When I started this petition I thought it would be great to be able to answer all sorts of questions that might arise ... but that was when I had no idea how many people would sign ... and with over a million, life got complicated!
So, the good folk at change.org suggested I set up a Facebook Group as a way of facilitating communication! Which I did - please follow the link and join in! The advantages of this are simple - other people can get involved in helping answer questions, meaning that information spreads faster.
Initially I assumed this would just be something that bubbled along in the background ... I had NO IDEA quite how much time would be needed. When it was all freeform - no restrictions, entry questions, checking of posts - there were a few problems as I was truly unaware of how very odd some people can be behind the anonymous mask of the internet. But then along came Jacqueline and Rose - moderators from heaven!
Now we have a smooth set up that runs, mostly, okay - lots of interesting images and videos of people's highways, hedgehogs and feeding stations - so if you are every in need of a quick hog-boost, pop on by! We still have to keep an eye out for the hair-trigger of outrage that some are keen to use ... I am very keen that this is not a forum for people to be shouted at and we stamp down on that quickly.
For example, there is some new guidance about mealworms that has just emerged from Vale Wildlife Rescue - Vale are the authority when it comes to the care of hedgehogs, and other wildlife - and I am biased as I am a patron and will be performing at their open day on 3rd July! Anyway, I will save that conversation for the next update ... don't want to distract from the amazing news ...
Our Facebook Group now has over 20,000 members!
The value of this is more than the camaraderie of being among similarly minded folk - in fact the group has stimulated great achievements. You may remember, for example, Jonathan Houseago and his campaign in Suffolk - getting developers to commit to putting in hedgehog highways - he was supported by our group.
So - if you use Facebook, come and see what it is like in the Hedgehog Highways group!
In other news ... many of you sent your good wishes to my son as he began his GCSEs ... well yesterday was his last one and now he is ... well, in bed still! Thank you for your support. My wife is at Glastonbury - filming the environmental campaigners away from the MainStage (though I think she is keen to see a few of the headliners ... and our mate Gaz and his band Supergrass are there!) And I am spending today doing more free-stuff ... talking to Kate Bradbury from Gardeners World Magazine about hedgehogs for their podcast (I will let you know when it is out) and then BBC Oxford are getting me on air, LIVE (oh, the adrenaline) to talk about orchids!
As ever, if you have any spare and want to throw a few coins into my hat .... I will be more able to keep doing the stuff that does not pay! And PLEASE - do not worry - I have had people write to me apologising for not having any money - please - only if you have plenty to spare. We are all in tough times. Thank you.