The aim of the RAMP funding is to enable organisations, such as the wildlife charity to work with  communities and last week, staff at the Hauxley nature reserve were able to host a training course for members of the local community who have hedges needing looking after, whether it’s in community woodlands, allotments, their gardens or community spaces.

By the end of the training day over two hundred metres of hedge had been laid with more scheduled to be planted around other parts of the reserve, towards the end of this year.

Hawthorn hedges are a great support to wildlife with their white highly scented blossoms providing food for bees, butterflies and other insects and their berries providing much needed winter food for birds and insects. Their dense structure and sharp thorns provide excellent protection for birds such as thrushes, blackbirds, and bullfinches from predators.

Callum Donnelly, Northumberland Wildlife Trust Project Assistant says:

“Hedge laying is a traditional countryside skill, so it was really rewarding to be able to host the hedge laying training to enable course participants to share what they learnt with members of their local community, thereby keeping the tradition alive.”

The Rural Asset Multiplier Pilot Programme (RAMP) covers rural Northumberland with two main geographies - the south Northumberland National Park area, and Northumberland Coast National Landscape.