· Embed good working practices: As custodians of the land, Wicksteed Park aim to carry out our land management sympathetically. Leaving areas of long grass and where suitable log and brash piles which make the perfect place for hedgehogs to nest and hibernate. Where vegetation needs management, such as bramble clearance, we will leave the work until the autumn. This is to minimise interactions with nesting or hibernating hedgehogs. Any work with machinery such as strimming will only commence after vegetation has been checked for hedgehog presence. Machinery will display British Hedgehog Preservation Society stickers reminding staff to check for the presence of hedgehogs before using machinery.

· Embrace knowledge: Working with local environmental groups and volunteers we plan to monitor and record hedgehog populations. We hope to learn how many hedgehogs we have and where they frequent. This will support decision-making around where to leave wilder areas and improve them further and help us understand if the work we are doing is making a difference.

· Keep our Park litter free: Park staff and volunteers do a wonderful job in keeping the Park as litter-free as possible. We will continue to deploy teams around the estate and will work with the public to highlight the importance of taking litter home to avoid entrapment and other injuries to hedgehogs.

· Minimise the use of toxic chemicals: We pledge not to make use of insecticides in the management of the Park. We will use non-toxic alternatives to safeguard the environment we manage and the animals that call the Park home. Where the use of herbicides is required to manage invasive species, we will limit the use of chemicals through spot spraying and weed wiping. This approach minimises drift and non-target contamination.

· Install ramps at the lake edges: Through regular inspection of the lakes, we will ensure areas of risk are ramped to assist egress for hedgehogs and other wildlife.

What can you do at home?

Urban environments make up a big part of a hedgehog’s habitat. You can help by making some small changes that will have a big impact!

· Leave wild areas: Long grass is a great place for hedgehogs to forage. Leaving areas of fallen leaves or dead wood is great for providing respite and nesting materials for hedgehogs.

· Create a pond: Ponds draw all types of animals to your garden from insects to amphibians as well as hedgehogs. Always make it easy for them to get in and out with a ramp or sloped banks. If they fall in, steep banks prevent them from getting out!

· Leave gaps in your fence: By creating 13cmx13cm gaps at ground level in your fences and walls, it will allow easy access to your hedgehog friendly garden. Hedgehog highways should connect as many gardens as possible so get your street on board and become a hedgehog haven!

· Feeding: If hedgehogs have enough good habitat, they should have plenty of wild food to forage but if you wish to help them in cold spells, make sure they get the right food. Dry kitten biscuits, wet cat or dog food or specially formulated hedgehog food can be offered and always with a shallow bowl of water. Make sure you do not give them milk as hedgehogs are lactose intolerant.

· Hedgehog hotel: Provide them with a nest box to either raise their young or hibernate in. Make your own or buy one purpose built.

· Avoid using chemicals in your garden: slug pellets, poisons and other garden chemicals can kill hedgehogs or make them poorly. At the very least, chemicals will cause damage to the food chain. Look for alternative solutions that are great for your garden and great for your hedgehogs.

Let’s make Britain Hedgehog friendly!