Helping Hedgehogs: How You Can Make a Difference in Your Garden

Hedgehogs, one of Britain’s most beloved native mammals, are sadly in serious trouble. In 2020, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) officially placed hedgehogs on the Red List, classifying them as vulnerable to extinction. This designation was included in the first ever Red List for British mammals, published by the Mammal Society. Of the 47 mammals native to the UK, 11 are now considered at imminent risk of disappearing - and hedgehogs are one of them.

Record a Hedgehog Sighting at the Surrey Wildlife Trust - CLICK HERE

Why Are Hedgehogs Declining?

Once a common sight in the British countryside, hedgehogs have been driven out by habitat loss, pesticide use, and large-scale industrial farming. As a result, they are increasingly turning to gardens and urban green spaces in a desperate bid for survival.

To raise awareness and offer practical support for these spiky visitors, Sarah and Ellen from Zero Carbon Guildford, along with Tara from Surrey University’s Ecology Department, hosted a special event this past Sunday, 1st June, at Tunsgate Quarter in Guildford. The event was part of a wider nature and bee-themed day celebrating biodiversity - fittingly held in a shopping centre that itself supports wildlife with two beehives and six sedum (green) roofs.

Sarah our Zero Volunteer crafting Hedgehogs at the Bee Aware Week event at the Tunsgate

Sarah our Zero Volunteer and her team crafting Hedgehogs at the Bee Aware Week event at the Tunsgate

Sarah our Zero Volunteer and her team crafting Hedgehogs at the Bee Aware Week event at the Tunsgate

Hands-On Hedgehog Help

Throughout the day, families learned how to make their gardens more wildlife-friendly and discover if hedgehogs might already be visiting. Talks and demonstrations included:

• How to create hedgehog holes (13cm x 13cm) at the base of fences to connect gardens

• Tips on wildlife-friendly gardening, like leaving wild patches of grass and avoiding harmful pesticides

• Advice on using hedgehog footprint tunnels to monitor activity

• Building DIY hedgehog feeding stations and nest boxes

  
  

Creative activities were a big hit, with children making hedgehogs out of pinecones, painting wooden Hedgehog Highway signs, and getting hands-on with paper crafts — all designed to spark curiosity and care for nature.

Hedgehog crafts at the Bee Aware Event at the Tunsgate

Hedgehog crafts at the Bee Aware Event at the Tunsgate

Hedgehog crafts at the Bee Aware Event at the Tunsgate

Hedgehog crafts at the Bee Aware Event at the Tunsgate

Hedgehog crafts at the Bee Aware Event at the Tunsgate

Hedgehog crafts at the Bee Aware Event at the Tunsgate

Hedgehog crafts at the Bee Aware Event at the Tunsgate

Hedgehog crafts at the Bee Aware Event at the Tunsgate

Hedgehog crafts at the Bee Aware Event at the Tunsgate

Hedgehog crafts at the Bee Aware Event at the Tunsgate

Hedgehog crafts at the Bee Aware Event at the Tunsgate

Hedgehog crafts at the Bee Aware Event at the Tunsgate

Hedgehog crafts at the Bee Aware Event at the Tunsgate

Hedgehog crafts at the Bee Aware Event at the Tunsgate

How You Can Help Hedgehogs at Home

Sarah from Zero Carbon Guildford shared practical steps anyone can take:

• Connect gardens by talking with neighbours and making small fence holes to allow hedgehogs to roam

• Avoid garden hazards like strimmers and robotic lawnmowers, which injure hundreds of hedgehogs each year

• Offer water, never milk, in shallow bowls in quiet corners of your garden

• Build log piles from old wood to attract bugs, a key food source for hedgehogs

• Use wildlife-friendly compost heaps (hedgehogs like to nest underneath)

• Create feeding stations and provide safe, dry nest boxes with hay and leaves

• Install a night-vision wildlife camera to observe these nocturnal creatures in action

  
  

Most importantly, spread the word. The more communities that act, the better chance we have of saving hedgehogs from extinction.

💚 Want to do more? Visit the British Hedgehog Preservation Society for resources, advice, and updates on hedgehog conservation.