The Hampshire Hedge launched with chance to double donations
PUBLISHED ON: 19 APRIL 2023Press release from CPRE Hampshire
The Hampshire Hedge is an ambitious new initiative by local countryside charity, CPRE Hampshire, to connect Hampshire’s two National Parks, the South Downs National Park and the New Forest National Park, with a nature recovery corridor of hedgerow.
As part of the launch, the project has been selected as one of only 150 charities across the UK to take part in the ‘Big Give Green Match Campaign’. Any charity donations for The Hampshire Hedge from 20 to 27 April are matched by the Big Give and doubled.
Hedgerows play an enormously important role in boosting biodiversity, capturing carbon, improving food production and enhancing our rural community. The countryside has lost over half of all hedgerows since 1945 and CPRE Hampshire believe it’s time to turn this around. The charity has already worked for several years on restoration of hedgerows across the Hampshire countryside, educating and working with local communities, schools, landowners and farmers. The Hampshire Hedge will wind its way through the central heart of Hampshire parishes and link woodlands, meadows, local nature reserves and Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs). It will start from Copythorne in the New Forest and finish at Compton, on the edge of the South Downs, near Winchester.
Ellie Banks, Hedgerow Officer at CPRE Hampshire, explains: ‘The Hampshire Hedge offers communities a great opportunity to work together to restore and plant hedges in their local areas. We provide training on the traditional crafts of hedgelaying and offer some great resources to help communities learn surveying and hedgerow management to achieve the full benefits of their rich offerings.’
Boyd McCleary, Vice Chair of CPRE Hampshire, went on to explain why the Big Green Match Campaign, was so important: ‘We were certainly delighted to be selected to take part in the fund match campaign. As a charity, we rely on donations to be able to deliver on work for our local countryside and this means that any donations we receive from individuals, communities and local businesses, will be matched and doubled. The Hampshire Hedge is not just ambitious but it’s vital to our work in the Hampshire countryside. We would urge people to make their donations between 12 noon on 20 April and 12 noon on 27 April so we can fully make use of the funding opportunity.’
Prof. Gavin Parker, Chair of the New Forest National Park Authority says: “Around about 40% of the South of England is a protected landscape, and the project that CPRE has announced, linking both the South Downs and New Forest National Park together by way of hedgerows is a really great symbolic as well as material benefit to nature and biodiversity, and it really reflects the way in which the South Downs and the New Forest are working together in partnership along with other national parks to really hit those 30 x 30 targets and to make sure our environment and this country is enjoyed by all.”
Vanessa Rowlands, Chair of the South Downs National Park Authority says: “In the South Downs National Park a large part of our park is in Hampshire, we’re part of that 40% of Hampshire that are protected landscapes. The CPRE’s project of joining the two National Parks, the New Forest and the South Downs with these hedgerows is just such an inspiring idea. We’ve always wanted to have a closer link with the New Forest, and we can do it physically and environmentally for the wildlife. So we’re really excited about it!”
Donations can be made online at https://donate.biggive.org/campaign/a056900002PonpKAAR.
To find out more about CPRE Hampshire hedgerow work and The Hampshire Hedge you can visit the website or email ellie.banks@cprehampshire.org.uk.
About CPRE Hampshire
CPRE Hampshire is the countryside charity that campaigns to promote, enhance and protect the countryside for everyone’s benefit, wherever they live. We work with communities, businesses and local government to find positive and lasting ways to help the countryside thrive – today and for generations to come.
For more information about CPRE Hampshire, please visit www.cprehampshire.org.uk.
For more information and resources on hedgerows and the work of CPRE Hampshire, please visit www.cprehampshire.org.uk/what-we-care-about/hedgerows/
For more information on the importance of hedgerows please visit https://www.cprehampshire.org.uk/news/why-hedgerows-are-so-vital/
How to donate
The Hampshire Hedge Big Give Green Match donations can be made online at: https://donate.biggive.org/campaign/a056900002PonpKAAR
The Big Green Match Fund will only match and double donations in accordance with the following rules:
– donations must be placed online via the Big Give website https://donate.biggive.org/campaign/a056900002PonpKAAR
– donations must be made between 12 noon 20 April and 12 noon 27 April.
