14 March 2024
Grants of up to £5000 are on offer in the North York Moors National Park for the creation and management of hedgerows and the repair of dry stone walls.
The application window for the 2024 Traditional Boundary Fund is now open. The scheme is designed to help farmers and landowners restore these essential features of the countryside, which provide a habitat for wildlife alongside containing livestock. Both hedges and dry stone walls form an important part of the landscape and character of the North York Moors.
Elspeth Ingleby, Senior Ecologist at the National Park Authority, explained:
“Hedgerows provide a home, corridor and important food-source for birds and wild pollinators, but they also help prevent soil erosion, capture and store carbon, reduce flood risk and lessen the amount of pollutants that enter rivers. And while dry stone walls might not seem like an obvious haven for wildlife, their nooks and crannies provide ideal microclimates for a wide range of plants and animals including insects, amphibians, reptiles and small mammals.”
The Traditional Boundary Fund (TBF) is aimed at boundaries in the North York Moors that aren’t already in receipt of funding from other sources and priority is given to boundaries with high visibility and historic or environmental interest. The grants can be used to restore hedgerows using traditional methods such as laying and coppicing, as well as for planting new hedges and the repair or restoration of drystone walls.
Land Managers looking at carrying out larger scale boundary works are also encouraged to contact the National Park Authority to discuss the potential for separate, standalone projects.
For more information and application forms for the Traditional Boundary Fund, please visit northyorkmoors.org.uk/tbf, or email tbf@northyorkmoors.org.uk. The same email address can be used to enquire about larger projects.
The application window for the Traditional Boundary Fund for 2024 closes on 30 April.
ENDS
Media contact
Nina Beadle
Communications Officer, North York Moors National Park Authority
press@northyorkmoors.org.uk
01439 772577
The North York Moors National Park
The North York Moors is a beautiful landscape of stunning moorland, ancient woodland and historic sites. Created on 28 November 1952, it became Britain’s sixth national park. Covering an area of 554 square miles (1,436 square kilometres) the National Park has 26 miles of coastline, two national nature reserves, 840 Scheduled Monuments and over 3,000 listed buildings, attracting an estimated 8.4 million visitors a year.
The National Park has two visitor centres, Danby Lodge National Park Centre and Sutton Bank National Park Centre, providing opportunities for cycling, walking, eating, picnicking, shopping, crafts and wildlife-watching. The centre in Danby also houses the Inspired by… gallery, which features regularly changing exhibitions by artists who draw their inspiration from the North York Moors.
The North York Moors National Park Authority works with a wide variety of people to care for this beautiful corner of Yorkshire, providing apprenticeships and volunteering opportunities with nearly 14% of staff being apprentices from local families.