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Report On the Event

21 participants and four organisers/demonstrators braved the terrible weather on Saturday 24th November to take part in the Energy Group's woodfuel from hedges demonstration event. It turned out to be inspired planning to arrange the event around the Crown & Sceptre Pub in Newton St Cyres. One of the options we had considered was a gazebo in the field next to the hedge for the talks and refreshments. I don't think that would have worked last Saturday !

We started off in the pub with three short talks on why have a wood fuel group and how it might operate (given by Andrew Shadrake of Bovey Climate Action) , a talk on tools and how to use them safely (Nick Dawe Devon Rural Skills Trust) , and finally a short safety talk specific to where we would be going to watch some hedge laying (Dave Dann Devon Rural Skills Trust).

Then we car shared the two miles to the field where some preparatory work had been done on a piece of hedge not managed for 40 to 50 years. The group assembled around Nick Dawe who explained what he and Dave Dann had done earlier. Nick then laid some pieces of hedge and finished off by fixing them firmly to the ground with a wooden crook prepared from wood cut from the hedgerow. Dann Dann gave a short talk on the conservation of Devon hedgerows and we high tailed it back to the pub for lunch.

After lunch Dave Dann spoke eloquently and passionately and about the various motivations people might have for joining a group : to get free wood, to get fresh air and exercise, to be part of a group of like minded people, to conserve hedgerow for biodiversity and to learn new skills. Then Andrew and Charles wrapped up the event with a request for people to join the fledgling group if they were interested and at least 12 did which was absolutely wonderful.

Update 07:45 am 24th November

Its 07:45 Sat morning and its raining lightly now, with heavy rain forecast for this afternoon and evening

The event is going ahead and we'll try to make the best of it.  

We'll see you all at the Crown & Sceptre at 10am and decide how to proceed at the pub.

Update 7pm 23rd November

It looks like bad news for the weather tomorrow with heavy rain forecast all day.

If the weather is as bad as anticipated we will definitely go ahead with the indoor part of the event and make a decision on the outdoor piece at the pub. Even if a decision is made to proceed with the hedge laying demonstration in the rain, people who wish to stay dry can remain in the pub whilst the others go.

We have laid on refreshments at 10am and a light buffet lunch at noon.

If on waking up in the morning, there are road closures due to flooding we'll make a further decision on the event. Please check your emails at 8am.

Update 3pm 22nd November

Here is an update about the event.

Inspite of the horrible weather we have decided to go ahead with the event. This is provided that there is no significant flooding of roads on Saturday morning which would prevent participants getting to Newton St Cyres. Please check your emails before setting off on Saturday morning. Also I'll put something up on the website if these plans change. 

The event is fully booked. There will be about 25 participants plus the organisers present. Please park at the pub and if the car park is full, then the village car park is just across the road.

After the first talk we will share cars to go to the hedge. We will require upto 8 cars depending on final numbers. There is very limited parking near the hedge. Drivers will have to drop their passengers at a drop off point about 100 metres walk to the demonstration area, then drive to the parking area, about 400 metres from the demonstration area. I will provide more details and a map at the pub for the car drivers. There will also be some signs indicating where to drop people and where to park. The car parking area is particularly wet with a surface layer of mud, but the ground underneath is firm. Car drivers need to be aware of the mud and the interior cleanliness of their vehicle if this is important. The car parking area is a clearing in a wood and the cars will have to be parked closely to get them all in. 

All people should wear suitable footwear for potentially very wet and possibly muddy ground and have clothing suitable for rain. The grass in the field next to the hedge is long and very wet. As the hedge laying demonstration area is not flat, use of walking poles may be helpful for balance.

After the demonstrations, the car drivers will collect the cars and pick up the passengers at the drop off point and proceed back to the pub.

A buffet lunch will be provided free of charge !

During lunch we will have a Q&A session and ask who would like to join the wood group and for those people take down details of what skills they have and contact info. If there is sufficient interest for a group, we will discuss what the next steps will be.

Hope the weather cheers up a bit for Saturday and look forward to seeing you all there. If you know are not coming for whatever reason, I would appreciate an email from you by 9am Friday morning so that I can confirm lunch numbers with the Crown & Sceptre.

Event Details

We are holding a Woodfuel from Hedges Event on the 24th November to explore whether there is sufficient interest and skills in the local community to set up a Community Firewood Group.

The event will be of interest to people who burn wood for heating their home, for farmers wishing to learn how to manage their hedgerows for wood and nature, for people wanting some winter fresh air and exercise as part of a wood group and for people wanting to learn new skills such as hedge laying.

We will provide:

     1.  Experts from the Devon Rural Skills Trust to talk about and demonstrate the practical aspects of managing  hedges for woodfuel

    2.  An expert from an already set up community firewood group in Bovey who will talk about the Bovey woodfuel group, how they operate, legal, health and safety guidelines, insurance recommendations and requirements and provide an information sheet for woodfuel community group members

There will be one session for the general public to attend from 10am to 1pm

Meet at the pub for an initial talk, then we drive to the hedge for the demonstration, then back to the pub for a wrap-up and lunch. Please bring suitable clothing and footwear for walking along a short steep footpath and through long grass.

Lunch will be available at the pub after the event.

More details will be forthcoming as the event planning takes shape.

Spaces are limited so please book by contacting Charles Mossman through the website. The event will be free of charge, but a small donation to Sustainable Crediton would be appreciated.

And don't forget there are hedge events going on during Devon Hedge Week.

For much more information on hedges go to our own Hedgerow webpages.