AN eight-year-old girl has inspired a movement to help save hedgehogs in Ringwood after speaking at full council. 

Florence Woodger, 8, from Ringwood, was awarded a hedgehog crossing sign on May 19 by town mayor Cllr Gareth Deboos and Mary Deboos, trustee of Ringwood Actions for Climate Emergency (RACE),  after she inspired a new initiative to help protect hedgehogs in the area. 

After writing a letter to Cllr Deboos, Florence spoke at Ringwood full council in November 2023 on how the council should do more to save hedgehogs in the area. 

Inspired by her bravery, Mary and RACE have now put up 11 signs around Ringwood to warn of hedgehog crossings and have also created a system in which residents can note hedgehog sightings, dead or alive. 

Florence's mum, Laura Woodger, said: "We've had hedgehogs in our garden quite regularly but as a result, we quite often see them squashed in the road.

"Last November, Florence and I were driving out to a music lesson and I had to avoid a small hedgehog in the road but by the time I had got to it, someone else had run it over.

"She was a little upset and said she was going to write a letter to the mayor which did completely off her own back. He responded straight away and said she could speak at full council which she did and they listened."

RACE is a Ringwood charity formed as a Facebook group in 2019 designed to allow local people to take action to address climate change and biodiversity. 

Mary said the charity began action to save hedgehogs following Florence's speech and was impressed by how well she spoke. 

Mary said: "I'm sure it was very daunting for her but she did incredibly well. It was off the back of that that RACE started to look at what we could do to protect hedgehogs.

"Youngsters are quite passionate about the environment and for some reason, they reach teenage years and other things become important. We always hope you can catch them young enough they'll stick and in Florence's case, I'm sure she will."