Driffield hosts Hedgelaying competition with thousands watching

With 99 competitors and around 1,500 spectators there was huge interest in the National Hedgelaying Competition which was held in East Yorkshire for the first time in 45 years.
The competition is run by the National Hedgelaying Society, which is dedicated to maintaining the traditional skills of hedgelaying and encouraging the sympathetic management of hedgerows for wildlife and landscape.

The event was hosted by John Fenton at Elmswell Farms, Driffield, with the hedgelayers working in a number of traditional regional styles. Overall winner was Welshman Mark Pritchard.

Mr Fenton said: “People came from all over the country, from Devon and Cornwall, from Northumberland. It was particularly nice to see a number of younger people in their 20s. The oldest was 83. They had 10 metres to lay between 9am and 2pm in the afternoon when the judging took place. It was a gorgeous day and a great occasion. All the competitors I spoke to were very positive about it all.”