Hedgehog heroes: University celebrates milestone for campus biodiversity

08 Jul 2026

Since September 2025, a dedicated network of University of Manchester colleagues and students have been working to protect one of Britain’s most loved species in and around our campus.

Rapid urbanisation threatens hedgehog populations across the United Kingdom. This is why The Hedgehog Friendly Campus initiative has been mobilising Universities and schools across the UK to protect them. The initiative is coordinated by Students Organising for Sustainability (SOS-UK) in collaboration with the British Hedgehog Preservation Society (BHPS).

Universities taking part in the HFC initiative complete toolkits at four accreditation levels: Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum. After two semesters of hard work, The University of Manchester’s very own Hedgehog Friendly Action group have achieved a Bronze certification for our campus.

Achieving Bronze status

The group have completed a number of activities over the 25/26 academic year:

Partaking in the Big Hog Litter-pick Challenge, they collected over 32 bags of litter across our grounds, not only helping the hogs, but also making our green spaces friendlier for wildlife.
They attended sessions for Hedgehog First Aid Training and worked to raise awareness of these life-saving skills amongst members of our university community.
Both students and staff organised bake-sale fundraisers, and later in the year a prize raffle! These events raised a combined £679 for the BHPS and the Withington Hedgehog Care Trust.
With the help of SOS-UK, they were also able to coordinate wildlife surveying tunnels across our campus.
In partnership with local organisation Touch Wood, which re-purposes waste wood for all sorts of incredible projects, the group also built five hedgehog houses to be placed across our campus in the springtime.

Moving forward, the group are coordinating a campus wide hedgehog hazard audit as well as looking to install wildlife cameras and feeding stations alongside the houses.

Why protecting our bioversity is important

Protecting our European Hedgehogs is important on more levels than it might seem. Hedgehogs are important bio-indicator species, meaning that their presence indicates the health of our wider ecosystem. Alongside this, they are also a charismatic species, which is a term used in conservation to describe a recognisable animal with lots of public appeal. These animals are often great gateways into conservation, and when people resonate with one species, they may find themselves building more of a connection to wildlife and nature.

Imogen Yeung, Environmental Sustainability Officer, said: "It has been wonderful to see so much interest in joining the Hedgehog Action Group - the Sustainability Team’s inbox has never been so busy! Achieving Bronze accreditation is a tribute to the enthusiasm and commitment shown by colleagues and students across the University. While protecting hedgehogs in urban areas is the main goal, we have also been reflecting on how we can support the wider ecosystem and respond to the challenges facing nature. I am excited to build on this progress as we work towards silver next year.

Bethany Holmes, SOS UK Biodiversity Project Coordinator, said: "The Team at the University of Manchester, led by Imogen, have achieved an incredible amount in their first year of Hedgehog Friendly Campus, particularly given that they joined the programme partway through the academic year. It was a genuine pleasure to attend their monthly working group meetings and witness the enthusiasm, collaboration and creativity that each member brought to the team."