Four Cumbrian young farmers, two of them from the Eden Valley club, were part of a team of 21 volunteers who turned out over the weekend to plant new hedges at the Westmorland Agricultural Society’s farm and showground at Crooklands, near Kendal.
Eden Valley YFC members Tom Barker and Jack Sowerby, along with Robbie Hutchinson and James Hoggarth, from the Grayrigg club, and the other volunteers braved wet and muddy conditions to plant 423 metres of new hedges in two sections.
They were led by Lisa Bennett, chairwomn of the society, and David Martin, director of property.
Undertaken as part of an environmental scheme, the planting was a mix of traditional species to encourage biodiversity and increase food for pollinators. It comprised quickthorn, blackthorn, hazel, dog rose and holly.
The young farmers were thanked by the society, with a spokesman saying: “As part of its land management systems, Westmorland Agricultural Society has entered into a Defra mid-tier environmental stewardship scheme.
“There are many facets to the scheme, but this will strengthen the society’s existing approach to managing the showground and outlying land by increasing and improving the habitat and food for invertebrates, birds and other animals.”
