Hedgerley Conservation Volunteers

We are a group of volunteers from the village who meet regularly throughout the year to do the jobs that otherwise wouldn’t get done to improve the look of the village and quality of life in Hedgerley.

We were established back in the 1980’s and we currently have just over 40 members or supporters, roughly a third of whom are active and get involved with our working parties.

Our Working Parties have included the following activities in recent times:

- Clearing scrub and brambles in Church Meadows East and West, part of the management plan to maintain the Meadows in line with the latest lease agreement between the Church and the Parish Council, and part of a program of work that resulted in these areas being designated as Local Wildlife Sites in 2023

- Clearing overgrown holly from Kemsley Wood

- Maintaining the planters by the shop and creating the Wild Flower Garden nearby

- Building Beacons for special occasions, for example the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee

- Clearing out the village pond and working with the scouts to create a new pond in Church Meadow West

- Restoring the fence line between the Old Green and Church Meadow West

- Helping maintain the Community Orchard in the Glebe Field with tidy up sessions, likewise the churchyard

- Organising Litter Blitzes in line with Keep Britain Tidy and in preparation for the Best Kept Village Competition

- Working closely with the team at Burnham Beeches to improve the Church Meadows and make sure all is well with the British White cattle when we host them in the autumn time

- Working closely with the Parish Council on one off projects, eg recently working to create the Bainbridge Copse in the Glebe Field in line with the wishes of a legacy left to the village by Audrey Bainbridge.

We take a keen interest in preparing the village each year for the Buckinghamshire Best Kept Village Competition for when the judges arrive during June and early July. Our efforts were rewarded in 2019 when we won the competition and in other years when we are awarded a Certificate of Merit for our efforts.

 

May 2024

 

Enquiries to:

Paul Miller 

[email protected]

The Cows grazing in Hedgerley

The cows are all non-breeding British Whites, selected for their docile temperaments and ability to thrive on low nutrient grazing. They favour a mix of browsing and grazing which suits the grazing types in Burnham Beeches.

The breed of cattle selected for use at the Beeches is the British White; which can claim links to the ancient indigenous wild white cattle of Great Britain, notably from the park at Whalley Abbey, Lancashire. The herd at Whalley Park was noted as far back as 17th Century and has since become a more popular breed. In the 1990s, the Rare Breeds Survival Trust recategorized the British White from ‘Rare Breed’ to ‘Minority Breed’. At this point there were 116 herds containing 1,500 registered animals. The popularity of the breed has continued, partly due to the following good characteristics; the breed is noted for its general docile nature, ability to outwinter in most conditions and they are long lived. British Whites are regarded as a beef animal and can be grown in an intensive farming system to finish at 14 to 16 months weighing approximately 500kg to 550kg, on lower nutrient forage equal growth is achieved at 23 to 30 months.

The British Whites at the Beeches are owned by The City of London for conservation grazing purposes. They are purchased from sources where the animals are handled in a low stress environment. When they come to the Beeches, they get to live out their full natural lives as part of the non-breeding herd. Their grazing and browsing helps to manage the diverse habitats within the National Nature Reserve.