Newsham Primary School pupil wins hedgehog poster competition

Shoreview, on land south west of Park Farm, close to Newsham Road in Blyth, is made up of 131 new homes. But not only is it home to people, it is also a haven for hedgehogs.

Developers Taylor Wimpey therefore invited school pupils to design posters which highlight hedgehog highways on the estate, which allow the creatures safe passage.

The winning design, by seven-year-old pupil Sofia, is to be displayed across Shoreview, and she has also been given a £50 gift voucher.

Taylor Wimpey has partnered with Hedgehog Street, a joint campaign between wildlife charities The British Hedgehog Preservation Society and People’s Trust for Endangered Species, to integrate hedgehog highways across its new developments.

Sarah Northcott, a spokeswoman for the developer, said: “ We know that hedgehog numbers are rapidly declining and we want to play our part in helping to stop this.

“The highways we have installed at Shoreview will enable hedgehogs to safely travel between gardens to find food and shelter, and we were looking for a poster design that would help our customers to understand how we can help a much-loved species thrive.

“We were really impressed with all of the entries from pupils at Newsham Primary Schoolm and we would like to congratulate Sofia for her winning design.”

Wendy Atkinson, senior leader and community lead at Newsham Primary, said: “The whole school has really enjoyed taking part in this competition and we are so proud of Sofia, she worked really hard on her poster design.”