At the beginning of February I was down at Binstead near Arundel leading a hedge-laying training day for the South Downs National Park (SDNP). This is something that I do each year and it is always great to meet up with my old friend and colleague, Simon Mockford. Simon is one of the longest serving rangers on the South Downs and has a tremendous wealth of knowledge about the area.

This year, I was leading the training for about a dozen people, mostly South Downs volunteers. There were also a couple of members of staff including one of the new apprentice rangers.

As is customary on these training days, I got the participants working in pairs. Each team had a separate cant to work on, so that meant laying-off at the beginning of each cant. My task was to show the group the correct techniques and then to float around the pairs giving advice and guidance throughout the day.

The day went very smoothly and by the close of play, the group had managed to lay, stake, bind and trim about 30 metres of hedgerow. It was extremely satisfying to see the group learning and achieving their goals, especially the apprentice ranger, Jane, who picked up the skills very quickly indeed. Hopefully she will go on to excel in this ancient craft as she progresses in her career.