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CPRE Hampshire Community Hedge Fund
At CPRE Hampshire, we are delighted to support community hedge planting projects by providing whips, guards, and canes to help local communities increase their hedgerow cover. Hedges supported by our Community Hedge Fund must be accessible to the public.
Please kindly note, our Community Hedge Fund helps hedge planting projects by providing whips and the materials and is not a cash grant.
At CPRE Hampshire, we LOVE hedges. Not only are they a beautiful feature of our countryside, green spaces and gardens, they make a great contribution to reversing the effects of climate change, and in providing shelter, homes, safe travel and food to all kinds of wildlife. Our goal is to contribute to the national CPRE hedgerow target by increasing the length of UK hedgerows by 40% by 2050. #40by50. And that’s where you come in.
CPRE Hampshire Community Hedge Fund
Could you plant a new hedge on your village green, school grounds or at the side of your cricket pitch? If so, we can help plant, restore and rejuvenate Hampshire’s Hedgerows, with our Community Hedge Fund. We’ll help by supplying whips, guards and canes to successful applicants.
To apply for our Community Hedge Fund, your hedgerow planting must be completed:
- With 1-2yr hedge whips (using additional mature saplings must be provided by other means)
- between November and March, but November and December is best.
- using native species such as, hawthorn, blackthorn, privet, spindle, crab apple, dogwood, guelder rose, field maple, wayfaring, hazel, dog rose
- forming a mixed hedge at least 7 species to maximise the benefits to wildlife.
We recommend planting your hedgerow in a zig-zag pattern, with spacings approximately 30-40cm apart.
Read this advice from the Tree Council on protecting your young hedge.
Applications are accepted until end of December 2025. Projects must be carried out during the hedge planting season, between 1st November and 31st March, and all projects must be complete by March 2026. Please note, we require photo evidence of your completed project.
If you require further information please email hampshirehedge@cprehampshire.org.uk.
Read top tips for managing hedgerows – People’s Trust for Endangered Species
The fund is designed for the procurement of whips, tree guards, and bamboo canes. We can also provide advice and guidance on getting started, how to plant a hedge, how to care for and manage your new hedge, as well as resources to promote awareness and education around the benefits of hedges for wildlife, farming, and climate. We have ready-made Key Stage 1 and 2 materials for any children involved. Where appropriate, we can also provide support and hands-on advice with hedge planting.
Please visit our Hedgerow Hub for further information and resources on why hedges are important and how to go about maintaining a healthy hedge, including the process of hedge laying.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Hedgerow Management & Advice
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Small hedge plants are known as 'whips'. They are often one year old saplings, typically with a single stem and no branching to start with. They are easy to establish and bush out well once in the ground.
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Example of a laid hedge.
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Laying a hedge is the act of cutting into the base of the woody stems 3/4 through to create a flexible 'tongue' (pleacher) which can be laid over, maintaining a stockproof barrier whilst rejuvenating the base of the hedge.
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The shock of the damage to the hedgerow tiggers the plant's natural response to focus lots of new growth from just below the point of damage, thus increasing the density of the base of the hedge.
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We recommend using a mix of native species such as, hawthorn, blackthorn, wayfaring, spindle, guelder rose, field maple, crab apple, hazel and privet to create your hedgerow. The hawthorn, its old English name being ‘quick’, also takes particularly well so gives you a good chance of having a continuous hedge sooner.
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Planting too many of one species in a block together can cause gaps - livestock may take a liking to this species, which is conveniently planted altogether, ready for them to browse. This photo shows the effects of a block of spindle being preferentially browsed by cattle. However, alternating every whip to a different species creates a quite unnatural looking hedge! We advise planting thorn on one side of the zig zag (whichever side you want to keep things out – whether that’s animals away from the hedge or people away from a field!), and planting small blocks of different species along the other side of the zig-zag.
