Hedgelayers from across the country will battle it out for the prestigious North Cotswolds Hedgelaying Competition trophy on Saturday 21 November.
The competition organised by the Cotswolds Conservation Board and supported by the National Hedgelaying Society and the Prince’s Trust will take place at Fosse Cross, near Calmsden, Gloucestershire from 8:30am to 3:30pm.
The annual competition has been set up to celebrate and promote traditional rural skills across the region. This year the Prince’s Trust is supporting and helping to fund the competition to encourage the next generation of hedgelayers.
The traditional art of hedgelaying has been part of the Cotswolds landscape for centuries. Originally used for the purposes of stock control, the skill of laying a hedge was once common practice. However, due to the introduction of cheaper and less labour intensive methods of stock control, this traditional form of land management is now a much rarer skill. The Cotswolds Conservation Board works to keep these skills alive through a programme of courses throughout the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty which in addition to hedgelaying and dry stone walling include blacksmithing, woodland management, charcoal making and coppicing.
To compete in the hedgelaying competition, participants have to cut and lay a section of hedge up to 10 yards in length, depending on which class they belong. The hedge is to be laid in the Midland style and must be 3’ 6” in height. Judging is carried out by representatives of the National Hedgelaying Society who look for specific aspects of hedgelaying including cut and pleach, stake and heatherings, back of hedge and general appearance.
There are many styles of hedge-laying throughout the UK. In the Cotswolds the most commonly used are the Midlands style and the Somerset style. For further information on the competition and courses, and to register as a participant, please visit www.cotswoldsruralskills.org.uk or telephone the Cotswolds Conservation Board on 01451 862000.
ENDS
Notes to editors:
• Competition classes are described as follows :
o Class 1: Open: anyone with experience of hedgelaying.
o Class 2: Intermediate: those who have not won this class twice or been placed in an open or veteran class.
o Class 3: Junior, Beginners and Novice. Juniors are to be under 21 years; Beginners are those who haven’t entered a competition before; Novices are those who have not won this class before, or been placed in an Open or Veteran class.
o Class 4: Veterans: competitors who have reached their 60th birthday on or before the day of the competition.
o Class 5: Beginner pairs: any two people working on one section who have not entered a competition before.
• Competition prizes are awarded as follows:
o Class 1 1st: Trophy and £50, 2nd: £25; 3rd: £15
o Class 2 1st: Trophy and £40, 2nd: £25; 3rd: £15
o Class 3 1st: Trophy and £30, 2nd: £20, 3rd: £10
o Class 4 1st: Trophy and £40, 2nd: £25, 3rd: £15
o Class 5 1st: Trophy and £30, 2nd: £20, 3rd: £10
• The Cotswolds was designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) in 1966 in recognition of its rich, diverse and high quality landscape. www.cotswolds-nl.org.uk
• The Cotswolds AONB is looked after by the Cotswolds Conservation Board – an independent organisation established in 2004 which has 37 members – 15 nominated by local authorities, 8 by parish councils and 14 appointed by the Secretary of State.
• The Cotswolds is the second largest protected landscape in England after the Lake District National Park and represents 10% of the total AONB area in the UK. It covers 2,038 square kilometres (790 square miles), stretching from Warwickshire and Worcestershire in the north, through Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire, down to Bath and Wiltshire in the south.
• Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), along with National Parks, are considered to be the most special landscapes in the country and belong to an international family of protected areas. There are 38 AONBs in England and Wales, and a further eight in Northern Ireland. For further details, visit: www.landscapesforlife.org.uk. For details of the 15 National Parks in England and Wales visit: www.nationalparks.gov.uk
• Over 350 Cotswold Voluntary Wardens dedicate thousands of hours of practical conservation work every year across the AONB, as well as lead an annual programme of guided walks and undertake a range of promotional and educational work.
Photo Call
Photo opportunity with the participants, 1pm Saturday 21 November 2015, Fosse Cross, near Calmsden, Gloucestershire, GL54 4NN
Press contact:
Chris Brant, Communications Officer
Tel: 01451 862003 Email: chris.brant@cotswolds-nl.org.uk
Cotswolds Conservation Board, Fosse Way, Northleach, Gloucestershire GL54 3JH
Tel: 01451 862000 Website: www.cotswolds-nl.org.uk