Local residents are being offered the chance to get active and do their bit for the environment by learning the country craft of hedge-laying.
Free training courses are being held in the grounds of Wheatfield Primary School on Friday 27th and Saturday 28th January (advance booking is essential).
The courses, organised by local resident John Morris, Environmental Projects and Partnerships Officer at South Gloucestershire Council, are suitable for beginners and those with some experience.
Wheatfield Headteacher Chris Dursley said:
“I’m really grateful to John Morris for organising the hedge laying workshops. This is a great opportunity for members of the local community to learn a new skill, as well as support Wheatfield’s wildlife and school grounds development projects.”
“Like many properties in the town Wheatfield School is lucky to benefit from its boundaries being made up of old hedgerows that provide shelter and food for wildlife. It’s amazing to see just how much wildlife these habitats support. Hedgehogs, robins, blackbirds, blue tits, bullfinches and sparrowhawks make good use of these green corridors and are often seen in the school grounds.”
“As you walk the pathways around the town you often see hedgerow after hedgerow that are in need of management – they have become too tall and gappy at the bottom. They are turning into a row of trees rather than a nice thick bushy hedge, that provide a much better habitat for wildlife to live in.”
Ms Dursley continued:
“Our hedges in the school grounds are just the same, so that’s why we have organised two days worth of hedge-laying training. Thanks to our year long project Wheatfield’s Wild about Nature, funded by the Big Lottery Fund, we’re offering two days training to local residents on how to traditionally manage a hedgerow. Training and tools are being provided to help participants learn the country craft of hedge-laying. No experience is needed just a willingness to get stuck in!”
The courses are being held from 10:30am to 2:30pm on Friday 27th and Saturday 28th January 2012. You can attend one or both days. Anyone interested in booking a free place should call the school on 01454 868610.
Photo: Jubilee Pond in the grounds of Wheatfield Primary School, Bradley Stoke.
