This update is going to focus on two people in particular - two people who I have never met but have enormous respect for. Jaqueline Hadland and Rose Sewell are the two tireless moderators who keep the Hedgehog Highways Facebook Group running as smoothly as it does!

When I started this petition I had no idea how many people were going to sign up - and had no plans as to how to answer questions as they came along. It was around the time we got to half a million I think that someone suggested a separate space for communication. I had no experience with running a Facebook group - so just went for it and for a while, all was fine. But ...

I am sure those of you who are experienced on the internet will know, not everyone is as kind and thoughtful as they could be! And that sometimes people are just waiting for the smallest opportunity to pull the outrage trigger! I was quite taken aback by the mean spirits of some - people I thought shared similar world views - people who clearly cared for hedgehogs but had other agendas at play. I needed help moderating the group - already it was taking up an hour a day or so ...

But how to reach out to find people to help moderate the group? To be honest I was nervous - what if they were well camouflaged fruitcakes? The group could end up being in a worse state! So I ran a very ad hoc reaching out campaign and Rose and Jaqueline just felt 'okay'! 

Well, they have proved to be far more than okay - they have gifted time, patience, and some considerable skill in getting the group into a good shape - there is a list of key topics that can save time (and quite honestly, hedgehogs!) - all the posts are checked before they go up - any one wanting to join has to answer a few questions just to check they are real and not out to sell us air-friers at a discount - and any unpleasant behaviour gets jumped on as soon as we can.

It is a safe space online to ask questions about hedgehog highways - to find ways to get through fences and walls - about how to approach councils and developers in your area - and it is also a place to showcase the latest images and videos from your trail cameras! Some people do still get a bit outrage happy if they see something they think is wrong, but we are trying to weed that out - and none of that would be possible if it was just me - so - THANK YOU to Rose and Jaqueline.

Oh - and while the group is usually free of selling ... in the run up to Christmas we have an amnesty for people selling hedgehog related things as long as some money goes towards helping hedgehogs ...

Talking of which - The British Hedgehog Preservation Society also has a way of making all your Christmas worries disappear ... they have an online shop (there is also a Hogalogue!) which is full of every hedgehoggy thing you can imagine! Top item is their famous calendar - 12 gorgeous pictures of hedgehogs to keep you company for the year - and this is on SPECIAL OFFER - £8.50 including postage - but you need to phone up to order it (some complicated reason I do not understand!) 01584 890801

Thank you to the remarkable artist Debbie Lomas for allowing her gorgeous birthday card to me be defaced by the non-artist me!