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Positive buzz at CPRE Avon and Bristol’s Countryside Day

soniap
By soniap
18th October 2024

CPRE Members, community groups, and local nature recovery heroes joined in celebration of the countryside at the inspiring Fernhill Farm in the Mendip Hills.

The theme of the Countryside Day was the contribution regenerative farming brings to the countryside, with a special focus on hedgerows in keeping with our successful Hedgerow Heroes volunteer programme.

We were joined by keynote speaker Robert Wolton, founder of the Devon Hedge Group and author of Bloomsbury published book ‘Hedges’. Rob gave and detailed account of a year in the life of his ‘average Devon Hedge,’ that provides precious habitat for an astonishing 2000 + distinct species. In his passionate speech Rob championed the humble hedgerow as a biodiversity powerhouse, offering a range of ecosystem services and public goods when well managed. Rob evidenced that current agricultural policy and funding was more favourable to the conservation and rejuvenation of hedgerows, providing a sense of optimism for the future of our countryside.

Lucy Stockton, from the Mendip Hills National Landscape, introduced one of the funding schemes that can assist with hedgerow rejuvenation. The Farming in Protected Landscapes Programme (FiPL) grant has provided funding for the continuation of our Hedgerow Heroes Project and contributes to our target of 3km hedgerow restoration this winter.

Thank you to our others speakers, Sasha Georgiades founder of hedgerow management company Hedgeways; and representatives from Babbasa, a Bristol-based company working to increase employment opportunities for young ethnically diverse individuals, who discussed the opportunities and barriers for young people from diverse backgrounds in entering the nature and land-based sector.

Visitors enjoyed a delicious lunch outdoors in the sunshine, followed by a tour of the Farm’s fibre facility. We were even fortunate enough to witness a sheep-shearing demonstration from venue owner and champion sheep shearer, Andy Wear, as well as a talk on hedgelaying from National hedgelaying champion Colin Clutterbuck of the Wrington and Burrington Hedgelaying Society, who has layed several of the farm’s hedgerows.

A big thank you to our Trustees for supporting our work throughout the year.