Working to preserve our hedges - and an ancient craft

The 14-year-old had played truant to go to a hedge-laying event in Stokesley and, to his joy, won the day against adult competitors.

But unbeknown to him, a D&S photographer had taken pictures of the contest, including one of the young Ken proclaiming himself winner.

Unluckily for him, his head teacher was an avid reader of the D&S and spotted the fateful picture. The lad was reprimanded for his actions.

But for Ken Walmsley it was worth it. And it still is. For he has just taken over as chairman of the Yorkshire Hedge-Laying Association with the brief to keep the county's own style of the craft intact.

The task could not be in better hands. Mr Walmsley, who lives just outside Ripon, still uses the hedge-laying equipment he first employed as a teenager. The ancient art is, you might say, in his blood.

He first entered a competition in 1956. All the villages used to take part at that time.

"I used to go to the competitions with my dad, but all the family was involved," he says.

So just what is hedge-laying? It is the practice of dealing with hedges which have grown up and the bottom part has disappeared. The more you cut the hedge the more it grows. So you lay it down to get new shoots which fill up the bottom and make the hedge stock-proof.

Mr Walmsley says the problem is cropping up more and more as machines cut and ruin hedges. Ideally, a hedge should be full all the way up, he says, and hedge-laying puts the problem right.

"Not many people do it these days or even know what it is," he says.

But there is now a stewardship scheme run by the Government and many farmers are planting new hedges and are eligible for grants to operate the project.

From a farming family, Mr Walmsley used to live in the Pannal area and is well-known in this part of the county.

"I grew up with hedge-laying," he says. "After my first competition I went all over the place every weekend to take part. There was a national competition which my dad Jim won in the south. Since then I have won the Yorkshire competition several times on the trot and also won the national twice and been second."

There were two farming families - the Walmsleys and the Clarks from near Northallerton - which used to vie for hedge-laying success. One or other would win most competitions.

But the practice died out during the Seventies and it was due to the dedication of Norman Wetherill that the local competition has been revived. He brought the Yorkshire challenge back to life in 1991 as he also resurrected the Hedge-Laying Association.

Mr Wetherill, who is from Northallerton, asked Mr Walmsley if he would like to compete in a newly-revived competition.

He not only entered but also provided details of the Yorkshire style of hedge-laying and the names of people who would be keen to get things going again.

"I got my friends and family involved and it took off from there," said Mr Walmsley. He also gave a trophy his dad had won as a prize in the regional competition, this to be won by young farmers.

Between 35 and 40 people competed in that first contest. "People seemed to have missed the art," said Mr Walmsley.

Since then the movement has gone from strength to strength. Classes are well-attended, although each year the association goes all out to attract more younger members.

Membership now stands at about 35 and Mr Walmsley wants to see the formation of a committee and a proper group.

To take part, entrants turn up on the day and draw lot numbers for eight yards of hedge each. There are novice and YF classes which have one helper each. They do a full day and it is very strenuous work.

To win you lay the hedge and weave it between new stakes. It has to be straight, clean cut and low to the ground and thick in material at the bottom, finishing to 3ft high with a top rail. Judges decide the winner on a points system.

The association has some women members and they also compete. One of them does hedge-laying for a living.

Members come from all walks of life, with about half doing it as a job. It is a hobby for the rest. There is a bit of a resurgence now, with whole families involved.

Mr Walmsley says hedge-laying is vital. With machine cutting at the top, he says, eventually a hedge will die.

"The Government has spent a lot planting new hedges and they are just not kept up with. They need laying ten years after planting. It encourages growth and bird-nesting plus a habitat for other wildlife. It is also secure for stock. If it is cared for properly it is permanent," he says.

This year's competition is on November 24 at the Headland caravan park, Rawcliffe, Boroughbridge. People have to pay to enter and they can win prize money. The first prize is about £50, with roughly £600 being paid out in all. This mostly comes from sponsorship.

"It is a full day out and a lot of fun," says Mr Walmsley, who will be doing a demonstration length of hedge-laying on the day.

But for the contest to take place, a length of hedge with ten to 15 years growth and 200 yards long is needed.

"It is not easy to find sites which have this with the owners willing to let us take part," said Mr Walmsley. "A big part of my job as chairman is finding the site. I have spent a lot of time looking this year and kept drawing a blank."

Each county has its own style of hedge-laying. Some lay like a double edge. In the Midlands all the wood they cut out is put back to create a deadwood fence. Down south they have a different approach for very large hedges.

The Yorkshire style is what is called a ligger, laying one layer on top of the other in a straight line as low as possible with the thicker parts at the bottom.

"It is a tradition and one we must keep," says Mr Walmsley. "It is self-perpetuating. It looks bare at first, but then you can see new growth by the following season. In that time you have a brilliant hedge which is stock-proof.

"I agree fully with Norman Wetherill on this point. We want to see the style flourish and try to get people to understand the importance of hedge-laying rather than just cutting each year with a machine. It is simple to do, but it is not good for the countryside.

"I also want to see more members and especially young farmers to get involved. It can be a fun thing as well."

A building contractor for 40 years, Mr Walmsley is now retired and running a bed and breakfast business with his wife.

He has also started doing hedge-laying as a part-time job in October and November, stopping by the spring.

As he bows out as association chairman, Norman Wetherill says: "This is an ancient craft used to maintain hedges which otherwise will get too big and branchy and spread all over the place.

"It is practised all over the country, but the Yorkshire style is unique and we want that to prevail."

There is a national society which he joined but he says the organisation tends to stick with the southern counties and Yorkshire is forgotten.

He suffered a stroke a couple of years ago and at 70 feels he is too old to run the association. Mr Walmsley, there more or less from the start, has been a valuable source of advice.

"He wants the HLA to keep going in the Yorkshire style," said Mr Wetherill. "I am delighted to have got him. There is a lot of interest in the activity, although many younger people are ignorant of the craft and what it means."

He began a school for juniors a couple of years ago which has been very successful, thanks to help from Mr Walmsley's family.

He said: "The association is going to good hands and I will be staying part of the organisation. I am proud of starting it all off, but I couldn't have done it without the help of many friends who did as much work as I did. They just allowed me to be in charge. But Ken is the man for the job.