Now the weather is turning cold, wet, dark, and windy, this is the time that hedgehogs start looking for places to hibernate and, to our little prickly friends, an unlit bonfire is equivalent to a five-star hotel!

The wildlife charity is advising people to help protect hedgehogs by following a few guidelines when building a bonfire:

• Build the bonfire as close to Bonfire Night as possible so there is less chance of a hedgehog moving in.
• Make the pile of material next to the bonfire site and re-build the stack before lighting it.
• Search the bonfire for hibernating creatures using a torch and rake before starting the fire.
• Move any hedgehogs found to a ready-made hedgehog box somewhere dry and safe and away from the fire.
• Before Bonfire Night, make an alternative home by raking up grass cuttings or autumn leaves into a pile a safe distance from the pile; hopefully sleepy ‘hogs will choose to sleep there instead of in the unlit bonfire.

Geoff Dobbins, Northumberland Wildlife Trust Estates Manager says:

“To a hedgehog looking for a safe place to hibernate, an unlit bonfire can seem like a ready-made five-star hotel. That’s why we urge everyone planning a bonfire to check it thoroughly before lighting it. It only takes a few minutes to inspect and rebuild the pile, but it could save a hedgehog’s life.

“Hedgehogs are a gardener’s friend, helping to keep pests under control naturally, but their numbers are declining and they need our help. Creating alternative shelter by leaving piles of logs, leaves and twigs in a quiet corner of the garden can provide valuable hibernation sites. And if that means leaving the garden a little untidy over winter, then all the better for wildlife.”