Why Hedgehogs Matter and How We Can Help Protect Them
From 3rd-9th May, Hedgehog Awareness Week gives us a chance to celebrate one of Britain’s most loved wild animals while drawing attention to the challenges they face. This year, the British Hedgehog Preservation Society (BHPS) is encouraging people to “Take the Hedgehog Pledge”, a set of practical actions designed to help hedgehogs in gardens and green spaces across the UK.
At Hedgy, this week feels especially close to home. British wildlife has always been a big part of what inspires the brand, and the hedgehog is the creature that inspired its name in the first place.
Why do hedgehogs need protecting?
Hedgehogs may be much loved, but they are still under pressure. People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) says that numbers of rural hedgehogs have declined nationally by between 30% and 75% since 2000, although there are signs of recovery in some urban and suburban areas. Hedgehog Street, the national campaign run jointly by BHPS and PTES, says the UK has lost a third of its hedgehogs since the millennium.
A big part of the problem is that many spaces are no longer easy or safe for hedgehogs to move through. Gardens can be fenced off, habitats can be tidied away, and routine things like strimming, mowing, netting, and pesticides can all create risks. PTES says conservation work is focusing on gardens, housing developments, parks, and railways because many of these places still are not hedgehog-friendly enough.
The Hedgehog Pledge: practical advice from BHPS
For Hedgehog Awareness Week 2026, BHPS has created The Hedgehog Pledge, inviting people to choose one helpful action or even take on one each day of the week. The pledges are simple, accessible, and designed to help people support hedgehogs in everyday spaces.
The seven pledges are:
1. Add more Hedgehog Highways
BHPS and Hedgehog Street both encourage people to create small access holes between gardens so hedgehogs can move more freely. Hedgehog Street notes that no single garden is enough, and a 13cm hole in a fence can allow hedgehogs through.
2. Create, improve or protect a wild space
A slightly wilder patch of garden can be a real help. Hedgehog Street recommends features like log piles, while BHPS includes protecting or improving a wild space as one of its core pledges. These areas can offer shelter and support the insects hedgehogs feed on.
3. Always check before strimming, mowing or hedge cutting
Before using garden machinery or cutting back hedges, taking a careful look first can help avoid harming a resting or hidden hedgehog. BHPS includes this as one of its seven official actions for the week.
4. Go organic in the garden or allotment
BHPS advises people to go organic, while Hedgehog Street recommends avoiding herbicides. A more wildlife-friendly approach helps create healthier spaces for the insects and invertebrates that hedgehogs rely on for food.
5. Be net savvy
Garden netting can be dangerous if it traps wildlife. BHPS includes being net savvy as one of its pledges, and it is a good reminder that even useful garden materials should be used with wildlife in mind.
6. Provide water for wildlife all year round
Hedgehog Street says that a dish of fresh water can be vital in hot weather, and BHPS includes year-round water provision in the pledge. It is one of the easiest ways to make a garden more wildlife-friendly.
7. Become an NHMP volunteer spotter
BHPS’s final pledge is to become a volunteer spotter for the National Hedgehog Monitoring Programme (NHMP). PTES says the programme will, for the first time, produce robust hedgehog population estimates, helping conservationists better understand how hedgehogs are doing across the UK.
The organisations helping hedgehogs in the UK
It is important to credit the organisations leading this work. The British Hedgehog Preservation Society is the charity behind this year’s Hedgehog Awareness Week pledge campaign, while Hedgehog Street is the joint campaign run by BHPS and PTES to support hedgehogs through practical action, especially in gardens and neighbourhoods. PTES also leads and supports important monitoring and conservation work, helping build a clearer picture of hedgehog numbers and the pressures they face.
Small actions really do matter
One of the nicest things about Hedgehog Awareness Week is that it doesn’t ask people to do everything at once. Instead, choose a step, make a change, and help where you can. Whether that is adding a Hedgehog Highway, leaving part of the garden a little wilder, putting out water, or simply learning more, it all contributes to making our outdoor spaces safer and friendlier for hedgehogs.
At Hedgy, Hedgehog Awareness Week is also a chance for us to celebrate the animal that inspired our brand in our own small way. Throughout the week, we’re offering 50% off our Green Hedgehog Socks, while continuing our wider commitment to wildlife causes, with 10% of our overall proceeds going to wildlife charities.
