Hedgerow Heroes
Hedging towards a thriving future
Biodiversity is declining. According to the latest State of Nature report, 12% of species are threatened with extinction across Northern Ireland.
In response, Eco-Schools Northern Ireland has partnered with Pilgrim’s Europe to host the Hedgerow Heroes programme, which aims to help re-wild school grounds for good and create a hedgerow that establishes wildlife corridors that connect habitats and nature across the island.
Two years of Hedgerow Heroes
In 2024 and 2025, 11 schools won a native hedgerow for their school grounds, alongside a series of supporting workshops hosted by Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful's Biodiversity Team.
Over the last two years 22 schools have planted over 400 metres of native hedge species, adding to our biodiversity network, connecting habitats and allowing wildlife to expand their breeding and feeding grounds. These hedgerows are vitally important for providing food and shelter for wildlife and pollinators, as well as acting as excellent carbon stores when they mature.
This year, 2025 we have over 230 students participating in the scheme aged 8 to 18.
Hedgerow Winners
Hedging towards a thriving future
- Session 1 – Select where to plant your hedge and Workshop on Tree ID (Nov 24 - Jan 25).
- Session 2 – Hedgerow planting session and Workshop on Biodiversity and Habitats (Jan/Feb 25).
- Session 3 – Citizen Science Session with Workshop on Bird ID or similar (Big Garden Bird Watch) (Feb/Mar 25).
Each school will receive a 20-metre long native hedgerow, which will be planted by the students, and educational, hedgerow-themed signage as a complement to the project.
Selected schools will also have a further visit in the following year of the programme, to provide ongoing advice and support on management and maintenance of their hedge.
Apply to become a local hedgend!
Applications for Hedgerows Heroes will be open later this year so keep an eye on our social media for alerts!
Please read the Hedgerow Heroes terms and conditions before starting your application. Good luck!
Download application form (We advise that you download and save this document to your own computer before filling it in.)
All applications must be submitted via email to amber.mulholland@keepnorthernirelandbeautiful.org
Please note: All schools in Northern Ireland are eligible for the project. However, due to the physical nature of some elements of the field work, the smallest classroom age for an application is P5+.
Multiple submissions from the same school are allowed, but no more than one class (or an amalgamated group of 30 students) will be able to participate in the project.
Please be aware that preference will be given to schools with an area of natural environment nearby, such as a woodland, park or garden, as this is where the hedgerows will have the highest benefit for biodiversity recovery by extending and connecting habitat
Hedgerow heroics
Hedgerows are important habitats. Not only do hedgerows provide shelter and food for many species of mammals, birds and insects, but some hedgerows have been found to host more species of plants than corresponding woodland and grassland. Further benefits include:
- Wildlife corridors that allow dispersal between otherwise isolated habitats
- Ecosystem services such as carbon capture, air and water filtration, pest control, crop pollination, and the reduction of soil erosion and flooding
- Navigation aids for many species of bats that can even allow them to extend their foraging and roosting capacity
However, throughout the 20th century, many hedgerows have been removed in rural areas (approximately 118,000 miles of hedgerow in the UK), and also increasingly in urban areas, where it is now uncommon to see a native hedgerow providing a boundary.
The new hedgerows that we plant will act as a way of connecting isolated habitats together as a nature recovery network. With time, they will also act as excellent places for education and provide opportunities for wild foraging.
Growing hedgerows into tomorrow
The Hedgerow Heroes project is funded by Pilgrim's Europe, and over the full three years of the programme will see Eco-Schools work with 33 schools across Northern Ireland to creating hundreds of metres of hedgerows and habitats for nature.
Got a question?
Let us know if we can assist with extra information on the project or application process here.
