The Annual Hedge Event — 2010

This year's event will be on Saturday 13th March.

The venue will be Hare Lane, Buckland St. Mary, Chard, Somerset.

By kind permission of Mr Marcus Lury

The BHHA hedge event is a hedgelaying competition but with many other attractions and activities included. This year there will be good hot food, stalls with local goods, tools and outdoor machinery. An expert guide will be on hand to talk you through the Devon style of hedgelaying and what the competitors are doing. We hope to have other styles being demonstrated, along with hurdle making, green wood working and a turf bank being constructed. A wildlife walk, raffle and local information stalls add to the event.

There is also a baking competition open for anyone to enter. More details below.

Hedgelaying Competition

There will be four classes in the competition: pairs, novice, intermediate, and open.

Prizes

Prizes will be awarded for 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th places in all competitions.

Open Class 1st £40 & the Percy Duck Challenge Cup
2nd£30, 3rd £20, 4th £10
Intermediate 1st £35 & the Dugdale Cup
2nd£25, 3rd £15, 4th £5
Novice 1st £30 & Trophy
2nd£20, 3rd £10, 4th £5
Pairs 1st £30 & Trophy
2nd£20, 3rd £10, 4th £5

A cutting fee of £15 will be given to all competitors/pairs (including prizewinners) who complete their allocated section of hedge.

Each competitor will also be given a food voucher for lunch.

Other Prizes

  • The John Coombes Memorial Shield will be awarded to the best competitor aged under 19 years.
  • The Natwest Cup will be awarded to the best YFC competitor.
  • A special cup will be presented to teh best local competitor living withing the boundaries of the Blackdown Hills AONB.
  • A special cup will be presented to the best lady competitor in any class.
  • The Roger Vickery Regrowth Cup will be presented to the competitor/pair in last year's event judged to have laid the hedge showing the best regrowth.

Entering

Sorry, but the closing date for entries has now passed.

Directions

This map shows the location of this year's competition (grid reference ST 295 154).

If you are travelling from the south side of the site we recommend that you follow the route shown in red on the map. The site can be accessed by leaving the A303 at Eagle Cross and entering Hare Lane from its western end but the lanes are very narrow and passing is difficult.

Apart from the hedging competition, there will be trade stands, rural crafts, demonstrations and refreshments legendary Smeatharpe W.I.

Baking Competition

The baking competition is open to all so why not have a go!

The competition will be judged on the day and cups will be presented to the winners of classes one to six and vouchers for juniors. Entries must be added to the competition are by 12:45PM. Judging will start at 1pm. No entries should be removed until after the prize giving.

The classes are:

  1. Blackberry & Apple Pie
  2. Raised Savoury Pie
  3. Blackdown Apple Cake (using recipe below)
  4. Blackdown Scones (using recipe below)
  5. 1lb Jar "Hedgerow" Jam
  6. Homity Pie (using home made pastry)

For children aged 11 years and under: class 1J - 6 Iced Fairy Cakes, and 2J - 6 biscuits of your own choice.

Competition Recipes

Blackdown Apple Cake
Cream together 8oz (250g) hard block margarine and 8oz (250g) caster sugar. Fold in two beaten eggs. Sieve together and fold in 8oz (250g) plain flour, 1½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda, 1 level teaspoon of cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ginger. Fold in 8oz (250g) Apple Puree and add 3oz (100g) raisins and 3oz (110g) chopped walnuts. Pile into an 8 inch greased and lined tin and cook at gas mark 4 (180°C/350°F) for one hour. Cool for 15 minutes before turning out. Dust with icing sugar.

Blackdown Scones
Sieve together 8oz (250g) self raising flour, ½ teaspoon baking powder & a pinch of salt. Rub in 2oz (65g) hard block margarine. Mix in 1oz (32g) caster sugar and 5 fluid ozs half milk/half water to form fairly moist mixture. Roll out to 8 scones any shape. Rest 15 minutes, bake at gas mark 7 (220°C/425°F) for 12-14 minutes.
Eat 2 as only 6 are required for the competition!

What's the Blackdown Hills Hedge Event all about?

You may never have visited a hedging competition before and might like a bit of background information to familiarise yourself with exactly why we have them and how hedgelaying is judged.

The hedging event is a really good way to drum up some friendly competition between hedgers of all abilities. It enables the professionals to show what they can do and is one way in which less experienced hedgers can enhance their skills at a more social level. A competition such as this also helps keep this important traditional craft alive.

Competitors draw lots to decide the section ("length") of hedge they will lay. The actual amount of hedge varies with the class of the competition; normally the novice class will lay seven metres, intermediates nine, and the open eleven.

The hedgelaying takes place from mid morning to mid afternoon after which the judging takes place. Prizes are awarded later in the afternoon once the judging is complete.

The competitors use natural crooks and binders to secure the laid hedge and consideration is given to those using hand tools only rather than chainsaws.

The judges will allocate points for various aspects of the hedge and work done on it. The main categories are:

  • Quality of cutting and the finish of the cuts themselves.
  • Selection and use of crooks and the overall strength of the resulting hedge.
  • General appearance of the finished hedge and tidyness of the working area.

Sponsors

The event is generously supported in 2010 by