BELLWAY HOMES IN ON HELPING HESSLE HEDGEHOGS

The Yorkshire division of national homebuilder, Bellway Homes has stepped in to help hedgehogs in the East Riding – installing hedgehog highways at its Parson’s Croft development in Kirk Ella and making a donation to the nearby Hessle Hedgehogs.

The hedgehog hospital was set-up by former Independent Financial Advisor, Carolyn Harman in 2020 after she found an injured one in her garden and struggled to find anywhere to treat it locally. Since then, Carolyn’s been tutored by a long-term rescuer from Howden and attended the only recognised hedgehog rescue training course in the UK at the Vale Wildlife Centre in Tewkesbury. Today, Hessle Hedgehogs has hubs in Hessle and Anlaby, is staffed by a team of eight volunteers and in 2024 helped 227 hedgehogs.

The Bellway donation will be used to buy heated pads for baby hogs and bedding supplies for older ones as they are looked after in readiness for being released back into the wild.

Amanda Thomas, Bellway Yorkshire’s sales manager, said: “Hedgehogs are perhaps the most lovable of wild creatures and, where possible, our developments include hedgehog highways that allow them to move from garden to garden with ease and include safe places for them to nest.”

“When we realised that Parson’s Croft was so close to Hessle Hedgehogs we immediately decided we wanted to do something more – and making them cosy in their temporary home seemed like the perfect donation from a housebuilder intent on creating communities.”

Amanda and sales advisor, Sarah Fletcher visited the hospital to see how the donation would be used and found it nigh on impossible to leave.

“It was heart-warming to see the hedgehogs, many that had come in badly injured, well on their way to a full recovery and being released back into their natural habitat,” added Amanda. “The work Carolyn and her team is doing deserves to be celebrated far and wide.”

Bellway’s Parson’s Croft development is one of six that the company is currently building in the East Riding. When complete it will comprise 204 new homes, with a hedgehog highway network covering half of the site.

Comprising two-, three-, four- and five-bedroom homes, prices on the development currently range from £199,995 for a two-bed semi-detached home to £344,995 for a four-bedroom detached home.

For further information on Parson’s Croft in Kirk Ella ring 01482 904242, go to www.bellway.co.uk or take a look for yourself by visiting the sales office, which is open Monday, Thursday and Friday from 10am to 5pm and every Saturday and Sunday from 11am to 5pm.

Photographs:

Homing in on helping Hessle hedgehogs – Carolyn Harman and Bellway’s sales advisor, Sarah Fletcher at the Hessle Hedgehogs hospital