog conservation schemes and activities at the Northumbria University Natural History society; Placing hedgehog crossing signs across campus; conducting hedgehog surveys with the local community; running fundraising events including bake offs and a hedgehog house opening event; and volunteered to present our Hedgehog Friendly Campus (HFC) work at various organisations, including the Women's League at Shildon. Thank you to all our volunteers, our HFC Working Group, Student Conservation Groups, Grounds & Gardens Team and the Energy & Sustainability Team, without whom this would not have been possible!

Want to keep up with what the group is up to? Visit the Durham University Hedgehog Friendly University campaign facebook page or the British Hedgehog Preservation Society's website for more details.

Did You Know ... Hedgehog Awareness Week ran 1st - 7th May 2022?

Staff and students were invited to take part in weeklong litter picks and other events during Hedgehog Awareness Week. Watch this space for events happeing during this year's week ....

New Hedgehog Homes

Our prize for winning the litter pick for attaining the silver ward has now been placed within the Botanic Garden and we hope this will soon be taken over by a family of hedgehogs.

Our Grounds Team have been busy making additional hedgehog houses which have now been placed in several areas across the University Estate, including the Botanic Garden and also within several college grounds.

A map has been created to show the locations of sightings of hedgehogs around Durham City and it hoped installing the additional hedgehog houses, our numbers will increase. If you see any hedgehogs please log your sightings on the Big Hedgehog Map.