Good morning - I am sorry for another update so soon but there are just so many things happening and I want to share them!

First of all - these hedgehog scarecrows - how amazing are they! The pictures were posted on the Hedgehog Highways Facebook Group (where a lot of the chat stimulated by this petition, and hedgehogs in general, takes place) - do join in - it is well moderated thanks to Rose and Jacqueline! The creator of these prickly masterpieces is Lynn Beaumont and she made them in support of her local rehabilitation, Wolds Hedgehog Rescue, as an entry into her East Yorkshire Village competition! 

I was hoping to have a good photograph of the back of Brian May's amazing coat from the Jubilee concert ... in answer to some of the questions - he designed it himself ... maybe next update there will be a close up!

There are a couple of events coming up that may well appeal (if you are in the areas) ... on 3rd July I will be doing talks at the Vale Wildlife Hospital open day - Vale is an amazing place, of which I am proud to be a Patron. They receive NO Government money, and raise all they need through the generosity of members of the public ... and the open day is one of the big opportunities to help get some of those reserves in place. So if you can, come along, and say hi! 

I am talking in Guildford on 7th July - tickets are free! Again, if you can come, do let me know - it is lovely to meet those who have taken the trouble to help make this petition buzz along ...

And talking of which - I was delighted to find we got a big plug in the Daily Express! A big shout out to their new Environment Editor, Steph Spyro for getting a link to the petition into the story - and also, just a moment to reflect how old I am getting ... I knew her predecessor, the lovely John Ingham who has now retired ... and Steph, well she is already an award winning journalist at ... oh it pains me to say this ... 23 ... Looking forward to seeing great things from her!

I did a talk earlier this week as part of a science festival and I was reminded, through a question, of one of the hazards that hedgehogs face, and one we can all help solve. Netting - whether around fruit bushes or as part of sports gear - is a potential nightmare for our prickly friends. They snuffle along, walk into netting, feel a tug, frown, then roll into a ball and become entangled. Trapped they are VERY vulnerable. Most horrifyingly is the damage of flies ... as they will lay eggs in the morning on the soft exposed parts, and these eggs will over time hatch into maggots ... and the maggots will start to eat.

So - PLEASE - if you have netter, get it off the ground. And if you see sports fields etc with netting, ask the managers to sort it out. If you do find a hog trapped, cut it out and get it straight to a rescue centre, they will need expert help.

Finally - two self serving things ... my lovely hedgehog book from Graffeg has been so popular that they ran out - and thanks to all of the international complications going on the reprint too AGES to appear ... so I have been without for weeks! Now it is back in stock - in all good book shops and the less good ones like Amazon ... I will NEVER get rich from selling books (I get a few pence per copy sold) - but that was not my motivation for writing it - I want people to become excited by hedgehogs - I want them to start to help hedgehogs in every way they can - I hope the book helps.

Secondly - keeping me going - thank you to the generous supporters who have chipped in to buy me a coffee (or book) - this is a simple way that you can help keep me going. As I have said before, if this suddenly floods with money, I will give anything above what I need to the BHPS - but for now, the trickle REALLY does help, thank you.