Hedgehog Awareness Week – taking care of the prickly critters during lockdown

HEDGEHOG Awareness Week runs from May 3 to 9 and during lockdown you can think how you might be able to help hedgehogs.

Hedgehog Awareness Week is organised by the British Hedgehog Preservation Society (BHPS), which this year is asking people to take the time to think about how they could help hedgehogs, from creating a log pile in their garden to offering shallow bowls of water.

BHPS chief executive Fay Vass said: “With Covid-19 restrictions we are probably all spending more time in our own gardens and green spaces, so it’s an ideal time to make those areas better for our dwindling population of hedgehogs as well as doing something positive, safe at home."

Here are some simple things you can do to help hedgehogs:

• Create a log pile that will offer shelter and food
• Build a Hedgehog Home  
• Move piles of rubbish to a new site before burning it
• Check areas carefully before mowing or strimming
• Ensure netting is kept at a safe height
• Check compost heaps before digging the fork in
• Stop or reduce the amount of pesticides and poisons used
• Cover drains or deep holes
• Ensure there is an easy route out of ponds and pools
• leave a bowl of water and meaty cat or dog food in a hedgehog-friendly feeding station

Visit www.britishhedgehogs.org.uk for more tips and advice on how to make hedgehog-friendly homes.

During #hedgehogweek there will be competitions every day on the society's Facebook and Twitter pages as well as sharing top tips on making your resident hedgehogs happy.