60s supermodel icon Dame Twiggy helps Shropshire hedgehog charity 'ramp up' its messages
A British cultural icon has sent a message of support to a south Shropshire charity during its awareness week.
It is Hedgehog Awareness Week all this week and swinging 60s supermodel Twiggy is one of the patrons and a "hedgehog superfan" according to the British Hedgehog Preservation Society.
Twiggy, in a video message to the Ludlow-based charity, has urged people who have garden ponds to make sure that the little critters have an escape route.
Twiggy, whose real name is Lesley Lawson, was made a Dame in 2019.
She tells followers of the charity that hedgehogs can swim but they often have difficulty in getting out of water. She say: "If you have got a pond it is really, really important that you have a ramp into the pond.
"Although they can swim they have trouble getting out if the side of the pond is slippery. So you need to put a little ramp in so they can climb up the ramp. Otherwise they can't get out which would be disastrous.
"So please, if you have got a pond make sure you've got a ramp."
The British Hedgehog Preservation Society will be issuing hedgehog friendly tips all this week from its celebrity supporters.
Its message is for gardeners to be aware of the tiny spiky animals which are at risk in the UK at a time when they are waking up from hibernation.
