CPRE Hampshire celebrate growth of Hampshire Hedge Nature Corridor

As planting season draws to a close, we reflect on everything you’ve made possible and thank you for joining our mission to create Hampshire’s biggest nature corridor.

As the planting season comes to an end, CPRE Hampshire staff and volunteers are celebrating their success, having met their ambitious targets for the Hampshire Hedge in its inaugural year. The progress achieved in year one is just incredible and we hope you’ll take a moment to pause and celebrate the success we’ve achieved together.

The ambitious target of planting over 5,000m of hedgerow has been surpassed, with 1,500 individuals coming together, across 72 volunteer action days, to make this vision a reality. This includes over 1,000m of hedgerow which has been restored through hedge-laying, gapping up and coppicing.

As a leading countryside charity, CPRE Hampshire is committed to creating a thriving countryside that benefits people, nature, and wildlife. Education is a key part of their approach to help hedgerows flourish and ensure they remain an important part of the UK landscape. In doing so, the Hampshire Hedge has seen;

• 3 Hedge-laying traineeships with professional hedge-laying business
• Over 150 people participating in hedge-laying training events
• 18 people trained in surveying
• 588 children and young people involved
• 10 schools and colleges engaged with the project

Ellie Banks, CPRE Hampshire hedgerow project officer explains “We are thrilled to see the Hampshire Hedge come to life through the hard work and dedication of our incredible supporters. It’s been a real team effort. I’ve been amazed at the commitment of volunteers, helping us achieve this ambitious project. I would also like to thank the farmers and landowners who have worked with us this year. The success of this initiative highlights the importance of community involvement and is testament to the positive impact that can be achieved through collective action. I’m really looking forward to welcoming existing supporters back to the project for our second year of the Hampshire Hedge and would also like to take this opportunity to extend an invitation to anyone new who would like to get involved and help build Hampshire’s biggest nature corridor.”

Help the Hampshire Hedge flourish with the Green Match Fund

After the success of last year’s Big Give campaign, we are thrilled to share that the Green Match Fund will once again DOUBLE your donation to further support the growth of the Hampshire Hedge. We really need your help to keep this amazing project going!

• £4,000 could help buy native hedging plants, guards and stakes

• £3,000 could help pay for hedge-laying trainers to teach traditional hedge laying to land managers and volunteers

• £3,000 could help facilitate school and community group visits

The Green Match Fund will double every donation made to the hedge fund from 12pm (midday) 18th April to 12pm (midday) 25th April.

Double your donation to the Hampshire Hedge – donate now!

About the Hampshire Hedge

The Hampshire Hedge is a three-year project hedgerow that will create a nature corridor through central Hampshire parishes, woodlands, meadows, local nature reserves and Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs). It will connect the South Downs National Park with the New Forest National Park by means of a network of hedgerows forming a green corridor of new and restored habitat.

The Hampshire Hedge nature corridor has flourished thanks to the unwavering support of the community, dedicated volunteers, and donors such as the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Linbury Trust, CPRE Hedgerow Heroes, The Spurgin Trust, Big Give, Trees for South Downs, The Tree Council and Hampshire County Council.

We also give thanks to our project partners which include South Downs National Park Authority, New Forest National Park Authority, Hampshire County Council – County Farms Estate, Sparsholt College, Winchester City Council and Test Valley Borough Council.