Ealing Hedgehog Friends, Wild Chiswick, and Natasha Gavin from Boston Manor Park hosted an ActForEaling Mixer event in the weekend sunshine of Saturday 25 April 2026 highlighting the importance of some of Britain’s favourite garden and green space dwelling mammals – and explaining what we can do to support hedgehogs numbers in Ealing. They were joined by Ealing Wildlife Group, other ActForEaling partners, and members of the public for an informative discussion about hedgehogs, before venturing off into Boston Manor park for an expedition to find hedgehog habitats and hibernacula.
Hedgehogs in Ealing & Chiswick
Jo Gilbert from Wild Chiswick brought along copies of her second hedgehog children’s book “Snouts First Friend” as well as a number of hedgehog related paraphernalia for the demonstration – including tools to make a hedgehog highway, and a “model” hedgehog to show the audience a hedgehog’s size and appearance – hedgehogs are both nocturnal and shy creatures, so it is not possible to easily show a real hedgehog on a sunny afternoon in Boston Manor park.
Teresa from Ealing Hedgehog Friends explained how hedgehogs are often injured and what to do if you find one – call the Ealing Hedgehogs Friends rescue line! Different pieces of fruit on the table were used to indicate the size and age of a hedgehog that might be in distress, noting that for most people it is easier to compare the hedgehog size to an apple (for young hedgehogs) or a small pineapple (a mature hedgehog) than accurately guess the hedgehog age. Depending on the age, the treatment may be different!
Natasha Gavin supervised some heroically hedgehog creative events for the children in the audience, before leading the expedition into the woods and hedgerows of the park to look for the hibernacula, and giving a guided tour of the surrounding hedgerows and meadows.
Hedgehogs numbers have fallen drastically since the year 2000 and hedgehogs are now endangered. The key things that we can do to support hedgehogs is to increase the area around which they can roam for food by building a hedgehog highway, and to make sure that injured hedgehogs get the help they need, by calling volunteer groups like Ealing Hedgehog Friends or Wild Chiswick.
Hedgehog highways
Hedgehogs travel any from 1 to 2 miles every night in search of food. One of the key things we can do to help them find food, is to create a small hole (about the size of a CD) in your fence to allow the hedgehog to pass through. This means that the hedgehog has more area to roam, and can find more tasty slugs and snails to eat. Houses on a street, or around the edge of an allotment can be particularly effective by joining forces to increase the area.
The hole needed for a hedgehog highways is relatively small – just the size of a CD – and so too small to really be of use to any other garden dwellers.
Thanks to all that came to our ActForEaling mixer event and hope we can grow the hedgehog highways around Ealing.
Support
A number of organisations in Ealing are trying to support hedgehogs in the borough. Click on the links below to find out more. More information about hedgehogs can be found Hedgehog support list, courtesy of Ealing Hedgehog Friends.
Ealing Hedgehog Friends was formed in 2023 and is a not-for-profit association formed to rescue and rehabilitate injured, ill, malnourished, and orphaned hedgehogs in Ealing and surrounding areas.
Wild Chiswick is a community-based not-for-profit organisation formed with the aim of increasing awareness of the wildlife around Chiswick. They also conduct research and implement ways to help vulnerable species, such as helping improve habitats by drilling hedgehog highways, advising on wildlife gardening, installing swift boxes and making wildlife areas.
Ealing Wildlife Group is an inclusive community of locals interested in nature and wildlife in the Borough of Ealing and beyond. As well as sharing knowledge, sightings, and photos, Ealing Wildlife Group seek advice, lobby local authorities and developers, organise educational events, arrange outings and celebrate the wonderful wildlife we share our surroundings with. Passionate about nature, this community of likeminded individuals, made up of a dedicated group of volunteers, local experts, and amateur naturalists, are keen to continue to learn, and actively conserve, it. Relying on citizen science, Ealing Wildlife Group also collect and submit data on biodiversity in Ealing.
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