Warwickshire Mammal Group

Warwickshire Hedgehog Helpers

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The history of hedgehog work in Warwickshire

In 2013, Warwickshire Wildlife Trust realised that hedgehogs were in serious decline and set up the Help for Hedgehogs Campaign to raise awareness. In 2015 and 2016, two Hedgehog Improvement Areas (HIAs) were set up across the boroughs of Solihull and Rugby (funded by the British Hedgehog Preservation Society) with the aim of empowering communities to help their local hedgehogs through community engagement, surveying and making habitat improvements. The HIAs came to an end in December 2019. More information about the projects can be found here: www.warwickshirewildlifetrust.org.uk/hedgehogs/hedgehog-projects. You can also read the final report of the project here:

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Warwickshire Hedgehog Helpers

The Warwickshire Hedgehog Helpers group was formed as part of the HIAs to continue hedgehog work into the future. Volunteers were able to contribute directly to the conservation of our loveable spiky mammal whilst gaining great experience and new skills, with all training provided in torchlight surveying, footprint tunnel surveying, community engagement and practical habitat management. Since the HIAs ended, the Warwickshire Hedgehog Helpers group became a subsidiary of the Warwickshire Mammal Group (WMG).

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How to get involved and volunteer

WMG will run occassional all night torchlight surveys across Coombe Country Park each May and September. During these surveys, we walk set transects after dark, looking for hedgehogs, and when we find them, we check their health, sex and weight and mark them with a number under licence as part of our monitoring programme. To get involved, you need to sign up to become a WMG member and write that you are interested in hedgehog work on the membership form.