Hampton Court Palace Flower Show

On Monday this week, one of our hedgehogs "Turbo" had the important task of being a hedgehog ambassador at the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show. Turbo was borrowed by Pat Morris to help launch the British Hedgehog Preservation Societys and Peoples Trust for Endangered Species "Hedgehog Street" Garden, with the aim to bring the decline of the hedgehog to more people.

The show is open this week, but Monday was the press day. As part of the show, one of the garden exhibits was designed by Tracey Foster for the BHPS and PTES. The aim is to show people what can be done in their own gardens to help create valuable habitat for our declining hedgehogs.

The garden has been designed with areas of wild grass, ponds with sloping sides, compost heaps, log piles, different plants, feeding areas, hibernation box and perhaps most importantly holes in the fences which would allow the hedgehogs to roam from garden to garden, as well as other friendly hedgehog bits and pieces.

Major Adrian Coles, founder of the British Hedgehog Preservation Society and now a Chelsea Pensioner was also present to help with the press call.

Hopefully this exhibit will help enthuse people to change the way they keep their gardens, and make them a little more friendly for hedgehogs. The hedgehog was voted Britain's most popular animal last year by the readers of BBC Wildlife Magazine, but without some simple changes which we can all do in our gardens, they are at risk of declining even further than they already have in recent years.