Landscape Connections Success!

The first autumn/winter sessions of the Chalk, Cherries and Chairs Landscape connections have been a spectacular success! In total, 48 volunteers came out to give up their time to help carry out a range of practical conservation activities, from hedge planting to scrub clearing. A whopping 747 metres of new hedgerow has been planted, along with 900 odd metres squared of scrub and Snowberry removed – all to make way for new and improved habitat for wildflowers and the associated invertebrates and wildlife.

Thank you so very much to Chiltern Forest Golf Club, its members and volunteers, for signing up and giving us the opportunity to really push forward on the Landscape Connections project. It has been an absolute pleasure to work with such a great bunch of humans. Oh, and a further thank you for spoiling us with chips at lunchtime!!

Chiltern Forest Golf Club Volunteers                                                                                      Volunteers at Donkey Lane Orchard

We didn’t stop there when it came to creating new hedge rows – we were also welcomed onto Handycross Farm by tenant farmer Simon Morris, who kindly let us turn up, en masse, to plant another 160+ metres of hedgerow on his farm.

We were joined by a wonderful team of volunteers from Phoenix Lifestyle Innovations, The Oasis Partnership and One Recovery Bucks, who came and helped us plant a mix of species including Hawthorn, Field Maple, Hazel, Hornbeam, Mountain Ash, Wayfaring Tree, Buckthorn, Guelder Rose , Spindle, Dog Rose, Wild Cherry (of course!) with a few Oaks in as standards along the way. All of the above are traditional hedgerow species for the area, providing habitat for invertebrates, small mammals and farmland/woodland birds, such as the Yellowhammer, Whitethroat as well as Great Tits and Blue Tits. They also help reduce water fun-off on arable land, prevent soil erosion and reduce carbon, which of course is a hot topic today!

It is really fantastic to be able to say that the initial works for Chalk, Cherries and Chairs’ Landscape Connections has begun with such gusto. We thank every individual that has come out and given their time and effort to contribute to environmentally stewarding this beautiful corner of our planet. Together, we can make a real difference to the landscape and the wildlife within that landscape; this beautiful Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty known as the Chilterns, that we call home.