Hedgerow recovery project reaches half way point

BBC Teresa kneels on one leg as she tends to one of the newly-planted trees, which is at about knee height. She has medium length silver hair and wears a brown coat and gilet, jeans, and boots.BBC
Volunteer Teresa Hamilton recommends more people get involved in the project

An ambitious three-year project to plant a hedge connecting the South Downs and New Forest national parks has reached the half way point.

The Hampshire Hedge project intends to create a "nature recovery corridor" linking woodlands, meadows, nature reserves, and sites of special scientific interest.

The Campaign for the Protection of Rural England in Hampshire launched the initiative with community groups and landowners to improve existing hedgerows and replace lost ones.

More than half of Hampshire's hedgerows have been lost since 1945.

About 37,500 trees have been planted so far, with the number expected to reach 50,000 by the end of the project.

It will take about 10 years for them to turn into hedgerows.

They are planned to wind their way for about 14 miles (22km) through the central Hampshire parishes, connecting Shawford and Compton in the South Downs with Copythorne on the edge of the New Forest.

The project was launched at an event for volunteers near Winchester in 2023.

Two rows of young newly-planted trees - which will grow into a hedgerow - stretching off into the distance. Some sparse woodland is on the left, a fence and small stream is on the right.
It will take about 10 years for the hedgerow to grow

Paul Walton, head of environment and rural economy at New Forest National Park Authority, said changes in agriculture led to the loss of many hedgerows, but the project was "helping to restore some of that balance".

Teresa Hamilton, who volunteered to help with the planting, said: "My father worked here in the 1960s and he passed away 12 years ago, and I thought it's something that's going to grow, so we'll have a bond here together.

"I just thought it was wonderful, and to be part of all the other volunteers that have done this, I think it's amazing, everyone should give it a go."

Sir Harold Hillier Gardens is also taking part in the scheme, with head gardener Fran Clifton saying staff at the arboretum and gardens were "really delighted" to be involved.

"It's really important not just to be seen to be doing our own thing inside our boundary, but being part of a bigger picture," she explained.