IMPORTANT new campaign
Lets all 'Go WILD for Hedgehogs!'
I am so thrilled that something I have been talking about for years is now part of a major new campaign from the Hedgehog Street team.
Go WILD for Hedgehogs launches today - and gives us all a year to create wild patches in our gardens to help our wonderful prickly friends.
This is a brilliant way to turn into action my call to ‘dismantle the cult of tidiness’ which I have shouted out to audiences for a few years now! Though you may remember I have had to moderate this a little as I realise that my local park had been getting it very wrong - mowing everything to within an inch of its life while leaving the litter strewn, minced, and distributed!
Back to the new campaign - from today we are being urged to create wild patches to help nurture natural insect food and create nesting materials too. This does not need any drama - just leave a wild, undisturbed patch in a garden … and then, this is the really interesting bit, recording its location online.
Recording this information on the Go WILD for Hedgehogs website enables conservationists at Peoples Trust for Endangered Species and the British Hedgehog Preservation Society find where hedgehog havens are, and where more are needed.
So - which bit of land are we hoping you will let Go WILD? It is not an enormous ask - just choose a strip or corner of your garden to leave undisturbed, untrimmed, and simply let it grow. Once selected, you will then just need to upload photos and record the location online. To go the extra mile, Hedgehog Street suggests planting wildflower seeds in autumn to further attract pollinators and other insects the following year. Throughout the year Hedgehog Street will share updates and top tips such as how to maximise wild patches, what to look out for and other ways to help hedgehogs as the seasons change.
Grace Johnson, who has the wonderful job title of Hedgehog Officer, says, ‘Wild patches are a brilliant way to help hedgehogs, and best of all, they’re minimal effort and cost! By simply allowing an area to grow a little wild and undisturbed, you can help to create a diverse habitat that’s perfect for hedgehogs and other garden wildlife in the heart of our villages, towns and cities. Instead of weeding and mowing, sit back, relax and watch nature thrive in your garden.’
I have loved the look on faces when I am talking to the Women’s Institute or a Gardening Club, and saying how important it is to do LESS gardening … giving them permission to maybe let up on the management.
We all know - well, I hope you do by now - that hedgehogs are in widespread decline. However, we have noticed that, while rural populations are in freefall, some urban populations have levelled off, and it is possible this is thanks to the work of many of you - making holes in fences and walls, allowing hedgehogs to travel to find food, shelter, water and potential mates. You know, the Hedgehog Street campaign has over 130,000 signed up Champions!! Have you joined (it is free)?
Obviously, your WILD patch does not have to be all you do - you can provide a compost heap, a log pile, a wildlife pond - just remember the most important bit is enabling the hedgehog to get into your garden! 13cm square hole is all you need, but please do talk to your neighbour first … and encourage them to do the same on the other side!
So - please think about taking part - and registering your patch HERE!
Other oddities from me can be found on Instagram and Bluesky.
More soon … so many strange hedgehog stories still to tell!