Southill awarded hedge laying grant
Southill Community Energy is delighted to have been awarded a grant by Cotswolds National Landscape to undertake a hedge laying project along sections of its boundary with the Fawler Road. The funding is from the Farming in Protected Landscapes (FiPL) programme, part of Defra’s Agricultural Transition Plan.
We will be hedge laying in a traditional way to manage two lengths of hedgerow elms (and some other species) alongside the roadside margins, reducing the risk of elm trees succumbing to disease whilst providing a local exemplar of good hedge management. This is in line with our overall management objectives to enhance insect and bird habitats and increasing biodiversity across the site. The total length of the hedgerows to be laid is 380m, the two lengths being at the farthest end of each of the two fields. The work will begin towards the end of this month.
By creating a very visible hedge that has been traditionally managed, we intend to not only enhance its value to wildlife as the new stems grow up and thicken the hedge, but also to provide an exemplar of how this develops. Our ambition is to encourage other local hedge owners (both private households and land managers) to follow a similar path, rather than repeatedly over-trimming, which often leads to loss of healthy hedge structure as well as loss of diversity. We will be monitoring and recording the increase in biodiversity as a component of the entire site.
We will be employing a local specialist to lay the hedges and will share all the learning that comes from delivering this with our various stakeholders, including visiting conservation groups, students, councillors, and other interested parties. By learning how to manage our hedges in a traditional way we will be able to advocate more effectively for others to do the same, and to understand and demonstrate the benefits that come from this.
Please do contact Anne Miller annemiller1@gmail.com if you would like any further information, or myself through the link below.