It’s that time of year … I am sure I only was talking about this a few weeks ago - what has happened to time? Is it accelerating for you too?

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This year the bonfire message has got an added bit of oomph … not sure of the spelling of that but you know what I mean … we have had a boost and it is quite amazing!

All over the country, in shopping centres, the large advertising boards are, at last, being put to good use … they are screening this short, 10 second, infomercial asking you all to ‘Look before you light’ a bonfire. The film will be seen by tens of thousands of people - maybe hundreds of thousands ... over the two weeks they are running as we approach bonfire night.

Who is near any of these places?

• 17&Central, London
• Bluewater, Dartford
• Braehead, Renfrew
• XSITE
• Bullring Birmingham
• Derbion Derby
• Dolphin Shopping Centre, Poole
• Kingfisher, Redditch
• Liberty, Romford
• Meadowhall, Sheffield 
• Metrocentre, Gateshead
• Midsummer Place Shopping Centre, Milton Keynes
• Princes Quay, Hull
• The Beacon Eastbourne
• The Mall Maidstone

So please - if you are going into any of these deeply disturbing places (I get overwhelmed in shopping centres!) - have a look and see if you can spot the hedgehog video on the screen - and let us know - grab a photo if you can - it would be wonderful to see evidence of this important message getting out far and wide. Either leave a message on here or post on instagram including me  and the BHPS. 

The film has been created with the production company Liquona, the creatives behind the award-winning BHPS film, The Littlest Hoglet. And we have this amazing exposure thanks to that short film winning the People’s Choir Film of the Year 2025 from the Smiley Charity Film Awards!

Why do I make such a fuss about this every year? Well, a bonfire pile looks like a perfect ready-made home to a hedgehog seeking a safe winter nest to hibernate in. So please look before you light – hedgehogs have no idea of the danger they’re in.

Remember, hedgehogs have no flight or fight response, so when disturbed in their new ‘home’ by the scent of smoke and the crackles of flames, they will just curl up and wait for the threat to pass. 

So, please share the film with your friends, family and colleagues to remind them that taking just a few extra minutes to consider your actions can save the lives of hedgehogs, other wildlife and pets.

As well as sharing the video far and wide, BHPS is asking everyone to Stop, Move and Check this November:

Stop – do you need to have a bonfire? Can you attend a community event, or mark the occasion in a more wildlife-friendly way? The fewer bonfires there are, the fewer wildlife casualties there will be.
Move - if you do decide to have a bonfire, only build it on the day you plan to light it. Move all collected materials to a new site just before burning, in case hedgehogs, other wildlife or pets are hiding inside.
Check - before lighting from one side only, check the entire bonfire pile carefully for wildlife and pets. Shine a torch inside the heap and gently lift each section with a pole or broom as you look. Never use a spade or fork as these can cause great harm. Also listen for the huffing sound of a hedgehog which has been disturbed.

Fay, BHPS CEO, added: “It’s vital to spread the word and #RememberHedgehogs at this time of year – let’s give them the best possible chance to escape the danger of a lit bonfire that they’ve mistaken for a safe haven.”

There is another aspect to the bonfire nonsense … 

ok, I admit to loving a fire - and have strong memories of my father burning up the leaves he had collected from the garden …

but - today, as I walked the dog around the park, the wind was getting the leaves to dance free from the trees; yellow, red, and gold pirouetting confetti. As the leaves settle on the ground remember, they are not litter, to be carted off or burned. They are potential!