National Tree Week

November marks the start of the annual tree planting season when thousands of trees and hedgerows are planted by nature conservationists and tree-lovers.

Today let's focus on Bideford's iconic Wonky Conker which still stands tall with a little helping hand. It is perfectly positioned on Kinglsey Road just beyond the Burton Art Gallery and Museum by the entrance to Victoria Park beside the Charles Kingsley Statue on Bideford Quay.

The Wonky Conker ‘The Helping Hand’, by local artist and wood carver John Butler , was commissioned by Torridge District Council some 20 years ago.  The metal prop is covered to look like a log wrist, with oak used to carve the hand & fingers. John Butler was also the curator at Bideford's Burton Art Gallery for 30 years and now continues his art from Bideford Pannier Market.

Photos of the Wonky Conker'Helping Hand' copyright Pat Adams North Devon Focus

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National Tree Week runs from 22nd November – 30th November

"National Tree Week, brought to you by The Tree Council and partners, brings together the conservation sector, volunteers and tree-lovers to mark the start of the annual tree planting season by planting thousands of trees and hedgerows and celebrating these magnificent mainstays of our landscapes." (tree council.org.uk)

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Finding the Right Rhythm: How Music Brings Connection to a North Devon Nursing Home

At Heanton Nursing Home in Braunton, music isn’t just background noise, it’s a source of comfort and connection.

For family members living with a Dementia, the right song can create a sense of calm, familiarity and belonging, moments that lift the atmosphere and bring people together. Robin Mitchell, who leads regular sing-alongs at the home, has seen first-hand how powerful music can be, and how important it is to get it right.

The music filling the lounge at Heanton might surprise people. Rather than relying on traditional wartime tunes, the playlists are shaped around the eras that today’s older adults grew up with - the 1960s and 70s.

Research into dementia and the brain has shown that the music people listen to in their teens and twenties tends to stay with them throughout life. According to Dementia UK, those years form strong emotional connections in the brain, meaning familiar songs from that period can create a sense of comfort and recognition, even decades later.

For Heanton’s family members, that means the sound of Sweet Caroline (released in 1969), ABBA, or Tom Jones is often what gets toes tapping and faces lighting up. Music from that era isn’t just nostalgic, it’s part of peoples lived experience, connected to the times they were working, raising families or even dancing at the weekend.

“When the right song comes on, you can see the change,” says Robin. “Someone who’s quiet might start tapping their feet, moving with the rhythm or joining in with a few words. It’s like the music gives everyone a lift.” 

Studies by the NHS, Dementia UK and Alzheimer’s Society have long supported this approach, showing that familiar, preferred music can help reduce anxiety, encourage communication and social interaction, and promote a sense of wellbeing. It can also offer peace and comfort at more reflective moments.

Robin adds, “Even a song that brings a tear can be a positive thing, it helps people express how they feel. Everyone connects to music in their own way, and that’s what makes it special.”

Music plays an important role at Heanton. As a complex care home, someone’s feelings is an important part of truly understanding each person they support. Noticing the small things, tuning into emotions, and anticipating needs long before they’re expressed. Robin’s singalongs are a perfect example of this approach, using music to reach family members on an emotional level, helping them create moments of connection and enjoyment that feel familiar, personal and real.

To find out more about the care and support offered at Heanton Nursing Home, visit Dementia, Complex, Respite, and Residential Care in Devon

New report finds return of wildcats to South West England is feasible

A new report published today reveals that the South West of England could support a reintroduction of European wildcats after more than a 100-year absence from the area, marking a vital next step in helping to secure the future of the UK’s most critically endangered mammal.

The study finds that a sustainable population of wildcats could flourish in the South West and that 80% of people surveyed in the region were positive about their reintroduction.

 

The comprehensive two-year investigation, undertaken by the South West Wildcat Project – a partnership of organisations led by Devon Wildlife Trust which includes Forestry England and the Derek Gow Consultancy – concentrated its analysis on four main aspects of wildcat reintroduction: 1) impacts on people and communities; 2) impacts on other wildlife; 3) impacts on farming livestock and pets; and 4) the long-term sustainability of a wildcat population after reintroduction. The report’s full findings can be read at www.devonwildlifetrust.org/south-west-wildcat-project

 

European wildcats – historically also known as ‘woodcats’ – were once widespread in the South West, along with many other parts of England, Scotland and Wales. However, centuries of persecution, plus the loss and fragmentation of their favoured woodland and rough grassland habitats saw them disappear across much of their range. The South West’s last wildcats are thought to have survived until the mid-nineteenth century.

 

Devon Wildlife Trust’s Cath Jeffs is South West Wildcat Project lead. Cath said:

 

“It’s exciting that this report suggests wildcats could be part of the region’s nature once again. The return of this critically endangered species would be another step in the restoration of our native wildlife and will help re-balance local ecosystems.

 

Wildcats were once a widespread part of our countryside and today they remain an important part of woodlands throughout continental Europe including Germany, France, Spain and Italy.

 

A lot of work remains to be done before the first wildcats could be released in the South West. Honest and open dialogue with stakeholders will be key to making sure the species and local communities could thrive alongside one another in the future.”

 

Today the UK’s only remaining wildcats live in the Highlands of Scotland. Despite being given protected status in 1988 wildcats are now classed as ‘critically endangered’ and at risk of extinction with as few as 115 individuals remaining in the wild. The Saving Wildcats project was established in 2020 to reinforce the animal’s numbers in Scotland.

 

In response to the animal’s precarious situation, previous preliminary research into restoring wildcats beyond their Scottish base by the Vincent Wildlife Trust (VWT) concluded that the South West may provide the best combination of conditions needed to re-establish the native animal in England.

 

The South West Wildcat Project was therefore established in 2023 to investigate the feasibility of a reintroduction to the region. Its report, published today, concludes:

 

• The South West contains enough woodland cover connected by other suitable habitat to support a sustainable wildcat population. It highlights a well-connected landscape of habitat across mid Devon as potentially the most suitable for reintroductions to take place.

 

• A significant majority of people in the South West expressed positive views towards wildcat reintroduction to their region. Two separate surveys were conducted by independent researchers at the University of Exeter. In one, 71% of 1,000 people (representative of the age and gender of the region’s population) liked the idea of wildcat return. In the other, 83% of 1,425 who responded to an online questionnaire expressed positivity towards wildcat reintroduction. The University of Exeter’s report can be viewed at www.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14283637

 

• Wildcats pose no significant risk to existing endangered wildlife populations such as bats and dormice. Wildcat diets concentrate on widespread commonly found species, with 75% of their prey consisting of small mammals including voles, rats, wood mice and rabbits. Their presence would help ‘balance’ existing ecosystems by returning a missing predator which co-evolved alongside native wildlife.

 

• Wildcats pose no threat to people, domestic pets or farming livestock such as lambs. Commercial and domestic poultry can be protected from wildcats with the same precautions deployed for existing predators such as foxes.

 

The report also identifies two areas which a future reintroduction project should address to ensure success:

 

1. Hybridisation (interbreeding) between wildcats and feral/domestic cats has become a recent issue for the existing wildcat populations in Scotland, threatening the genetic security of the species. The report concludes that, to succeed, a reintroduction project in the South West must address this by working with local communities and cat welfare organisations to support a neutering programme for feral/domestic cats in areas where wildcats will be present.

 

2. A future reintroduction project must also prioritise engagement with local communities and stakeholders. It should establish open and ongoing communication with those who have concerns about wildcats. It proposes a monitoring and management programme which will operate after reintroduction, addressing issues if and where they arise.  

 

While there are no immediate plans to release wildcats, Devon Wildlife Trust and its partners are committed to developing plans for reintroduction. This includes securing funding to ensure the best chance of success.

 

Abby Parravani is Forest Planner at Forestry England. Abby said:

 

“Forestry England is proud to be a partner in the pioneering South West Wildcat Project. I’m thrilled that the feasibility report shows the suitability of South West England to reintroduce this missing native species, contributing to the restoration of ecosystems across this landscape.

We’re looking forward to the next phase of the project as we move one step closer to returning wildcats to the South West.”

Independent research into public attitudes towards wildcats and their reintroduction in the South West of England was undertaken by Dr Roger Auster, Lecturer in Environmental Social Science, based in the Centre for Resilience in Environment, Water and Waste, University of Exeter. Roger said:

“From both in-person research with stakeholder representatives and public surveys, we found there to be broad support for the idea of wildcat reintroduction, yet with need to understand more about wildcats and the role they play in local ecosystems. With the meaningful involvement of stakeholders during planning, we conclude that wildcat reintroduction is socially viable."

The South West Wildcat’s full report is available to read on the Devon Wildlife Trust website, along with a summary report and FAQs about wildcats  www.devonwildlifetrust.org/south-west-wildcat-project

Wildcat. Photo copyright Tom Mason (All Rights Reserved)

Wildcats. Photo copyright Tom Mason (All Rights Reserved)

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Devon Wildlife Trust’s Cath Jeffs will be giving an on-line talk ‘Wildcats: could the UK’s rarest mammal make a return to Devon?’ at 6pm on Thursday 4^th December. To register for free go to www.devonwildlifetrust.org/events