The day after the two-day course in Kent, I was leading a week of hedge-laying training for students at Brinsbury College, Pulborough. Back in the beautiful Sussex Weald, the weather couldn’t have been better. The days dawned cold, clear, and frosty, with temperatures down to minus 6 degrees C., it was perfect hedge-laying weather.

I had a mixture of agriculture, arboriculture, and horticulture students on the course, with many different levels of ability. All were keen to have a go and just as importantly, to learn more abut the reasons for hedge-laying and the different regional styles. It was really great to see them taking everything in and wanting to not just get the hedge laid, but to do a good job too. Here, then, is the next generation of potential hedge-layers and if I can encourage just one or two of them to go on and take up the craft either professionally or as an amateur, then I have succeeded in helping to keep the skills alive.

Our hedge was a mixture of mainly hawthorn and field maple, and interestingly had been laid before, probably about 20 years ago. It was great to be able to show how a previously laid hedge regenerates and there were also lots of stems for the students to learn on.

Sadly, all good things must come to an end and before we knew it, Friday afternoon had arrived. The various groups manged to lay about 100 metres of the hedgerow in 5 days which is good going considering that no one group had more than about 4 hours in total working on it. The end result was very satisfying and I was very impressed with what the students had achieved. I would be only too pleased to be invited back next year.