I started this petition - to get the then Conservative government to make changes to the planning law to help hedgehogs …

This is going to require some input from you - so please pop over to the Substack version so you can join in! There is no paywall, though if you have the capacity to support my work …

I did not have high hopes, but was, in 2019, delighted when James Brokenshire did change guidance to the National Planning Policy Framework - to include hedgehog highways in new developments. However, as many of you will know, the guidance came without teeth, so I continued.

The British Hedgehog Preservation Society has also been working on this - talking to developers. I believe it is crucial that we continue to keep the pressure on the Local Planning Authorities and the developers - we can make a difference if we get them to accept the need to work with us to help hedgehogs. 

Now we have a new government - one that has as its key word, CHANGE … so what is it that we would like to see? I don’t mean from their manifesto - but what is it that we would like to see done differently to help hedgehogs and all the other wildlife that we depend upon?

They are talking about a massive housebuilding programme - which is much needed to try and make the market fairer - how can this be done in such a way as to not undermine nature?

I would love to see some of your ideas - do you think that pursuing developers and planners is the best way forward? Should we be looking elsewhere? 

A tangent to close ... 

I was looking for a photo for a lecture I was giving today (the EcoJudaism awards) and bumped into the image I use here - meeting Rowan Williams was a delight and he told me a story that would have been brilliant to get into my book, A Prickly Affair - which I was giving him at the time … the story is really quite surprising … shall I tell you?

Oh, okay … Rowan Williams is mentioned in the book as he chose The Hedgehog Song, from the Incredible String Band as one of his tracks on Desert Island Discs - it is a lovely song - but when he told his PR staff of the choice they were aghast … because there is another song with the same name.

This song was the work of Nanny Ogg (well, Terry Pratchett if I am being honest) and it is so very very rude!!! I won’t even provide a link here, but, if you are brave - search for it and you can see why there was shock … how could they explain the then Archbishop having a song about bestiality on his list!!!!

Can you think of any other suitable hedgehog songs?? Not that I am heading to the Desert Island!!!