Report on the Cheshire Ploughing and Hedgecutting Society’s Ploughing and Hedgelaying Championships held at New Farm, Great Budworth on 24th September 2008.
The great day dawned clear and dry and the ground turned perfectly after several days of fine weather. The hedgelayers had to contend with hedges – good in parts (as always) and again had excellent conditions. The day was voted a great success and Norman Lawson’s organisation was complimented on its 12 months of dedicated work to make it so.
For CPRE it was a particularly important occasion at which the certificates, awarded under the terms of our Hedgerow Award Scheme, were presented outside our CPRE tent.
During the early part of the year some 19 visits to hedgerows within Cheshire were made by a joint panel of assessors drawn from Cheshire Landscape Trust and CPRE, and, of these visits 10 qualified including 2 for their second (and final) certificates. Also one was awarded to a professional Hedgelayer, Stuart Sim (in the photograph).
Lord Grey of Codnor, President of CPRE Cheshire supported by Peter Raynes, Chairman of CPRE Cheshire and Helen Carey, Chairman of CLT presented the awards and the full list of all the recipients is attached – all of whom were present to receive them.
Over the past 15 years the standard of our hedgerows has steadily improved, thanks greatly to the contractors who are increasingly cutting to the E shape and allowing hedges to grow to 6’ high. Time was when farmers helped by their workers and families cut their own hedges by hand but in present circumstances few have the staff or machinery available and our county’s contractors with their modern machinery are doing a splendid job.
CPRE has now teamed up with the other ‘green’ organisations in Cheshire and formed the Cheshire Hedgerow Network, and following a meeting at Reaseheath Agricultural College, it was agreed to hold courses there on all aspects of hedgerows, from their initial planting right through to laying. David Rowlands has graciously agreed to be appointed President of this new organisation.
Cheshire is a delightful county in which to work and live; those who don’t, wish they did! CPRE strives to protect our rural landscape and at the same time and in company with CLT to increase its beauty so that all our people can enjoy it, in particular its hedgerows and the trees in them, which are the salient features of our Cheshire countryside.
Hedgerow award recipients:
Harold Minshull, Siddington
Barrowmore Estates, Great Barrow*
James Bushell, Dunham Woodhouse
Paul Ford, Saltersford*
Lord Grey, High Legh
Geoffrey Budenberg, Lower Withington
John Pace, Whitley
Peter Tonge, Littleton
Tarvin Community Woodland, Tarvin
Antrobus Heritage Group, Antrobus
Stuart Sim, Littleton (Contractors’ award)
* 2nd award
Report by Geoffrey Sparrow, CPRE Cheshire