Bovis Homes supports Hedgehog Awareness Week with exciting competition
04 May 2021
As part of Hedgehog Awareness Week, a national housebuilder ran a social media competition to help raise awareness of these iconic creatures and how to care for them, in conjunction with the British Hedgehog Preservation Society. The 2021 awareness week ran from 2nd-8th May, with the charity asking people to create their very own ‘hedgehog haven’, offering advice on how gardens can be made more hedgehog friendly. Bovis Homes asked its Facebook followers to share videos and photographs with the housebuilder, to show how people look after hedgehogs in their gardens at home. The housebuilder received a selection of fantastic entries for the competition and shared seven of its favourites throughout Hedgehog Awareness Week on the company Facebook page. Hugh Warwick, ecologist and wildlife author, announced the overall winner on 9th May in a video posted to Facebook. Louise Macrae, regional marketing manager, said: “It is wonderful to be able to, once again, support this great awareness week. Hedgehogs are beautiful creatures and small changes in your garden at home can make such a difference in helping them thrive. “With the BHPS’s call for people to create a hedgehog friendly space in their garden, we were pleased to see so many of the competition entries showcasing simple steps that anyone can take, to help support wildlife, which is why we are so excited to share these videos and photographs with the public. We hope it will encourage others to make their gardens more wildlife friendly. “In an industry-first initiative, Bovis Homes install hedgehog highways to its existing developments and all future sites wherever possible, as part of a campaign that will also help other small mammals, birds, frogs and insects. So, it was extremely important to us that we supported this effort further, by getting involved with Hedgehog Awareness Week. “Thanks to everyone that went to the effort of entering our competition.” Fay Vass, chief executive of BHPS, said: “Our gardens take up such a lot of habitat, by making our own plot more hedgehog friendly, and joining them up, we can improve a huge amount of habitat for them. “We urge everyone to become a Hedgehog Champion for their area at Hedgehog Street ?" a project run by BHPS and our partners People’s Trust for Endangered Species. Join more than 94,000 Champions by signing up for free at: www.hedgehogstreet.org ?" you will get an email with top tips on how you can help hedgehogs each month.” The seven finalists received a goody bag and an overall winner also received a hedgehog house for their garden, which can become a safe haven for these endearing creatures. Bovis Homes have also donated £1,000 to the BHPS on behalf of the winner which will go towards the charity’s Hedgehog Awareness Week appeal. Find out more about the competition and view the entries throughout Hedgehog Awareness Week on the Bovis Homes Facebook page.
