Check Your Garden Before Strimming: A Simple Step That Saves Lives
You’ve bought a ParkerBrand strimmer from our range or perhaps a multi-tool, either way, great choice! Before you fire it up though, there is one crucial step that can help and endangered species, our old friend, the hedgehog.
Cherished by generations of children due to them featuring in countless children's stories and cartoons, as recently as the 1950s there were around 30 million hedgehogs in Britain.
In 2025 it’s a drastically different tale. Hedgehogs now number less than one million. We find deeply concerning at ParkerBrand as we value fellow gardeners highly! Hedgehogs ARE great gardeners: they do a great job of gobbling up all those slugs that eat your produce and plants. With such a catastrophic drop in numbers, they need your care more than ever. We’ve all seen squashed hedgehogs in the road - but what needless injuries from strimmers?
Why Checking Your Garden Matters
Taking a moment to inspect your garden before strimming IS VITAL. We all know that hedgehogs defend themselves by rolling into a ball - they do that when they hear a brushcutter or lawn mower - crucially, they don’t run away! This can lead to horrific injuries to their bodies including lacerations to those legendary noses and worse, including death.
For a much loved garden character, once so common, the future looks tougher than ever. Here at ParkerBrand we urge you to check long grass and undergrowth before you start strimming and to stay aware. Even if you don’t find a hedgehog - a quick check is advised for stones, bricks, hefty sticks and the like - especially in brush and long grass.
So, beyond safeguarding nature, this simple habit can save you time and money ny avoiding damage to your blades or spools. While Parker Brand always maintains a healthy stock of spares, avoiding unnecessary wear and tear is the best way to keep your machine running smoothly.
A Win for Gardeners and Their Best Friends
By making a quick check part of your routine, you ensure a safer, more efficient strimming session while helping protect the creatures that call your garden home. A small step for you, a big difference for wildlife—and a happy day for both the gardener and their best friends!
Pre-Strimming Checklist
Check your lawn and the areas you will be working on THOROUGHLY.
Check undergrowth areas and areas with long grass
Check under hedgerows
Check your compost heap before forking it over
Check your machine - tighten bolts and fixtures
