The Hedgehog Friendly Campus (HFC) accreditation scheme is funded by the British Hedgehog Preservation Society (BHPS). It aims to recognise and award UK universities that improve the habitability for wild hedgehogs, in an effort to combat the declining hedgehog population.
Over 40 UK universities were awarded the HFC accreditation in the 2020/2021 year alone, close to a third of all UK universities, including Keele and Harper Adams. Staffordshire University is not amongst the accredited universities.
Accreditation is earned by the completion of a set of tasks set by the BHPS. As of now, a number of the tasks completed for the Bronze level accreditation are already implemented across the campus:
- Warning labels on hedge trimmers
- Hedgehog homes placed on-campus
- Litter picking events
- Hedgehog related blog posts
The remaining tasks are related mainly to fundraising.
With an increase in interest in the HFC scheme across the UK and the expanse of the Nature reserve on the Stoke-on-Trent campus, it would be a huge miss for the university to not aim for accreditation.
The ongoing protectory means the university should have at least the Bronze level accreditation by the next annual awards (2022).
If you’re interested in helping the university achieve this goal or looking for something new, keep an eye out for the Hedgehog Friendly Campus Society.