My name is Dylan Allman, I'm 17 years old and a Hedgehog Champion based in South Wales. HedgehogAware came about after I discovered hedgehogs in my garden during the lockdown. Since then, I have learnt all I can about one of the UK’s most loved mammals – the Erinaceous Europeas (European Hedgehog) – and want to do as much as possible to help them not only survive, but thrive.

I have had quite a bit of media coverage from my work - my film 'The Wonderful World of Hedgehogs' won and been nominated for regional and national awards, and I have been featured in the Wildlife World and BBC Wildlife Magazines, along with many other publications and media outlets including: Daily Telegraph, South Wales Argus, Free Press. In the last 2 years or so, I was fortunate enough to speak and/or be interviewed on Sky News, BBC The One Show, BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 4, about my hedgehog awareness work.

My 'Be Hedgehog Aware' campaign has seen a partnership with Genpower/Hyundai Power Products, in ensuring that every new piece of garden machinery has one of my 'Be Hedgehog Aware' stickers on it, to prevent catastrophic gardening-related injuries to hedgehogs. Many other multi-national and local companies including STIGA are now coming on-board. These stickers are free and can be given away at talks! I am also working with Jewson as part of Hedgehog Street's 'Hedgehog Friendly Fencing' campaign, which has seen the introduction of new products to make home-building and development more sustainable and welcoming for wildlife.

I am very happy to offer talks about hedgehogs and hedgehog awareness, either in the evenings or during breaks from Sixth Form term-time. I have given talks to local WI groups, as well as gardening clubs and other organisations - am very happy to visit in person within Monmouthshire, Blaenau Gwent, Caerphilly, Torfaen, Newport/Cardiff/Vale of Glamorgan area, or conduct an online talk. Everything is interactive with handouts at the end, as well as the chance to watch some hedgehog footage from cameras in my garden!

Please look at www.hedgehogaware.org.uk for lots more information!