Hedgehogs in a part of Frome will wake up to a property upgrade when they awake from hibernation this spring. Local housebuilder, David Wilson Homes, has placed a brand new ‘hogitat’ at its De Cheney Gardens development in Beckington.

The move is part of the housebuilder’s drive to support local wildlife and it is hoped the new home will provide a safe haven, as research shows dwindling numbers of the tiny mammals in the UK. New figures released this week showed the British hedgehog population has plummeted by more than half since 2000. The report, produced by the People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) and the British Hedgehog Preservation Society (BHPS), showed there are just one million left, representing a 97% fall from the thirty million estimated to have roamed in the 1950s.

In response, David Wilson Homes pledged to install homes for hedgehogs at all of its new communities and a hogitat has been placed at De Cheney Gardens. Pupils from nearby Beckington CofE First School had the honour of placing the hogitat near the development’s show home.

Sales Director, Louise Ware, said: “We can’t help but smile thinking about what the hedgehogs will think when they wake up from hibernation. They’ll be upgrading from under sheds and piles of leaves to a brand new home, built especially for them. They’ll think all their Christmases have come at once!”