Building a hedgehog house

As the sun peaked out this morning the Living Churchyard team turned out to build a hedgehog house. A site was chosen underneath the old yew tree in the corner of the churchyard, secluded and next to a stone wall. Hedgehogs like to run along hedges, walls and fences to navigate their way around.

We used 20 bricks kindly donated by villagers, to build a square house two bricks high. We created a tunnel into the main body. Hedgehogs' main predators are foxes which can find hedgehogs when hibernating, so a short tunnel is essential to prevent them getting in. We were advised that the ideal size for access was the size of a CD case. This was all topped off with a heavy paving slab.

We were also doing a winter tidy up, so there was plenty of vegetation to cover the new hedgehog house.

Now that hedgehogs are starting to hibernate (from Nov through to February) we're hoping that a hog will move in soon. We've put some cat food inside the house for it - they have a very strong sense of smell. Please don't use cat food based on fish or shellfish as this is poisonous to hedgehogs, chicken flavour is best.

Remember at bonfire season and when you are clearing up your garden, hedgehogs hide when they are disturbed. They won't move out of the way when the strimmer comes or you light the bonfire. Please check first, with a torch if needed.

Please be hedgehog safe this autumn.

As autumn is well and truly with us, it was time for a churchyard tidy-up. A team of volunteers cleared the worst of the ivy and bramble from the walls and Tim mowed and swept in a general tidy. To mark the end of the season, we also removed the surround from our wildflower meadow and got scything! Many of us had a turn and found it quite therapeutic. I'm not sure how far we'd have got with a whole field though in the 'good-old-days'.