Eastbourne housing company donates hedgehog house to pre-school

Barratt Southern Counties donated a wooden ‘hog home’ to the pre-school so the hedgehogs can shelter and hibernate through the poor weather this winter. The donation also included hedgehog food and a feeding bowl.

This comes after research from the Natural History Museum estimates that hedgehog populations have decreased by almost half over the last 13 years.

Lynnette St-Quintin, sales and marketing director at Barratt Developments, said, “As a sustainable housebuilder, we have a responsibility to provide a safe home not just for people, but for wildlife too.

“We’re so pleased to work with Lower Willingdon Pre-School Nursery to deliver our Give a Hog a Home initiative to create a safe and permanent habitat for hedgehogs.”

Barratt Developments has an ongoing partnership with the RSPB – the UK’s largest nature conservation charity.

The company says it is on a mission to encourage schools and families near its developments to make small changes to safely co-exist with wildlife.

Julie Langford, manager at Lower Willingdon Pre-School Nursery, said, “We are so excited to offer a home for hedgehogs in our playground. It is a fantastic opportunity to do our bit to shelter this diminishing species and teach the children about the importance of preserving our wildlife.

“We’d like to thank Barratt Homes for its generous donation to us.”