New Champions – any advice?
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Hi all, I’m in Hook, Hampshire and after taking part in last weeks Zoom meeting from Kent Wildlife “Helping Hedgehogs in Gardens” I’ve just started a Champions group on our local estate.
So far, we have a group name, and I’ve knocked on all the doors (5) where someone had recorded a sighting on the Big Hedgehog Map. This led me to chat to other people along the way, and so far we have 7 households interested and 1 possible (they were out so I left a leaflet).
My next plan is to wait for those 7 people to email me, so we can meet and plan what to do next. In the meantime I will put up posters outside my houseHas anyone any advice for starting up?
Hi Holt,
Like you I am also a new Champion. I am very impressed with the start that you have made!
I was also thinking of knocking on the doors near me where someone has recorded a sighting on the hedgehog map. I couldn’t find the actual number of the house, just the rough location on the street. Did you manage to find the number of the house or did you just try a few on the street till you struck lucky? Thanks,
EmilyWell done with the efforts, you’ve already made. Hopefully you are both making good use of the resources here:
https://www.hedgehogstreet.org/my-hedgehog-street/free-downloadable-resources/
If you have a local/parish newsletter of some sort, you could write something for that as well and give an email address to reply to.
Good luck!
Wow what great ideas. I hope you get replies after all your efforts. I have printed a mini news update and along with the official flyers available in the resources section posted through all my neighbours doors. Not a huge response though. Plenty of people are interested so I tend to have informal chats ‘to test the water’ if they’re interested I get them more info.
Also get your local primary schools and colleges interested by emailing with the Hedgehog Friendly Campus info.
Hi Emily, I had to make a rough guess and then knock on houses! Everyone was very lovely though. It was only a small number of sightings though on the map, but that gradually led me to knock on other doors, as people talked about seeing their hedgehogs go to another garden. All in all I went to 8 doors and they were all very positive.
I then left it a few weeks and posted invites (asking for a rsvp) through the same doors plus a handful of immediate neighbours – 22 houses altogether. I had two emails from people who couldn’t come and nothing else.
So in spite of my good intentions we only had 6 people at our first meeting (that’s me, my husband and 4 other people)! Looking back I don’t know how I could have done it better – we are a very friendly village and people tens to know each other.
Anyway, the meeting was a great success and we have come up with a great plan of what to do next. Essentially we decided to focus on social media and I’ve just created a new page on Facebook. We are going to blast that with “tiggybacks” onto other local pages and also hook up with the local school.How about you – how is it going at your end?
Yes, I’ve recently heard about Hedgehog Friendly Campus – thank you.
Luckily I know the school well (used to work there) and the lead for outdoor ed at the moment, AND they are doing lots re hedgehogs in the centre of the village so we have a potential to link there.Also, even though many of my knocking at doors didn’t lead to much, I know that if we can get the local children on the estate interested (through the school website and mailing list) then we have the parents on board!
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