It's our 10th Year Anniversary!

On April the 15th 2015 we rescued the first hedgehog.  10 years on we have now helped 2,311 British wild hedgehogs and baby orphaned hoglets.

Hornbeam Wood Hedgehog Sanctuary plays a critical role in reversing the decline of hedgehog populations while promoting broader climate resilience. Through habitat restoration, sustainable land use practices, and community education, we aim to create a model for wildlife conservation that integrates climate action. With the support of this funding, we will expand our rescue efforts, restore vital habitats, and inspire a community of environmental stewards committed to a sustainable, wildlife-friendly future.

We are very grateful to all our supporters who donate to Hornbeam Wood Hedgehog Sanctuary. The funds go directly on helping hedgehogs and baby hoglets that are in rehabilitation along with the day to day running of the Charity.

1) Introduction:
Hornbeam Wood Hedgehog Sanctuary is dedicated to the rescue and conservation of the native British hedgehog, a species now listed on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List for British Mammals. Hedgehog populations have plummeted by 50% in urban areas and 70% in rural areas since 2000, largely due to habitat loss, pollution, and climate change. Our sanctuary focuses on reversing this decline by promoting hedgehog-friendly habitats, providing medical care, and engaging the community in conservation efforts.

2) Objectives of the Sanctuary:
The sanctuary's core objectives include:

Hedgehog Rescue and Rehabilitation: Providing urgent care to hedgehogs in distress, including orphaned hoglets, and rehabilitating them for eventual release.

Habitat Creation and Restoration: Restoring and creating hedgehog-friendly habitats on our 10-acre site.

Sustainability and Climate Resilience: Using sustainable practices in both our conservation efforts and operations.

Community Engagement: Educating local communities and inspiring long-term environmental stewardship, particularly through outreach to children, adults, and special needs groups.

Volunteer Development: Expanding our base of skilled volunteers to support wildlife care and conservation efforts.

3) Role of Hedgehogs in Climate-Related Ecosystem Services
Hedgehogs contribute significantly to ecosystem health, playing an essential role in:

Natural Pest Control
Hedgehogs are insectivores, consuming large quantities of pests such as slugs, beetles, and caterpillars. This natural pest control:

- Reduces the need for chemical pesticides that harm pollinators and contaminate soil and water.
- Supports organic and sustainable farming practices, which are more resilient to climate-related pressures.

Soil Health and Nutrient Cycling
Hedgehogs improve soil quality through their foraging behavior. They:

- Aerate the soil, improving water retention and preventing erosion during extreme weather events.
- Help break down organic matter, enhancing nutrient cycling and supporting plant growth.
- Contribute to carbon sequestration by enriching soil, making it more resilient to climate extremes.

Biodiversity Indicators
As a bioindicator species, a thriving hedgehog population signals a healthy ecosystem. Maintaining healthy hedgehog populations:

- Reflects balanced ecosystems and encourages habitat restoration efforts.
- Helps monitor ecosystem health and act as an early warning for environmental decline due to climate change.

Community Engagement in Climate Action
Hedgehogs are charismatic creatures that inspire public interest in wildlife conservation. Through hedgehog-centered programs, we:

- Promote wildlife-friendly gardening, such as reducing lawn mowing, planting native species, and building hedgehog highways.
- Encourage sustainable living practices like composting and rainwater harvesting, directly supporting climate resilience.

4. Habitat Restoration and Climate Mitigation at Hornbeam Wood
The sanctuary’s 10-acre site is managed with a strong focus on sustainability and climate resilience. Key actions include:

Habitat Restoration and Preservation
We restore and manage diverse habitats like woodlands, meadows, hedgerows, and ponds. These areas:

- Act as carbon sinks, capturing and storing atmospheric CO2.
- Support biodiversity, which enhances ecosystem resilience to climate extremes.
- Provide shelter and food for hedgehogs and other native species, stabilizing local ecosystems.

Sustainable Land Use Practices
Land is managed without harmful chemicals, promoting natural pest control and pollination.

- We use mulching, composting, and rotational clearing to enrich soil, reduce water runoff, and prevent erosion.
- Areas are left to grow wild where appropriate, creating microclimates that mitigate flooding and heatwaves.

Low-Impact Infrastructure
Buildings and enclosures are constructed using reclaimed materials, reducing waste.

- We aim for energy-efficient developments, reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
- Future upgrades, such as renewable energy integration, will optimize energy use and minimize emissions.

Community Education and Climate Action
We teach local communities how to create wildlife-friendly and climate-resilient spaces, promoting rainwater harvesting, pollinator support, and organic gardening.

Our outreach programs focus on practical, low-cost actions that contribute to sustainability, like composting and wildlife corridor creation.

5. Education and Outreach: Raising Climate Awareness
Our education programs are central to fostering long-term environmental stewardship and climate action. These programs achieve several key goals:
Raising Climate Awareness Through Wildlife Conservation

We use hedgehogs as a gateway for educating people about broader environmental issues.

Our programs demonstrate how climate change impacts hedgehogs, such as habitat loss and disrupted hibernation, and how these effects are interconnected with broader ecological health.

Encouraging Climate-Conscious Behaviors
Our educational talks promote practical, sustainable actions such as:

- Reducing pesticide use and promoting organic gardening
- Building hedgehog-friendly habitats and corridors
- Installing water-saving features like rain barrels
- Empowering Youth as Climate Stewards

School programs and activities are designed to help children understand their role in protecting the planet.

We teach students about sustainability, ecosystems, and climate science, linking these lessons to practical, hands-on actions like building bug hotels and planting wildflowers.

Building Resilient Communities
Talks and events emphasize the importance of local action to combat climate change, inspiring participants to adopt sustainable practices in their daily lives.

Volunteers are trained to become advocates for biodiversity and sustainable living, ensuring long-term engagement with conservation efforts.

6. Expected Outcomes with Funding
With this funding, the sanctuary will achieve the following:

- Rescue and Rehabilitation: Help over 300 hedgehogs in 2025-2026, including orphaned hoglets, rehabilitating them for successful release.
- Habitat Creation: Increase the number of hedgehog-friendly habitats on our 10-acre site, supporting biodiversity and contributing to carbon sequestration.
- Sustainability Practices: Continue using sustainable practices, including reusing materials and minimizing emissions, to reduce the sanctuary’s environmental footprint.
- Expanded Education: Reach thousands of children, adults, and individuals with special needs through educational talks and workshops, raising awareness of wildlife conservation and climate action.
- Volunteer Growth: Develop and expand our dedicated team of volunteers, ensuring that we have the capacity to carry out our mission and train others in sustainable practices.

More about Hornbeam Wood Hedgehog Sanctuary:

We are a small family run Charity that looks after British Wild Hedgehogs founded in April 2015. Mother and son are involved on a daily basis and the Charity rehabilitates wild hedgehogs and orphaned baby hoglets that are sick, injured, or underweight. Since 2015 we have rescued, rehabilitated, and released over 2000 injured or orphaned hedgehogs.

Location of the Charity:

Hornbeam Wood Hedgehog Sanctuary is located on the same lands that made up Grahame Dangerfield's Animal Sanctuary and still uses many of the original pens and cages.  The sanctuary is based in Harpenden/Wheathampstead in Hertfordshire with 10 Acres of woodland and open fields home to all kinds of local wildlife including Barn Owls, Bats, Deer, Foxes, Hedgehogs, Rabbits and more. 

More about British Wild Hedgehogs:

The Wild British Hedgehog has been included in the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List for British Mammals. Their population has decreased by about 50% in urban areas and 70% in rural areas since the year 2000. It is estimated that 100k -350k hedgehogs are killed each year on the roads. 

Their habitats have been diminishing and their inability to access and travel through gardens and across roads has become in most cases, impossible. Roads create invisible barriers and also physical barriers for hedgehogs. The use of poisons like slug pellets, and intensive agricultural farming also have a part to play in their decreased populations through the loss of hedges and pesticides.

We use 100% of donations to help the hedgehogs:

We currently have a peak of around 80 hedgehogs at any one time and an average of between 30-50 in rehabilitation. Hedgehogs in rehabilitation are with us anywhere from 2 weeks to 6 months but usually at least 1-2 months. One hedgehog can easily eat close to an entire can of dog food, but it's normally just over half a can, or a large bowl of hedgehog food. It's not unusual to go though at least 30-40 cans of food a day. This does not include the more expensive foods such as the critical care mousse and hoglet powdered food.

There are also hedgehog consumable costs (such as medical treatments, gloves, various disinfectants, wound sprays, flea, mite, and tick sprays, milton tablets, etc..) and general maintenance and repairs of hedgehog buildings, hutches, and pens. Some of the larger costs for the Charity are insurance and electricity along with the on-going running costs of the rescue vehicle used to pickup and drop off hedgehogs rescued, along with being released back in to the wild. The cost of fuel is more than £50 a week. On top of this are expensive items such as incubators. These costs alone amount to several thousand pounds a year. There are a lot of ongoing costs involved in rescuing the hedgehogs but it costs over £80 a month for one hedgehog in rehabilitation.

Donations are greatly appreciated and help us a huge amount.

Registered Charity No. 1190048

More about Wildlife Education & Awareness:

Hornbeam Wood Hedgehog Sanctuary is extensively active in promoting ways people can help hedgehogs and spreading awareness of the troubles wild hedgehogs face. The Charity hosts nearly 100 Hedgehog Educational and Awareness talks annually. 1,050 local children and adults within Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire attended our Hedgehog Educational & Awareness Talks during 2023-2024. To date, the total number that have attended these talks is 9,515.

Martin (the founder) was nominated for the Green Award at the BBC Make A Difference Awards 2023.

We are focused on Biodiversity and Conservation with a focus on Wildlife Habitat Creation. We have many projects on-going at the sanctuary.

The Charity also communicates these messages in the media both locally, and nationwide through articles radio and tv broadcasting companies to help raise awareness.

Channel 5 News (https://youtu.be/tkdpWNjjjXg): 

Sky Nature (https://youtu.be/97O2DTIuNVw):

5 News (https://youtu.be/XWTZyCOWYYg): 

ITV News (https://youtu.be/HFGwapDWIO4): 

ITV Evening News (https://youtu.be/ELQuAxs7A0E):

BBC Three Counties Radio (https://youtu.be/4Wwm8ouCh-A):

BBC Three Counties Radio (https://youtu.be/LSi3X0t4-wA): 

BBC Three Counties Radio (https://youtu.be/B7tDrEcl0iQ): 

https://www.hornbeamwood.org.uk

Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/HornbeamWood
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Twitch - https://www.twitch.tv/hedgehogsanctuary