A 17 year old from Blaenau Gwent who founded ‘Hedgehog Aware’ following declining hedgehog numbers, has received Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s daily Points of Light award.

Dylan Allman was 13 during lockdown when he developed a keen interest in the number of hedgehogs in his garden, and wanted to take action to help them thrive.

Dylan raises awareness of hedgehogs through speaking at clubs, schools, and youth groups throughout Wales and over the borders, with any donations going to the hedgehog rescue centres he supports and takes poorly hedgehogs too.

He also runs awareness-raising livestreams from his garden and in January this year, launched a ‘Hedgehog First Response Unit’, with funding from the Welsh Government.

Dylan has worked with garden equipment manufacturers, including ‘Hyundai’ and ‘STIGA’, to place 'Be Hedgehog Aware' stickers on their products and raise awareness of how strimmers and mowers can often cause fatal injuries to hedgehogs.

He has also been instrumental in collaborating with ‘Jewson’ as they develop a ‘Hedgehog Friendly Fencing’ product range that will soon be stocked nationwide, featuring 13cm Hedgehog Highways to link gardens and be installed in new homes as part of the ‘Hedgehog Street’ campaign.

South Wales Argus: Dylan raises awareness of hedgehogs Dylan raises awareness of hedgehogs (Image: Supplied)

The Secretary of State for Wales, David TC Davies, said: “Dylan’s dedication to conservation is hugely impressive and this award is richly deserved.

“It is fantastic that people who make such a difference in their local communities are highlighted by the Points of Light Awards and I’m delighted that Dylan is the latest to be recognised for all the incredible work he does.”

Dylan said: "I’m so pleased to accept this award in recognition of the work I do to raise awareness of the plight of hedgehogs in the UK.

"Since learning about their dramatic decline in numbers, I’ve been on a mission to spread the word about how we can help these much-loved animals that are now at risk of extinction.

"I’d like to dedicate this award to all the fantastic volunteers across the country giving up their time to run rescue centres, caring for and rehabilitating hedgehogs, and working so hard in hedgehog conservation.

"I truly believe in time that we can reverse the decline, replenish biodiversity loss, and see hedgehogs thrive once more."

Dylan is the 2301st recipient of the Points of Light award, which was first launched in April 2014 to recognise outstanding individuals making a positive change within their community and inspiring others.

Each weekday, someone, somewhere in the country is selected to receive the award to celebrate their remarkable achievements.