WITH temperatures still low and food scarce, feeding wildlife is important this winter.

This weekend, Beckton’s Pets at Home is running free advice workshops to inform people about the need for extra food, without which many birds may not survive.

The workshops run from 3pm at the Gateway Retail Park store and include wild bird diets and which species most need our help.

Tips include putting out food and water on a regular basis – twice a day in severe weather – and making it high energy, like fat; using only quality scraps and never allowing uneaten foods to accumulate around feeders.

Other animals such as squirrels and hedgehogs may need help too. You can supplement their natural diet by leaving a saucer of cat food to help hedgehogs when earthworms, beetles and slugs are low.

And keep an eye on ponds, as ice can trap toxins in the water which can be harmful to fish and amphibians hibernating below the surface.