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Grantham Canal volunteers learn art of hedgelaying




An eager group of volunteers from Grantham Canal Society took part in a traditional two-day hedgelaying workshop last month.

Organised by the Canal & River Trust East Midlands, the workshop, near Cropwell Bishop, was aimed at teaching people the skills needed to carry out this unique craft.

Hedgelaying is widely known as a country skill that is practised mainly in the UK and Ireland.

Hedgelaying. (27258491)
Hedgelaying. (27258491)

It is the process of bending and partially cutting through the stems of a line of shrubs or small trees near ground level and arching the stems without breaking them, so they can grow horizontally and be intertwined. It developed as a way of containing livestock in fields but today hedges are laid to maintain habitat, promote traditional skills and because of the pleasing visual effect of a laid hedge.

Under the watchful eye of hedgelaying training expert Dave Padley, the volunteers were taught the art of hedgelaying.

Hedgelaying. (27258504)
Hedgelaying. (27258504)

They were told how this traditional management technique keeps the hedges thick and bushy and is also an important wildlife haven as they provide an effective passageway for bats, birds and small mammals to move safely from place to place out of the sight of predators. However it has been in decline in recent years due to the increase in hedge cutting machinery and lack of people with the skills needed to carry it out.

Hedgelaying. (27258473)
Hedgelaying. (27258473)

John Robinson, a volunteer for Grantham Canal Society, was one of the first to sign up for the workshop. He said: “I’ve always had an interest in the countryside and it’s great to learn a new skill.

“Some of the hedges we see are really old and will only survive with good management. There are many regvariation'sations in style, technique and patterns around the country and we worked with the ‘Midlands’ one which is also the standard.

“We were taught how to shave the stems at the bottom of a hedge or tree in order to lean the old hedge into the field behind. This encourages new growth and acts as a barrier to stop cattle from eating the new hedge.”

Hedgelaying. (27258475)
Hedgelaying. (27258475)

Richard Bennett, heritage and environment manager for the Canal & River Trust, helped to organise the workshop.

He said: “The growing threat of habitat loss means that our waterways are an increasingly important haven for wildlife, and canalside hedgerows give many of our most cherished species a valuable lifeline from bugs, to butterflies to birds.

“Many stretches of canalside hedgerow are over 200 years old and are the canal’s oldest established habitat. They would originally have been planted by 18th century canal builders to protect the towpath from cattle and other livestock.

“The training course taught people the art of hedgelaying – cutting stems and bending them so that they grow horizontally and intertwine, forming a thick bushy barrier, reinvigorating the hedge.”

For more information, visit: www.canalrivertrust.org.uk

Meanwhile, Grantham Canal Society is on the look out for more volunteers. Visit: visit: www.granthamcanal.org

Hedgelaying. (27258494)
Hedgelaying. (27258494)


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