A total of 50 hedgehog sculptures have been hidden across the Epsom and Ewell borough for people to find this weekend.

From March 25 – 27 people will be able to search for the hidden hedgehogs in an event to raise awareness about their declining numbers.

Each hedgehog will have information about how habitat loss and climate change are affecting their survival and how everyday people can combat this.

The sculptures can be found along a trail, which you can follow on an interactive or pre-downloaded map of the area.

You can access the map here.

After the “Return of the Hedgehogs” event, the sculptures can be viewed at Epsom library from March 28 to April 1.

There are less than one million hedgehogs left in the UK, with their numbers falling by nearly a third since 2002.

The Climate Coalition collaborated with CPRE Surrey, the Surrey WI, The Wildlife Trusts, National Trust, Woodland Trust, and the community in Epsom and Ewell to host this event.

Lizzie Foster, Education and Engagement Officer at the Surrey Wildlife Trust, said: “Hedgehogs are a deeply cherished animal, a gardener's best friend, and yet so few of us have ever seen one in the wild.

“For some of us we can remember a time years ago when they were far more familiar, with their small snuffling noses and how they curl into that spiky round ball.”

She says that climate change, habitat loss and pollution are posing a huge threat to hedgehogs.

Hibernation patterns can be disrupted because of an increase in temperature, meaning that the hedgehogs could awake when food is scarcer.

Milder autumns can also lead to longer breeding seasons, decreasing the hoglet's chance of survival through the winter.

Lizzie said: “Each individual action people can take will make a difference.

“From cutting holes in our fences to allow corridors for them to roam freely in search of food and a mate, reducing poisonous garden pesticides and ditching slug pellets for environmentally friendly alternatives, or cutting back our energy usage so we can play a small part in combating climate change and reduce the impact on their breeding and hibernation patterns as a result of warming temperatures.

“I want to see a world where hedgehogs bounce back and everyone can experience the excitement of that magical rustling sound in the dark.”