Funding available for tree and hedge schemes in Cumbria

The Lake District Foundation is inviting organisations to apply for funding to plant new hedges and trees.

The move comes during National Hedgerow Week (October 10-17th 2022).

Up to £2500 is available through the Real Hedge Fund for groups who wish to reinstate native hedgerows or restore existing ones. The Foundation is asking for applications of up to 100 metres of planting.

This is the third round of funding and dozens of applicants have already benefitted and have been busy planting.

The Real Hedge Fund aims to highlight the importance of hedgerows and trees in the environment and their role within the cultural and natural heritage of the Lake District.

More than 1000 meters of hedgerow has already been planted. The Real Hedge Fund is only open to SMEs businesses, small charities and community groups operating in Cumbria.

Hedgerows are unsung biodiversity heroes, as well as connecting habitats, protecting against pollution and helping fight climate change, they provide a home for 80% of our woodland birds, hedgehogs, most species of bat, the great crested newt, dormice and butterflies.

People can apply to the Real Hedge Fund here.

The closing date for applications has been extended to 5pm Wednesday 23 November 2022.

People can support the Lake District Foundation’s ongoing campaign to support hedgerows and new tree planting here.

The Lake District Foundation launched the Real Hedge Fund in June 2020 in partnership with Ullswater Catchment Management CIC, The Food, Farming and Countryside Commission, Cumbria Wildlife Trust, Woodland Trust and Eden Rivers Trust.

Hedge heroes add to bio-diversity in Braithwaite

Braithwaite Institute has planted 80m of native hedgerow thanks to a £1,600 grant from The Lake District Foundation.

It applied to our Real Hedge Fund which gives funding to projects which help replace lost hedges and trees.

Peter Walter, Braithwaite Institute Chair of the Trustees, said.“We are lucky enough to have a huge site that hosts a cricket pitch, football pitch, tennis courts and bowling green, and we were keen to make our land as nature friendly as possible.

“This grant from the Real Hedge Fund has meant we can create a hedgerow full of nature friendly, native bushes and trees that we hope will add to the bio-diversity of our land. The hedgerow will also provide screening between our large car-park and sports fields.”

Tom Dutson and his team from Heartwood Enterprises planted the hedgerow.

Sarah Swindley, Chief Executive Lake District Foundation said: “We are delighted to support this important project. Hedges are wonderful things – they connect habitats, improve biodiversity, store carbon, and help prevent flooding.”

“Cumbria has been hit very badly this winter with severe storms which has seen thousands of trees and hedges destroyed. This makes planting projects like the one at Braithwaite even more important. The Foundation is committed to raising funds to help restore Cumbria’s lost trees.”

The Lake District Foundation’s Real Hedge Fund – which helps create and restore Cumbria’s hedgerows – has turned its focus to planting new trees and hedges lost in recent winter storms.

The charity will match-fund donations up to £5000. Every £25 donated by individuals or businesses will help create one metre of bio-diverse hedgerow or up to five saplings for replanting.

Donate to the Real Hedge Fund.

First seeds planted as eco-community grows

The first seeds have been planted on a unique green scheme in north Kendal.

Families have clubbed together to buy the derelict Holme House Farm in Skelsmergh and will create an eco-community of five homes.

They will minimise environmental impact while restoring and enhancing wildlife and habitats of the woodland, river and meadows on the plot.

The Lake District Foundation has funded the new hedgerow through the Real Hedge Fund.

Families came together recently to plant eight oak trees – representing the community putting firm foundations down for future generations.

Over time it’s hoped the hedge will provide shelter, habitat, food and nesting sites for all manner of plants, insects, animals and birds. This will help local wildlife flourish and become more resilient.

People will also be able to harvest berries, hips and nuts for their larders, wine and jam making.

Chris Loynes from Holme House Farm said: “The funding has made it possible for us to buy native edible hedge plants and standards to create a boundary hedge, especially along the edge that we share with a public footpath.

“It is so helpful to get local funding and support for our plans to restore and enhance wildlife on Holme House Farm by planting this hedge. It has become a focal point for the community members and our friends and neighbours to get to know the place and each other.

“We hope walkers will, in time, be able to take advantage of the edible hedge as well as ourselves and wildlife.”

The Lake District Foundation’s Real Hedge Fund – which helps create and restore Cumbria’s hedgerows – has turned its focus to planting new trees and hedges lost in November’s Storm Arwen.

The charity will match-fund donations up to £5000. Every £25 donated by individuals or businesses will help create one metre of bio-diverse hedgerow or up to five saplings for replanting.

Donate to the Real Hedge Fund

Fund’s boost for tree recovery

A new campaign is launched to help Lake District woodlands recover from Storm Arwen.

Thousands of trees were felled causing terrible damage to woodlands across the county.

It’s been almost one month since the storm ripped through Cumbria, leaving significant damage in its wake.

Orrest Head in Windermere suffered around 75 felled trees. Mayor Adrian Legge is pictured surveying storm damage this week.

The Lake District Foundation’s Real Hedge Fund – which helps create and restore Cumbria’s hedgerows – will turn its focus to planting new trees and hedges lost in the storm.

The charity will match-fund donations up to £5000.

Every £25 donated by individuals or businesses will help create one metre of bio-diverse hedgerow or up to five saplings for replanting.

Sarah Swindley, CEO, Lake District Foundation, said: “You only have to walk around the county to see the scale of destruction to our woodlands following Storm Arwen.

“Our existing Real Hedge Fund campaign has been helping to restore Cumbria’s hedgerows. Given the impact of Storm Arwen we are now extending that campaign to include replanting of trees felled in the storm.”

You can donate here: The Real Hedge Fund – Lake District

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LAKE DISTRICT HEDGEROW CAMPAIGN SET TO DOUBLE DONATIONS

The Lake District Foundation, the local conservation charity, is spearheading a fundraising campaign to reinstate and conserve native hedgerows. The charity is participating in The Big Give Christmas Challenge, a match funding initiative enabling donations to be doubled for one week in December.

The Christmas Challenge launched by the founder of The Big Give, philanthropist Sir Alec Reed CBE in 2008, is the biggest match funding campaign in the UK. It offers supporters of participating charities, like the Lake District Foundation, the opportunity to have their donation doubled for seven days from 1^st – 8^th December 2020.

Sarah Swindley, Lake District Foundation’s, CEO said, “We need to raise £7,000 to unlock the match funding available in the Big Give Christmas Challenge for the Lake District Foundation. The fact that any donation made will be doubled during this week is incredible, so we do hope everyone can dig deep and donate. A small donation will make a huge difference, thank you!”

The Real Hedge Fund campaign aims to highlight the importance of hedgerows in the environment and the role within the cultural and natural heritage of the Lake District. The campaign has an ambitious target to plant 4,000 metres of native hedgerows across the Lake District and aims to raise £100,000 to make this happen.

The Lake District Foundation launched the campaign in June 2020 in partnership with Ullswater Catchment Management CIC, Food, Farming and Countryside Commission, Cumbria Wildlife Trust, Woodland Trust and Eden Rivers Trust.

The Christmas Challenge 2020 will take place from 12pm on 1st December 2020 until 12pm on 8th December 2020, to make a donation visit : https://donate.thebiggive.org.uk/campaign/a051r00001exMK1AAM and to find out more the Real Hedge Fund visit https://www.lakedistrictfoundation.org/the-real-hedge-fund/