It's been a huge thing on the to-do list for a long time, linking up my hedgehog products to a hedgehog charity, so a percentage of the profits can be donated to them. I started this business inspired by raising awareness for endangered species close to us, with future plans to support charities and conservation. However more and more I've been thinking, 'What am I waiting for?'.
I think the ultimate goal would be raising a lot for charity alongside my products sales, but why not start small now and donate what I can when these products sell. So I've decided that from this month, 5% of the profits from the Hedgehog, Red Squirrel and Hare products will be donated to respective charities.
The Hedgehog
The hedgehog was one of the original patterns when my business began, and has been a firm favourite in my shop ever since. I looked into Hedgehog charities a lot during my degree, and since starting my business I have also used websites to research how best to talk about the animals and raise awareness.
Hedgehogstreet.org was one of these websites, full of information both interesting and important, and actually I ended up becoming a Hedgehog Champion through their website, giving access to a lot of other resources.
These are some of the reasons why I chose hedgehogstreet.org to donate to when hedgehog products sell.
https://www.hedgehogstreet.org/
The Red Squirrel
The Red Squirrel is another original fabric, and definitely a very loveable creature. I researched into Red Squirrels a lot and found a reserve not that far from where I was living near Powys, and still plan on making a trip up there at some point soon to see if I can spot any.
I chose the Red Squirrel project from the Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales to donate to for the squirrel product sales, I found that their work into colonies was interesting and definitely worth reading about.
https://www.welshwildlife.org/
The Hare is a lovely creature, and a more recent additional to the collection as a fresh fabric around Easter time. I decided to add the hare because of the decline they have been facing over the past few decades, largely due to hunting, which I read about quite a lot on the Hare Preservation Trust website.
This is why I chose the Hare Preservation Trust, I definitely encourage anyone interested in the conservation of hares to have a scroll on their website.
http://hare-preservation-trust.com/
So there we go, I'm really pleased to have finally made this step in my business, and look forward to hopefully raising some money this month! Also, a new little surprise will be hopefully coming to packages soon!