PRICKLY GARDERNERS' FRIENDS

“Hedgehogs. Does anyone have the time and patience to help me care for baby hedgehogs?” Colleen Powell received sixty four replies to her advertisement placed in the Leicester Mercury in May 1990, and that is how Leicester Hedgehog Rescue became established.

Leicester Hedgehog Rescue takes in sick, injured and orphaned hedgehogs that are cared for by volunteers, who look after their prickly guests in their own gardens. As soon as the 'hogs have recovered and can fend for themselves, they are released back into the wild. Some may find their way into your garden.

Is your garden safe for these endearing little creatures? Gardens can be hazardous places for hedgehogs. Do you have a pond? A hedgehog can swim but if it can't get out of your pond it will drown. So make sure to leave an escape route such as a pile of stones or other means of scrambling out of the pond.

Be careful when forking through the compost heap as this is a wonderful warm environment for hedgehogs in which to build a nest to give birth to their hoglets. It's also a great place for a long snooze during the cold winter months.

And the hedgehog's worst enemy? Slug pellets containing metaldehyde - they're the blue ones. Please do not use these in your garden as they are lethal to hedgehogs, birds and any other creatures that eat the poisoned slugs and snails, and indeed the pellets themselves. Make sure your garden is a safe haven for all wildlife.

Hedgehogs really are the gardener's best friend. These charming prickly balls with short legs and a long snout help to keep the garden free of those pesky slugs and snails, without the need for toxic chemicals.