Nature charity the RSPB is aiming to solve the housing crisis.

And they have even roped in those involved with hit TV series Downton Abbey to help.

The RSPB is selling three times the amount of wildlife products compared with this time last year, according to latest figures.

Whilst bird food and nest boxes have always been huge sellers for the RSPB, since July shortly after the charity launched its biggest-ever campaign, Giving Nature a Home, sales of products that help other animals have seen an increase of 232%.

Homes for hedgehogs have been the RSPB’s biggest sellers, with sales more than doubling since last year.

The popularity of the products could be linked to the charity’s award-winning TV advert, which aired over the summer and stars one of these endearing prickly creatures.

Highclere House, the setting for the Downton filming, has an insect tower in its grounds.

But, it’s not just hedgehogs people want to encourage into their gardens. A Mini Bug House for Insects and a Bat Detector both sold two and a half times more than they did at the same time last year. The charity, which has a base at Denby Dale, has also seen big sales of the Ladybird & Lacewing Box.

Geoff Brown, trading marketing manager from the RSPB, said: “These figures are great news – not just because these sales mean more money will be going into conservation, but because they prove people want to do what they can to help Give Nature a Home in their own outside spaces.

“Nature in the UK is in trouble, and some of our more familiar garden species are amongst those suffering serious declines. Gardens provide a valuable lifeline for species like starlings, toads, hedgehogs and butterflies, which are struggling to find homes in the wider countryside, so it’s important that we all do our bit to try and provide a safe place for them to live, feed and shelter.”