The British Hedgehog Preservation Society (BHPS) has announced Hedgehog Awareness Week, taking place from May 3 to 9, encouraging people across the UK to take the Hedgehog Pledge and help protect this much-loved species.
As an important indicator species, hedgehogs reflect the health of the wider environment, and their decline signals that habitats are under pressure.
Through the campaign, BHPS aims to raise awareness of the challenges hedgehogs face and inspire practical action, offering seven simple steps people can take to make a difference.
These include creating "hedgehog highways" by making small gaps in fences to allow safe movement between gardens, creating or protecting wild spaces such as log piles and leaf heaps, and always checking for hedgehogs before using garden machinery.
The pledge also encourages people to avoid pesticides and chemicals, ensure netting is safely stored or raised to prevent entanglement, provide fresh water for wildlife all year round, and get involved in conservation efforts by volunteering with the National Hedgehog Monitoring Programme.
BHPS, a UK charity founded in 1982, works to protect native hedgehogs through campaigns, education, and research, helping to improve their welfare and safeguard their future.
The organisation is calling on individuals to take part, share the message, and support the campaign, highlighting that even small actions can collectively have a significant impact on reversing the decline of hedgehogs and improving biodiversity across the UK.
Fay Vass
CEO- British Hedgehog Preservation Society
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