CPRE Wiltshire donates £1k to fund hedgerows in Salisbury

CPRE Wiltshire is delighted to have donated £1,000 to charitable trust to create hundreds of yards of hedgerows along the Laverstock water meadows in Salisbury

Hedgerows are the history of England written in the ground. They are wildlife habitats and environmental assets. They are aesthetically pleasing and give comfort and consolation in troubled times. Hedgerows are the living sinews which bind and heft a people, both local and national, to their ancestral home.

Hedgerows are important.

South Wiltshire CPRE is, therefore, immensely pleased to donate £1,000 to the Devenish Bradshaw Charitable Trust (DBCT) to create over 250 yards of hedgerow along the Laverstock water meadows in Salisbury.

The Trust is a small landholding charity, established in 2018, that owns and manages a section of meadows and chalk valley riverine habitats to the east of Salisbury. The grant will allow for the purchase of high-quality hedgerow stock of predominantly native species. The hedgerow trees will be planted at three plants per yard in a single row. On-site materials (coppiced willow) will be used to stake, protect, and mulch the young trees.

The DBCT has around 45 registered volunteers who meet every Saturday morning to carry out practical conservation tasks. They also host other volunteer community organisations, including Salisbury Wildlife Watch, U3A, 1^st Laverstock Scout Group and Salisbury Natural History Society.

David Burton of the DBCT says, “This donation will also assist in the provision of facilities for recreation or other leisure time occupation for the benefit of the public in the interest of their social welfare.”