Hedging

How about one of the Cotoneaster family? There's C.integrifolius, or C. nitidus, both evergreen. Variegated Hollies make great hedges, and you can get non-spiky ones - Ilex x altaclerensis. Or - Eleagnus?

I hope that these will give you some ideas to start you off.

Have a look at this site, there is a huge range of products and it is very reasonable, it will also calculate the amount of plants required

http://www.hedgenursery.co.uk/default.asp

Copy and paste into your web browser

I would always suggest Escallonia

Yew is a very good hedging plant and can be kept to 1m high by trimming. It has the advantage that you can cut it right back to the trunks when you want to rejuvenate it and it will sprout from the trunks(obviously, many years down the line for you yet!) It is disease free and will grow in sun or shade. Go to a hedging nursery for best value and buy soon as bare rooted plants, which is also cheaper.
p.s. hollies are not so easy to clip as the leaves get cut in half and can look messy.

Is yew a slow grower though? If you have the time to wait for it to bush out an grow into the shape and height you want you could be waiting form years

berberis is also good,as is hawthorn and blackthorn.
flowers and fruits at different times of the year.

Yew can grow 2 feet in a year, that's not slow. Anyway you have to consider that the faster it grows the more you will have to trim it. I think the look and the trimmability outweigh the slowness.