A sunny but cold Saturday on The Common – planting what will become a hedge

Along Frees Avenue towards Rockley, beyond the main Rugby pitches there is now the start of what will become a hedge. A line of small plants that will in years to come form a proper hedge alongside the area that is being ‘trimmed’ to serve as the training area for the younger members of the Marlborough Rugby Club and also the Marlborough Youth Football Club (MYFC).

On Saturday (24 November) whilst many were seeking warmth elsewhere, an intrepid group of ‘planters’ were digging and planting the ‘whips’, a mix of over four hundred holly, hazel, crab apple, downy birch and hawthorne plants, each no more than inches tall, provided by a Woodland Trust grant.

The ‘planters’ were a mix of club members (Marlborough ‘Minis’) and Scouts and the full 420 plants were all in the ground, ready to start growing in just over an hour.

This new ‘screen’ will act as a ‘safety barrier’ between the road and playing area, and when considering the normal conditions on this area of The Common, this mix of trees was selected for their ability to stand harsh weather conditions.

The hedge will take several years, probably up to about seven before anyone will need to come along with the hedge trimmer to keep the height manageable.

The training area has long been under discussion and planning. Originally proposed in 2020 necessary approval from Wiltshire Council and then DEFRA didn’t come through until earlier this year, and then the hedge ‘whips’ needed to be sought as did the large quantity (over 2,000 tonnes) of stone-free soil for this area, which has now been laid by the local earth moving contractors, Earthline of Ogbourne. Critically this all had to be done before the onset of winter, and, if Saturday’s weather was anything to go by, just in time….. Next stage is for this area to be levelled and seeded in the coming Spring.

Then a further year for the seeds to catch and the grass to develop sufficient strength before the area gets used, so a full five years will have elapsed between initial proposal and first booted feet set foot on the new training area.

Howard Wilkinson, Chair of Marlborough Rugby told Marlborough.news: “The planting of the hedgerow serves three purposes: it enhances the environment; engages the town’s youngsters with nature and, in the medium term, will create a natural safety  feature at the edge of the new training area”

The Woodland Trust’s Schools and Community Engagement Manager Karen Letten added:  “Trees create inspiring learning spaces – natural, sustainable, and dynamic outdoor classrooms where youngsters can mix mud with maths and spades with science while connecting with nature and having fun. It’s these experiences that the children will remember well into adulthood.”

Woodland Trust commissioned research shows that primary age children who plant trees felt that they were ‘doing their bit’ to help the environment and remember it as a significant experience. The Trust has over a million saplings to give away each year, thanks to generous funding by lead partners Sainsbury’s, Lloyds Bank, OVO Energy, DFS Furniture, players of People’s Postcode Lottery, Joules, Bank of Scotland and Sofology. Schools and community groups can apply by visiting the Woodland Trust website.