Dear All,

I have been planning to give you an update of our activities following the launch of the State of Britain's Hedgehogs report last week - and I will - but first ...

I do not know how you are feeling, but I have found myself slipping into a 'slough of despond' - I keep being drawn back to the news even though it makes me feel so sad. The destruction, the loss, the strength, love and kindness of strangers - all move me deeply. And while I understand these human stories are paramount, there are other sentient creatures out there with no part to play in this fight who are also being terrorised and killed.

I have found myself sat at my desk wondering what the point is - given the hellfire being rained down on the innocent my, our, fight to save hedgehogs can seem rather trivial.

Then I am reminded why we must continue our small fight - because it matters, because people really do care. On Wednesday this week I talked to 30 members of a gardening club and roused them into action - their village is going to strive to build a fantastic hedgehog highway. And last night I talked to 175 people, online, as part of a Sheffield & Rotherham Wildlife Trust event - alongside the amazing Jo Wilkinson who set up Hedgehog Friendly Campus - and the reaction was so positive. We cannot, we must not allow the dark to destroy the light we are protecting. And if I seem like I am slipping back into that slough, drop me a note and tell me to get a grip!

So - to a roundup of some of the coverage. It was my idea to launch the State of Britain's Hedgehogs report on 22.2.22 - the palindrome amused me - but what a day to choose. I had been booked to appear on Good Morning Britain, and then ITV news and Channel 5 - got to my favourite hedgehog garden in Kirtlington - to find it was all cancelled. We were due to have a slot on the Today Programme as well - but that was blown out of the water by Putin. Grace and Nida from Hedgehog Street did a great piece on the World At One on Radio 4, though, and we did manage to get the story of the report into most of the papers. 

Wednesday morning I was down in the New Forest live with Megan McCubbin on This Morning - that was fun - and if you watch the clip you might just notice the point where the cameraman, walking backwards, got the lead tangled around his ankle and almost went over! 

And it has kept bubbling along - just yesterday the wonderful Tom Holland had a piece in the Spectator - he has done more to raise my status with my daughter than anyone (until, of course, she found out this was not Spiderman Tom Holland, but rather erudite historian, radio presenter and author Tom Holland!)

I hope that you got to see some of the coverage - the story is important. But, like so much else, it is drowned out by the sound of bombs and crying children. 

As individuals, we cannot stop this war, but we can find other, smaller, fights to have. And while we might not change the world if our actions save a hedgehog, we have changed the world for that hedgehog.

The picture today comes from the staggeringly talented and deeply lovely Finnish artist Milla Paloniemi. Please support her work if you can.