After my last post in which I managed to stoke outrage - here is something a little different! Some GOOD NEWS! 

You may remember when I told you about the competition to find Britain's Biggest Hedgehog Street launched by wildlife charities The British Hedgehog Preservation Society (BHPS) and People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES). Well, we have been delighted to get some wonderful entries from all over the country - and there is a winner ...

The Nottinghamshire village of Keyworth topped the table by getting Dale Road peppered with an impressive 42 ‘Hedgehog Highways’ that link over 30 gardens with each other, as well as with neighbouring streets and gardens. These CD case size or 13cm square gaps in or under garden fences or walls allow hedgehogs to roam between neighbouring gardens in search of food, mates and nesting materials – a small action vital for the species’ long-term survival.

A team of residents, helped by enthusiastic organiser Jennifer Manning-Ohren, has been working to make Keyworth hedgehog friendly since July 2021. As part of local community group Wild Things Keyworth, Jennifer, along with fellow Keyworth residents Nick Ellerby and Gill Pegg, have provided ‘lifelines for hedgehogs’ by drilling a staggering 150 Hedgehog Highways in local fences and walls, making Keyworth a hedgehog haven.

Further efforts to help their spikey neighbours include giving talks to local groups and clubs; creating ramps to allow hedgehogs to visit gardens on different levels; decorated Hedgehog Highways; tunnels that go under fencing; providing supplementary food and water; installing hedgehog houses and feeding stations; and setting up night-time cameras to watch all the action.

In celebration of their efforts, BHPS and PTES have presented Jennifer and the residents of Dale Road with a special commemorative Hedgehog Highway plaque, wildflower seed packs, extra Hedgehog Highway signs to encourage even more neighbours to join in, and other hedgehog-related goodies.

Jennifer said: “Being crowned ‘Britain’s Biggest Hedgehog Street’ is really rewarding. Gill, Nick and I have been creating Highways around the village since July 2021, but hearing about this competition made us wonder if it were possible to get one whole street on board. Rachel has done some magnificent work to rally Dale Road. We’re delighted that our team effort has paid off.”

“Seeing hedgehogs using the Highways we’ve created for them is magical – some people in the village hadn’t seen hedgehogs for 30 odd years before ‘Wild Things Keyworth’ was set up. Helping our local hedgehogs has also encouraged people to speak with their neighbours more, creating a unique relationship here. It’s amazing how hedgehogs can bring people together, and we’d encourage any community to set up their own Hedgehog Street.”

Grace Johnson, Hedgehog Officer, Hedgehog Street says: “Two of the main pressures hedgehogs face in urban areas is habitat fragmentation and lack of suitable habitat. Connecting gardens is the best way to combat this, as it means hedgehogs can access a range of different habitats.”

“Keyworth is a fantastic example of how a community can come together to help hedgehogs, and we are thrilled to see that their efforts are paying off with regular hedgehog sightings. Connecting 42 gardens is a huge accomplishment, so they are very worthy winners and we’re proud to crown them as ‘Britain’s Biggest Hedgehog Street’.”

Photo shows Gill Peg, Rachel Cox and Nick Ellerby with the fantastic plaque! 

One of the things that this really drives home for me is that we can do amazing things when we work together ... whether it is spotting a new development and getting the developers to commit to building in hedgehog holes, or working with the community to get something like this done ... we can do more than government! And while I will still continue to try and get the planning law amended so that what is now considered just guidance is turned into something enforceable, I reckon we can great things done by just taking the initiative and doing it! 

In other news - thank you to the folk who came to say hi at the talks I was doing in Devon last week - I had great fun! Big shout out to Judy from Prickles in a Pickle who was my warm up act! Thursday this week I am in Steeple Ashton (drop me a note if you want details). Cropredy Gardening Club on the 12th, Stockport Rewilding event on 15th and then a fun looking Kent Mammal Group session on the 22nd. And to think, sometimes I wonder why I struggle to get my next book written! 

If you have enjoyed this and have any spare change, it is always enormously appreciated ...