Laying down the law!

A team of us joined some National Trust volunteers on the Bath Skyline walk. We battled against some tough hedges that border a field in preparation for hedge laying.

Our task was to cut away branches between different parts of the hedge that overlapped and tangled. This means that other volunteers can cut the root of the hedges and then 'split' the tree in such a way that the tree continues to live, but it is bent at a angle. New branches will then grow upwards over time.

One massive benefit is the hedge surrounding the field will have less holes and will be better at keeping livestock in. The thicker hedges are also a really good place for birds to nest, so our work had a direct impact on helping the bird population of Bath.

We got to use some great tools including some large loppers and some sharped tooth saws. It was an incredibly beautiful and warm day and we were lucky to have enjoyed it with other fantastic volunteers.

We have more Community Missions and Group Runs booked in with the National Trust volunteer team, so keep checking the run listings to sign up!

Thank you very much to Tabi and her team of volunteers for hosting us for the day. We had fun, did some good exercise and learnt a lot!