Jersey Employment Trust to play "vital role" in planting project

Thursday 08 August 2024

The National Trust has renewed its partnership with the Jersey Employment Trust to maintain recently planted hedges in St Martin.

This collaboration aims to support the heritage organisation’s Hedge Fund project, which has so far planted 70,000 native hedging whips including over 1,000 trees.

The planting project, which was launched in 2019, aims to connect important habitats around Jersey.

The initiative began around field boundaries of land owned by the Jersey Royal Company and has expanded to other areas including Crabbe and between Le Mourier Valley and St John's Village.

The Trust explained that hedges are particularly valuable for increasing biodiversity and supporting various species, especially invertebrates and pollinators.

Conrad Evans, the Hedge Fund project coordinator, gave the JET supervisors and clients background on the Hedge Fund and the history of the work carried out to date, followed by training on how to manage the young plants and use hand tools.

He said "We are delighted to give an opportunity to the team from JET to learn some new skills and play a vital role in the care of this major community project.

"They can take 'ownership' of the area they are focusing on and can show friends and family the results of their labour in the future."

Steve Ball, training and development coordinator, added: "It was a great opportunity to get some of the clients who access Acorn to get involved again in some of the conservation work that is going on around the island with the National Trust.

"To see the benefits of hedge maintenance for people, agriculture and wildlife and work in areas off site as a team is very rewarding for them."