The Big Hog Friendly Litter Pick Challenge 2025

The #Pick4Prickles 2025 challenge has now finished, and this year’s results highlight the energy and enthusiasm volunteers brought to their local clean-ups. Teams participated across four categories: universities, colleges, secondary schools, and primary schools. Each winning campus in their category will receive a hedgehog house and a bag of hedgehog food kindly donated by the British Hedgehog Preservation Society, and all volunteers who have taken part in the challenge will receive a certificate to recognise their contribution. Over the two-month campaign, 1,120 students, staff, and community members collected more than 576.5 bags of litter.

Since this challenge first began, we’ve noticed something interesting: the overall number of bags collected each year has slowly started to drop, and while that might sound surprising for a competition, it’s actually a very good thing. Fewer bags suggest that campuses are becoming cleaner, greener, and safer for wildlife, including hedgehogs. So although part of the fun is seeing who can collect the most litter, we also want to celebrate those teams who found less litter on their campus because that’s also a sign of real, lasting change. Both outcomes matter, and both tell a positive story!

Winners of the University category:

Congratulations to Warwick University, who had the highest trash total of any university. The team of 93 collected a whopping 137 bags of litter over the challenge, which includes some unusual items such as trolleys, a tyre, a fire hydrant, pipes, furniture, a TV, an industrial computer, a child’s car seat, and more.

Photo credit: Warwick University

A big well done to Durham University, a team of 91 collected 121 bags of litter, coming second place. While Oxford Brookes University came third place with 60 bags and 40 volunteers.

Winners of the College category:

Well done to Shipley College, who take first place in the College category for the second year running. The team of 128 collected an impressive 34 bags of litter, setting a high standard for the challenge in their category.

Photo credit: Shipley College

Winners of the Secondary School category:

Falinge Park High School has won the Secondary School category! Their 2 volunteers collected 3 bags of litter and demonstrated great dedication and teamwork throughout the challenge, showing that every contribution counts. Secondary schools are historically our most difficult age group category to engage, so a big well done to the school's team on their efforts and well deserved recognition!

Photo credit: Falinge Park High School

Winners of the Primary School category:

Oakfield Primary School won this category! Their team of 426 amazing volunteers collected a total of 37.5 bags of litter for 2025, which included some unusual finds like an antique typewriter and BBQ grill, a toy figure, 102 balls, cones, a metre ruler stick, a Haribo packet from 2003 and 2007, and a crisp packet from 2006.

Photo credit: Oakfield Primary School

Salisbury Church of England Primary School came a close second, collecting 35 bags with 20 volunteers, while Harrysmuir Primary School gathered 34 bags with 200 volunteers.

Thank You!

This year, an incredible range of teams took part in #Pick4Prickles 2025, alongside the category winners, notable contributions came from the University of Manchester, University of Sheffield, Open University, University of Nottingham, University of Southampton Students’ Union, Royal Veterinary College, University of Greenwich, University of Winchester, The Heart of Worcestershire College, Inscape House School, Crook Log Primary School, Highfield Infants' and Juniors School, St Andrews CE Junior School, Leamore Primary School, Ormiston Academy School, New Waltham Academy Planet Protectors, Field Gate School, Yorke Mead School, Woodfield School, Tattenhall Park Primary School, Nexus School, St Lawrence College Junior School, Valewood Primary School, Hayfield SEN School, Highfield Community Primary School, St Teresas Primary School KS2 Forest School, Bishop’s Primary, Abernyte Primary School, Roby Park Primary School, Gilbrook Primary, Exning Primary School, Heswall Primary school, Waterwells Primary Academy, Gosforth C of E Primary School, Richard Taylor School, Sherborne House School.

A huge thank you to every volunteer who took part this year. Whether your team collected dozens of bags or only a handful, your efforts make a real difference for local habitats and play a vital role in protecting hedgehogs and other wildlife!

Hedgehog Friendly Campus is partly funded by public donations and the British Hedgehog Preservation Society, and delivered by Students Organising for Sustainability UK.