FARMER 11February 2009
SUPPORTED BY:SPONSORS FOR THE HEDGELAYING
COMPETITION INCLUDE:
ENTRY FORM
Solway Coast AONB, North Cumberland Style Hedgelaying
Competition To be held at Campfield Farm, Bowness-on-Solway,
by kind permission of Mr T J Graham and Sons.
I wish to compete in the.....................................................
...Class
And agree to abide by the organisers rules and Health and Safety.
NAME............................................................................................
ADDRESS......................................................................................
........................................................................................................
Please return the entry form by 2oth February to - The Projects Officer, Solway Coast AONB Unit, Liddell Street,
Silloth, CA7 4DD Tel: 016973 33055 ( email: staff@solwaycoastaonb.org.uk)
SIGNATURE ......................................................DATE...............
I ENCLOSE A �5.00 ENTRY FEE ( PAYABLE TO SOLWAY COAST
AONB)
( refundable on registration on the competition day.)
TELEPHONE NUMBER.......................................................................
IF YOU REQUIRE CROOKS PLEASE SUPPLY YOUR OWN
Supported by the Solway Coast AONB Sustainable Development Fund on behalf
of Defra, Friends of the Lake District, the in partnership
with Cumbrian Newspapers Ltd

Open: for contractors, professionals and previous winners
Competitors to complete 8 yards of hedge in accordance
with the specifications given below. Prize Money :
1st-�50.00 2nd-�40.00 3rd-�20.00
Novices and Juniors: For, farmers, volunteers, etc.
Competitors to complete 8 yards of hedge in accordance
with specifications given below. Young farmers may work in
pairs but only one prize will be awarded.
Prizes to be given for 1st, 2nd and 3rd.
Veteran hedgecutters: for the 60's plus. Competitors to
complete 6 yards of hedge in accordance with
specifications given below. 2 prizes to be won
Each competitor will be eligible to claim a cutting fee of
�10.00 if they successfully complete their section
to the satisfaction of the judge.
Competition Rules. Judging will focus on cleanness of
cuts, cutting off of stubs, height from which plants are laid
and the general shape and tidiness of the hedge upon
completion. All brash to be stacked tidily. Axe work will
be monitored for points.
All classes commence at 9.00am and stints will be finished at 3.00pm
with the draw for plots at 8.30 am prompt.
Stewards will monitor activities during the competition and any
competitor acting in an unsafe manner will be required to stop. There
will be only one warning. There will be a first aid post on site.
Any competitor refusing to cut the length drawn will be ineligible to
compete the following year.
All competitors must comply with Health and Safety Regulations.
Risk assessments will be provided to competitors prior to the event.
CHAINSAWS can only be used in the OPEN CLASS by competent
users, and all chainsaw users must abide by Health and Safety Rules,
hold a current Certificate of Competence, wear currently prescribed
safety equipment on the day. Eye protection should be worn and can
be provided.
The work must be that of the competitor alone. Power tools can not be
used by NOVICES or Veterans, but help may be given by a Steward
who will be an experienced user. Safety equipment and eye protection
should be worn.
In certain circumstances a competitor may receive the assistance of
a steward or another competitor. If, however, this is deemed to be
excessive by the judges a penalty will be imposed.
Competitors will be expected to provide their own equipment and tools
and wear appropriate Safety Clothes
Registration cost of �5.00 is payable in advance to the Solway Coast
AONB Unit, and is refundable on the day.
Specification
Each hedge length must join with the next
section.
Crooks to be set neatly and regularly if used
All hedges to be laid true to the North
Cumberland Style. Pleachers laid flat (on
the bank), sparse brush (kest to be fettled,
earth from dyke to be laid amongst dyke
pleachers.). Points awarded for topping up.
Other attractions for
non-participants will include:-
Food and drink available on site
( lunch will be free to all competitors and
judges )
A FWAG Hedgelaying Training Event
Advice on hedge planting and restoration
Advice on the availability of grants of field
boundary restoration and Stewardship
Schemes from Cumbria FWAG (Farming and
Wildlife Advisory Group)
Toilets on site
The organisers cannot be held responsible for any accident or theft, or damage to any vehicle
brought onto the site, however caused.
SPECTATORS MUST NOT CROSS THE SAFETY FENCE AND REMAIN AT A 3 metre DISTANCE
FROM THE COMPETITORS AT ALL TIMES DURING CUTTING.
Hedgelaying Classes
on Saturday 21st February 2009on Saturday 21st February 2009
at Campfield Farm, Bowness-on-Solway by kind permission of Mr T J Graham and Sonsat Campfield Farm, Bowness-on-Solway by kind permission of Mr T J Graham and Sons
Dryden
Ward
Fencing
A well-managed
hedgerow provides
habitats for a wide
range of birds, and
pro-
vides an important
supply of food for
wildlife all year
round. Hedges are
essential corridors
along which wildlife
can travel across the
countryside. They
support up to 80% of
our woodland birds,
50% of our mammals
and 30% of our but-
terflies. The ditches
and banks that run
alongside also pro-
vide perfect habitat
for frogs, toads,
newts and reptiles.
At least 30 differ-
ent species of birds
nest in hedgerows.
However, birds can
be fussy blighters!
To suit the needs of
the widest range of
species, a diversity
of hedgerow heights
and tree densities is
needed. Bullfinches
and turtle doves pre-
fer wide hedgerows
over 4 metres tall,
with lots of trees.
Partridges and yel-
lowhammers prefer
lower hedgerows
with grass margins.
Thick, dense cover
is important for
nesting birds. Song
thrushes, blackbirds
and finches nest
well above ground
level, but wrens, rob-
ins, dunnocks and
whitethroats usu-
ally nest low down.
Trees that grow
within the hedge
support a rich va-
riety of insects and
are good song posts.
Old trees have holes
where blue tits, owls
and kestrels can
nest.
Monitoring over the
last 30 years has
shown alarm-
ing declines
in the popula-
tions of many
countryside
birds that use
hedgerows,
such as tree
sparrows and
reed buntings.
Many com-
mon birds have
declined by over
half of their
population in a
very short space
of time. Fortu-
nately, sympa-
thetic hedgerow
management
at the RSPB's
Campfield Marsh
reserve has bucked
the trend with both
of these species do-
ing well here.
Planting new hedges
and management
through skilled
hedge laying makes
a valuable contribu-
tion to all kind of
wildlife, and all the
effort will be well
rewarded when the
hedge develops and
the wildlife moves
in.
A free leaflet about
hedges and their
management for
wildlife is available
from: RSPB, 1 Sirius
House, Amethyst
Road, Newcastle
Business Park,
Newcastle upon
Tyne NE4 7YL.
H
edgerows are an important feature of our countryside,
both for their wildlife value and for their landscape
and historical importance. There were hedgerows as
early as the Bronze Age, which must have provided
early farmers with a valuable storehouse of natural resources.
Today, hedges are one of the most distinctive and familiar
features of the countryside. Properly managed, a hedgerow is
not only a thing of beauty, but of huge value to wildlife.
THE VALUE OF HEDGES FOR BIRDS
Norman Holton
RSPB Campfield Marsh reserve manager

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