On 21 July 2021 CPRE launched a national campaign championing the humble hedgerow and CPRE Northamptonshire is keen to support this campaign locally.  Hedgerows are the unsung heroes of the countryside.  They have been a defining attribute of the landscapes around us for over a thousand years, while providing pathways, shelter and sustenance for wildlife, protecting the soil, cleaning the air and absorbing carbon emissions.  But we’ve lost half our hedgerows since 1945, intensifying nature's decline and hindering the fight against climate change.  We can turn this around.  If we start planting and restoring 1000s of miles of hedgerows every year, we can save and restore these humble heroes of the countryside, providing a home for wildlife and helping to fight climate change.  But this needs the government to lead.  According to the independent Climate Change Committee we need a 40% increase by 2050 at the latest.  This means over 4,000 miles of new and restored hedgerows every year, starting right now.