The University of Salford is now a Platinum accredited Hedgehog Friendly Campus!
The Hedgehog Friendly Campus scheme recognises and rewards universities for their efforts to make their campus more nature friendly, with the University of Salford working through different levels to achieve the highest award, one of only four awarded this year. Platinum accreditation means that we have taken action to promote best practice on our campus and beyond, by increasing hazard management, the number of hedgehog habitats and our community engagement.
We want to say a huge thank you to all the staff, students and volunteers who took part in our hedgehog related activities this year. We’ve had lots of hedgehog activities, some of the ones we are most proud of are:
- Hedgehog Awareness Week in May, which saw The Sustainability Office raise £150 for the British Hedgehog Preservation Society.
- Having over 90 people take part in our litter picks since September to help keep our campus, Peel Park and David Lewis Playing Fields free of litter and hedgehog hazards.
- Engaging with 3 primary schools across Greater Manchester, by running tunnelling workshops with pupils. The results from Hindsford Primary School were extremely clear- with hedgehog footprints and spine prints visible.
Our Hedgehog Friendly Campus auditor gave us some great feedback, saying, “A fantastic project, well executed and impactful! We were really impressed with the variety of actions taken across the year, the different audiences that you involved in the work and the number of people you were able to reach out to during the year. It’s a brilliant project that meets all the criteria beautifully – well done!”
Bec Bennett, Assistant Director of Sustainability said “The achievement of the Platinum Award has been a real joint effort involving our Sustainability Team, staff and student volunteers and local partners including Peel Park Ranger Team and some local schools. While this initiative focuses on hedgehog conservation, this award highlights our commitment to preserving and enhancing our campus green spaces for the benefit of the natural environment.”
Even though we have now achieved Platinum Accreditation we don’t intend to stop championing hedgehogs on campus. You can still get involved with our bi-weekly litter picks, this month they are 16th July and 30th July, 12:00-13:00, meeting at Peel Park Ranger Base. Use the link, to sign up: Hedgehog Friendly litter picks Tickets, Multiple Dates | Eventbrite
To find out more about what Sustainability Office got up to whilst completing our Platinum Plan, check out our Round-Up Blog Post (HFC Platinum Project Round Up 2023-2024! – University of Salford Sustainability Team). Don’t forget to send us pictures of any hedgehogs you spot on campus to eps-sustainability@salford.ac.uk
