Hedgehog Awareness Week is here - well, it was here on Sunday but I spent that day photographing the wedding of two wonderful friends - and I spent Monday editing the photographs … freelance life allows for few weekends or Bank Holidays!!

Just a reminder - I am posting this post to my substack page as well - no paywall - and if you sign up you get to return to a world with comments and connection!

This is so exciting … and I have been having to keep it secret for over a month … but the British Hedgehog Preservation Society has launched a series of short films all about the ways we can help hedgehogs. 

They are beautiful - stop motion animation by the amazingly talented team at Liquona. And to top that … we managed to get the truly inspiring Chris Packham to do the voiceovers. Here is the first one of The Littlest Hoglet films on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

The five films are being launched one a day this week, so you will have to log on to see the rest! And at the end of the week they will all be up on the BHPS Youtube site as well ... they are so good!

It would be fantastic if you could share these films to everyone you know!  They are so engaging - such an accessible way to learning of the hazards hedgehogs face and the solutions we can offer. 

What are you planning to do to help hedgehogs? Would love to hear what you have in mind, either on the substack page or over at the Hedgehog Highways Facebook Group.

Finally - NO MOW MAY - I know that this is mostly to encourage people to leave plants to enable pollinating insects the chance to do their job. Now this is important for hedgehogs because they can eat the larvae of many of the pollinating insects ... but there is a more direct impact too. Every year, wildlife rehabilitators receive hedgehogs with hideous injuries - caused by our careless gardening.

Some of the worst culprits are the strimmers - they are so very tempting to use to clear around the base of hedgerows … and this is where hedgehogs will spend the day. Remember, hedgehogs have no fight or flight response … so when they hear the noise of the motor they will frown and then roll into a ball, waiting for the threat to disappear.

If you must do some clearing, PLEASE check first.

The BHPS has a scheme running with local councils around the UK where their teams are trained to check … if they can, we have no excuse!

And finally finally - please review Cull of the Wild if you have read it … and enjoyed it!! Thank you. 

More Hedgehog Awareness Week information soon ....