Spring report
Brinkburn and Hesleyhurst Parish Council's climate change and biodiversity committee ran 3 days of hedge laying courses for beginners in early December 2024. We also added another 1-day course at the beginning of March 2025. The one-day courses were held at Thistleyhaugh Farm in Longhorsley. This hedge laying scheme is the second year B&HPC has managed to offer these courses for free, thanks to the support of the Wingates Community Windfarm Fund. We aim to encourage and educate people about the benefits of wildlife, biodiversity, and carbon capture from hedge laying. The students gained knowledge over the day to learn how to lay a hedge using basic traditional tools. David Boyson was the instructor and made the courses very informative, sharing his vast knowledge on this subject. In early 2024, we carried out our first hedge laying project at our parish playing field located at Embleton Terrace NE65 8JJ. Call in to have a look! B&HPC have been extremely busy over the last 2 years with projects such as: Bird nest box scheme for declining birds, litter picking, wildflower meadow seeding and scything, river quality testing, baseline surveying, hedge laying, and much more. This year we will be having scything workshops, a biodiversity event, siting more bird boxes, hedge laying, surveying using Qgis, river testing, and more. To find out about our schemes or if you would like to join us in our projects, please contact our Clerk clerk@brinkburn.net or search for our parish council website. Volunteers of all ages are welcome. Special thanks to the Wingates Community Windfarm Fund, volunteers, and landowners who make this all possible.
Jamie Whicker