Hedgehogs Need Our Help!

April 4, 2026

1st Tideswell Cubs discover why hedgehogs need our help, and ten top tips for encouraging hedgehogs in our neighbourhood.

Hedgehogs are still endangered, but hedgehog friendly gardens are beginning to have a positive impact. There’s never been a more important time to help Britain’s hedgehogs. So in March 2026, 1st Tideswell Cubs invited friends from TDEG and the Ashford Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre to visit and to share their top tips for helping our hedgehogs.

The Cubs asked lots of questions about hedgehogs – how they lived and what they ate. They also learnt about some of the dangers which our hedgehogs face. They were excited to meet Benji – a hedgehog who had been hand-reared by Kirsty at the Ashford Centre. Benji was very friendly, and Kirsty was later able to release him and his sister in a local, safe garden in Tidewell.

The Cubs also helped TDEG and our Tideswell & District Hedgehog Project by making posters with top tips for helping hedgehogs in our gardens.

We have shared some of their posters below. Many thanks to all the Cubs for their hard work – they did a great job! And many thanks to the charity Hedgehog Street for their Top Ten Tips.

Top Ten Tips for Helping Hedgehogs

1 – Link your garden –

Hedgehogs need to access a wide range of gardens, to find food and a mate. They can roam 1-2km every night. So creating holes in fences or walls (13cm x 13cm) can create a ‘hedgehog highway’ to help them explore safely.

2 – Make your pond safe –

A pond is incredibly important for wildlife, and hedgehogs are good swimmers. But they need to be able to climb out of steep-sided pools, or they will drown. Use stones or wood to create simple ramps.

3 – Create a wild corner –

Let the grass and wildflowers grow long and even untidy in a corner of your garden. Don’t cut everything back in the winter. Hedgehogs need wild corners for nesting and hibernation, and they will also benefit from all the additional insects which you will encourage. Hedgehogs love hedges and scrub, which they can use as safe corridors. So plant wildlife friendly shrubs and small trees in your garden, and leave log piles to create secret places for hogs to hide.

4 – Deal with netting and litter –

Hedgehogs are prone to getting tangled in loose netting, plastic drink can rings and elastic bands. This can be very dangerous. Sports and garden nettings should be tied up and stored inside when not in use, and all litter disposed of properly.

5 – Put out food and water –

Hedgehogs really benefit from extra food, using it to supplement their natural diet. Meaty cat or dog food are both suitable, and water (particularly when it’s dry). But you must never give hedgehogs milk – they are lactose intolerant.

6 – Stop using chemicals –

Any chemicals used in the garden can have a bad effect on hedgehogs. Lawn treatments can reduce worm populations. Pesticides, insecticides and slug pellets are all toxic and can reduce their prey. Try to use more natural ways of achieving a balance in your garden.

7 – Check before strimming or mowing –

Hedgehogs will not run away from the sound of a mower or strimmer. Please check any long grass before you cut and avoid causing injuries or death. If you find an injured or ill hedgehog, always use gloves to pick it up, and call one of our local rescue centres for help.

8 – Be careful with bonfires –

Piles of branches and twigs look like a 5-star hotel to a hedgehog! Build a bonfire on the same day as burning or thoroughly check the fire for hibernating or sleeping hedgehogs.

9 – Make a home for hedgehogs –

A log pile is a great feature in your garden for all wildlife. It will encourage insects, birds and hedgehogs. Or you can download instructions for making your own hedgehog house from the Hedgehog Street web site .

10 – Become a Hedgehog Champion –

You can become a champion for hedgehogs by talking to your school’s eco council, or your family and friends, about how to help hedgehogs.

You can also follow our local Tideswell & District Hedgehog Project by checking on our web site for more information. We would like to hear from you if you see a hedgehog in our local area, so that we can add it to our sightings map. Email us: hedgehogs@tdeg.org.uk (but ask a family member if you are under 16 years old, to help you).

If you are interested in the national project to help hedgehogs, you can read more here – Hedgehog Street .