Browse a range of Workshops & Courses

Country Skills & Crafts

The range of rustic country craft products produced are made from woodland material gathered and coppiced locally and include Woven Arch’s, Wattle Hurdles, Beadles (wooden hammers), Obelisk/Plant Supports, Cheese Boards, Cake Stands, Birch Hearts, Wooden Tea Light Candle Holders, Wreaths, Table Decorations plus much more.

All products are bespoke.

Surrey Hills Enterprises

Hedges & Hurdles are proud to have been awarded Trade Mark Surrey Hills an accreditation awarded by Surrey Hills Enterprises and is a Mark of outstanding local provenance, quality and sustainability.

The awarding body, Surrey Hills Enterprises works with local businesses to support the rural economy and to promote, protect and enhance the beautiful Surrey Hills.

Paul Matthews

Paul Matthews is a registered and active member of the South of England Hedgelaying Society and the National Hedge Laying Society of England & Wales. An active participant in Regional and National Hedgelaying competitions Paul was awarded the title of National Champion in 2012, 2014, 2015 and 2017 and was also very proud to be awarded Supreme Champion status in 2015.

In February 2022 Paul participated in the South of England Hedgelaying Societies annual competition and was the proud winner of the South of England Championship Cup from the Champions Class!

Paul is also highly skilled at Hurdle-making, an age-old practice of ‘weaving’ cleft hazel rods through upright hazel rods, the method varies throughout the UK. Hurdles are used as a rustic and practical and attractive alternative to modern-day fencing panels.

Traditional coppicing, hedgelaying and wattle hurdle courses are available via Hedges and Hurdles on selected weekends during the winter months starting in October through to the end of March.

Lorraine Ellery Matthews

Lorraine has spent the majority of her career working in senior commercial roles within the publishing industry and now manages all aspects of Hedges & Hurdles business including PR, Marketing, Finance and everything relating to running a small business!

Lorraine is skilled at making handmade crafts from wood she coppices and harvests locally and combines these skill with her experience and ability to deliver personable, varied and interesting workshops and training courses for all.

Debbie Whittenbury

Debbie has been working to support Lorraine and the business since 2017 delivering workshops, mainly for larger groups. Debbie studied textile design at Buckinghamshire School of Art and went on to design fabrics for the fashion industry. Debbie has travelled extensively; her love of design has grown and been influenced by her travel across South East Asia, Africa and Europe. Debbie has worked for the past 19 years as a Design & Sales Consultant at Domus, an innovative and design led tile supplier, where she can be working on projects as small as a kitchen splashback to a full house refurbishment or creating bespoke interiors for restaurants worldwide.

It is so important to teach heritage crafts, to pass on our knowledge and keep these skills alive. We use traditional materials, natural resources including Hazel and Willow to create our crafts. The majority of what we use we coppice ourselves, with the help on occasions from volunteers!We can honestly say that our activities are environmentally beneficial and really help increase the biodiversity in the woodland environments where we work.
Lorraine & Paul Matthews