Prize giveaway ...

who wants to win one of my new hedgehog books?

To celebrate the launch of my latest book on hedgehogs (yes, it is my 4th, yes, that is absurd, and yes, I have a 5th in mind!) I am giving away TWO signed copies of the Bloomsbury / RSPB Pocket Book of Hedgehogs to those who can answer one easy question correctly - winners will be randomly selected on Friday morning (just after the Thursday night launch party - so maybe not very early!)

Now, that launch is not just for the hedgehog book, I also have a book about bats coming out that very same day - and I am going to talk to the publishers to see if they will give me a couple of copies to give away as a prize next week!!

a rather proud me with both new books!

But the challenge I face is what question to ask you all? I don’t want it to be too esoteric … and I don’t want it to be too easy … and I do want it to have one correct answer …

So - if I ask how many spines on the back of a hedgehog - well that depends on the age and the size of the hedgehog (I was at an event in Sheffield on Saturday and a young boy answered that question by saying there were 300 - so I got him up on stage and set him the task of counting the spines on the back of the taxidermy hedgehog I was using as a prop!)

I could ask you to name the amazing muscle that allows the hedgehog to frown so completely that it bristles its spines in a prelude to rolling into a ball - but that is too much.

Then again I could go with which is the best ever song written about a hedgehog … now I know there is a correct answer to this, but you might disagree. The correct answer is ‘The hedgehog song’ from the amazing Nick Cope! ‘Have you heard about Hugh? The Hedgehog who, got into trouble on the A32 ….’ Such a good song.

Okay - the question … and it is EASY (like all questions, it is easy if you know) …

In 2011, the British Hedgehog Preservation Society and People’s Trust for Endangered Species began a collaboration, a campaign, that has been running ever since. What is the name of that campaign?

Please put your answers into the comments on the substack version and I will select two at random (for sake of transparency all incoming correct answers will be given a number, and then I will ask my kids to choose to numbers from the list - then I will write to you and get your address!)

Good luck - and do spread the word … the more people receiving these updates on Substack, the more of a community of hedgehog-loving nature-nerds we can create!