Here are some simple tips to help them.

1. Link your garden with a Hedgehog Highway. Hedgehogs travel between1-2 km a night searching for food and a mate. Leaving a small gap in your fence the size of a CD case will let hedgehogs through but be too small for pets. BHPT/PTES sell snazzy little recyclable Hedgehog Highway signs, for a few pounds. Ask your neighbours to do the same!

2. Create a wild corner in your garden so they can snuffle around for insects.

3. Tidy up netting and litter which can trap hedgehogs due to their spines. Even rubber bands dropped by the postie can become embedded in their skin, causing a slow, painful death.

4. Put out food and water. You can supplement their diet with wet dog or cat food (preferably not fish based). No bread, milk or mealworms, which are all extremely bad for them. For those who are into simple DIY you can make a feeding station to stop other animals having a free supper - details on the BHPS website/YouTube

5. Stop using chemicals especially slug pellets. Hedgehogs are a gardener’s best friend as they eat slugs as well as many other beasties which would otherwise be devouring your prize flowers and vegetables.​

Dougie

Robert

A lady contacted our church and asked us if we could help in any way to save hedgehogs, by giving you advice for your garden and puting up an "awwwe" picture.

Isn't he gorgeous?                                                                          They are an endangered species so let's help them.

​​​

YOU?

                                          Gnome Report – March 2025

 
     Here we are, trundling on into spring, all the Christmas                                                   festivities are behind us. If you remember from the December report, I said the Gnomes would be looking for a new place to position the outside Christmas
display. The stable with all the animals and nativity display was positioned
to the left of the Church front door. This new position appeared to have the
effect we thought it would have, in that there was no serious damage to the 
display, some adjustments were needed as a result of strong winds but no
serious damage. So, the Gnomes are looking at providing a power supply
to enhance the display with some illumination in time for next Christmas.
     

       Later on in February the electrical testing (Pat testing and more in depth
Electrical checks for safety purposes) will be done and should be completed by the time you are reading this report.
                                                                                                                                                                                                           As we move on towards spring we are coming into the time when the
Gnomes will be paying more attention to the gardens. Already the bulbs are
starting to break through and it shouldn’t be long until they start to bloom.
The lawn areas will need to be scarified then treated with feed and weed
to keep them looking as good as they can look. The tree that is in the front
garden was pruned back to prevent it growing too high and unmanageable.
A decision will need to be made as to what plants will need to be
purchased, (finances permitting of course).

       At the same time as all this will need to be done, the paint on the
walls of the staircases leading to the Balcony area are flaking and
will need to be scraped and repainted to freshen the area going forward.
      The boiler in the kitchen cupboard developed a leak early in January,
fortunately, it was noticed promptly so damage was minimal and was
repaired in good time.
      There are many other wee jobs the Garden Gnomes undertake as a
matter of routine, checking and sorting the clothing banks to maximise the
income to the Church from them. Replacing some of the wooden borders
around the garden area with wood we have in stock. More of the wooden
borders will have to be replaced as they are rotten, but we’ll need to
purchase wood to do this during the summer period.

       Many other tasks will have been dealt with as they come up, too many
to mention and a lot of them I will have forgotten.
     Any donations of plants or of money towards the summer planting then
please speak to Colin, (senior Garden Gnome).
    As usual, it only leaves me to say a big thankyou to you all, it is only with
your support that the Gnomes can do what we do, and again as usual, If
any of you would like to come along and help, Wednesday afternoons at
around 1 pm is the time.

You would be made most welcome.

   Phil Jordan, (Junior Gnome).   

 

 

 

    

Philip

George

Colin