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The Story of a Special Hedge: A Community Millennium feature for Lynsted.
Planting a special hedge for the Millennium was one of several ideas being considered by Lynsted Parish Council in the spring of 1997. Others included establishing a ‘green’, a ‘wood’, and preparing a village design statement. The Hedge idea was chosen, and offers of a suitable site were invited via a notice in the parish News Letter. As a result, Eddie and Barbara Read kindly offered to accommodate the hedge alongside a sheep fence they were planning to replace on one side of their orchard field at Cambridge Lane. This site had the advantage of running alongside the Lane, and therefore being freely accessible to public view.
The Hedge Team (Cllrs. Fiona Jones, Frank Champion, Tom English and Bob Baxter) obtained hedge-planting advice from David Terry of the Kent Rural Community Council and particularly from Faversham-based environmental expert Martin Hall. Clearance was obtained from Kent Highways. Funding was obtained from Rural Action for the Environment, via KRCC, and from The Lynsted Branch of the Association of Men of Kent and Kentish Men. On 10th December 1997, we took delivery of 1,400 50cm high plants, representing 14 species of shrubs and trees native to Kent (see the separate Species List). It was a cold, damp day and project co-ordinator Bob Baxter worried about frost damage to the exposed roots, and whether volunteers would want to turn out to help in such conditions!  His fears were unfounded: the weather brightened up on the following day, Roy Taylor kindly dug us a trench with his JCB, Kay Prescott provided horse litter mulch (and timely cups of tea!) - and two dozen adults from the community, and beyond, pitched in to plant the trees. On the second day, practically the whole of Lynsted and Norton Primary School arrived in smart ‘crocodiles’, with headteacher Mrs Cooper and her staff leading their infant ‘army’. Everyone was able to plant at least one shrub.
The plan was to allow the 170m (180 yd) hedge to develop naturally, as an informal display of plants traditionally seen in the local hedgerows. We realised that not all of the plants would survive, because of mutual competition, and occasional failure to ‘take’, but we hoped that most of the original 14 species would be represented when the Hedge reached maturity. The intention was to include some trees. These would grow up through, and above, the hedge. So we planted groups of three oak, ash and hornbeam specimens at approximately ten metre intervals. (See the separate description of traditional uses of the different species).
Thanks to a wet winter, most plants became well established. The new fence protected the plants from the browsing sheep. There was, unfortunately, some theft of some of the more ‘saleable’ plants, and tree-marker stakes were uprooted. By and large, however, vandalism proved not as damaging as some had gloomily predicted.
In subsequent seasons, the hedge ‘filled out’, thankfully with no lasting gaps.
When Millennium Year arrived, the parish council arranged for an inaugural ‘launch’ to take place on May 5th, 2000. Local residents, borough and county representatives, and all those who had helped in the project, were invited. Children of Lynsted and Norton School gave a display of country dancing, and read out poems they had composed for the occasion. Special commemorative mugs were awarded to every child at the school. A beautiful sunny afternoon ended with an address by the parish council chairman, Tom English. A special inscribed plaque, on a timber support kindly supplied by Frank Champion, was unveiled. Shell Employee Action provided funding for the mugs and literature, and a grant was obtained from Swale Borough Council. The images of the day were recorded on ‘Faversham 2000: a Millennium Video’, and by the local Press. We have photos of progress since 1997 here.
As the hedge developed, the shrubs began to flower and produce fruit. Pupils from the school paid visits to study plant identification. The Hedge Team dealt with any routine maintenance. This included, in due course, selecting the most vigourous specimen in each of the groups of three trees, and removing the others. In 2003 the hedge received its first trim - along the lane-side face. A year later the contractor agreed to cut along both sides – and along the top. The aim of this was to encourage lower growth and so prevent the hedge becoming ‘leggy’ at the base. It also allowed the tree specimens to ‘grow away’ from the competing lower shrubs.
At the time of posting, the hedge is in excellent shape: all species are represented, all are producing flower and fruit in season. The display of cascading dog roses, and delicate ‘plates’ of guelder-rose flowers have been particularly impressive in 2004. All three species of tree are growing up at intervals along the hedge (although we avoided planting these under the power line at the west end). These will provide different habitats for wildlife, as well as higher ‘song posts’ for birds.
 In all, the Community Millennium Hedge has achieved its aim of providing a living and lasting feature to mark the arrival of the Third Millennium: a distinctive part of the parish scene that will be there in years to come. Perhaps some of those young planters of 1997 will bring their children (and grandchildren?) to admire ‘their’ hedge!
Bob Baxter, Parish councillor and project coordinator.
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