We moved into our South Norfolk home in 1978. The plot is roughly rectangular, about 30y x 100y, with a perimeter of some 260y. Over the years we have let hedges emerge at the border, where previously there was a mix of fencing and very old bits of hedge and brambles. By 2015 the result was a very poor quality hedge boundary, of very mixed age and type, full of bramble and old fencing remains, and totally out of control. Not really fit for hedge laying at all: most professional hedge layers would not have taken it on. But having spotted Alison's advert for Huxley Hedges, we called her up and having looked at it she agreed to have a go at a trial section on the west boundary. It was very tough going, but Alison did a great job. There were some gaps to be filled where the brambles had taken over completely, but overall the result was very satisfactory and a new generation of controllable hedging is emerging. The appearance of the boundary is immediately improved by the use of the traditional stakes and binders to guide the new generation of hedging.
Over some 3-4 years Alison has completely restored our 260 yards of boundary hedges, which not only look much better but are also much easier to manage. You need to book Alison well in advance, but she keeps to the dates whatever the weather, working sometimes through very heavy rain. A true mixture of fieldworker and artist.

We first came across Alison when Kenninghall Lands Trust arranged some open days to start laying a community hedge. Alison was a great teacher and had much enthusiasm for her profession. When we moved across the border, to a smallholding in Weybread, it was a no-brainer to ask Alison to lay some of our hedges for us to create stock proof hedges for our livestock and to create wildlife corridors and bird nesting sites for farmland birds. Alison has laid about 230 m of hedge for us over the last couple of years and the improvement is amazing. The latest hedge has many challenges and she has happily laid field maple trees, elm, crab apple as well as the usual thorny growths of hawthorn and blackthorn. She has never complained about the volumes of rose and bramble that needed to be dealt with prior to laying. We would thoroughly recommend Alison for your hedging needs.

I love spending time outdoors in the countryside. I also love gardening so when the opportunity came to try out hedgelaying, I was excited! At first I thought how easy it looked - just chopping a few branches but I soon realised that there is definitely an art and skill to it! The day helped with my mental wellbeing. Being out in the fresh air, I forgot everything that was going on in my personal life as I concentrated on laying each branch into place. It certainly helped me to unwind and rethink things differently, putting things into perspective. Looking at the hedge once laid, it’s certainly a piece of art.

Alison was a knowledgeable tutor with a passion for nature and the environment and this came across during our session together. Alison took the time to show and explain how a hedge is properly laid and answer any questions. She was happy to let me have a go and help me cut the trees correctly and have a hands on experience. I am currently enrolled on a Conservation Studies course and it was hugely beneficial to put the theory of hedgerow laying into practice. If you are interested in laying a hedge correctly, or want to do something different and get your hands dirty, I can recommend you and a friend have a day with Alison.