
Children from Year 5 St. Stephen’s R.C. Primary school, Droylsden, were motivated by a Forest School session, in their own forest, to write about the plight of hedgehogs.
The inspiration behind the character Mrs Tiggy-Winkle, the humble hedgehog, is now in life-threatening decline and considered “vulnerable”; it is listed on the Red List of Mammals likely to become extinct.
Since 2000, their populations have decreased by nearly fifty percent. The primary culprits behind this alarming trend are urban development and the removal of hedgerows in rural areas.
Julie Artingstall, a member of the Key Stage 2 Support Staff, says "it is vital for their survival that we create habitats such as this Hideout. We have used branches, nettles, a small pond and hedgehog food to welcome these roaming, wild creatures into our school grounds.
We urge everyone to make a space in their gardens-leave a pile of logs and leaves undisturbed. We all need to come together to help hedgehog habitats"