Volunteers plant 2km of local hedgerow with 10,000 saplings!

As part of the Hedgerow Heroes project 2022-2023, hedgerow volunteers from CPRE Lancashire, TCV, and primary schools planted 2km of hedgerow across four sites in our region.

In Autumn last year, 10,000 saplings arrived. These 10,000 saplings consisted of 8,500 hawthorn, 800 hazel, 500 hornbeam, and 200 dog rose whips, all of which are native species and wonderful for wildlife. They also go together to form vital hedgerows for managing climate change, flooding, and reaching CPRE’s #40by50 target of 40% more UK hedgerows by 2050.

However, many hands would be required to make light work of 10,000 saplings! Thanks to the sterling efforts of TCV volunteers, CPRE volunteers, and some very hard-working primary school helpers, those saplings are now all in the ground in new hedgerows.

We documented the sterling efforts of these school helpers from Holy Family Primary School, Croxton C of E Primary School, and St Mary’s C of E Primary School in our blog post here. Undaunted by the carpet of snow, they got stuck in and planted in January.

Since that post, volunteers planted the remaining saplings across the four sites which are in Greater Manchester, Merseyside, and just over the border into Cheshire. Thanks to the volunteers’ collective efforts, there are 2km of new hedgerow across Pex Hill Country Park in Widnes, Northern Roots in Oldham, Woodheys Park in Sale, Trafford, and Countess of Chester Country Park, Upton.

The project included hedge-laying training for all ages of volunteers, as well as KS1 and KS2 hedgerow lessons for the primary school children.

Once those saplings were in the ground, volunteers added biodegradable plant guards. Now we wait – for the hedgerow to grow and thrive. Thank you to all the volunteers for their commitment to plant the hedgerows and help the environment.

Volunteers around the UK are planting hedgerows: you can learn more about CPRE’s nationwide Hedgerow Heroes project here.