How can you tell if hedgehogs visit your garden at night?

Well, the easiest way is to check for their poo. Yes, that might sound disgusting but actually it's a very useful tool. Hedgehogs produce poo that is long and thin and pointy on both ends, generally up to 5cm in length. It tends to be a bit crumbly with lots of insect remains inside, but droppings can vary depending on the diet of the hedgehog.

Hedgehog Highways

One of the most important ways to help hedgehogs is to provide a passage through your garden and into your neighbours, and so on down the road. Hedgehogs can travel up to 3km in one night so need to move around your neighbourhood with ease.
A Hedgehog Highway is a 5 inch gap in a fence or wall allowing access for hedgehogs.

This gap allows hedgehogs to:

* Forage for food
* Meet mates to breed
* Access nesting sites

If you do not have suitable passing places in your garden to allow hedgehogs to pass through, where possible, cut an appropriately sized hole in your garden fence. Don't forget to talk to your neighbour first!

Why you should get a Hedgehog Highway Surround?

1. Hedgehog Highway Signs look super cute!

2. They raise awareness to hedgehogs' struggle for survival

3. They create a talking point, encouraging others to create a highway of their own and take part in the project

And this is where Hedgehog Street plays its part

Hedgehog Street was set up by the Peoples Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) in 2011 and there are now over 100,000 Hedgehog Champions registered!
Becoming a Hedgehog Street Champion is the first step to creating your street, someone needs to take the lead after all!

Hedgehog Champions can make hedgehog homes and feeding stations, support hedgehog highways and encourage their neighbours to join in.

Once you have registered, you can access free downloadable stuff including fact sheets, posters, action cards and invites to help you encourage people in your local area to be as hedgehog-friendly as you.
Remember, hedgehogs cannot survive in isolated gardens but need neighbourhoods of connected land.

We can help design you an initial leaflet to be dropped through your neighbours' letterboxes.
Ideally it is good to ask local children to draw a hedgehog and this can then be used on your design to make it personal to your street (see Charlie & Stanley's designs above). Alternatively use one of our existing designs.

Want help with setting up a Hedgehog Street in your area?

Keynsham Group are happy to help you by providing design for advertising handouts and posters, plus "Slow Down" signs for the road.

Check out these handy leaflets for all things hedgehog and making a deluxe hedgehog box. Click to open downloadable files.

Important:

If you find a hedgehog out during the day (as this little fella was) then it is probably sick.
The British Hedgehog Preservation Society can offer advice and help you find a rescue centre close by: Tel: 01584 890 801 or
www.britishhedgehogs.org.uk

Used Postage Stamps

To help hedgehogs further, why not collect used postage stamps from any mail you receive. We send these off to BHPS to help them raise funds.

You can bring your stamps along to any of our evening meetings, or just get in touch and we will arrange to pick them up from you.

Other items that can be of use to BHPS are: Foreign/pre-decimal coins and notes
Unwanted or broken gold or silver(eg single earrings, broken chains, etc)