Hedgehog Awareness Week runs from May 3 to 9 and events are being organised all around the country.

Hedgehog Awareness Week is organised by the British Hedgehog Preservation Society (BHPS) and takes place every year. It aims to highlight the problems hedgehogs face and how the public can help them.

This year efforts are focussed on gardeners. There is so much that gardeners can do to help the hedgehog – very simple things like:

• Ensuring there is access into the garden (all that is needed is 5-inch square gap).
• Checking areas before strimming or mowing.
• Moving piles of rubbish to a new site before burning it.
• Ensuring netting is kept at a safe height.
• Checking compost heaps before digging the fork in.
• Stopping or reducing the amount of pesticides and poisons used.
• Covering drains or deep holes.
• Ensuring there is an easy route out of ponds and pools.

BHPS Chief Executive Fay Vass said: “There is so much the gardener can do to help hedgehogs, and with hedgehog numbers in decline it is more important now than ever.

"We have produced a poster highlighting dangers hedgehogs face in our gardens to mark this Hedgehog Awareness Week.”

For a free copy of the poster or for membership details send an A5 sae to BHPS, Garden Dangers, Hedgehog House, Dhustone, Ludlow, SY8 3PL or see www.britishhedgehogs.org.uk