Can you bring relevant experience to help increase our impact and build a stronger charity for the future?

Somerlea Park Community Centre is a registered charity and we are looking for committed and enthusiastic people from a wide range of backgrounds to act as Trustees. 

Trustees boards are the governing body of a charity and are made up of volunteers who use their skills and expertise to ensure the health and growth of an organisation.

Being a trustee is rewarding and enjoyable.  It is a great way to be involved in the community.  Being a trustee can help you meet new people, change your community for the better, learn new skills or use your existing skills in a new context.

If you feel you are able to contribute please contact:

 Mr B Hill Tel: 01773 518181 or 01773 604852

Mr Hill will be able to give you an introduction to the work of Somerlea Park Community Centre and the Trustees role.

Hedgehogs have many predators, including cars, dogs, foxes and slug pellets. Their natural habitat is dwindling, with fewer wild spaces and more people digging up their gardens in favour of decking and patios.  They also travel up to 2 miles a night in search of food or a mate in spring, but this is made difficult by roads and modern fencing. 

What we have done – and what you can do to encourage hedgehogs into your garden and make it a hog-friendly space - is create a pile of leaves and logs, or even build winter quarters for them (there are lots of designs on the internet).  Stop using slug pellets, clear up any mesh/netting that may cause injury, put ridged planks into ponds so that they can escape and leave out suitable food.

In the wild, hedgehogs eat fruit, insects, worms, centipedes, slugs, snails, mice, frogs and even snakes, but they have broad tastes. 

GOOD FOODS:

• Pedigree Chum Loaf or Whiskers cat food – original or chicken (but see below!).

• Dry food, like cat biscuits and mealworms and bird seed – they love sunflower hearts.

• Fruit – they like banana, but especially fruits that would be found in a garden, like plums and berries.

• Make sure there's always water around in shallow dishes.

NEVER FEED A HEDGEHOG:

• Dog/cat foods in jelly or gravy (particularly fish or game) – these are too rich and will upset the hog’s stomach, potentially causing it to dehydrate and die.

• Bread and milk – a popular myth, but very, very bad for them!

Hedgehogs start to build nests in October – at the same time that people start to build bonfires for the 5^th November or to clear their autumn garden waste.  Please, please move bonfires before lighting them, as it is the perfect environment for hibernation and hedgehogs will move into their custom-built nest, not knowing it will soon go up in flames. 

If you find an injured hedgehog, wish to release some into a suitable environment, or have a ‘safe’ (entirely fox-proof) garden that could accommodate a disabled or partially sighted hog, call Lesley on 01159 305587 or 07773 680 264.

Georgie Butt, Secretary
Sleetmoor Lane Allotment Association