Retired teacher Freda Drake is doing her bit towards preserving Britain's disappearing hedge-rows.

She has been awarded a £700 grant to help pay for a wildlife project at the farm where she lives in Upper Headley, Thornton.

Miss Drake said she was delighted to be awarded the money by Bradford Environmental Action Trust as part of the Government's Landfill Tax scheme.

"It's very pleasing to see it happening even though it could take up to about five years for the hedge to take properly," she said.

The idea came about two years ago when her nephew Christopher Drake, who farms at Upper Headley, suggested planting hedges.

"It's partly from an environmental point of view because hedges are badly needed but also he was continually having to do fencing to prevent animals getting in," said Miss Drake.

In all, about 1,400 plants have been planted - 1,170 hawthorn and smaller numbers of other types, including common ash, copper beech, dog rose. Twenty trees, including oak, ash and maple were also planted and fencing work has also been carried out as part of the project, with nearly all the planting being carried out in a single day by volunteers.

Jim Flanagan, hedgerows policy officer for the Council for the Protection of Rural England, today welcomed the success of Miss Drake's scheme,

"There's been a long decline in the number of hedgerows in Britain and that's basically because of a lack of general management," he said.

"Also there is the fact that since the war, intensive farming has taken its toll on hedgerows because they are a barrier to efficient farming techniques."

Mr Flanagan said disappearing hedgerows were bad news for wildlife, in particular birds.

"In many agricultural areas, hedgerows are the only habitat that wildlife can exist in," he said.

Latest statistics show there has been a huge drop in the number of yellowhammers, tree sparrows and song thrushes.

l Extra protection for hedgerows has been proposed by the Government following a review of existing safeguards.

In response to a written question by Bradford West Labour MP Marsha Singh, the Environment Minister Michael Meacher announced yesterday the key recommendations of a new report by a group set up to review regulations on protecting hedgerows.

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