Here are some simple tips to help them.

1. Link your garden with a Hedgehog Highway. Hedgehogs travel between1-2 km a night searching for food and a mate. Leaving a small gap in your fence the size of a CD case will let hedgehogs through but be too small for pets. BHPT/PTES sell snazzy little recyclable Hedgehog Highway signs, for a few pounds. Ask your neighbours to do the same!

2. Create a wild corner in your garden so they can snuffle around for insects.

3. Tidy up netting and litter which can trap hedgehogs due to their spines. Even rubber bands dropped by the postie can become embedded in their skin, causing a slow, painful death.

4. Put out food and water. You can supplement their diet with wet dog or cat food (preferably not fish based). No bread, milk or mealworms, which are all extremely bad for them. For those who are into simple DIY you can make a feeding station to stop other animals having a free supper - details on the BHPS website/YouTube

5. Stop using chemicals especially slug pellets. Hedgehogs are a gardener’s best friend as they eat slugs as well as many other beasties which would otherwise be devouring your prize flowers and vegetables.​

Dougie

Robert

A lady contacted our church and asked us if we could help in any way to save hedgehogs, by giving you advice for your garden and puting up an "awwwe" picture.

Isn't he gorgeous?                                                                          They are an endangered species so let's help them.

​​​

YOU?

                                                        Gnome Report June – 2025

Hello my friends, where is the time going, it just seems like                                          yesterday since I was preparing the spring report to keep you                                      updated on the goings on within the Allan Church. If you remember                                          the Gnomes were going to run an electricity supply to the new position of the Christmas display, if monies were available.                                                                                                Well, the electric cable has been put in place and is just to be connected when we get a chance, we’ve got until December so, we have some time, although time does appear to be passing more quickly. While the gnomes were running the cable, we’ve taken the
opportunity to replace the wooden border separating the wildflower bed and the adjacent gravel with the footpath as the existing wooden border is rotten, (Many thanks to Norma Adam for providing the wood).

As you all will be aware, the Church supports a number of charities
By placing different colours over the outside lights, we had purple in March, then red over the Easter period, and as I’m writing this the Church will be lit in Red, White and Blue to mark the 80th Anniversary of VE day.
There will be other colours later in the year, so keep an eye out for these.

The electrical testing I indicated in the last magazine that needed to be done, has now been carried out, the PAT testing and the “every 5 years” test. When the electricians arrived to do the 5 years test, it couldn’t be completed as there was a fault that required the energy provider had to deal with. This required digging up the street outside the Church to affect this repair, at no cost to the Church I’m happy to say.
The “5-year test” could then be done, which itself flagged up some issues which will need to be dealt with, and arrangements are being put in place to allow this to happen. This is why it’s important these tests are done, expensive as they are, so as to keep the Church functioning safely for everyone who uses the premises.

If you remember, I said to you that the paint on the stairwells was flaking and would need to be scraped. Well, this has been started, the loose paint has been scraped and then plastered on the areas of wall that can be reached from a standing position. Higher up areas have still to be attended to, this will be done when we have equipment in place to allow us to safely reach these areas. When this is done, it will be sanded and then painted. This tends to be done when the weather is wet, and work in the gardens can’t take place.  

While all this is happening, the gardens are still being attended to, the grass has had the feed and weed granules put on, and the lawns are being cut as required. Weeding of the plant borders are being done, again as required, in both the front and rear garden areas.
The bulbs that have been planted over the past few years have given the Church grounds a terrific display of colour over the spring months. As they get cut back, the gnomes will look at what other floral arrangements can be put in their place. As always, cost is the chief guide and the head gnomes will look at what will give the biggest bang for the Churches buck.
As well as the wooden border at the wildflower garden being replaced with new painted wood, the existing wooden borders all around the gardens are also being painted. This includes the trellis against the wall next to the wildflower garden, which had to be removed to facilitate the running of the electric cable for the Christmas display.                                                                                                                                                                      Thanks to our resident Rembrandt, (Robert Chalmers) who is a dab hand with a paint
brush.
There is also the “adhoc” duties that need to be attended to, checking and sorting the clothing bank to ensure the maximum payment to the Church from this facility.        The timer for the outside lights has to be altered regularly for best effect without wasting money, along with applying the Correct colour of filters to the lights at the appropriate time.

The water pipes to the outside taps have to be drained for the winter period, then 
re-engaged for spring/summer time. There will be many other things to be dealt with as they come up, too many to recite now, but these are the main issues the Gnomes get up to when no one is looking, BUT, we can only get up to these things with the support of WHOLE Congregation. For that, you have our thanks. There is nothing else to add except the usual, if anyone wants to join the Gnomes, come along on a Wednesday afternoon at around 1pm, you’ll be made most welcome. We’ll find a job for you, no problem.

Phil Jordan, (Junior Gnome).      
 
     
   

 

 

 

    

Philip

George

Colin