The Rye Meadows volunteers have started to lay the hedge alongside Footpath 24. The hedge was planted some years ago and has now matured enough to lay down. Amongst our team we have an experienced hedge layer and he has been instructing us in the art of hedge laying. 

Slow progress to start with as he had to instruct, manage and do all at the same time, but we hope next volunteering day we will progress a little faster as we become more confident.

Next autumn we are looking to lay the hedge alongside Ashtead Wood Road outside Winter Meadow. This will be more challenging as it is mostly blackthorn which inconveniently does not grow in straight lines! In addition it is a double hedge with a ditch in the middle. We propose laying the outer hedge and coppicing the inner hedge.

We are grateful to the City of London, Ashtead Common for selling us the necessary stakes and binders which they coppiced on the Common only recently.