THINGS TO NOTE AND NOTICE

October is the month for stargazing, sausages and for looking on the bright side

October is when hedgehogs start looking for a place to hibernate, so make their day by leaving some logs and branches in a shady part of the garden, ready for them to move in.

20-28 October GLASSHOUSE THEATRE

The restored Temperate House at Kew Gardens is a wonder in itself, but a week of theatre at half term brings music, puppetry and performance together for an extra sprinkling of magic, helping visitors discover more about its precious plants; kew.org. “If you’re always trying to be normal you will never know how amazing you can be” Maya Angelou

WISH UPON A STAR

Moorland walks, moonlit swims, astrophotography workshops and stargazing are all part of the Exmoor Dark Skies Festival, from 20 October to 4 November. exmoor-nationalpark.gov.uk/enjoying/ stargazing/dark-skies-festival

FRIGHT NIGHT

A creepy castle or haunted house is clearly the best place to spend Halloween, and English Heritage has upped the ante with spine-chilling events for adults and children alike at several of its properties across the country. englishheritage.org.uk/halloween

13 October

Enjoy pork products galore at the Lincolnshire Sausage Festival, held in the grounds of Lincoln Castle. lincolncastle .com

WEAR IT WOOL

Don a woolly jumper, pair of socks or a scarf and you can feel smug (and snug) in the knowledge that what you’re wearing is not only natural, renewable and biodegradable, it’s also helping to protect a landscape and way of life that goes back centuries. Find out more during Wool Week (a fortnight, in fact; 8–21 October). campaignforwool.org