Championing Wythenshawe’s hedgehogs

Our much-loved hedgehogs will be at the heart of two special events in Wythenshawe, as they are close to waking up after their winter hibernation.

It is vitally important that everyone learns about our favourite mammal, as numbers continue to fall across the North West.

The Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside will be holding the events as their latest Heartbeat Moments on Saturday, February 21st.

The fantastic nature activities taking place, all part of a project called Championing Nature which is being delivered by The Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside and is made possible by Wimbledon and Emirates. These events are part of a series of Heartbeat Moments, exciting opportunities for the Wythenshawe community to come together and celebrate local nature and our impact on it.

Hedgehogs are one of six golden thread species that the Championing Nature project will focus on this year and so they will take the spotlight at these upcoming events. This Winter Heartbeat will include fun hedgehog themed crafting activities and an exciting talk by Dr Frankie Kerridge from Myerscough College & University Centre to teach the local community about hedgehogs and how to help protect them.

Events will be held nice and warm indoors; at Wythenshawe Forum in the morning where the Wildlife Trust will provide lots of free drop-in family-friendly activities, followed by another free ticketed event at Norbrook Community Centre in the afternoon. By coming together to support the hedgehog population, everyone in the local community can make a real difference to this wonderful species.

Hedgehog numbers in the UK have been declining for decades, mainly due to habitat loss, however urban populations are faring better than their countryside counterparts. This is partly due to people in urban areas taking measures to make their gardens and local greenspaces more hedgehog friendly.

Hedgehogs travel up to one mile per night in search of food and when looking for a mate but to be able to do this, they need to move freely between our green spaces. This can be achieved by a simple hole in a fence or digging a channel beneath garden boundaries and the Championing Nature team will be able to show the local community how to do this.

Jenni Lea, Community Engagement Manager at The Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside said: “We are really excited to be hosting these events and aiming to help improve habitats for wildlife in Wythenshawe, and allow the local community, especially our young people, to learn more about the nature that is on their doorstep. We’re really excited about, and committed to, working with the people and wildlife in Wythenshawe for years to come.”

The Championing Nature project is also excited to be working on several sites in Wythenshawe with local volunteers on practical conservation sessions to improve habitats for hedgehogs. As well as increasing general biodiversity and habitat resilience, the work creates new microhabitats for hedgehogs by making lots of log and brash piles, providing shelter and increasing the numbers of insects and other invertebrates that hedgehogs feed on.

The morning event will be held at Wythenshawe Forum (Simonsway, Wythenshawe, Manchester M22 5RX) between 10am and 12pm.

The afternoon event will be at Norbrook Community Centre (Bordley Walk, Wythenshawe, Manchester M23 0QF) between 3pm and 5pm: https://www.lancswt.org.uk/events/2026-02-21-championing-nature-winter-heartbeat-moment

For full details and to book your free tickets check out www.lancswt.org.uk/championing-nature