Pollinator park

Hogtober and Beyond

Tuesday 3rd December 2024
At Dalton Park Outlet, we are committed to rewilding our 55 acres of parkland and Pollinator Parks Garden in partnership with Climate Action North to help our local wildlife thrive and hedgehogs are no exception.
Winner of Hogtober

Hedgehogs have recently been classified as “near threatened” on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s red list, following a concerning 30 percent decline in their numbers over the past decade. Once common throughout Europe, hedgehogs have seen their habitats disrupted by urban development, intensive farming, and the dangers posed by busy roads.

These factors have led to fragmented habitats, making it increasingly difficult for hedgehogs to survive. They also contend with threats from vehicle collisions poorly managed gardens, and pesticides. These chemicals not only kill the insects that hedgehogs rely on for food but can also poison them directly.

But there’s hope. Our partnership with Climate Action North allows us to continue our vital in our ongoing work to support hedgehog populations and collaborate with the local community to do so. As part of of Climate Action North’s Global Wilders® initiative a local school in Murton participated in their Hog Wilders for Hogtober project with Dalton Park.

On 1 October, a Year 4 class with 27 students learned about hedgehogs and made a hedgehog hedgerow using cardboard. Each child received a knitted hedgehog and took part in a poster competition focused on hedgehog care ahead of Bonfire Night.

The second session, on 18 October, saw the students’ posters were delivered to Dalton Park for judging. Richard Kaye, Centre Manager and Naomi Johnson, Marketing and Communications Manager from Dalton Park chose three winners, and every child received a prize for their participation. The students also created chalk drawings in the Dalton Park Pollinator Parks®garden.

Eve Gooding, a teacher at St Joseph’s said: “At St Joseph’s the children, and staff, are very passionate about the environment. The children thoroughly enjoyed working with Sharon on the Hog Wilders Project. They learnt lots about hedgehogs and enjoyed creating informative posters that have been displayed on our class hedgehog hedgerow.

“Receiving a knitted hedgehog from Sharon and prizes from Dalton Park was a lovely touch to thank the children for their participation and hard work. The children actively share what they have learnt about taking care of the hedgehogs and hopefully they can make a change in supporting the population of hedgehogs for future generations.”

Hogtober isn’t just for October