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 :-

• Frank - for finding the hedge , marking out  and ensuring the day happened , including putting out and retrieving SEHLS directional markers
• Dave and Dave - for cutting and transporting the binders 
• Tim - for transporting the stakes
• Phil- for being there  and  helping to set up 

A great start to the year- harder hedges to follow - especially next week at Wittersham , for those hoping to get in practice for the National Championships on 23 October at Alton.
​
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

 ​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 :-

• Physical activity outside
• Excellent for physical and mental wellbeing
• A sense of achievement and creating something worthwhile

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.

Our wonderful chairman has collected stakes and binders for the first few events.
The material looks good, so we should be able to kick off the season with some good straight hedge lines

With the boots being nice & dry it’s time to clean off any dried on mud with a wire brush, I use an old BBQ cleaning brush. Then it’s time to treat the boots with dubbin to feed the leather to stop it cracking & provide a degree of waterproofing for the wet winter months on the hedge line. I also treated my boots to a new set of laces.

Phil Hart (The guy with the sparkly boots)

Extract from an article in CPRE.  www.cpre.org.uk
Originally published in Countryside Voices, the membership magazine of CPRE, the countryside charity.

Their campaigner Ellie also wrote up an account of the day
https://www.cpre.org.uk/stories/hedgelaying-in-the-oxford-green-belt/

​As part of our mission to enhance the countryside, CPRE is supporting a number of pilot community
projects that are helping people improve their local green spaces. One of these is Hogacre Common
Ecopark, a rural oasis less than a mile from central Oxford, in the city’s Green Belt.
In 2010 the 14-acre patch of land, a former sports ground, was leased from Corpus Christi College to
be used for a number of low-carbon community projects, including a new woodland, allotments, an
orchard and a forest school. The revitalised site has been transformed into an invaluable community
resource, and CPRE Oxfordshire is assisting with its ongoing transformation by providing funds for
training courses, access improvements, information boards and the planting of a forest garden.
Their campaigners are delighted to be involved in this working demonstration of the potential of
Green Belt land for health, habitats and education. The first training event to take place thanks to
CPRE’s support was a hedgelaying course led by professional Clive Leeke. Regular members of the
Hogacre Common friends group, along with other interested locals and enthusiasts from further
afield, learned the secrets of the centuries old art. They then got to try their hand at taming Hogacre
Common’s own overgrown enclosure hedge – a worthy day’s work on a fantastic community space.
Find out more about CPRE Oxfordshire’s latest campaigns and events at cpreoxon.org.uk

Thanks to Andrew Cook for spotting this
​