Shed of the year 2024, Sponsored by 
During the last lockdown winter I was asked to rescue a number of young hedgehogs who were too young to hibernate. At one stage I had eleven living in boxes in my house, all requiring a daily clean / feed, so I decided a purpose built hostel was required. The criteria was compact (8ft x 4ft base) with space for up to 12 hoglets in their boxes. During the summer the shed will be used to help with the rehabilitation of any young that are brought in.
The shed base was a sheet of 18mm ply mounted on 3x2 timbers resting on blocks to keep it off the ground. The floor is covered with washable tiles. The walls were constructed in sections on a 2 x 2in frame using shiplap for the outer cladding. The inside of the 6ft 6in high frame was lined with polystyrene sheet and then 12mm plywood giving excellent insulation. The roof is triple felted on 18mm ply with polystyrene between the roof and the flat ply ceiling. The offcuts from the roof ply provided two shelves which fold up against the wall when not required giving extra space. The shed is wired with a double socket for heating and an LED strip light. Construction took a week and erection / fitting out a further week in the cold in February. Wiltshire Wildlife Hospital British Hedgehog Preservation Society
