A SPECIAL event teaching people how to make their garden hedgehog-friendly is being held in Wimborne.

On Friday, October 30, Knoll Gardens hosts Wild About Gardens from 10am-4pm in a bid to help boost the UK's hedgehog population.

It's estimated that the population has declined by around a third in just 10 years.

The event will see Dorset Wildlife Trust and Knoll's owner Neil Lucas give helpful tips on planting and simple measures that can be used to make every garden a hedgehog haven.

It is one of a series of events being hosted by the Knoll Gardens Foundation.

Bob Sweet, chairman of the foundation, said: “Hedgehogs are one of the ‘indicator’ species for the health of the natural world and their decline is a concern for all gardeners. As well as slugs and snails, hedgehogs eat a huge range of garden invertebrates and their presence in the garden can be hugely beneficial. By planting a range of plants, building habitats such as log piles, and creating hedgehog highways between gardens and green spaces we can all help to halt the decline of one of our best-loved gardens mammals.”

For more information go to knollgardens.co.uk or call 01202 873931.