In an urban area, access holes in fences connecting local gardens are lifesavers for hedgehogs — it’s as simple as that.

If you’d like to provide access for hedgehogs to your garden and need help with creating the opening in your fence or garden wall, please do get in touch, and thank you for your support.

Barnes Common is pleased to take the species champion work of Barnes Hedgehogs under its umbrella. Barnes Hedgehogs was created 12 years ago by local resident Michel G. Birkenwald, who realised that connecting fragmented garden habitats can help the local hedgehog population.

Local volunteers and founders, Michel and Robin continue to offer a service to cut small access holes in fences as part of the construction of the Barnes Hedgehog Highway. They have cut well over a thousand holes in the area, including Mortlake, Putney, Sheen and Richmond.

Barnes Hedgehogs has become a neighbourhood project and locals really take responsibility for their hedgehogs. The Hedgehog Superhighway has contributed to the growth of the local hedgehog population a great deal and since its inception many more sightings have been reported.

They drill in timber fences, brick walls and they also have a tunnelling solution system.

Our local hedgehogs already have access to a network of gardens across Barnes and surrounds, so why not add yours to it! We would love to get everyone involved so please book your hedgehog hole cutting appointment today.

Please book a day that suits you and Michel will get in touch with you to arrange the time.

The service is free but please donate to us if you can, so we can keep it free and ensure the scheme has the maximum impact possible.

We also have plaques Michel and Robin can fix above the hole with the Barnes Hedgehogs logo - you can purchase these as an add-on when booking your session.