{"id":5577,"date":"2026-10-15T16:39:06","date_gmt":"2026-10-15T15:39:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/360wire\/?p=5577"},"modified":"2026-10-15T16:57:43","modified_gmt":"2026-10-15T15:57:43","slug":"new-hedgehog-highway-in-millhouses-aims-to-connect-gardens-for-their-survival","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/360wire\/2026\/10\/15\/new-hedgehog-highway-in-millhouses-aims-to-connect-gardens-for-their-survival\/","title":{"rendered":"New hedgehog highway in Millhouses aims to connect gardens for their survival"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A new campaign launched by Grove Road Environmental Group (GREG) hopes to encourage people to make their gardens more hedgehog friendly through the creation of a new hedgehog highway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A hedgehog highway, launched in Millhouses by GREG in partnership with Millhouses Fencing and Sheds, is a series of holes at the bottom of garden fences that allow hedgehogs to pass from garden to garden easily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emily Beardon, an associate of the group, told us that the highway gives hedgehogs \u201ca much better chance of survival,\u201d as it allows them to find habitats, food and mates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Credit: Grove Road Environmental Group<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Millhouses Fencing and Sheds, a local contractor company, is working in the area to make the holes. Mrs Beardon said: \u201cAs a group of volunteers, we didn’t necessarily have the skills or experience or the tools to go into people’s gardens and help them make holes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPeople come to us, the Grove Road Environment Group, and then we help Millhouses Fencing by compiling a list of people who want to join the highway and their names and addresses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI looked for a date where most people are free, and last time it was a Saturday morning, and Steve from Millhouses Fencing just spent the morning going around everybody’s gardens making holes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

GREG has also been to local primary schools and nurseries to talk about hedgehogs and what we can do to help them. The hedgehog highway is one of many projects that the environmental group has put together, with others including repair cafes and guest speaker events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mrs Beardon said: \u201cIt’s just a collection of neighbours who are like-minded and wanting to create change for the better, [..] it’s all locally focused.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI’m most passionate about biodiversity and conservation. But anyone in the group is able to suggest what kind of event or activity we’d like to run.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Millhouses hedgehog highway isn\u2019t the first of its kind, with many different successful highways across the country. One environmental group in Chiswick, London, has managed to connect every garden on the street through their campaign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Greener Greenhill in South Sheffield are hoping to join GREG’s hedgehog campaign in spring next year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Credit: Grove Road Environmental Group<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

GREG also held a talk in June with ecologist and writer Hugh Warwick to talk about how to help hedgehogs and why their population is crashing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mrs Beardon said: \u201cEveryone seems to love hedgehogs. The harder thing is actually getting them to do something about it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe had quite a few people sign up on the day after the event, and now we’re just going for another push to try and get the word out there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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