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BEGINNING OF THE DAY More from the start of the day GETTING STUCK IN GETTING THROUGH IT Down and starting staking and binding FINISHING OFF PRIZE GIVING LUNCH AT THE WORLD'S END PUB
Another great event for the Society, with the annual President v Chairman Competition at Heronsdale Farm Waldron by kind permission of the Chambers family , who were very welcoming.
A typical cold but dry January day greeted the 38 cutters for this informal competition which gives novice cutters to work alongside more experienced cutters. Team were drawn out of a hat, with an element of seeding to ensure a balance of experience between teams. The hedge was predominantly hazel, with a bit of holly, on a bank , with a ditch at the bottom- something more challenging than previous hedges this season. Being quite large hazel stools, lots of material was cut out to form ever increasing brash piles. A sumptuous lunch in the barn was put on by Lizzie ; the soup, bread cheese and cakes went down extremely well with all cutters. The group returned to the hedge after lunch to finish off, closely watched by judges Ian and Linnie. 3pm signalled the end of the competition and a grand job had been done by both teams. Judge Ian spoke about the good and bad points of the teams hedges and on having to decided between the 2 opted for the Chairman's team lead by Phil Hart.Dave Sands who lead the President's team was magnanimous in defeat. The completed hedge looked a picture and is a great advert for the quality of hedge laying undertaken by the Society. Thanks must go to Tim Hughes , Frank Wright and Phil Hart , whose efforts made the day happen as smoothly and as well as it did. The next major event is the Annual Competition at Patching, West Sussex on 17 February 2024. Entries have to be in to Mark Schofield ([email protected]) by 6pm on 31 January 2024.Any queries about the competition should be directed to Matthew Beard at [email protected] Thank you so much for attending our latest hedge-centric talk ‘What have hedgerows ever done for us?’ by Megan Gimber. For those of you who missed this we have now uploaded the recording to our Youtube channel What have hedgerows ever done for us ? - YouTube.
The second talk in our 3-part hedge-centric talk series is only a couple weeks away Hedgerow Management for Healthy Hedges - free online talk with Nigel Adams Tickets, Tue 30 Jan 2024 at 19:00 | Eventbrite Please book your free place to learn more about the practical side of hedgerow management. Our final talk in the 3-part series is also available for booking Why did the Hedgehog Cross the Road? Tickets, Tue 20 Feb 2024 at 19:00 | Eventbrite If you would like to keep up to date with the project progress and opportunities, please sign up to our newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter - CPRE Hampshire Or if you would like to volunteer with us to plant more hedgerows across Hampshire CPRE Hampshire Hedge Volunteer - CPRE Hampshire I hope you enjoyed the talk as much as I did, and I hope your journey into discovering the world of hedgerows continues from here. All the best, Ellie The Hampshire Hedge project – connecting the South Downs and the New Forest National Parks with a green corridor of interconnected hedgerows. Sign up to our newsletter to keep up to date with events, training opportunities, volunteering and our progress! Subscribe to our newsletter - CPRE Hampshire Ellie Banks | Hedgerow Project Officer CPRE Hampshire M: 07533858665 T: 01962 797 312 E: [email protected] W: cprehampshire.org.uk CPRE Hampshire c/o Sparsholt College Hampshire Westley Lane Sparsholt Winchester Hampshire SO21 2NF here to edit. Left to Right Phil Hart, Lucie, Mike Parrott, Sean, Gary Moore
The New Year brought an exceptionally high turnout of 50 cutters for the Improver's Day at Buxted Park Hotel, with a dry day, if soggy underfoot conditions for some. One of the aims of the day was to gives this season's trainees to tackle a hedge without the aid of a trainer and be judged to find the best cutter or cutters to award the Phill Piddell Improver's Cup to. Virgin planted hedges of predominantly hawthorn lined both sides of a footpath and cutters were allocated cants to suit their abilities. Large numbers of plastic tree guards were removed and cutters soon got stuck in , first laying off and then laying. Some stakes and binders were from CD2 and were found to be of decent quality; these were supplemented by David Dunk chestnut stakes and will binders , which as ever were of premium quality. Dave, Alan, Gary, Phil and Frank were on hand to offer guidance ,help and assistance where needed. In all 316 yards was laid on the day, which must some form of record for the Society. The result looks very smart and a great advert for the Society After some deliberation , the judges decisions were announced as :- 1st- Lucie and Sean 2nd - Jen and Judith 3rd -Graham and Steve 4th-David 5th-Chris and Carol Congratulations to Lucie and Sean for winning the Phill Piddell trophy; Phill would have been delighted to see the massive turnout and end result. Gary Moore said a few words about how well the trainees had done and how they need to build a hedge as they go rather than just "chop and flop". As ever thanks are due to those who made this day happen , in such a well organised and professional way:-
The Society next few events are :- 1. President v Chairman Competition at Waldron on 20 January 2024- contact Frank Wright at [email protected] 2. Annual Competition at Patching near Findon on 17 February 2024- contact Matthew Beard at m[email protected] 3. Charity / Fun day at Magham Down , Hailsham on 9 March 2024-contact Frank Wright at [email protected] An excellent day's coppicing
For once the weather gods played ball and despite the previous few days being wet we were blessed with a predominantly dry day for CD2 at Blunts Wood on the Saturday after Christmas. 25 cutters enjoyed a slightly different day's coppicing - mainly traditional coppicing on 3 distinct areas the Society last coppiced in 2019, but also a good amount of cherry picking across the wood. The aim was to secure a decent amount of binders , with any stakes gathered being a bonus. Despite some travel difficulties for some, all cutters got stuck in and fully took on board the message of quality matters and the all encompassing way of working, marshalled by the team leaders and the chainsaw operatives. By lunchtime the identified areas were all coppiced , material sorted and bundled and loaded on the log trolley for transportation to the waiting trailer. A hot lunch of vegetable and beef soup was enjoyed by all, with the remaining time spent cherry picking through the wood for binders , which was remarkably productive. In total the following product was harvested:- Stakes - 200 Binders -1300 From what we can tell 1300 binders, in one day is a record for the Society and all those present should be very proud of their efforts. Hopefully the day was a learning experience for all with selection , cutting, processing and bundling of product being well ingrained .Those that tried tying up bundles did a great job with no loose twine ! That concludes the coppicing season for the Society for this season with the following numbers being obtained :- Event Stakes Binders CD1 440 550 CD2 200 1300 Totals 640 1850 The next 3 events are
TD3 weather could hardly have been more different than TD2- cold crisp and dry as compared to monsoon like at TD2.
Around 40 cutters assembled to tackle 2 mixed planted hedges that lined a footpath on a slope leading away from the hotel. Phil Hart kicked the day off with a welcome and safety briefing and allocation of trainees to trainers . The hedges varied in height and scale with the nearest hedge being more lightweight than the hedge on the other side of the path. The nearside hedge was allocated to trainees , whilst the far side hedge was predominantly given over to more experienced cutters. Mark Moore and Frank Wright were designated the gate ends to show how it was done. Steady progress was made by all and by midday most were down and started to use stakes and binders produced from Coppicing Day 1 , which in the main were of good quality although some of the binders were a bit thick at the end. David Dunk supplied another 90 binders which are regarded the Rolls Royce of the binder world and were gleefully snapped up. A more than presentable hedge was produced , which was in keeping with the high standards the Society sets itself. Thanks and recognition must go to :-
The SEHLS roadshow next events are:-
What a difference a week makes - last Saturday was extremely wet and windy, causing CD1 to be postponed. This Saturday it was dry and sunny, which allowed CD1 to take place at Pearcelands Wood , Wakehurst Place Ardingly.
27 cutters assembled for the 8am briefing lead by Tim , after which we trooped off across the field to the farthest part of the wood. Cutters were split in to 5 teams lead by Iain, Kevin, Dave , Frank and Alan, which were also the chainsaw operatives, cutting stems. It took a little while to makes sense of the wood perimeter and work through the less favourable material and initially it did seem like we were producing material to put on the 2 fires that were quickly established. A good number of cutters were inexperienced but enthusiastic and it took a while for them to truly get the hang of what was an acceptable stake and binder. It should be recognised that this is not an easy skill to learn , but vitally important, as the quality of product can greatly affect the outturn of a laid hedge. From mid morning onwards a rhythm and pattern developed , much aided by having 3 sorting/ bundling /tying stations , resulting in a steady flow of product to the dispatch point. All cutters stuck to their tasks extremely well, much aided by the hot food offering provided by the Society. In all 440 stakes and 550 binders were harvested, bundled and taken off site, ready for TD3 and Improver's Day. Not only that , an area of coppice was cleared about the size of a tennis court, which will bring light into the floor of the forest , increase biodiversity and assist the landowner in sustainably managing the woodland. Pearcelands wood is well worth visiting next time you are at Wakehurst Place , as the efforts of many years of sustainable management are coming to fruition , with a wood rich in native flora and fauna; the willow sculptures are impressive . Thanks must go to Tim for leading the day and to Russell from the landowners for ferrying around tools , equipment and product , as without his help we would have struggled. Thanks should also go to those cutters who travelled long distances to attend- Peter and Pat from Ilford and Gwyn from Lyndhurst. All in all, a productive , fun and informative day was had by all. Next Society events are :-
As can be seen by the barometer, the day was forecast to be stormy and so it proved; despite this, around 25 cutters old and new had a productive and fun day at Ticehurst- a return trip to the same site as TD1.
Some quick thinking and a few phone calls by our Chairman , Phil Hart, got over the extremely muddy and impassable grass track to the hedge - he obtained the use of a powerful quad bike and trailer , to transport tools and equipment to and from the remote parking area to the hedge. The hedge was much as TD1- a nice mixed hedge with hawthorn, maple , hazel, rose and hornbeam, which had been laid before. Once the old stakes, binders and pleachers had been removed , it was clear that the remaining stems could be mainly pleached with hand tools; some thicker stems needed chainsaw intervention. The rain hardly relented all day, making the base of the hedge very muddy and underwater in some instances. Despite this trainees stuck to their task really well and got the hedge down in quick time. It was evident that trainees who had been on TD1 were getting the hang of things. Staking and binding was much aided by the brilliant chestnut stakes and willow binders provided by David Dunk. It was great to see Dave Truran back cutting again- welcome back Dave. The finished hedge is a great example of quality hedge laying and the trainees should be proud of their efforts. Despite the weather, the day went like clockwork, thanks to the Society's team of Trainers, organisers and co-ordinators , who without their efforts the day would not have gone so well. The next 2 Society events are:- Coppicing Day 1 - Wakehurst Place Ardingly- 18 November 2023 (contact Matthew Beard [email protected] ) Training Day 3 ( TD3) - Dane Hill - 2 December 2023 ( Contact Frank Wright [email protected] ) HOLD the date - 17 February 2024- Annual Competition at Patching near Findon West Sussex Society members acquitted themselves very well at the Nationals , with cutters winning or being placed in the following classes :- SoE Open Nigel Adams - 2nd David Dunk -3rd SoE Intermediate Marcus Broome - 1st Jeff Critchley- 2nd Iain White - 3rd SoE Veteran Clive Gilligan - 1st Mark Moore -2nd Alan Miller- 4th Derby Open Paul Matthews -4th Yorkshire Open Gary Moore- 1st Best Veteran Nigel Adams Regrowth winners from 2023 Nationals hedge :- SoE Open - Nigel Adams SoE Veterans- Lex Roeleveld Yorkshire - Gary Moore Judges - Alan Ashby, Graham West, Robert Graham and Phil Hart Stewards- Mark Schofield and Matthew Beard A full report will be in the next newsletter. Some photos below Further information can be found at NHLS (hedgelaying.org.uk) 2024 Nationals will be in Yorkshire . Awesome Autumn was an event for more experienced cutters at Fletching Mill Farm, which was originally billed as pre- Nationals Practice.
The remnants of Storm Babet made for some challenging and wet conditions , but cutters stuck to their task well, with some high quality work being produced. Excellent hospitality was provided by the landowner and host , Howard Venters , which was much appreciated by all present. Top notch stakes and binders grown, harvested , prepared and bundled by David Dunk. Phil Hart could not help himself taking photos of sheep. The grey coat one is a Herdwick , a breed from the Lake District and the ones with 2 black eyes are badger faced west mountain sheep from Wales. Next 2 events are :-
Click on link below to se confirmed entries for the Nationals - plenty of SEHLS representation !
Graham West, Mark Schofield and Matthew Beard are stewards. The training went well, we had ten students with one travelling from as far as Hampshire to attend. It was the first day of the year with frost on the car for the early start.
The Windsor Workshop, a chair making workshop (www.windsorworkshop.co.uk) is an excellent venue with enough space and vices for everyone to work comfortably. The curriculum covered learning what sharp means for different tools, looking at knives, axes and billhooks. We looked at how to understand what condition an edge is in, before starting work on it, then reviewed metallurgy, edge geometry and surface finish before the students got to work on their blades, a mix of billhooks, axes and loppers. The Society's Vallorbe files did an excellent job on everybody's blades except one old Brades billhook, which is so hard it will need (careful) grinding, proving that not all old tools are the best. Everyone left with a good understanding of what a sharp blade looks and feels like, and at least one tool sharper than they came in with. Course leader and article writer - Iain White A tremendous start to the 2023/24 cutting season, with 45 cutters enjoying themselves in the countryside just outside Ticehurst , East Sussex.
The day kicked off with a Phil Hart briefing , with the aid of a loudspeaker and microphone , culminating in the allocation of trainers and trainees. 22 trainees , must be a record !. The hedge had been laid before and had a wire stock fence immediately behind, being best suited to left handed cutters , which made it more challenging than most TD1 hedges. Trainees got stuck in , instructed and encouraged by Gary's great team of trainers. A number of experienced cutters ploughed there own furrow on an adjacent hedge. The end result looked great - see photos . All trainees did really well and the makings of good cutters Thanks must go to :-
TD2 is set for same venue on 4 November; we look forward to round 2 ! More photos of 2023 SEHLS Competition, Nodes Farm, Magham Down, East Sussex, 18th Feb 2023.28/9/2023 Thankfully the weather gods were kind to us and , the earlier in the week predicted rain for Saturday did not materialise ,allowing the season to end with a flourish. The hedge site was 15 minutes drive off the A280, nearer to Burpham than Patching and was gloriously sited on classic Downs land with panoramic views down the Arun valley to Arundel and the sea beyond. The hedge was a planted mixed species but predominantly hawthorn and a typical early season training hedge . Midland style training was expertly and patiently provided by Supreme National Champions Paul Mathews and Alan Ashby.Many thanks to them for giving of their time freely and enthusiastically. As ever a great variety of cutters took part from National Champions to this year's trainees- all got stuck in and produced laid hedges worthy of the Society's name. Welcome to new member Jonathan Stearn, who made a guest appearance and will hopefully do lots of cutting next season. Lunch followed at the Fox Pub , who did us proud , with an excellent 3 course lunch to satisfy the biggest of appetites ( note to self - order starter next year and not to be so parsimonious). The lunch was a very convivial and social occasion and the Committee does have it in mind to hold more such social events. Thanks must go the 3 musketeers of Frank , Phil and Gary, whose efforts made the event happen and thus finished off the 2022/23 season in style. ps. Although cutting stops for the summer, The Society participates in a number of summer shows and any member is welcome to be part of the shows team- more information will be posted about this soon , along with early details of ploughing matches Despite a wet morning, around 18 cutters had a great time at Lingfield Nature reserve, taming an interesting hedge , raising money for Chailey Heritage Foundation and adding to the ecological value of the nature reserve. Frank had managed to find us a hedge that had been laid by the Society around 20 years ago- we are not sure why some of it was laid downhill, but to be fair there was slope undulation and we ended up having an interesting change of lay direction . The hedge itself was a mix of hazel , hawthorn and field maple and was challenging due to the amount material that needed to be cut out- it had obviously grown on very well since it was last laid. We were very well looked after by John Madden and his team from the Lingfield Nature Reserve, who provided hot drinks and biscuits at elevenses and lunch in the Scout Hut- all much needed and appreciated. Joy Dyson, Fund Raising Manager from Chailey Heritage Foundation gave us a short talk on the wonderful work done at Chailey Heritage and what an uplifting, happy place it is to be part of. Monies raised from the Annual Competition raffle and hedge laying at the reserve will be donated to Chailey. More can be found about Chailey at Sussex Disability Charity | Education Care Transition | Children and adults (chf.org.uk) It would be very remiss not to mention the sterling efforts put in by our Chairman, Phil Hart- not only did him and Frank work out how to tackle the hedge with the cutters available, but he cleared a large area of brambles and laid around 20 yards, leaving site around 6pm.We would have been stuck without him. So yes, the day was a win, win , win result:-
Gwyn Alford, Graham West and Matthew Beard took part in the 2023 Annual Hedge laying competition held at Little Duxmore Farm near Brightstone.
A really friendly well organised event with only 12 cants cut, but being a part team / part solo event with around 25 cutters of mixed ages and abilities. The hedge was a fair one , being planted hawthorn , hazel and spindle , about 12 feet high, on a bank and along a slope. There were loads of spectators and the local press very evident, which made it an uplifting occasion. Tony Ridd and his team should be congratulated for holding such a celebration of hedge laying and the counytryside, on an island where flailing of hedges is the norm. Alan Ashby was one of the judges, who both walked many miles up and down both sides of the hedge. Graham won the Open Class ( following on from Phil Hart in 2019 and 2020), Matthew came 2nd and Gwyn came 2nd in the Novice class. A great day out for the 3 who ventured forth. Worth looking at the Iow Hedge laying website :- Isle of Wight Hedgerow Group: home (iwhg.org) A wonderful day for the Society and hedge laying , with 46 cutters competing at Nodes Farm , by kind permission of the landowner Alec Holt.
The 38th Competition saw the very welcome return of the Dutch led by Lex and Martijin, who have been absent due to the pandemic for the last couple of years . Despite the ground being like a quagmire in early January for the Improver's Day, it had dried out nicely for the competition and cutters were faced with hedges that matched their abilities , predominantly hawthorn , but with some maple and spindle. All turned up on time and an efficient briefing and draw allowed cutting to start at 9am.The novice classes were given an extra half hour as their hedges were sited on top of a grass mound. Judges and stewards kept a keen eye on proceedings and offer words of encouragement or assistance when required. The sound of chainsaws was evident along most sections , not many took on the hedge with hand tools only by choice. Thankfully the weather stayed dry and most completed the hedge on time , much aided by the brilliant stakes and binders supplied by David Dunk and Paul Matthews respectively. An excellent lunch at the Plough Inn Upper Dicker followed ; it was a lovely occasion with all having a great time , with many old and new faces. A raffle in aid of Chailey Heritage Foundation raised £369, due to the generosity of prize donors and the efforts of the Dutch to sell raffle tickets.. Prizes and cups were awarded and our Chairman, Phil Hart , who did a brilliant job as master of ceremonies. Scores and winners can be found on the links below. Thanks must go to all the judges and stewards , who gave of their time freely and took their jobs seriously; without them we could not have a competition. Thanks too must go to the photographers , Tim and Oscar, whose efforts can be found on the links below. Preparations for the 2024, 39th Annual Competition have commenced , any suggestions on how this could be made even better than the 38th to Matthew Beard. Hold the date of 17 February 2024. The day for me is summed up by the image below , at the very start of the day :- Another great SEHLS event at Birch Grove estate at Horsted Keynes , with the annual President v Chairman's competition.
A great variety of ability and ages of around 26 cutters saw the sun rise and sun set on a glorious day ; in between time we tackled a gnarly old farmers hedge with a mix of species and a smattering of barbed wire and metal fencing to keep chainsaw operatives honest. It was heart warming to see how people worked well together irrespective of age , ability or gender. Pleachers were lost, a few choice words said , but at the end of it , around 3pm , the hedge was done . Judging was done by the Hutchison family from Brick Pits Organic Farm near Uckfield, who after some careful deliberation awarded the trophy to the President's team lead by Mike Parrott. The result did not matter ,as all who attended had a great time . Clive was even exhilarated ! |
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January 2024
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