Every year the British Hedgehog Preservation Society organises Hedgehog Awareness Week around the beginning of May. It is an opportunity to raise, well, awareness about the plight of the hedgehog and also the ways in which we can all help.

This year was brilliantly busy. Bovis Homes, one of the developers who have committed to including hedgehog highways in new builds, had been running a Hedgehog Haven competition, with people (maybe some of you!) submitting photos and videos of ways in which you have helped hedgehogs in your gardens.

I got to be a judge - and became increasingly jealous of all the amazing visitors many of you get having not seen a hedgehog in my garden for years now. I got to announce the winner - not quite red carpets and DJs, just my back garden! Congratulations to Kim Underwood - and thank you for letting me use your photo for this update.

Quite a lot of my week has been spent promoting hedgehogs in one way or another - and I have enjoyed a run of ‘appearances’ … including actually going into a studio, in London for the first time since March 2020 - in fact it was the first time I had been to London at all since then, or ironed a shirt for that matter!

That was for the One Show on the BBC. I had been told I would get 4-5 minutes - and we even had a rehearsal … but as the show went live and Suggs went on and on and then there was an interminable piece about a business that was selling yoghurt with oats in it … I was seeing my opportunity just slip away … in the end I got just two minutes … but I managed to squeeze an awful lot into those two minutes! And Rylan and Alex were obviously aware of this and gave me a very funny shout out for HAW at the end ... 'I can't frown, botox!' he said!

Also in the week was another appearance alongside Megan McCubbin (who really is destined for great things) for ITV’s This Morning. We had recorded a package in Winchester - my only complaint is that the impression is given that Megan herself made the hole … it was me!!

And the week started with my favourite comedian - Robin Ince - inviting me into his Cosmic Shambles universe again, this time with his co-host Helen Czercki and guest Helen Scales to do a nature Q&A - alongside a show and tell and me doing what I do best - talking about hedgehogs!! It is amazing how Robin - with his producer Trent - have been able to keep going throughout lockdown. This is in large part due to the generosity of his Patreon supporters … I really do recommend you take a look at what they have done … and see if you can help. The most intelligent comedy you will find anywhere!

So thank you to all who helped make that week as busy as it was - twitter and Facebook were buzzing with interesting ideas - the Hedgehog Friendly Campus teams around the country were particularly imaginative.

Now - this petition … we are nearly 98% of the way to a million … tantalisingly close. So - if you want to do one more thing for Hedgehog Awareness Week - share the link to this petition to ALL your friends and family and ask them to sign … just another 2% need to sign and I will launch the next phase … which will probably result in me turning up on the doorstep of a minister demanding hedgehog rights (and holes)!!