Prisoners in Jersey Build Wildlife Boxes to Support Local Hedgehog Conservation

Inmates serving sentences at HMP La Moye, located in the parish of St Brelade on the island of Jersey, have crafted and donated 20 specialized feeding and nesting boxes to support a local wildlife protection charity. The shelters were constructed entirely out of reclaimed timber pallets by prisoners participating in vocational training programs at the facility. The completed items were delivered earlier in August to the Jersey Hedgehog Preservation Group, an organization dedicated to the care and protection of native hedgehogs.

The collaboration between the correctional facility and the wildlife rescue charity began following an informal meeting at a local veterinary clinic. A prison officer had brought a small hedgehog requiring medical attention to the clinic, where he met Dru Burdon, a representative of the Jersey Hedgehog Preservation Group. Following their discussion, Burdon supplied the prison staff with official design templates for both nesting units and feeding stations, allowing the woodworking project to commence within the institution’s workshop.

The fundraising effort generated swift interest among island residents and supporters of the charity. Burdon reported that all of the feeding boxes, which were offered to the public at £20 each, sold out rapidly after being put on sale. The nesting boxes, priced at £25 apiece, also saw strong demand, with only a small number remaining in stock. Burdon commended the prisoners for their efforts, highlighting the practical impact of the wooden structures by noting that “these boxes are certainly saving hedgehogs’ lives.”

Peter Gould, the vocational manager overseeing inmate programs at HMP La Moye, outlined the educational and rehabilitative aims of the initiative. He noted that building the wooden boxes gives prisoners essential experience in operating specialized machinery and woodworking tools, while also training them in standardized occupational health and safety procedures. Gould explained that mastering these practical skill sets provides participants with an introductory foundation that could eventually lead to accredited qualifications and long-term careers within the construction sector upon their release.

Furthermore, Gould stressed that engaging in community projects gives inmates a renewed “sense of purpose, achievement and connection to the community,” which he described as vital for reducing rates of reoffending. The hedgehog box project represents one component of a wider series of community-oriented vocational tasks at HMP La Moye. Inmates at the facility also restore public memorial benches, refurbish second-hand bicycles for donation to Age Concern Jersey, build general wildlife habitats, and cultivate vegetables and plants to supply both the prison kitchen and local charitable groups.

Background

HMP La Moye is the main correctional facility on the English Channel island of Jersey, housing male and female adult offenders as well as young offenders. In prison systems across various international jurisdictions, vocational workshops and skill-building projects are frequently utilized to encourage rehabilitation, lower reoffending rates, and support community initiatives through charitable donations.