Hedgerow Heroes Herefordshire

After a fantastic first season, where volunteers, landowners, schools and communities helped us plant and restore over 3.7km of beautiful hedgerows, we’re thrilled to be launching the next year of Hedgerow Heroes Herefordshire. This year, our ambition is even greater, with a target of 6km of new and restored hedgerow across the county between September 2025 and April 2026.

Did you know that since 1945, England has lost more than half of its hedgerows? These living boundaries are bursting with life and support around one in ten of the UK’s vulnerable species, including the hazel dormouse and the much-loved hedgehog, whose decline is closely tied to hedgerow loss. The lines of hedges crisscrossing our countryside act as vital wildlife corridors, helping creatures as varied as dormice, pollinators and rare brown hairstreak butterflies move safely through our landscapes.

We’ll be working side-by-side with farmers, landowners, parish groups, communities, schools and colleges to protect and expand Herefordshire’s vital hedgerow network. Alongside the planting, we’re running traditional hedgelaying courses, hosting talks on the history and value of hedges, and inspiring young people through hands-on learning projects. Every metre planted helps us tackle climate change, boost biodiversity and bring our landscapes to life, from giving safe passage to hedgehogs and dormice, to supporting pollinators and birds.

You can follow our progress this planting season with our Hedge-o-Meter:

We’re please to share that we’ve already run four hands-on hedgelaying courses, restoring an impressive 115 metres of hedgerow in the process. A huge thank you to Richard from Really Rural for guiding 37 participants through this timeless countryside craft — keeping heritage skills alive and well! Our first planting session of the season was on Friday 7th November at Steen’s Bridge where a group of fantastic volunteers planted a whopping 116m!

We still have a long way to go to reach our 6km target and would love your help!

Whether you come along solo, with friends or family, you’ll spend a few rewarding hours in the beautiful Herefordshire countryside, helping to plant something lasting. It’s a brilliant way to connect with nature, meet like-minded people and leave a living legacy behind…

Sign up here

Hedge Planting Locations:

We’ve had a fantastic response from farmers and land owners with roughly 6km of potential sites in the process of being reviewed for suitability by project leaders Andrew and Paul.  You can see the approximate locations of our potential sites for this year below:

Join Our Volunteer Planting Days:

We’re looking for lots of enthusiastic volunteers to help us plant and restore hedgerows across Herefordshire this season. Volunteering is a great way to enjoy gentle exercise, spend time outdoors, and meet like-minded people who care about the countryside. Our sessions run from 10am to 2pm, and only light work is required – no previous experience needed, just a willingness to get stuck in. Every hedge planted makes a real difference for wildlife, climate and our local landscapes.  Click below to see our planting dates and sign up:

Sign up here

Learn the Art of Hedgelaying:

We’ve already completed four fantastic hedgelaying courses this season, with 115 metres of hedgerow brought back to life — and we’re just getting started! More courses are planned for the New Year, and we’d love for you to be part of it.  Sign up to our email at the bottom of this page or email info@cpreherefordshire.org.uk to find out when the dates are released.

These courses, run by us and expertly led by Richard Clarke of Really Rural, offer a rare chance to step into a timeless countryside craft and learn how to manage and rejuvenate overgrown hedgerows with confidence.

With Richard’s guidance, you’ll gain practical skills in strengthening hedge structure, encouraging healthy new growth, and creating thriving habitats for wildlife. Whether you’re keen to protect crops and livestock, enhance biodiversity, or simply preserve rural heritage, this is a brilliant way to get involved and make a lasting difference — all while enjoying the fresh air and beauty of the Herefordshire countryside.

These courses are part-funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. A big thank you to the Herefordshire Council and UK Government for enabling us to pass on these traditional heritage skills to more people with these additional funds.

Hedgerow Heroes Talks:

We recently held two successful Hedgerow talks – one with the Weobley branch of the Herefordshire Wildlife Trust and another with the Almeley Green Group. Both events were well attended, sparked plenty of interest, and brought new volunteers into the project.

Although we don’t have any further talks currently scheduled, we’d be very happy to arrange one for your school, college, or community group.

If you’re interested in hosting a talk, please contact us at info@cpreherefordshire.org.uk – we’d love to hear from you!

Past Events:

• Thursday 2nd October – Weobley branch of the Herefordshire Wildlife Trust, Hopelands, Weobley Village Hall

• Monday 13th October – Almeley Green Group, Almeley Village Hall

Collaborating with schools and colleges:

We’re pleased to continue working with Holme Lacy Agricultural College and QE Bromyard Secondary School, while also building new partnerships with other schools and colleges across Herefordshire this season. Once our planting locations are confirmed, we’ll be reaching out to local educational settings to invite students to get involved.

In the meantime, if you represent a school or college that would like students to take part in hedge planting and learn more about the importance of hedgerows, please email us at info@cpreherefordshire.org.uk.

We have free downloadable classroom resources for KS1 and KS2 available below.