All I want for Christmas is...
We know that a hedge probably wasn’t on your Christmas list this year.
But think about it. You’d be hard pressed to name another gift that’s affordable and offers so much to support and sustain this magnificent part of the planet.
It costs around £25 to plant and protect a metre of hedgerow.
We’re aiming to raise funds to plant 100 new metres of hedgerow through our Christmas campaign.
Can you help?
A safe home for small animals and birds
A marvellous carbon capture contraption
A protective barrier for waterways
A wildlife highway
Since 2020, Lake District Foundation has given out grants of over £10,000, which has contributed to the planting of over 1,000 metres of hedgerows. Read about the projects here. Let’s keep going.
This Christmas, give the gift of a hedgerow!
What’s so great about hedges?
Why do hedgerows need our help?
Donate Now
Make a donation or give a hedge as a gift this Christmas!
Where does your money go?
It costs around £25 to plant and protect each new metre of hedgerow, using saplings and fencing.
We have set a campaign target of £2,500 which will help plant or restore 100 metres of hedgerow in the Lake District and Cumbria.
We are working with our partners The Federation for Common Land, Ullswater CIC , Food, Farming and Countryside Commission and The Lake District National Park.
We want to showcase good practice would enable and encourage others to participate snowballing the length and quality of hedgerows throughout Cumbria.
The story so far…
Before the Real Hedge Fund was set up in 2021, hedgerows had been in drastic decline around the UK and Cumbria. At the same time there was a growing interest from local businesses and individuals to support grass-roots biodiversity projects.
We set an initial target to raise £25,000, equating to 1,000m of hedgerow planted, restored and maintained. Within a few months, we were able to open the fund to the first round of applications from landowners. Using an expert panel, we assessed each application and distributed funds to sites where the planting and restoration of hedgerows would have the most impact on biodiversity.
Within 18 months, we reached our fundraising target and funds were awarded to 19 landowners for hedge creation, maintenance and restoration and included farmers, schools and volunteer groups. So far we’ve invested in around 983m of new native hedgerows planted. And it’s not just new hedges that are important, as a direct result of this campaign we’ve prevented the neglect, damage and removal of existing hedges.
The new and restored hedgerows are thriving, and the next step is to monitor the cascading effects on wildlife, carbon and water.
Partners and stakeholders
As the Lead Partner we are working with Ullswater CIC , Food, Farming and Countryside Commission , Eden Rivers Trust , Cumbria Wildlife Trust and The Lake District National Park