‘The people are the best thing about Tring’

Debby Hughes has been keeping Tring shoppers up to date over recent months with her regular Facebook posts on the progress of Lidl on Icknield Way. Tring Living catches up with her to find out how it all started and what she plans to do now the store is open.

Debby Hughes has been part of the Tring community for over three decades, but it’s only recently that she’s become something of a local legend – thanks to a supermarket build, a curious sense of humour, and an unlikely hedgehog hero.

Originally from Northwest London, Debby moved to Tring more than 30 years ago after what became a life-changing Sunday drive. ‘We came up the old A41 and realised this was somewhere we could actually afford to live,’ she recalls. What began as a practical decision quickly turned into something much more meaningful, with Debby putting down deep roots in the area she now calls home. Today, she lives with her husband; one of her two grown-up children is still at home while the other has flown the nest and married.

By day, Debby works as an office manager for a software company – but it’s what she saw from her office window that sparked her unexpected foray into local storytelling.

Her workplace overlooked the site where the Lidl store was being developed, a project that had generated plenty of speculation in the community. ‘I would often look out to see if they were actually going to break ground,’ she explains. ‘On the day they did, I was musing on the development when I realised it was a bit like an episode of BBC’s Springwatch – just waiting for something exciting to happen.’

And so, with a simple post, #Lidlwatch was born.

What started as a lighthearted way to document construction progress quickly gained traction. ‘People were immediately interested, so I just kept going,’ Debby says. But it wasn’t long before the story took an even more imaginative turn with the introduction of #Lidlhog – a mischievous hedgehog character inspired by an ecological report tied to the development.

‘Lidlhog appeared early on following a discussion about hedgehogs being relocated using a ‘clean bucket’,’ Debby laughs. From there, the character took on a life of his own. ‘He had skirmishes with workers over biscuits, was nearly flattened by a portacabin, skateboarded round the site, and even broke a leg parachuting in – he ended up at [local rescue charity] Tiggywinkles.’

The posts struck a chord with the local community, blending humour with updates in a way that kept people coming back for more. ‘It was never really about Lidl,’ Debby explains. ‘Lidlhog is a bit of a troublemaking anti-hero. It was more about keeping people informed and entertained.’

Despite the growing popularity of her posts, Debby remains modest about the whole experience. ‘I was definitely surprised,’ she admits. ‘People were interested from the start, but #Lidlhog really caught their imagination.’

The buzz even reached the store itself. Although Debby intentionally avoided tagging Lidl in her posts, community enthusiasm led to her being invited for a pre-opening look around by the store manager. ‘It was still very empty – only freezer cabinets, and cables hanging from the ceiling,’ she says. ‘So I couldn’t really get a sense of what it would be like.’ Since opening, however, she’s seen the store in full swing. ‘It’s been super busy, with some interesting middle aisle offers.’

Now that Lidlwatch has naturally come to an end, Debby is taking a more low-key approach to social media – something that suits her just fine. ‘Ironically, I’m not very big on social media,’ she says. ‘I’m more of a ‘fill your DMs with silly memes’ kind of person.’ That said, she’s keen to use her platform for good, highlighting local causes such as suicide prevention charity Hector’s House and looking for ways to stay connected with the community.

As for Lidlhog, fans shouldn’t assume they’ve seen the last of him. ‘I suspect he’ll pop up when we least expect it,’ Debby says. ‘Up to no good and getting involved in things that are none of his business – a bit like me!’

About the area…

What do you like most about living in Tring?
‘The people are the best thing, the way they got behind #Lidlhog even though he was a bit of a terror showed they have a great sense of humour, and I have always found that people here help each other out.’

Do you have any favourite activities or hobbies?
‘I’m a bit of a homebody and spend a lot of time with my family, although I am partial to a tribute act and I’ll be at Chilfest this year, I will try to stop #Lidlhog jumping on stage, grabbing a mic and giving us a rendition of My Way. I love a good jigsaw puzzle (5,000 pieces is my record) and anything that makes me laugh.’

Anything else you’d like to add?
‘I really appreciate all the support from the people of Tring, I had no idea what I was starting when I typed #Lidlwatch Day 1.’