Be Hedgehog Aware Campaign

This National Garden Wildlife Week (27th May – 2nd June, 2024), we spoke to Dylan Allman from South Wales, founder of the ‘Be Hedgehog Aware’ campaign.

87% of households in Britain have access to a green space, and on average, a gardener can spend up to 2 hours a week working on their garden. These green spaces are extremely important to wildlife, providing essentials such as food, water, and shelter, particularly to hedgehogs.

This sparked the interest of Dylan Allman, who noticed hedgehogs in his garden during the lockdown in 2020 and wanted to help the species not only survive but thrive. Hedgehogs have seen a dramatic decrease in numbers in the UK, from around 30 million in the 1950s to less than 1 million today.

A contributing factor to the significant decline in numbers is a rise in injuries sustained through garden strimming and mowing. Dylan comments:

“Unfortunately, the overgrown shrub and grassy areas are ideal hiding spots for hedgehogs because they provide cover and a likely place where insects would be hiding, a vital food source. Hedgehogs’ natural instinct to danger is to curl up into a defensive ball instead of running away.”

 

The overgrown areas tend to be the first place keen gardeners tackle when tidying up, however hedgehogs are often incredibly well hidden in these areas and can unfortunately get caught by the strimmers or mowers, often resulting in extensive injury or death. To help highlight this, the ‘Be Hedgehog Aware’ campaign was created. Dylan comments:

“I have been in contact with a wide range of garden strimmer and mower manufacturers, asking them to place a ‘Be Hedgehog Aware‘ sticker on their machinery. This means that every time the equipment is about to be used, the gardener is reminded to check for hedgehogs first, which will give hedgehogs a better chance of survival.”

 

With all of Dylan’s hard work, he was successful in getting Hyundai Power Products to be one of the first companies to sign up and apply the sticker on 100,000 mowers and strimmers. And it doesn’t stop there, with other manufacturers and distributors including STIGA coming on-board. As part of the ‘Hedgehog Friendly Fencing’ project by Hedgehog Street, Dylan has also forged a partnership with Jewson to promote and advise on sustainable options for developers and gardeners. Dylan also collaborates with local schools to educate young people about the importance of hedgehogs in the ecosystem and how they can help protect them.

One way to help hedgehogs is to encourage them into gardens by installing a Hedgehog Highway; create a small 130mm x 130mm hole at the base of a fence or gravel board to connect gardens and enable hedgehogs to roam for food and shelter without restriction. The Hedgehog Highway by Timloc frames the hole and helps to state its purpose and avoid accidental obstruction.

As National Garden Wildlife Week continues, Dylan’s ‘Be Hedgehog Aware’ campaign serves as a reminder of the impact individuals can have on protecting wildlife. Every small action, like checking for hedgehogs before gardening, contributes to the survival of these beloved animals.

Join Dylan and many others in making your garden a safe haven for hedgehogs. For more information on how you can get involved, visit www.hedgehogaware.org.uk Together, we can make a difference.

To learn more about Hedgehog Highway by Timloc, click here.

Photos kindly provided by Dylan Allman, Be Hedgehog Aware.