Cambridgeshire farmer Anne-Marie Hamilton talks about hedgehogs in her column this month.

I love hedgehogs. Perhaps it goes back to my childhood, listening to the story of Mrs Tiggywinkle in the Beatrix Potter books, but there is something about them which is truly beguiling.

We were thrilled, therefore, when Rob found one snuffling through the grass in the orchard as we have not seen any on the farm for several years.

There were a lot of hedgehogs about at one time, and I remember feeding what I thought was a stray cat for several weeks, before discovering that, in fact, an extremely fat and well-fed hedgehog was turning up for supper each evening!

Sadly, as the number of badgers on the farm increased, the hedgehog population decreased. Badgers are reputed to enjoy a tasty hedgehog for tea, but whether they are truly the culprits who have caused a recent decline in the hedgehog population, who knows? However, it must be at least 10 years since we last saw one on the farm.

This hedgehog is obviously making the most of the mild weather and filling up with food before it hibernates for the winter. I do hope that it stays and make a home here until spring. 

I think that hedgehogs capture the hearts of many people. My cousin’s wife often sends videos of the hedgehogs that she feeds in her garden, and one that I particularly remember was of a hedgehog and a fox, eating together out of the same food bowl one evening.

Marion’s enthusiasm for looking after the local hedgehogs is clearly infectious, and although they live in an urban area, I was amused to find that she had persuaded everyone in the Close to leave a hole in their fence so that the hedgehogs could move freely through all their gardens.