There is lots YOU can do to help hedgehogs in your garden and local area  starting  this autumn  and winter ...

Put out a shallow dish of fresh water. This is important even throughout winter as when they emerge from their short  sleep, they'll  need to drink a lot.  Not all hedgehogs will hibernate depending on the weather. Likewise, hedgehogs  don't  just hibernate once and emerge in spring ready to go again. They wake up periodically to eat and drink before going back to sleep again.

Put out a dish of cat or dog food. Biscuits are fine and Tesco Kitten biscuits are a firm favourite. Make sure that meat is the first ingredient on the ingredients list, rather than cereal. If you want to buy hedgehog specific food, stick to either "Brambles" or "Spikes". Make sure to wash the bowls regularly with boiling hot water from the kettle. You can even create a simple feeding station to stop unwanted visitors and keep the food dry. It could be made from bricks or a plastic storage box with a 13x13cm hole in.  Replace food if it is covered in slug/snail slime or if it is old. 

Build or buy a hedgehog home - wooden hedgehog houses are brilliant as they give them suitable protection from predators, and the weather, increasing their chance of surviving the winter. Hedgehog Street has a brilliant template to build your own. It is recommended to part fill the box with hay and some dry leaves and then leave some outside in the dry for the hogs to make their own nest. Place the box somewhere quiet, dry and hidden such as under a bush.  Don't  be tempted to peak when the box is in position as a sleeping hog will soon disappear or a mummy hog with hoglets can abandon or eat her young if disturbed. Face the entrance south as this will be warmest.

Make a hedgehog highway. Speak to your neighbours about connecting your gardens but cutting 13x13cm holes in the bottom of your fence to allow them to roam a bigger area whilst looking for food.

Let corners grow wild this winter. This increases the chance of attracting bugs and beetles which are a brilliant natural food source for the hedgehogs.  It  doesn't  have to be a huge area to help. If everyone did a little  bit  then the impact would be huge!

Create leaf and log piles. Not only do these provide shelter for all sorts of invertebrates and hedgehogs themselves but it also creates another food source and a place to hibernate. Be careful when moving leaf piles in   case someone is curled up in there.  Has your neighbour along the Hedgehog Highway got a log pile but not a leaf pile? Excellent! Use your space to provide something different if you  don't  have space to do both yourself. 

Check bonfires for any snoozing hedgehogs. Make sure to move bonfires just before you light them  to avoid any burn injuries .

Watch at a distance. Wildlife cameras are a brilliant way to watch the hogs without disturbing them.  They're  sensitive to white light so avoid taking photos with a flash and avoid shining a touch at them where possible.  If you have a box, place a small twig or a  scrunched up  bit of newspaper over the entrance and if it has moved someone has investigated it!

Log your sightings at  hedgehogstreet.org  - this is if they're alive, dead or roadkill.  It's  a brilliant way to build up a picture as to where they are still.

Avoid using slug pellets. These kill hedgehogs as well as slugs. Try more eco - friendly options ,  companion planting  or find the beauty in how your garden is helping nature .

Cover open drains or holes to avoid a hedgehog getting stuck and not being able to get out .

Pick up netting, including football nets, of an evening to avoid animals getting tangled in them .

Make ponds and cattle grids safe. Provide a ramp or steps (can be created out of bricks or stones) to allow an easy escape route. If planning a new pond, create it with a shallow sloped side as hedgehogs can swim well but struggle to then get out and it'll also benefit other wildlife.

Be careful when strimming grass. Always check the area thoroughly before strimming to avoid horrendous injuries to hedgehogs or hoglets.

If you see a hedgehog out in the day, or now the weather is getting colder, if it is a very small hedgehog (under 350g) then place it in a high sided large box whilst wearing gloves, and phone your nearest rescue or the British Hedgehog Preservation Society on 01584 890 801. Place a hot water bottle in a towel and pop the hog on top with another towel over the top. The hog must be able to get off the water bottle if it gets too warm. Without heat the hedgehog is likely to die. Seek rescue advice immediately.  Don't  leave it out "sunbathing" or leave it in the box for an unnecessary amount of time.  Avoid picking up hedgehogs unnecessarily though as they can get stressed easily.

Hedgehogs do not need treats. Therefore avoid giving them mealworms, sunflower hearts and peanuts as they can all cause hedgehogs problems, whether that be from metabolic bone disease or preventing them from eating by getting stuck in the roof of their mouth. Sweeping up under bird feeders daily is therefore highly recommended to avoid them finding these foods. Likewise avoid giving them milk and any other "human" food such as chicken as these can all cause problems.