Selco introduces “Hedgehog Highways” campaign

A builders merchant has started a “Hedgehog Highways” campaign after introducing a new product designed to help boost hedgehog numbers.

Selco Builders Warehouse is playing its part in trying to secure the future of the UK’s hedgehogs by stocking Supreme Pro Hedgehog Hole Gravel Boards across its 75 stores, and the product is also available online.

Hedgehogs can travel up to 2km a night in search of food, shelter and mates but their furrows are often impeded by buildings, walls and fences. Restrictions such as these are one of the leading causes of recent hedgehog decline.

The gravel boards act as a barrier between fence panels and damp ground but feature a 13cm access hope to allow hedgehogs to safely pass through and travel freely in and out of neighbouring gardens and green spaces.

People across the UK are creating “Hedgehog Highways” to allow the animals to travel.

Carine Jessamine, Selco Builders Warehouse marketing director, said: “We are delighted to be offering homeowners around the UK the chance to make their outdoor spaces more wildlife friendly by stocking the hedgehog gravel boards.”

Hedgehogs have experienced a dramatic decline in recent years and are thought to have declined by up to 75% in rural areas since 2000. In 2020 they were listed as vulnerable to extinction on the Red List for Britain’s Mammals.

Hedgehog Officer for Hedgehog Street, Grace Johnson, is delighted to see this new addition to Selco’s range.

Grace also said: “One of the key threats facing British hedgehogs is habitat fragmentation with buildings, walls and fences limiting their nightly movement and isolating populations.

“Creating Hedgehog Highways and offering hedgehog friendly gravel boards are a fantastic, and easy-to-install solution to this problem, providing the access that hedgehogs so desperately need. We are delighted to see Selco Builders Warehouse acting responsibly and adding these products to their range.”

www.selcobw.com