GBDH is bringing people together to tackle climate change and restore nature.
A Dorset-wide effort
The GBDH project is working across all of Dorset to improve and expand hedgerows, one of the most effective natural tools for supporting wildlife, storing carbon, and connecting fragmented habitats. Here we highlight just two major initiatives, but our work spans the entire county. We support hedgerow enhancement on every scale, from the smallest smallholding to the largest estate.
To deliver this, we are currently mobilising around 200 active volunteers and engaging with 120 farmers on a continuous and sustained basis. As our work has grown, we have evolved from being a purely volunteer-run initiative to one supported by part-time Operations Managers. These experienced volunteers are now contracted to coordinate the programme, schedule survey and planting work, support volunteers, and build trusted relationships with farmers.
“With GBDH I benefited from the fresh air and exercise, and gained a sense of friendship and well-being while achieving a worthwhile goal. Now that I work for the charity, I see the wider picture of environmental and community benefits, but also the hard work and dedication it takes to deliver surveys, reporting and planting projects.” - Helen Kemm, long-time GBDH volunteer and now GBDH contractor
Working in the Brit Catchment: The Brit Valley Project and GBDH
The Brit Valley Project, led by Dr Sam Rose of West Dorset Wilding, embodies a bold ambition: to restore nature at a landscape scale, to support sustainable farming, and to strengthen the public’s connection with the natural world. Drawing on DEFRA funding, the project brings together farmers, landowners, and local communities.
GBDH hopes to play an increasing role in this landscape approach. Within the Brit catchment we have already established strong early partnerships, the largest of which is with the Symondsbury Estate.
Symondsbury Estate
We began hedgerow surveys at Symondsbury in February 2025, producing our first report, covering 5 km by the end of May. Through the summer we carried out five to six surveys each month, and to date we have surveyed 39 km of hedgerows.
In total, the Symondsbury effort has already involved over 400 volunteer hours, supported by more than 40 hours of scheduling and coordination by Helen Kemm, one of our part-time specialist coordinators. The next phase will involve planting up gaps and establishing new hedgerows requiring many more volunteer hours and further oversight.
The wider Brit Valley Project covers dozens of farms and is expected to encompass around 500 km of hedgerows. Each of these deserves a full survey so that enhancement and restoration can be targeted and effective.
“The Great Big Dorset Hedge Project has been brilliant here. It has got people fascinated with hedges, bushes, trees and the wildlife in and around them. They have done something really useful for us and for the nation and they deserve our thanks.” - Sir Philip Colfox, owner of the Symondsbury Estate
Hurst Farm, Moreton: A Farmer-Led Push for Hedgerow Recovery
At Hurst Farm, farmer Matt Chandler asked us to survey his hedgerows as part of his participation in the Sustainable Farming Incentive, which requires baseline hedgerow assessments. We began in November 2024 and, by January 2025, had delivered a report covering 11 km of hedgerows. Impressed by the results, Matt commissioned a full-farm survey, bringing the total up to 19 km.
Within these hedgerows, we identified 500 metres of significant gaps. To our surprise, and delight, Matt committed to planting all of them in a single year. This November, his farm became the site of the largest hedge-planting project our volunteers have ever undertaken. We have already planted nearly half the gaps, with Matt’s family set to complete the rest over Christmas.
“Thanks to the project the volunteers achieved remarkable results in planting hedges at Hurst Farm, significantly enhancing our landscape and environment.” - Matthew Chandler, Hurst Farm, Moreton
Why Hedgerows Matter—and Why GBDH’s Work Is Vital
In 2021, then Environment Minister George Eustice described hedgerows as “probably the most important ecological building block in the farmed landscape.” We agree!
By restoring, expanding, and reconnecting Dorset’s hedgerows, the GBDH Project is:
- Supporting biodiversity
- Improving soil health
- Capturing carbon
- Helping farms adapt to climate change
- Strengthening rural communities through volunteering and collaboration
- Supporting nature recovery by providing habitat, food sources and corridors between habitats
Across the Brit Valley, at Hurst Farm, and throughout Dorset, our work is placing hedgerows firmly at the centre of nature recovery, powered by hundreds of local volunteers and farmers working side by side.
If you are inspired by the crucial contribution hedgerows make to the ecology of the farmed landscape you could join those volunteers and participate at whatever level suits you. Training is provided and you are sure to be spending time with like-minded people.
For more Information and to sign up as a volunteer go to: