Holes in Fences are Great for Hedgehogs

Hedgehog Week

This week is Hedgehog Awareness Week and Thakeham continues to support the cause, helping to make sure our prickly friends are around in the wild for our children and our children’s children, for years to come.

Hedgehogs are declining in the UK at the same rate as tigers are globally, with one in three UK hedgehogs lost since 2000. The good news is, there is lots we can all do to help.

Thakeham’s commitment

In support of last year’s Hedgehog Week, armed with the knowledge that hedgehogs roam around 2km a night, we pledged to install hog holes in the garden and perimeter fences of our new home developments. These small holes are placed at ground level, measure just 130mm in diameter and enable hedgehogs to roam freely through gardens and communal areas, so they can forage for food and find suitable nesting areas.

What has Thakeham achieved?

We include hedge hog holes in our construction specification for garden and perimeter fences and are proud to have implemented this initiative at a number of our recent developments.

By working with British Hedgehog Preservation Society and the People’s Trust for Endangered Species, we ensure our new homeowners have the information they need to encourage and look after any visiting hedgehogs.

“Thakeham are trend-setters! They’ve made an overt commitment to hedgehogs and are installing Hedgehog Highways throughout their new developments. We’ve lost a third of our hedgehogs since 2000, but if every developer followed Thakeham’s example, the picture would be very different.”

Hedgehog Officer, People’s Trust for Endangered Species

How can you help?

Thakeham new homeowners have been pleased to be involved and the good news is, you can help too! We’ve created a list of tips and facts to help you support the UK hedgehog in the wild. Download the infographic and share it with friends and family.

The Future

Not only do we hope our commitment helps the endangered UK hedgehog, we also wish to demonstrate that small actions taken by many can have a positive impact. We hope that by taking part in this campaign, we can raise awareness and encourage other organisations within the construction industry to commit to similar actions and initiatives.

The more of us that engage in this campaign, the more we can all raise awareness for the hedgehog. So, please share this story and let’s help save our hedgehog!

Hedgehog Infographic

Thakeham’s Hedgehog infographic gives you easy access to facts about the UK hedgehog, with tips for looking after hedgehogs visiting your garden. See our infographic below – and help to spread the word!