Willows Hedgehog Rescue
'Working Together' Updates & Partners
2016
Our Working together partners include.....
Over 150 Councils (directly and through contractors covering highways, amenity grounds and parks)
12 major National Contractors (covering many councils, parish councils, schools and businesses nationally)
3 Equipment Manufacturers
1 major housing trust with around 10,000 residents.
National Industry Training and Professional Membership organisations
1 Government, 2 Wildlife Trusts
So far......
(Click to return to the main Working Together Homepage)
June 2016 Update
Working Together- Councils covered by our Strimmer Awareness
& Working Together Partners
Organisation Support
We are extremely pleased to announce that TLC Burleys who are already Willows Working Together partners are now rolling the awareness out to more depots and areas around the country.
This means that an additional 400 Strimmers will now be fitted with the Working Together Strimmer Awareness Warning Triangle and the awareness rolled out to more operators covering many more areas. Updates on the areas and organisations covered soon.
Mark Murphy from BBC Radio Suffolk and The Whole Hog Campaign, it's aim to make Suffolk the first 'Hedgehog Friendly County' is helping to back and promote the Willows Working Together Campaign.
Our thanks to Mark, the team and all the organisations below for supporting hedgehogs and the Willows National Strimmer Awareness.
Organisations in Suffolk partnering so far....
Click below to hear all about the Willows Working Together Strimmer Awareness and Suffolk's Going the Whole Hog involvement and support.
(Click link below) Listen from 01:08:39
Mark Murphy Big Conversation BBC Suffolk 20 June 2016 & Willows Hedgehog Rescue
(Click link below) Listen from 01:08:15
Mark Murphy Big Conversation BBC Suffolk 7th June 2016 & Willows Hedgehog Rescue
June 2016- We are extremely pleased to announce that BALI The British Association of Landscape Industries have joined our Working Together Campaign supporting us in raising awareness with professionals.
You can read more about this important partnership here..
May 2016- Burbage Parish Council are the latest Council to become partners of our National Working Together Strimmer Awareness Campaign.
More info here Hedgehog Awareness Scheme
May 2016- We can now announce that Lotus Landscapes have joined with us as Working Together Partners
"Lotus landscapes are extremely happy to be working with Willows Hedgehog Rescue. Lotus Landscapes works with councils, parishes and social housing groups to provide grounds maintenance services. With over 250 employees and working out of 4 depots we are proud to support this initiative".
April 2016 We can now announce that our County Wildlife Trust The Worcestershire Wildlife Trust is now a Working Together partner working to safeguard and help hedgehogs.
April 2016 We are extremely pleased to announce our first Government on board!
The States of Jersey, Department of the Environment
has joined our Working Together Awareness Campaign bringing 14 councils on board, the entire Island and is being championed by The Jersey Hedgehog Preservation Group working with us.
We are proud to announce that through our working partnership with Countrywide an additional 14 County Councils, 2 City Council, 7 Borough Councils and 58 Parish councils- a total of 81 councils are now covered by our Working Together project. This brings the grand total to 122 councils where hedgehogs are safer!
April 2016- We are extremely please to announce that Countrywide Grounds Maintenance have joined with us in raising awareness and protecting ground nesting wildlife. Countrywide have a massive national portfolio of clients along with 45 regional offices and around 500 Line trimmer operators.
Countrywide will fit all equipment with our wildlife aware operator warning triangle, display hedgehog awareness in all depots and will include training on the potential dangers to wildlife and hedgehogs in all equipment user training.
April 2016- We can announce that Stratford District Council have agreed through The Landscape Group to support our Working Together National project.
April 2016- We are very pleased to announce that Lichfield District Council has teamed up with us as Working Together partners to safeguard hedgehogs.
April 2016- We are pleased to announce that ubico a local authority owned environmental services company have now confirmed as a Willows Working Together partner. Our partnership with ubico means that all the following councils that ubico carries out work for will be covered by our strimmer project and awareness.
Cotswold District Council, Cheltenham Borough Council, Forest of Dean District Council, Stroud District Council, Tewkesbury Borough Council and West Oxfordshire District Council.
April 2016- We are extremely pleased to announce that warning labels have gone out to be fitted to another 800 (eight hundred!) professional line trimmers along with awareness materials. This will cover a number of regions and we will update once we have our Working Together partners official press release.
2016- We are very pleased to announce that the Bournville Village Trust is now working with us to safeguard hedgehogs through handouts, training, awarness stickers, website and newsletter distributed to 10,000 residents.
"At Bournville Village Trust (BVT) we take pride in our green open spaces and we also try to ensure that our residents look after the gardens to the highest standards. We have lots of green open spaces, gardens, agricultural land, farms, parks etc and we are very environmentally conscious, so if we can help with your cause to save the hedgehogs then we will always do our best!"
"We have a dedicated (directly employed) team of Landscapers (approx. 30) in Birmingham and Shropshire" "we at BVT can help the cause in Bournville, Nechells, Bordsley and Lightmoor / Telford in Shropshire".
2015
Pleased to announced Warwick District Council & East Staffordshire Borough Council are now covered by our Working Together Awareness as clients of The Landscape Group
Launch Partners in 2015
We are proud to announce that following the launch the following organisations have also partnered with us to implement the equipment warning triangles and to raise awareness through training and printed matter.
Balfour Beatty Living Places works on behalf of Herefordshire Council to provide services to improve the public realm.
This includes a programme of maintenance to highway verges and amenity grass cutting.
Shropshire council after contact with the relevant departments have joined with us in our Working Together Campaign and have requested the Strimmer Warning labels, posters for depots and hand out awareness leaflets.
We can definitely support the campaign in the following ways; Raising awareness as part of initial and on going staff training. Engaging all contractors in awareness of this issue. Ensuring all risk assessments and method statements include checks prior to works commencing. Engaging community groups, schools and resident groups in the campaign and how to make green spaces more ‘hedgehog friendly’. Supporting the campaign on social media. Displaying stickers. Putting up posters. Using Council PR and Media Channels to support the campaign.
“This is a great campaign to help raise awareness of the local environment and native wildlife. As a company we already try to ensure our activities have a minimum impact on all wildlife, but we are looking forward to working closely with Willows Hedgehog Rescue and our supply chain partners to further reduce any potential impact our works may have".
Covering
Barrow- in- Furness Borough Council, Bracknell Forest Borough Council, Manchester City Council, South Lakeland District Council, Leeds City Council, Lincoln City Council, London Borough of Richmond Upon Thames, London Borough of Wandsworth, Sefton Council, Westminster City Council, Wolverhampton City Council, Wychavon District Council
Parish Councils: Egremont, Livingston-Scotland, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Wirral- Merseyside, Grimsby, Liverpoo,l Bicester- Oxfordshire, Hampstead Heath
Brush Cutter & Line Trimmer Manufacturers
Earlier in 2015 Stihl GB helped us to raise awareness via their social media platforms. After renewed contact Stihl have offered to continue to raise awareness through information sent out to their 650 strong dealer network.
Earlier in 2015 Makita UK came on board raising awareness through their newsletter with a distribution of 40,000 and through their Summer catalogue. They have after renewed contact agreed to do the same in their Spring catalogue.
Bosch DIY and Garden UK helped us in November 2015 by raising awarness through social media including how to help hedgehogs in your garden.
Our thanks to Stihl Makita and Bosch for continuing to help us to raise awareness.
Media & Press Coverage so far...
Radio
Press Interest
Croydon Guardian- Campaign to raise awareness
Forest of Dean District Council- Watch out, there maybe a hedgehog about
Horticulture Week- Hedgehog Strimmer injury Campaigners win over Council Contractors
Cotswold Journal- Hedgehog Help launched to Prevent Injury
Bromsgrove Standard- Willows Launches Warning Campaign
Birmingham News Room- Think Hedgehog
Worcester News- Raising Awareness of Hedgehog Strimmer Injuries
Droitwich Advertiser- Raising Strimmer Injury Awareness
Evesham Journal- Campaign to Raise Awareness
Sandwell Chronicle. Redditch Standard. Bromsgrove Standard
Coventry Telegraph. Express & Star
If you spot an article in any other publication please let us know!
What is Next?
We are rolling this awareness out across the UK with as many authorities as possible.
If you are a local, City or County Council, contractor or housing trust and would like to participate in this project to raise awareness and safe guard wildlife please contact us at:
We will supply the industrial waterproof wildlife aware triangles for operator equipment, awareness posters for depots and hand out leaflets. We will also add your details to the growing list of our partners in helping hedgehogs in the UK.
All content copyright Willows Hedgehog rescue 2015
working to raise awareness of the plight of the UK's native hedgehog
**Wolverhampton City Council & Wychavon District Council raising awareness but but due to contracted services unable to implement wildlife aware stickers on all equipment.