PRICKLY CUSTOMERS?

Think you’ve got what it takes to handle some AS THEIR NUMBERS FALL, WILDLIFE TRUST LOOKS TO APPOINT HEDGEHOG OFFICER TO SAFEGUARD THEIR ENVIRONMENT

They will have the opportunity to make a difference to such an iconic species through genuine grassroots conservation. Deborah Wright

IF you love animals – and hedgehogs in particular – then your dream job could be up for grabs.

Warwickshire Wildlife Trust is recruiting a hedgehog officer, whose role will be to persuade people to become enthusiastic about protecting Britain’s favourite prickly mammal.

The role has been created following the creation of two Hedgehog Improvement Areas (HIAs) in Rugby and Solihull.

The Hedgehog Improvement Areas have been funded by the British Hedgehog Preservation Society (BHPS) with the aim of raising awareness about hedgehog decline and ultimately improving the landscape for wildlife.

The hedgehog officer role is for a fixed period of a year initially and serves part of efforts to boost Britain’s declining hedgehog population.

Hedgehogs are in trouble nationally, with the UK’s population declining by 30 per cent since 2000.

The new officer will be tasked with engaging people of all ages and backgrounds in helping their local hedgehogs by making outside spaces, such as gardens and churchyards, hedgehog-friendly.

They will also encourage homeowners to make suitably-sized holes in their fences to connect the landscape for hedgehogs to travel through and to provide more shelter by leaving areas of their gardens to go ‘wild.’

Fay Vass, chief executive of the BHPS, said: “This is an exciting opportunity for someone to join a well-run, lively project to help hedgehogs, and to join the exclusive but growing group of hedgehog officers across the country.”

Warwickshire Wildlife Trust’s senior hedgehog officer Deborah Wright, who oversees both the Rugby and Solihull, said the new role is an important one. She said: “The new hedgehog officer will have such a varied role, from conducting night time torchlight surveys, to planting hedges, to running craft activities with children.

“They will have the opportunity to make a difference to such an iconic species through genuine grassroots conservation. “We are at a really exciting stage in the HIAs and are looking forward to developing a legacy for hedgehog conservation into the future with our new recruit.”

Anyone interested in creating hedgehog-friendly spaces can find out more by going to www.helpforhedgehogs.co.uk

People interested in applying for the hedgehog officer role at Warwickshire Wildlife Trust have until February 15 to apply by clicking here www.warwickshirewildlifetrust.org.uk/HedgehogOfficer