The Open University’s Hedgehog Friendly Campus team had a stall at the Estates Showcase showing OU students and staff all the work that was done to achieve the Bronze Award in 2023 and how we would like to continue this work to achieve our Silver Award in the coming year.
The stall shared leaflets and information about how to help hedgehogs and encouraged attendees to make their own bug hotel. Selling crocheted hoglets and hand-printed cards, we raised £75 for the British Hedgehog Preservation Society which is dedicated to protecting hedgehogs living in the UK.
Did you know you can support the Society’s campaigns and awareness-raising for as little as £7.50 per year? Visit the British Hedgehog Preservation Society to find out more.
We also ran a workshop showing people how to build a safe space for insects to inhabit with materials collected from around the Milton Keynes campus. Materials can be found absolutely anywhere, and this time of year is perfect to go foraging for the bits you will need.
To make your own bug hotel you will need an empty plant pot of any size and a selection of the following:
- Twigs or bark
- Thicker logs (even better with some holes drilled into it)
- Leaves or straw
- Stones or pebbles
- Bamboo (chopped to size)
- Cardboard (rolled up to fill gaps)
- Toilet roll tubes
- Shredded paper
- Pinecones (for the aesthetics!)
To hang your hotel from a branch, add some string to the top of your plant pot before you start. Then simply layer and stuff the natural materials as neatly or haphazardly into your pot and you’re done!
Your hotel will now be a safe, warm, and sheltered place for ladybirds, bees, spiders, woodlice and other minibeasts to hide from predators and hibernate over winter.
To hear more about wildlife on campus, our hedgehog and nature projects, follow our Sustainability Rep on X. We would love to hear from you if you would like to be involved in this important and rewarding work for wildlife! And please share your bug hotel creations with us over on Instagram.
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