York St John University wins award for hedgehog preservation work

York St John was awarded Silver in the 2022 Hedgehog Friendly Campus scheme and secured a Gold award in 2023

A university in North Yorkshire has been recognised for the work it has done to preserve hedgehogs.

York St John University has been awarded Gold in the Hedgehog Friendly Campus scheme.

The scheme, which aims to halt the decline of the country's hedgehogs, is run by the British Hedgehog Preservation Society.

Julia Dyman, from the university, said: "We are all proud of the hard work that has led to this award."

The creatures were listed as vulnerable to extinction on the Red List for Britain's Mammals 2020.

Hedgehogs are considered vulnerable due to habitat loss, development, roads and garden hazards.

There are thought to be fewer than one million hedgehogs left in Britain, compared with 30 million in the 1950s.

The university has carried out hedgehog surveys, built hedgehog houses, set up feeding stations and wildflower meadows

York St John University has been a part of the Hedgehog Friendly Campus scheme since 2019 and was awarded Silver status in February 2022.

Over three years, teams at the university have undertaken hedgehog surveys, built hedgehog houses, set up feeding stations and established wildflower meadows.

Julia Dyman, the university's environmental projects officer, said everyone there was proud to be "playing a significant role in supporting the hedgehog population in the local area".

Chey Salisbury, a groundskeeper at York St John, said supporting wildlife and keeping a green campus was "really important to us, so it's great to see that the work is paying off for the hedgehogs".

Special monitoring tunnels have been set up at the university,with hedgehog movements captured on film

A spokesperson for the university said achieving the award did not mean that the hedgehog projects on campus were complete.

"Work continues to improve habitats, monitor numbers and spread the message about hedgehog preservation," they said.