SMB College Group’s Brooksby Campus becomes one of the first Further Education campuses to achieve Gold Hedgehog Friendly Campus accreditation!
The College signed up to take part in the Hedgehog Friendly Campus project in April 2021, becoming one of the first Further Education colleges to get involved with the project and achieve official Bronze, Silver and now Gold accreditation!
The College’s specialist Land-Based Brooksby campus, spans 850 acres in the heart of rural Leicestershire, making it the perfect home for hedgehogs. There had been various sightings of hedgehogs reported on campus and the College wanted to do everything possible to create a safe space for these beautiful, but vulnerable animals to thrive in.
Getting involved in the Hedgehog Friendly Campus project has enabled staff and students to come together to protect and encourage biodiversity on campus, completing numerous hedgehog friendly initiatives including practical conservation tasks, citizen science surveys, fundraising and community engagement.
As part of the project, staff and students have completed various practical conservation activities on campus, including building a variety of different bug hotels from recycled materials. They have also installed and maintain hedgehog feeding stations, hedgehog houses, log piles and pond ramps and have planted native wildflowers, plants and trees in dedicated wildlife friendly areas to increase biodiversity on campus.
The Hedgehog Friendly Team have also undertaken numerous wildlife surveys, both on campus and in the local area, using hedgehog footprint tunnels and wildlife cameras to monitor the hedgehog population and target strategies to have the biggest impact.
The Team have also carried out several litter picks and campus hazard surveys to remove as many threats to hedgehogs as possible. They also signed up to take part in the Big Hog Friendly Litter Pick competition, completing a series of group litter picks across various different areas on campus, with support from members of the local community and Melton Borough Council, who very kindly donated all of the equipment needed. The team managed to remove a huge total of 62 bags of rubbish from in and around the campus and local area!
The Hedgehog Friendly Campus project has created lots of excellent volunteering opportunities for Brooksby students, from conducting wildlife surveys to planning fundraising activities and campaigns, allowing them to come together and get involved in protecting a vulnerable species, whilst developing new skills and having fun in the process!
During the course of the project, we have seen Brooksby’s hedgehog population thrive thanks to the initiatives put in place, with positive hedgehog survey results and sightings of hedgehogs and hoglets on campus.
Brooksby’s hedgehog friendly team is coordinated by Animal Management Lecturer and Veterinary Nurse, Beth Prior. When speaking about the project, she said “We would like to say a huge thank you to everyone that has supported us on our journey to becoming a Gold accredited campus, particularly our wonderful student Hedgehog Ambassadors who have worked so hard over the last three years to make our campus much safer for wildlife.
We would also like to encourage everyone to get involved in protecting hedgehogs and promoting biodiversity, as even seemingly small actions can have such a big impact.”
Sign up now for the College Taster and Open Evening at Brooksby Campus to find out more about studying Animal Care at SMB College Group https://www.smbcollegegroup.ac.uk/news-events/events/event/46-college-taster-open-evening-february-brooksby-campus