NATURE and farming are working together in the North Pennines.

Groups of volunteers have been joining North Pennines AONB staff, local farmers, and landowners at locations around the Fellfoot Forward Landscape Partnership Scheme area creating new hedgerows.

The planting started in early December and, so far, over three thousand trees, including species such as hawthorn, holly, hornbeam, and blackthorn, have been planted. These hedgerows will play a crucial role in connecting existing woodland habitats in the Fellfoot Forward LPS area, while providing extra benefits such as natural flood management.

As well as giving nature a helping hand, the new hedgerows and trees are investments in capturing carbon to mitigate against climate change and should put the farms in good stead for the government’s new Environmental Land Management scheme that is currently in development.

Hedges also provide valuable shelter for stock, especially in severe cold, hot, or windy weather (such as the Helm wind).

The planting has been funded by the Fellfoot Forward Environment Grant which has been developed as a source of funding for landowners to help wildlife by conserving, enhancing, and connecting habitats in the Fellfoot Forward area. The first eight environment grants have already created/restored 2.3 kilometres of hedges and there’s more to happen.

Beef and sheep farmers Ian Bell and Rebecca Dicken at Hallbankgate Farm have used the grants to enhance the nature value of their farm as well as benefiting their business. Rebecca said: “The North Pennines AONB Partnership and Fellfoot Forward scheme have helped us to make space for nature on our farm by providing funding to allow us to complete projects we would not currently be able to finance ourselves. Current funded projects we are in the process of putting in include two miles of new mixed native hedging.” Alongside increasing the nature value of the farm, the hedges will also provide direct benefits to stock management through providing shelter, enhanced biosecurity, and extra forage.

The Fellfoot Forward scheme will also facilitate tree maintenance sessions with The Woodland Trust for planting projects that are a few years old. This includes pruning, coppicing, removing tree guards, thinning, and monitoring for disease which give trees a helping hand as they grow towards adolescence.

The volunteers at the first session, at Clement Leazes Farm in Hallbankgate, included a group of six young people from Carlisle Youth Zone who are undertaking conservation work with the Fellfoot Forward LPS as part of their John Muir Award. The award encourages participants to connect with, enjoy, and care for wild places.

The next event will be at Hilltop Farm Gamblesby, tomorrow (Sat), from 10am-3pm. Anyone wishing to take part in the Fellfoot Forward LPS tree planting, can register here: https://bit.ly/FFFTreePlanting