Hedgehog Walks And Sprucing Up The Northumberland Coast

Hedgehog walks

Northumberland Wildlife Trust are hosting two special hedgehog walks aimed especially at children this spring at Northumberlandia near Cramlington and at Weetslade Country park near Dudley, just to the north of Newcastle. The challenge is in partnership with Timmy Time of the multi-award-winning studio Aardman.

Between 11:00am and 12 noon on Thursday 16th April, young explorers aged 3+ are invited by Northumberland Wildlife Trust to the first hedgehog walk at Northumberlandia to discover fascinating facts about hedgehogs and how the site works to conserve them.

Then there will be a second walk at Weetslade Country Park (more details are on the Northumberland Wildlife Trust website).

Frances Smiles, Northumberland Wildlife Trust’s Community Events Coordinator commented::
“Hedgehog numbers having fallen by 30% in just over 10 years, there are now thought to be fewer than one million left in the UK and are disappearing from our countryside as fast as tigers are worldwide, so bring your hoglets to our two walks this April to find out more about what you can do to help and take part in something that makes a real difference.”

Although the walks are free, places do need to be booked to give an indication of numbers.

Spring spruce up at coastal reserve

During a spell of warmer weather in March, volunteers from Northumberland Wildlife Trust took advantage of the weather to remove large amounts of Japanese Rose from its Annstead Dunes reserve in Northumberland.

The problem was that Japanese Rose or ‘beach rose’ is a non-native invasive plant. It is often found growing in waste ground and sand dunes often growing to a mature height of up to 150cm. The plant has been used in recent years to stabilize the soil in public parks and on roadsides. However, it will spread rapidly and smother any flora it encounters, if left unattended.

So it was decided to cut back the Japanese rose at Annstead dunes between Beadnell and Seahouses.

Northumberland Wildlife Trust stated:

“Over the years, Annstead Dunes has sported a fantastic display of wildflowers, due partly to a programme of fencing, conservation grazing by Exmoor ponies, and the removal of other invasive plants such as ragwort, martagon lily and Spanish bluebells.

Now, the removal of the Japanese Rose plants will allow more of the dune flora such as lady’s bedstraw, restharrow, pyramidal orchid and bloody crane’s-bill to thrive, ensure that by the summer there will be a carpet of colour on the coastal reserve and a vital food source for butterflies and other wildlife.

Annstead Dunes is an important wildlife haven, with the foreshore beach and Annstead Rocks providing an important site for wading birds.”

Written with aid of multiple press releases from Northumberland Wildlife Trust.