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Click on the blue text below to go to a great article in Farmers Weekly which features SEHLS member Nigel Adams
How to establish, manage and rejuvenate hedgerows - Farmers Weekly (fwi.co.uk)
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An excellent day's coppicing at Turners Hill produced 650 binders and 350 stakes. 20 Society members attended and all worked really hard and achieved the objective of clearing 2 large areas of coppice and forming a brush barrier around the perimeter of each area to deter deer. Tim has spent many days in the wood felling and clearing by himself and the wood is starting to produce some decent product, with the prospect of more in the years to come . It was great to see new members Mick, Beth and Elizabeth, who got stuck in and contributed extremely well to the team effort. As ever , Terry showed us all how to sort bundle and tie up the finished product. All agreed they a really enjoyable and productive day. The food and hot drinks provided by Matthew also went down well. The next coppicing day is at Blunts Wood , Haywards Heath on 30 December, which will be different type of wood and coppice , but still should be a great day , especially after the Christmas period. We are hoping to get 30 Society members attending- please keep that day free. 34 yards of unfinished hedge was left over at Training Day hedge 1 at Clapham, near Findon. The three musketeers , aka Tim , Iain and Alan dutifully completed the hedge recently, on a day that was the wettest for a while. They stuck to their task admirably and had it completed by early afternoon. Well done chaps , it is great to have the first totally completed hedge of the season. The completed hedge of 207 yards now looks fantastic . Worth reading - click on link below:-
Turning over a new leaf: the humble hedge stages a remarkable comeback | Rural affairs | The Guardian Nigel Adams is quoted in article More The Society was extremely well represented at the 2021 National Championships held at Rotherfield estate Alton Hampshire on 23 October 2021, with David Dunk taking the headlines , but all attending Society members acquitting themselves admirably. 19 members entered the competition, covering Midland , SOE, Dorset and Yorkshire styles. The hedge was a real challenge and varying in composition , species , age and density , hence organizers allowed 6 hours cutting time rather than the usual 5. All 6 hours were required, but all managed to finish in time with massive amount of brash being produced. Winners of their classes were :-
So congratulations to the winners and especially David Dunk , who had a beast of a hedge and some very strong competition in that class.We are extremely lucky to have such quality cutters as members of the Society, who give their time freely to the cause. All who took part did a good job, even those entering for the first time- the hedge had practically all the challenges it could have - Phil Hart described it as character building- he wasn't kidding ! Thanks must go to the Society members who judged , Kevin Agate ,Dave Truran and Mark Moore, along with the stewards Roger Taylor and Helene Threadgold - they travelled a long way , gave up their time and were very professional in their duties. Phil Hart towed the display caravan to the event and manned it with Gwyn Alford and others - a decent number of members of the public called by and hopefully that will lead to new trainee enquiries and more hedges. It was pleasing to see some of this year's trainees come along - hopefully they will have been inspired by what they saw. More photos can be found at :- https://photos.app.goo.gl/Se3oXMFni35JTD6F7 ( copy and paste into search bar) The next SEHLS event, Training Day 2, is again in Hampshire , at Petersfield on 6 November .If you have not already signed up please do so by emailing Frank Wright at fdw1709@gmail.com There is around 180 yards of nice double row hawthorn hedge to lay. Not much feedback from cutters , but as ever Ed Lovejoy's hedge was a challenge with an added ditch .
The photos tell most of the story. The show moves onto the National Hedge Laying Society Annual Championships at Alton on 23 October, with excellent representation from SEHLS in the SOE , Derby and Midland classes, along with judges and stewards being Society members. Phil and Gwyn are manning the display caravan. More information can be found at NHLS (hedgelaying.org.uk) An excellent day was had by around 25 cutters at a glorious site on top of the South Downs near Findon, having a 360 degree panoramic view over Long Furlong to Worthing in the South. The morning briefing included a minutes' silence in memory of Phill Piddell, who is sadly missed. He would have like the venue and hedge . The weather was extremely benign , even hot and the hedge was as Frank had promised - mixed planted hedge, where hand tools predominated. We were joined by 6 trainees Stewart, Jonathan, Nigel , Darren, Richard and Mike , who all put in a good shift under the close eye of trainers Alan, Tim , Roger, Frank, Dave and Marcus . This was an excellent introduction for the trainees, who will have to get used to harder hedges and less kind weather. A feast of a lunch was put on by Toby the land owner, which was welcome break and a chance to catch up with old friends. Great to see the dynamic duo of Kevin and John producing some classy work at the front of the site , while David Dunk put us all to shame with the sharpness of his axes. Tim brought along some holly beadles and managed to sell one ! Events like this don't just happen on their own , a quick thank you to :-
Matthew Beard 10.10.21 Tribute to Phillip Piddell 1964-2021 Most of you will know by now that Phill passed away on 24 August, at the cruel young age of 57.Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this really sad time. A number of members from the Society attended Phill’s Celebration of Life held outside, in a delightful English country garden at Groombridge on 23 September. It was a very moving occasion and was a fitting and appropriate send off for Phill. For most of us at the Society, Phill kept his prestigious talents under a bushel; he was both a Degree and Masters holder, an innovator, leader and inspirer in his BT career which spanned more than 3 decades. At the celebration of life we heard from number of friends and family about Phill’s appetite for life, whether it was computing, bodging, being a DJ, visiting far flung countries or generally having a go at something different. Clearly he held family very close and his father in law summed up Phill in a single sentence – that Phill made sure he wrung every last drop of living out of life. He was not wrong- Phill turned his hand to working with wood, leather and metal Phill will be a massive loss to the Society; until his illness he was Membership and Competitions Secretary, lead communicator with the membership, Website developer and fixer and expert on anything that involved a computer. Phill pulled together a lot of policies and procedures that allow the Society to function as well as it does. For many in the Society, Phill would have been one of the first points of contact for new members; without his diligence, efficiency and engagement, we would not have the membership we have today. Phill represented what the Society stands for – he was welcoming, engaging, self-deprecating, but he knew how to have fun and he made the most of life. He was also a talented cutter. We miss him terribly and the Committee will decide over the next few meetings how best to preserve Phill’s memory. Donations, if desired, in memory of Philip may be made to Brain Tumour Research Charity and sent via phillippiddell.muchloved.com Some nice photos of Phill from the Nationals 2019 and a tool sharpening event at Plumpton    Around a dozen current SEHLS members took part in the Big Lay- a charity hedge laying event in aid of Air Ambulance and RABI , held at Rotherfield Estate, Alton , Hampshire on 25 September. The event was organised by the National Hedge Laying Society and approximately 120 cutters turned up from all over the country and Ireland , with the intention of laying 1400m of hedge. The SOE section of hedge was furthest from the meeting point and was predominately some beefy hazel , with some gnarly and mature field maples and gave all a good early season work out. Although not in the photos , each cutter produced a massive amount of brash Some cutters did not leave site until 6.30 pm, so a full day was had by all. Well done to all for making the effort to attend and lay a challenging hedge. It was interesting to talk to cutters who learnt their skills with SEHLS more than 20 years ago. Matthew Beard 26.9.21
Mrs P wanted to visit Sissinghurst. The Society layed a hedge around the veg garden in 2017, so it was a chance to see how the hedge had grown and how the NT had looked after it. sehls.weebly.com/blog/archives/11-2017 Well the good news it it looks great, they have looked after it, and its starting to thicken up a treat.    Letter from Chailey Heritage Foundadition  Fletching Mill Farm played host again to the Society, getting to grips with a continuation of the Pre- Nationals hedge; which was mainly planted hawthorn, but every so often a monstrous clump of mature hawthorn gave some variety. A shorter leg of hazel hedge was also completed.
As previously impressive piles of brash were produced and the hedge tamed. It was great to have Paul Mathews attending and a fleeting visit by Dave Sands- both are in the midst of large commercial jobs and their presence always adds a depth of knowledge & experience. The landowner, Howard, was on hand and provided a enthusiastic welcome to the Society completing the hedgerow management work. Angmering Park , between Arundel and Worthing hosted the Society for its Annual Competitions in 2018 and 2019 and recently I have been back to see how the hedges have faired since then.
The Society laid around 1 mile of hedge on the estate , which consisted of a mixed double planted hedge, including hawthorn, blackthorn, hazel, spindle and field maple. The hedge is next to a made up track which is a bridleway and predominantly has a North/ South aspect , but a leg at the top end runs East to West. When initially laid the hedge was about 12 feet high and in top condition to lay with stems varying from around 35- 200mm in diameter, with consistent height and growth throughout its length. The land on which the hedge stand rises from the South to the North , fairly shallowly and some parts of the hedge are accessed up a bank from the track. Being on top of the Downs the soil is free draining with a chalk subsoil. The amount of re-growth is phenomenal, with new growth coming from all features of the laid hedge - heels and pleachers. The amount of vertical growth is truly amazing and the whole hedge is now properly stockproof. The farm manager's team , lead by Dominic Gardner, have this winter, trimmed the top of the hedge to around 5 feet and this will aid regrowth further next growing season. Although most of the hedge was laid South of England style, a short section of hedge was laid Midland style in March 2019- it was difficult to now see much difference between the 2 styles. David Dunk's brilliant chestnut stakes were used throughout the length of the 2018 and 2019 work and they remain firmly in place. There is also a shorter section of hedge, nearer the farm buildings, around 100 yards long that was laid prior to 2018 and this too has grown really well with impressive density of re-growth. This hedge is a great example of what can be achieve by a well organised skilled team of cutters working collaboratively with the landowner. The Society and Angmering Park Estate should be proud of their efforts. Matthew Beard 29.12.20 I don’t know about you , but I am feeling well and truly fed up with Lockdown , Tiers, restrictions and lack of social interaction. Normally I would not consider myself to be a particularly social or gregarious person, happy with my own company ….………to a point. I have been working from home since mid March and not really ventured far from home since , which from a covid perspective is great , but I am starting to become stir crazy. It would be easy to wallow in a pit of self pity – something I really try not to do. Hedge laying is the perfect antidote to the lamentous situation we find ourselves in :-
So banish those Lockdown Blues ! Matthew Beard 29.12.20
     Saturday 5th December, location Chelwood Gate for hedgelaying day 3. Having arrived and parked up, the day's first sporting challenge was a gentle yomp to the hedge line which was around 400 metres away. Some cutters chose a minimalistic approach to the amount of tools and equipment carried, whilst others adopted more of a pack horse scenario including the use of wheelbarrows and multiple trips. All, however, were keeping a weather eye open as the initial forecast was looking ominous.
Once on site, a quick glance confirmed that we were faced with a hedge of two halves. The top half was well endowed with our old friend Rubus fruticosus (Bramble) and a fair amount of blackthorn sucker growth. Consequently, it was no surprise that most of the early-bird cutters had gravitated to the bottom half of the hedgerow which was mainly very dense hazel but devoid of bramble. Nonetheless, everyone got stuck in and progress was soon being made. Marcus Broome and Graham West, on adjacent cants to each other, were working on the blackthorn/bramble section of the hedge. Having cut back about a metre and a half of blackthorn sucker growth they finally got to the hedge proper. However, beyond the hedge was a thicket of bramble which was growing over and through the hedge and also needed removing. Upon finally clearing all the excess overgrowth from his cant, Marcus declared that he must surely hold the record for the amount of preliminary work required on a hedge, to which Graham replied that it was a record that he was welcome to keep! Elsewhere, chairman Phil Hart unleashed his chainsaw and made very short work of the overgrowth on at least two cants of hedge. He was, however, rewarded with the usual banter about the amount of kit he had plus the noise level accompanying his saw. In the afternoon there was the briefest shower of rain despite Chris Burchell-Collins' best attempt at a rain dance, and the predicted persistent rain didn't arrive until the majority of cutters had left. We were particularly lucky in this regard as in the West of the County heavy hail showers had been falling throughout the day. At close of play the 'hedge of two halves' looked very respectable indeed and everyone had contributed well. Our hosts were very impressed by our efforts and at the end of the day you can't ask for more than that. It was great to see a really good turn out from the Society with a good mix of experienced and novice cutters and as always, the good-natured banter was flowing aplenty. Huge thanks once again to Phil Hart, David Droscher and Frank Wright for organising the day and ensuring that the stakes and binders were where they needed to be, and a very big thank you to our hosts for looking after us so well. Author :- Graham West We were treated to a wonderful day's weather , delightful Sussex countryside. This was just as well , as this was another Fletching beast, aka as Frank puts it, an interesting hedge , consisting of overstood hazel, over mature brittle hawthorn, some holly and a bit of large field maple, which ensured a good workout. The large hazel hedge was laid to produce another massive amount of brash. It was particularly pleasing to see Tim and Roger back, who were able to assist less experienced cutters.Alan Ashby and his chainsaw provided invaluable assistance and guidance . Last year trainees of Tim, Oliver and Iain got stuck in and seemed unfazed by the beast in front of them. Thankfully Chairman took on the big stuff down the right flank and gave his Husqvarna chainsaw a good work out. This event was able to take place during Lockdown 2 after receiving information from the Voluntary Conservation Trust and taking a close look at the latest Lockdown legislation. Major thanks to Frank and Phil, who found the hedge , liaised with the landowner, arranged the stakes and binders, set out the cants , got the show van into position and generally made sure it all happened, as well as tackled particularly hard cants. Despite the National Hedge Laying competition being cancelled this year , the Society followed through with the pre- Nationals practice day at Fletching on 17 October. A tough hedge consisting of tall hawthorn and field maple was chosen , being a continuation of of the Society's 2020 competition hedge. A right tangled mess was faced by cutters , who undertook the task with usual fortitude and imagination and proceeded to produce a pile of brash almost never seen before- MASSIVE. The end result was another top quality laid hedge , which the Society and cutters should be proud of . Covid precautions were well observed and are becoming habit  Saturday 10th October saw our first hedge laying meet of the year, albeit with some logistical changes due the current Covid situation. With strict enforcement of social distancing measures,Participants gathered at Tickerage Castle, Framfield on a bright and clear morning with hazy sunshine. 'Early birds' Phil Hart and Frank Wright noted that there was frost on the ground at 07:00 hrs, significant as it was the first frost of the season. The venue is in a stunning location and lies adjacent to the Wealdway, a long-distance footpath running for 83 miles between Gravesend in Kent and Eastbourne in Sussex. The main hedge to be laid was along the roadside of the property and consisted mainly of hazel as well as hawthorn and one or two other species. There was a second hedge of lesser quality situated across a paddock from the main hedge that was also to be laid. Three willing volunteers were subsequently allocated this task. By late morning, steady progress was being made with many sections almost down. Before we knew it, lunchtime was upon us, a welcome break and time to refuel. After lunch it was back to the cants to finish off. Some of the cutters who had completed their cant helped with other tasks where needed, and before too long the work was complete. Even the lesser hedge was looking reasonable, despite it being initially full of gaps, and also flailed off by the neighbouring farmer some days previous. All in all, it was a superb day out in beautiful countryside, with very pleasant company and in the main good weather. Our hosts very welcoming and they still have more hedges for us to lay in due course so hopefully we will be back in the future. Best of all, it was great to catch up with everyone again in person after what has been a very difficult year for most. Author- Graham West Editors- Phil Hart and Chris Burchell Collins ps - Major thanks to the Gearing family who looked after us splendidly. Our good friends in Holland have been busy Laying hedges and making hurdles. Because of Covid-19 they have to work in groups of maximum 4 people Report from Martijn Schippers I was out with the dog earlier today and spotted some old hedgelaying. It was a very thin hedge and at first I hardly noticed that someone had a stab at hedgelaying. Yes it was still alive  Points for anyone who can spot any errors or suggest any possible improvements.
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