The Parish Council arranged for the hedge adjacent to the playground to be laid in February 2014.
Hedgelaying is a country craft which has been practised for hundreds of years. The correct management of our hedgerows is essential if we are to conserve our wildlife and landscape for future generations.
Hedgerows define our countryside and provide many environmental benefits. They are also vitally important for wildlife as a refuge, a source of food, and as corridors along which they can move through the landscape. A laid hedge provides a stock proof barrier and a dense habitat for wildlife but most importantly it encourages new growth that starts a new life cycle of the hedge.
The playground hedge was laid in the Midland Bullock style with a finished height of 4′ 6″, and the stakes were driven into the ground 18″ apart behind the stool (stem) line towards the brush (bushy) side of the hedge. Hazel binders were woven along the top to give maximum strength.
Now, ten years on, the hedge has filled out and become a potential habitat for nesting birds. For the first time, we are carrying out an ongoing audit of the hedge. Our resident ecologist, Jonathon Cains, has been watching carefully and has identified blackbirds, blue tits, chaffinches, house sparrows and wrens all flitting around the hedge. We hope that some will build nests and raise chicks. Jonathon will continue to monitor the hedge to see if any birds make it their home. Fingers crossed.
Please contact Hayley Glasgow, clerk@piddingtonandwheelerend.org.uk if you have any questions or comments.