We really do seem fond of Erinaceus europaeus, this slug-eating, usually-flea-infested walking pincushion. Why should that be?Looking at hedgehog lore, it would seem that we tend to regard them as attractive, helpful and, perhaps most of all, curiously vulnerable in a way that catches our sympathy. Children and even adults smile on seeing a hedgehog (a live one, that is, as opposed to one squashed by a motor vehicle). Spiny Norman, rejoice Mrs Tiggy-Winkle, give seemly thanks Sonic, whizz round for sheer joy Your day is come at last The true worth of the hedgehog has finally been recognised.
Some animals so readily capture our imagination that they take on legendary status Lions, for example. Look at Aslan, the hero of CS Lewis's The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe or Elsa, the lioness of Joy Adamson's Born Free Noble creatures Towering Charismatic. Almost mystical.
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Hedgehogs are less suited to the heroic tradition. In fact, in the last hundred years very few hedgehogs have made it out of the garden compost heap to become household names. Yet these small, snuffling mammals appear to have a special place of their own in our affections, which was belatedly but officially recognised yesterday when the spiky insectivores, related to shrews and moles, were named as the nation's favourite garden creature.The hedgehog came in at number one - ahead of the robin, the frog, the blackbird and the ladybird - in the top 10 of a UK-wide survey of garden wildlife organised by Royal Horticultural Society and The Wildlife Trusts.More than 2,000 people were polled for the Wild About Gardens project, so you would have to say that the findings are statistically robust. She joined in 1999, and has been working to raise the importance of IT in the courts ever since.In spite of having convinced many senior civil servants of the importance of IT, Vernon was humble "It's not about one person, it's about the team," she said. "So I'm proud of all the people that helped me get there."BEST WOMAN IN TECHNOLOGY, SMALL BUSINESS: Vicky ReevesSeven years ago, 31-year-year-old Reeves founded Chameleon Net, a web development company, in her spare bedroom Today, Chameleon has 21 staff and is based in Soho Square. Clients include Unicef, Cable & Wireless and Hilton International "There aren't enough women in IT," said Reeves. "When I did my degree [at Hertfordshire University], there were just six women out of 120."BEST WOMAN MENTOR: Sue McDougallMcDougall, a commercial and business controls executive at IBM, runs a "surgery" to provide advice on careers, education and relationships with line managers. "I'm passionate about encouraging women to work in the IT sector," she says.