A wall mural of a hedgehog was painted at High Chelmer Shopping Centre, on 30 September. Essex Wildlife Trust commissioned the wall mural to launch their latest campaign, Nature Neighbours.

The Trust is working with local mural artist, David ‘Gnasher’ Nash, of Gnasher Murals, to create the hedgehog artwork. The mural is intended to remind the public that wildlife lives within urban landscapes, just as it lives within nature reserves and rural areas.

Nature Neighbours is a new initiative, set to be a yearly campaign, focusing on supporting and protecting vulnerable species over the colder seasons. This year, the campaign is focusing on hedgehogs, and the public can get involved in several ways:

Hedgehog house-building competition

From 1 October, the Trust is running a hedgehog house-building competition. To enter, participants must post a photograph of their hedgehog home on social media, tag Essex Wildlife Trust and use the hashtag #NatureNeighbours for the chance to win a bundle of wildlife-related prizes.  

Be part of the hedgehog highway

A contributing factor to hedgehog decline is habitat fragmentation, especially in urban areas. To combat this, the Trust is urging the public to create essential ‘hedgehog holes’ in garden fences, to allow hedgehogs to travel between gardens safely. Hedgehog holes should be around 13cm x 13cm (5” x 5”). The public is invited to plot their addition to the county-wide ‘hedgehog highway’ on an interactive map, available to view on the Trust website.

Visit the hedgehog highway map

Bailey Tait, Campaigns Officer for Essex Wildlife Trust, says:

“We are excited to launch our latest campaign, Nature Neighbours, to help raise awareness of vulnerable species over the winter. The positioning of this mural at High Chelmer Shopping Centre reminds people that wildlife shares our urban environment. We need to lend a helping hand to the wildlife in need, and this campaign can help us all do that."

Karen Howard, Centre Manager for High Chelmer Shopping Centre, adds:

“High Chelmer is delighted to continue its longstanding partnership with the Essex Wildlife Trust by offering space at the centre to host this fantastic mural. Caring for our local wildlife is so important and we hope this mural inspires our visitors to make safe spaces within their gardens for hedgehogs.”