CPRE Staffordshire - Hedgerow Heroes

04/05/2024

For those of you that enjoy aspects of nature that go beyond digging and dreaming about hedgerows, it's wonderful to see all the ways we can get involved with helping our local environment. 🌿

If you have any projects in mind, we'd love to hear about them and see how we can support everyone to promote, protect and enhance our glorious Staffordshire countryside.🌳

Today is Staffordshire Day, a day to celebrate everything we love about Staffordshire.

One of those things we love is the beautiful and varied Staffordshire countryside, and CPRE's aim is to promote, protect and enhance it.

Promote: We run a wide range of events throughout the year, from stargazing nights to hedge-planting. Check out the events page on our website for more details: https://www.cprestaffordshire.org.uk/get-involved/events/

Protect: We respond to all Local Plan consultations and many planning applications, and run planning training for parish councils.

Enhance: We've planted over 2.5km of new hedgerow around the county through our CPRE Staffordshire - Hedgerow Heroes project. Our Green Schools Trophy enables schools to showcase their environmental work, we sponsor a Best Kept Village award and we've organised litter-picks to clean up our countryside.

📷James Busher. One of the winning entries in our 2024 calendar competition.

09/04/2024

🎶Happy ASMR Day! 🎶

Who doesn't love a bit of 'Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response' (ASMR), so sit back and enjoy the beautiful sounds of the Dunnock, otherwise known as the 'hedgerow sparrow'🎶

These gorgeous birds are often overlooked but are an important species throughout our woodland and hedgerow habitats. They nest in dense vegetation, prefer to feed on the ground, and build their nests out of twigs and moss. A hedgerow is a perfect place to rest, roost and breed, and keep their bright blue eggs safe from predators 🪺

Now is the time that the Dunnocks will be laying their four or five eggs, with the chicks hatching a couple of weeks later, and fledging within 10 days or so. Then it's time for the next brood, so keep your eyes (and ears) peeled for these beautiful birds, who are anything but 'just another sparrow'!

Male Dunnock singing from prominent branch and female listening from cover of hedge.

09/04/2024

How did we do?

If you have taken part in any of our Hedgerow-related activities over the last few months, we'd be grateful if you could take a moment to let our funders know how we've been getting on. Whether that's planting at one of our sites, or taking part in our creative activities at the Stafford Green Arts Festival.

We won't see any of your comments directly, but we hope that you've enjoyed being part of the project and could give us a thumbs up, or two. There's space to say what you've enjoyed and give your thoughts on how we could improve.

The link is: https://tinyurl.com/Hedgerow-Heroes-CPRE-Staffs

The survey closes on 10th April, so if you've got a spare two minutes, now's the time to let us know 'How did we do?'.

Thank you!

31/03/2024

We may have lost an hour, but we have gained a lot of hedgerows as we come to the end of the planting season in Staffordshire. This beautiful image of 'Spring' by Hannah Longmuir Artist is all we need to take flight and get outside into our blossoming natural heritage.

We've got plenty more up our sleeves as we move into the warmer months, not least the promise of some tree planting near Bednall.

Do join us as we make our way into the next phase of 2024.

# CPREStaffordshire

27/03/2024

Fancy learning more about how stone has been used to shape our landscapes across the ages? Then join Sally Green as she explains how the use of quarries and stones has shaped the local heritage in Shropshire.

It's fascinating to know that most villages grew up around the stone required to build and demarcate the land, just as we continue to do with bricks and hedgerows alike! It's free to attend, so sign up now.

Learn about the building stones and quarries of Shropshire, how they were used and how they affected the landscape and our buildings

26/03/2024

There's still time to sign up for today's seminar on how to grow trees from seed by The Tree Council. Do join us online as we learn what to do with all those conkers and acorns that we still have in all our coat pockets! See(d) you there!

There's still time to sign up to our FREE webinar!

- Explore what you need to think about when designing your tree growing space.
- Go through some basics on biosecurity and how to grow healthy trees.
- Give you more great case studies of people growing trees themselves.

And much more! Sign up below:

https://buff.ly/3Tmb1h6

16/03/2024

Hi Folks,

To everyone joining us to plant some hedgerow whips tomorrow at the site near Bednall / Cannock Chase, please take a look at the map below. We will aim to meet at 10:30am on the site, and continue as long as the weather permits. Please do bring a packed lunch and dress for the weather. Parts of the site will be muddy, but the planting area is in a more protected space.

The entrance to the site is from the A34, and comes up quickly, so we will put a traffic cone and CPRE sign outside.

If you are travelling from Stafford, start to look for the site on the left after passing the former 'Burrows Grass Machinery Shop'.

If you are travelling from Cannock, go past the 'Cannock Chase Trekking Centre' (and coffee shop) and continue for approximately 700m, before seeing the site on your right.

Please be aware that the A34 is a busy road with a 60mph speed limit in this area, so do prepare to slow down and indicate in plenty of time.

Looking forward to seeing you all soon.

For further information or if you have any questions, do feel free to call or send a WhatsApp message to 07942 269 799

15/03/2024

What a lovely surprise!

We would like to thank the There is No Planet B Stafford Stafford Green Arts Festival for surprising us with a certificate and bird feeder / food at the recent awards ceremony in Stafford. I do believe we were so shocked that we asked the Mayor of Stafford if he wanted a new hedge!

We had such a great time being part of the festival and were thrilled that so many people enjoyed helping us to build our very first 'indoor' hedgerow during the festival. Thank you!

We've come away feeling thoroughly inspired and humbled by all the great contributions made by so many local schools, groups, artists, poets and musicians. Oh, to have a smidge of that talent!

Congratulations to all the prize winners, and to everyone involved with organising such an amazing event. Here's to next year!

14/03/2024

🦸‍♀️ Not all Hedgerow Heroes wear capes! 🦸‍♂️

When you're working to a deadline, sometimes you need a superhero, and we've found two!

Thank you to Lisa and Mike from Instaprint - Rugeley, who listened to our strange ideas and helped turn them into reality. It really does pay to shop locally, and we are thrilled with the quality of the printing on our 'I'm a Hedgerow Hero' selfie board.

If you fancy being a 'Hedgerow Hero' and getting your face on the board, check out our hedgerow planting days on the 15th and 22nd March near Stafford and Stone.

Next time, the superhero could be you!

01/03/2024

Could you help us plant a hedge on Tuesday 12th March?

🌳 As part of our Hedgerow Heroes project, we'll be planting a new hedgerow on farmland near Weston Park, near the A5. We'll be planting between 10am and 2pm, but you're welcome to just stay for part of the day.

📸 We are also looking for a volunteer photographer who would be able to take some high-quality images of the planting day. Please email [email protected] if you'd like to be involved with this.

🌳 It's free to attend the hedge-planting- just sign up here on Eventbrite:

We will be planting a new hedgerow on farmland near Weston Hall