The following is an update by Dave Maeer, who was Workday Leader on our winter 2011/2012 Hedgelaying sessions.
Hedgelaying on the Attingham Estate 2011 to 2012
It has been a good hedgelaying season this winter. As usual we had four Saturday’s planned for the season. It got off to a slow start working on last year’s hedge but on our second visit we were given our ‘own’ hedge to work on.
The hedge was approximately 90m long and was located very close to the Shrewsbury to Wolverhampton railway line. It had been planted ten or twelve years ago and so was a maiden hedge having never been laid before.
Our first session was spent clearing with a small amount of actual pleaching (actually laying the hedge).
The second session involved much more pleaching with the clearing being completed.
Our third and final session was a marathon session but by the end the entire length had been laid. On the day a team of eight had laid approximately 50m of hedge. We had run out of stakes by the end so it did not look quite as tidy but the important thing is that it has been laid and will now thrive for the next ten or twenty years before needing our attention again.
Shropshire and Staffordshire National Trust Volunteers 