NEW BHPS PETITION AGAINST A24 TRAP, PLEASE SIGN!
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Hi Catherine, Nic,
Wow Catherine, I have a new respect for posties – if only they didn’t drop so many elastic bands! – I never thought about the logistics of it all, thank you for the tips, pushing paper through those brushes sounds like a challenge. To my surprise the flyers have just arrived this morning, I wasn’t expecting them until the end of next week, so maybe the printers are keen to help the hedgehogs out too. They have turned out a bit dark, but I’m sure the hedgehogs won’t mind, the pinky/purple and yellow ones sound eye-catching Nic, just what we need.
Well, I never realised that delivering a few leaflets would be so challenging and I never dreamed for one minute that letterboxes could BITE! Catherine you were so right, the ones with the brushes are a nightmare. I couldn’t find my fingerless gloves, so my knuckles have taken a beating as you predicted. And then there’s the ‘phantom’ letterbox, how do posties ever find them. You search and search, but there just isn’t one there…good way to avoid all those utility bills though! But despite the battered hands and the aching feet, the sun has been shining today and I have rather enjoyed it… just another 2340 to go!!!
You know how on the petition map it is divided up into constituencies and the number of signatures in each one – Zero being coloured grey, through to yellow, then red, with the highest number being a deep burgundy. I know that there aren’t many of us on the forum at the moment, but wouldn’t it be good if we all aimed to colour our area in the deepest shade of red…perhaps the BHPS could turn it into a competition…just a thought! 🙂
Hi Penny
Well done! Have you come across any of the letter boxes with VERY strong springed flaps on the inside which jump back to catch your fingers?
Re. the map. I always have a look at my area consistituency whenever I check the progress of the petition. (The number of constituents who have signed is useful to quote when writing to our MPs too.) That’s how I know that the same people aren’t signing both petitions this time. Also there were about 80 people who had signed the last petition and it is only about 35 so far this time. I must get busy putting posters up etc. Beginning to sound a bit of a petition geek! But I did work out a while back that it needed an average of 760 signatures a day, from then, to reach the 100,000 in time and since then it hasn’t been getting anything like that number. Some days well under 100. I know you already are, but we all really need to do more. If only everyone on Hedgehog Street would sign and get at least 2 others to do the same, we would be there in no time – although I do realise not all of them have come back after hibernation.
Anne Brummer (I think) was on World at one today talking about the decline of hedgehogs and what people can do to help. I didn’t hear her mention either petition, but didn’t hear it all.
My printer is still keeping me guessing as to what colour is going to appear next. I tried printing some of your black and white posters from last time – the background stayed white and the main writing black, but the rest came out brown! It’s quite fun, as long as I don’t have to write any official letters!
Sorry to hear about your sore knuckles Penny, yes it definitely is a challenge. Apart from the phantom letterbox, I’ve also encountered quite a number of the type that are a mere 3 inches off the ground. Being a lady of a certain age I’m finding it hard to get down that far!
I’ve now delivered 785 leaflets and printed off another 600 today (now that a well known online retailer has delivered my latest consignment of ink).
I too have been enjoying the sunshine whilst out and about. And also the Spring flowers that are now coming through. One house had a fabulous display of cyclamen, a real treat to see.
Once I’ve “done” our village I hope to have enough energy left to do neighbouring ones. I hope the petition is a success but, to be honest, I’m not overly optimistic. A link to the petition needs to go “viral” but I don’t know how that can be achieved. I think that people, such as celebrities, who could help don’t really want to be seen as political. I expect this is a daft thing to say but I also wonder whether the other petition will water-down this one.
Anyway, in the hope that more people start looking at this website again soon, I think it would be as well to keep threads about the petition as near as possible to the top of the list of threads (if that makes sense).
Hi Catherine
I am in total awe of how many leaflets you and Penny have been delivering. I am glad to hear there have been some consolations – enjoying the sunshine and spring bulbs, etc.
I’m not on any of these Twitters and things, but can’t understand why it isn’t spreading around a bit more, bearing in mind hedgehogs are supposed to be Britain’s favourite wild animal. I agree re. the other petition. It is a shame they are both running at the same time. You would think people would just sign both, but it doesn’t look as if it is working out that way. If both publicised each others it might work out better, but I’m not sure that is going to happen. So I have decided to concentrate on this one for now, as the other one goes on for approx. 2 months after this one finishes, so we can concentrate on that afterwards. I won’t be able to deliver loads of leaflets but have sent emails to lots of people and plan to put up posters where I can. I also agree we need to keep the subject of this petition near the top on the Forum.
Keep up the good work!
Hi Nic, Catherine,
I agree, the response to the petition so far has been very disappointing. With all the publicity yesterday over the report on ‘The State Of Britain’s Hedgehogs’ I thought it would have at least made the 10,000 mark, but when I last looked this morning it was still a way off at 9648. I listened to one of the radio broadcasts and watched the piece on BBC breakfast, but despite such great opportunities there was no mention of it. I don’t know if you have been watching any of the programs on the Suffragettes recently, celebrating 100 years since women gained the vote, but they were extremely dedicated to the cause, we could always go on hunger strike or chain ourselves to a few railings! Hopefully we won’t need to go that far, like you say Catherine, all it needs is a few celeb’s to get ‘TWEETING’!!!
I ‘Googled’ the A24 hedgehog trap yesterday and came across a very distressing video posted on YouTube towards the end of last year. It shows a poor hedgehog being bludgeoned and then rolling downhill, out of the way to make room for the next victim. I haven’t put the link on here because I thought it was too distressing, but if people only knew that this trap is out there now killing our hedgehogs and any other unsuspecting wildlife, they would be horrified. 🙁
I don’t think the weather is going to be as obliging today, but I will be off to do battle with a few more letterboxes, hopefully there won’t be too many of those with booby traps on the inside or only 3” inches off the ground! Quite a few of them yesterday were up one or two narrow steps and I had to keep reminding myself not to step backwards, I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before I fall flat on my back…the risk assessments for posties must make very interesting reading!
Our area on the map has now gone from yellow to orange, so just maybe we are making a difference. 🙂
Hi Penny and Catherine
I agree, if everyone realised how ghastly these traps are they might sign. I think the other petition benefitted more from the publicity. They only had 82 votes the day before and it went up to 693 yesterday. The A24 Petition only had 369 yesterday (272 the day before), which is better than many days, but not good enough. I think the other petition is just easier for people to understand – it has nearly caught up after about two weeks as opposed to the about 2 months this Petition has been going. But, if you look at the map for that one, you can see there are areas with large numbers of votes, where the A24 one has not had so many. I want the other petition to do well, too, but, just wish people would sign them both.
Still, if everyone went to the lengths you two have been to, the numbers should be reached easily. (It did make me laugh thinking of us all chaining ourselves to the railings, etc.) Nice to hear you have seen a difference on the map in your area, Penny.
Hi Nic, Penny
Thank you for the encouragement Nic.
Yes, those steps are a problem too Penny. Our village is quite hilly and many properties have a steep flight of steps to the front door. Some years ago I was 2 rungs up a stepladder, forgot where I was, and just stepped backwards. The result was a broken foot. I’m petrified of doing something similar again.
My constituency has the darkest colour but even so that equates to only 52 signatures (and my husband and I are 2 of those). Yes truly very disappointing.
I know you’re both looking at the figures for each petition too. Of course it’s not a petition competition – but the daily rate of signatures obtained is far higher for the other petition. Also, since I went to bed last night, the other one has gained around 270 more signatures whilst ours only 90. I can’t understand it. My gut feeling is that the other one is tapping into a source that we aren’t, but if so I haven’t the foggiest what that could be. Or maybe people just access the petitions website, put hedgehogs into the search box and sign the first petition they come across.
I’ll be off out again soon, for the last time this week. I’ve been lucky with the weather this week but it looks as though next week we’re back to the usual rain. I won’t be venturing out in that, no one is going to read a soggy mess!
Whatever the outcome, at the very least we’ll have the satisfaction of knowing we did our best.
Hi Nic
Just saw your earlier post of today, I think we must both have been typing at the same time this morning. Looks like we’re coming to the same conclusions re signature numbers. It was only yesterday that I started looking at the map and data for our petition, I hadn’t looked at the same for the other one until just now but I see what you mean. I really don’t get it; I feel there’s something going on that we’re missing.
Hi Catherine
I think the lady who started the other petition is the lady who runs the wildlife rescue place that Brian May was also involved with and I suspect they must have contacts in certain areas, for instance North Devon seemed to have loads of signatures. But not sure whether the former MP who started a similar petition a while back came from around there (?) I’m just not sure why people don’t sign both.
I did notice on the BHPS Twitter (I sometimes look at it via the home page of Hh Street) that CJ (formerly from Eggheads) who is a patron of theirs had put a Twitter message on his Twitter about the A24 petition, which should have helped a bit. It would be handy if some of the other Patrons did likewise, but maybe they will later on. I think the petition was timed so that the spring mailing of BHPS members was within the time frame, so maybe there will be a boost then and 6th – 12th May Hedgehog Awareness Week. The way I see it, though, is the sooner the better, because the traps are out there now.
I managed to get some extra wording onto the old posters – after a great deal of trial and error – so it was a great help you pointing me in the right direction, because I had no idea!
Hi Nic
Ah, that would explain it. I think if you’re sent a link to a specific petition you may not necessarily know what else is out there. Could explain why people aren’t signing both. Glad you’ve got your posters sorted!
I haven’t seen a hog now for 9 weeks. Looking forward to their reappearance. There’s a good chance that there’s one in one of the nest boxes but I don’t want to lift the lid to check in case I disturb it.
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