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The inaugural WFT hedgelaying championship was held at Foxburrow Wood on Saturday 12th October 2024, thanks to a Caring for the Cotswolds grant from the Cotswolds National Landscape. The competition was the idea of WFT’s Toby Swift and hedgelaying expert Tony Wilsdon, who wanted to see a local competition in the Wychwood area.
There was a lot of support from the hedgelaying community, both from experienced veterans and our own hedgelaying trainees. Entrants came from neighbouring counties, and a couple as far away as Devon! Places filled up very quickly and we ended up having to turn competitors away.
Although the day started with drizzle, the sun came out eventually and boosted by bacon rolls and fruit cake from the WFT field kitchen, competitors seemed in great spirits. It was noticeable what a good atmosphere there was along the hedge among the twenty-one hedgelayers. Advice was freely given, tools were shared, and there was a general feeling of supportive and friendly competition.
"We thoroughly enjoyed the hedge laying event with Wychwood. Thanks for arranging such a well run day. We hope that this is the beginning of a new regular hedgelaying match. We felt that the judges were very fair and the atmosphere amongst all the competitors was one of fun and enjoyment, not always the case at hedge laying competitions! We look forward to being advised of the next one." (Claire Maymon, competitor)
"I thoroughly enjoyed the hedge laying event. The staff, volunteers and marshalls were very friendly and welcoming. There was a great atmosphere with the other competitors and members of the public. I would certainly be more than happy to participate in future hedge laying competitions." (Oli Madams, competitor)
Judges Tony Wilsdon, Andy Deller and Martin Jarratt decided the winners:
Open Class - 1st Nigel Adams, 2nd Terry Underwood, 3rd Andrew Williams
Intermediate Class - 1st Russell Parker, 2nd Will Steele, 3rd Sean Daly
Beginners pairs - 1st Oli Madams & Huw Griffiths, 2nd Stephen Long & Mark Thomas, 3rd Adele Dodgson & John Wheatley
"It was a great pleasure to be able to help out with the Wychwood Hedgelaying Competition, it was a superb day with 21 hedgelayers showing off their skills. The quality of work from all the competitors was really good and lovely to see.
Hedges are what define the British countryside and although modern machines now do most of the work on them it is still important to not lose the skill of laying hedges as sometimes this is by far the best way to manage a hedge. The numbers at competitions and the large numbers of people attending training courses show that hedgelaying is definitely alive and well." (Tony Wilsdon, head judge)
Due to the overwhelming success of this year’s competition, we hope this will become an annual event. If you'd like to express your interest, please email maeve@wychwoodforesttrust.co.uk to be added to the mailing list.
See you next year!
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