Joy to the World. Merry Christmas, Season's Greetings, Happy Holidays

I'm sending "Joy to the World" and Season's Greetings to all my followers. Thank you so much for visiting, commenting and liking the pictures and posts on my North Devon Focus Website, Blog, Facebook, Flickr and Instagram. Thank you for sharing your news and local events. 

It's been another tough year for everyone so I think we all deserve a little sparkle. Hope this little Robin Red Breast brings you joy.

🎄🎄🎅🎅Merry Christmas🎅🎅 🎄🎄

Here's to a happier, healthy, peaceful 2024

STAY SAFE 

Best wishes Pat Adams

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National Robin Day - 21st December
In 2015 the Robin was crowned as Britain's national bird

New Exhibition at the Burton Art Gallery. 'Water Vessels – Sampling the Torridge' Ceramics by Rupert Johnstone

A new exhibition of contemporary ceramics by South West based artist Rupert Johnstone opens at the Burton on 16 December.

In 2022, Rupert Johnstone was commissioned by the Burton at Bideford Art Gallery and Museum to respond to the environment and climate change through the medium of ceramics. The result is a fascinating and visually striking exhibition of clay pots with significant local relevance.

The exhibition is the culmination of a year-long project which saw the artist walk the length of the River Torridge collecting water and clay from which to make a series of ceramic vessels and glazes. What emerges is a document of his journey along the banks of the river and a poignant commentary on the environment, geology and ecology of the River Torridge from its source in North West Devon to the estuarine mouth in Bideford.

Based just outside Exeter, Rupert Johnstone is an artist, maker and teacher who works principally in clay and exhibits his work widely in craft galleries both within the UK and abroad. This is the artist’s second collaboration with the Burton at Bideford.

The exhibition is open daily from 16 December and runs until February 2024. Entrance is free

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The Burton’s Environmental Commission

Water Vessels – Sampling the Torridge

Ceramics by Rupert Johnstone

16 December 2023 - 3 March 2024

FREE entry

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THE BURTON AT BIDEFORD

Kingsley Road, Bideford EX39 2QQ 

Email: info@theburton.org

Tel: 01237 471455
Website: www.burtonartgallery.co.uk

Instagram/Facebook @BurtonatBideford

Heart-warming Wedding Anniversary celebrations at Heanton Nursing Home

Husband and Wife, Dorothy and Anthony Haynes recently celebrated their remarkable 38th wedding anniversary surrounded by love, joy, and cherished memories. The couple marked this significant milestone with a romantic meal prepared by the team at Heanton Nursing Home in Barnstaple.

Heanton Nursing Home, known for its compassionate and supportive environment, played host to this heart-warming celebration, bringing together Team and family members to honour the couple's heart-warming love story.

The team at Heanton Nursing Home said, "We are honoured to celebrate this amazing milestone with Anthony and his wife Dorothy. Their love story is an inspiration to all of us. It's a testament to the power of love, resilience, and the importance of human connection."

Dorothy expressed her gratitude for the love and support they have received from the team at Heanton by saying, " We were truly spoilt on our 38th Anniversary. They made what I thought would be a different Anniversary into a special memory.” The celebration not only highlighted the enduring love between Anthony and his wife Dorothy but also showcased the importance of creating a supportive and caring home.

Heanton Nursing Home is a nursing home based in Barnstaple, North Devon. It’s approach to life recognises the values, beliefs and identity of each person. Each person that may need support is unique and by understanding one’s life history, one’s journey in life, by striving to be a true continuation of home, the team at Heanton Nursing Home create a place where everyone feels safe and never alone.

 

Dorothy and Anthony Haynes celebrate their remarkable 38th wedding anniversary

Art Workshop at Heanton Nursing Home Inspires Creativity and Honors Remembrance Day

Residents at Heanton Nursing Home in Barnstaple, who are fondly referred to as family members, engaged in a heartwarming art workshop, organised by the team, as they commemorated Remembrance Day by creating vibrant poppy-shaped paper paintings as part of a mosaic. The workshop, brought joy, creativity, and a sense of shared remembrance to the family members. The poppy-shaped paper paintings served as a unique way of self-expression, allowing family members to explore their creativity while honoring the heartfelt occasion of Remembrance Day.

Art therapy is not about creating masterpieces but rather about the process and the emotional journey it takes our family members on. Through painting, drawing or even sculpting our family members can unlock hidden memories and express their thoughts and feelings.

A team member at Heanton said, "The art workshop was a beautiful and uplifting experience for everyone involved. It provided an opportunity for family members to express themselves artistically"

Heanton Nursing Home is a nursing home based in Barnstaple, North Devon. It’s approach to life recognises the values, beliefs and identity of each person. Each person that may need support is unique and by understanding one’s life history, one’s journey in life, by striving to be a true continuation of home, the team at Heanton Nursing Home create a place where everyone feels safe and never alone.

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To find out more about Heanton Nursing Home visit www.heantonnursinghome.com

Alan Edward William's Inspirational Journey Through Valor and Service

On the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, the Country falls silent. It is a day of reflection, a day where nations pause to remember the sacrifices of those who lost their lives. In the silent moments of remembrance, we come together to pay tribute to the heroes who have walked the path of duty and pay tribute to those who are no longer with us today. Their stories are a testament to the strength and courage our nation has and we are honoured to share with you Alan Edward William’s story, a man with such dedication to his service and who now lives at Heanton Nursing Home in Barnstaple, North Devon.

Alan's journey through life had been a remarkable one, born on the 11th June 1928 in the bustling City of Cardiff, his name connected him to great aviators and royalty. On that very day, Alan Cobham a famous aviator and Edward Prince of Wales were visiting Cardiff hence why he was called Alan Edward by his parents. His early years was filled with so much love and joy, growing up with his older sister, Joan.

After leaving school, Alan found himself working at Cardiff Docks as a riveter and as he reached the age of 17, he made the decision to join the First Battalion Welsh Guards in 1946. Alan's military service spanned 22 years, and he cherished every moment of it. He participated in prestigious ceremonial duties, including Trooping the Colour, changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle, and even lining the route for Winston Churchill's Funeral. He had lived in various locations during his service, from Surrey to Cardiff, London to Malaysia, with a brief stop in Borneo while in Malaya.

Alan’s life took an unexpected turn when he met his wife, Gladys during a holiday in Appledore. They married in 1950 and went on to have four children: David, Teresa, Gwyn, and Ceinwin (known as Kim), each born in different corners of the world. Life abroad had been a rich tapestry of experiences for Alan and his wife Gladys. In Libya and Malaysia, Alan enjoyed swimming and exploring Roman cities, he especially loved savouring new cuisines. In Malaya, he developed a passion for collecting butterflies and mounting them in glass display cases.

After retiring from the army in the early 1990s, Alan took on a new role as a security guard at Llanwern steelworks in Newport, while residing in Chepstow. He remained closely connected to the royal world as a Yeoman of the Guards, participating in events like Charles and Diana's wedding and the opening of Parliament.

As Alan and his beloved wife Gladys embraced retirement, they embarked on numerous adventures together, creating cherished memories around the globe. Alan's pride shone through in his possession of a Royal Victoria Medal, a symbol of his dedication and service.

Alan and Gladys family continued to grow, as they welcomed six grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren into their life. Though Alan had faced the loss of his beloved wife, Gladys in December 2020 and the sudden loss of his sight in 2021, his brave spirit remained unwavering.

Alan's life has been full of remarkable experiences and unwavering dedication, and although Alan now lives with Dementia at Heanton Nursing Home, his commitment to his services still shines through. With the support from the team, Alan is able to maintain his disciplined routine, including having a clean shave every day, a practice he has upheld throughout his life. This seemingly simple act of shaving holds great significance, as it was a vital part of his military routine. For someone with Dementia, the familiarity of this daily ritual is crucial, as it provides a sense of continuity and comfort. Each person at Heanton will have different support needs, different life story, and by understanding this life history, we are able to create a home that enables our family members to live a true continuation of life.

For Alan, Heanton is not just a place of residence, but a home where his commitment to his service is remembered and celebrated by everyone around him. Within these memories lies the essence of who Alan is, a testament to a life lived passionately through his years of service for his country.

To find out more about Heanton visit our website at www.heantonnursinghome.com

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Project takes flight to save rare butterflies

A leading Devon-based conservation charity is hoping to turn around the fortunes of four of the county's rarest butterflies.

The Devon Fritillary Recovery Project is the work of Devon Wildlife Trust. Its aim is to help struggling populations of high brown, pearl-bordered, small pearl-bordered and marsh fritillary butterflies.

All have seen their populations shrink dramatically in recent decades due to changes in farming, loss of habitat and climate change. The high brown fritillary, for example, has seen its numbers crash by 96% and is now one of the UK's 'most threatened species'. 

The new project, which is set to run for 2 years, is receiving support from Natural England's Species Recovery Programme Capital Grant Scheme. The Species Recovery Programme (SRP), which Natural England has been operating for more than thirty years, focusses on reducing the risk of extinction and promoting the recovery of our most threatened species, through bespoke targeted action for these species. The Programme has been enhanced through the new Species Recovery Programme Capital Grants Scheme (SRPCGS) launched in April 2023, driving nature's recovery through collaboration with partner organisations.

A winter of butterfly restoration work will now begin on land managed by Devon Wildlife Trust. Staff and volunteers will be working on 122 hectares – about the same size as 160 football pitches – across 12 of the charity's nature reserves. These include:

• Blackadon nature reserve, Dart Valley nature reserve, Emsworthy Mire and Dunsford nature reserve (Dartmoor)
• Teigngrace Meadow nature reserve (near Bovey Tracey)
• Marsland nature reserve (near Hartland)
• Dunsdon nature reserve, Meshaw Moor nature reserve, Vealand Farm nature reserve, Veilstone nature reserve and Volehouse Moor nature reserve (all near Holsworthy)
• Rackenford Moor nature reserve (near Tiverton)

Jenny Cawson is Devon Fritillary Recovery Project Officer. Jenny said:

"Devon Wildlife Trust's nature reserves offer some of the last homes to our struggling butterflies, so it's vital that we work hard to keep them in good condition. The launch of our Devon Fritillary Recovery Project signals the start of a huge effort to not only stabilise the populations of these rare species but to restore their numbers. Our goal is for their numbers to grow, and populations spread across the wider Devon countryside. The work we'll be able to do during this project will leave a positive legacy which will last for years to come."

Key among the tasks for the charity will be to manage the levels of scrub and gorse across the 12 nature reserves. Helping staff and volunteers will be a new 'robo-flail' – a remote controlled machine which is able to venture into steep and difficult to get to corners of the Trust's wildlife havens.

Jenny Cawson said:

"The robo-flail will prove an enormous help. It can go where it's unsafe or impossible for staff to go, especially on very steep slopes. Our aim is not to remove all bracken and gorse from our reserves, but to ensure that there's a better balance between scrubby and open areas. This is just what butterflies need to thrive."

Other parts of the project will see areas of wildflower-rich Culm grassland meadows restored, plus an extensive monitoring effort counting the numbers of butterflies from the four key fritillary species. These measurements will act as a check on the success of the project, monitoring their numbers over a series of summers.

High brown fritillary: one of the rare butterflies the project is helping. Photo credit Chris Root

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Devon Wildlife Trust is the county's leading environmental charity, with more than 36,000 members. The charity manages 60 nature reserves across Devon, including a range of beautiful landscapes such as woodlands, meadows, wetlands and heaths. Devon Wildlife Trust relies on charitable donations, grants and the generous support of its members and the general public to raise more than £5million every year. Money raised is spent maintaining our work for wildlife conservation and education in Devon, for present and future generations. More at www.devonwildlifetrust.org

ARTIST ROOMS Louise Bourgeois opens at the Burton at Bideford Art Gallery and Museum this November

A new exhibition opening at the Burton includes sculptures, prints and drawings by the acclaimed French-American artist Louise Bourgeois. Eight decades of intense creativity firmly established Louise Bourgeois as a giant of 20th century art. Through this exhibition, the Burton at Bideford makes her ground-breaking work freely available to the people of North Devon for the first time.

ARTIST ROOMS Louise Bourgeois opens at the Burton at Bideford Art Gallery and Museum on Friday 17 November, 6-8pm, and runs until 11 February 2024. Admission is free.

Born in Paris in 1911, Bourgeois settled in New York in 1938, where she remained for the rest of her life, continuing to make art until her death at the age of 98. Her endlessly inventive work, inspired by her memories and experiences, spanned monumental installations, figurative sculptures, fabric collages, and drawings. She is perhaps best known for the large-scale spider sculptures that she produced in the last decades of her life, including one she created for the opening of Tate Modern in 2000.

Bourgeois’s art was closely bound up with her life, and she used artmaking as a way to make sense of her experiences. Her sculpture, drawing, and writing are characterised by emotional honesty, and she reworked her ideas in different forms and materials including marble, bronze, latex, and fabric, compelled by the need to make and re-make.

This exhibition focuses on works produced during the last 20 years of her life, a period of extraordinary creativity, during which Bourgeois re-examined many of her lifelong concerns to create a body of powerful new work exploring identity, gender, childhood, family and motherhood. Personal, provocative and raw, Bourgeois’s work reaches us with a powerful immediacy more than a decade after her death.

ARTIST ROOMS presents the work of international artists in solo exhibitions drawn from a national touring collection jointly owned by Tate and the National Galleries of Scotland. This exhibition is drawn from the ARTIST ROOMS collection and includes works on loan from The Easton Foundation and Tate. This is the Burton at Bideford’s third collaboration with Tate and National Galleries of Scotland through the ARTIST ROOMS programme, and follows presentations of internationally renowned artists Richard Long (2014) and Diane Arbus (2018).

Warren Collum, Interim Co-Director of the Burton, said:

“Working in partnership with Tate and National Galleries of Scotland through the ARTIST ROOMS programme for the third time to present one of the twentieth century's most influential female sculptors, Louise Bourgeois, is a unique opportunity.

This show not only celebrates art but also emphasises the need to bring culture to rural areas, as well as putting a light on the strength and ingenuity of women in the creative world.”

The ARTIST ROOMS programme provides support for young people to get involved in creative projects, discover more about art and artists, and learn new skills. A Burton Youth Collective will be supported through ARTIST ROOMS by Art Fund and Henry Moore Foundation, providing local teenagers with the opportunity to explore a career in the arts, experience life behind the scenes of an arts organisation, and work alongside practising artists. Sessions are open to young people aged 13-19 years. Places are limited and anyone interested is advised to contact the gallery to check availability and register their interest.

Louise Bourgeois Spirals 2005
ARTIST ROOMS Tate and National Galleries of Scotland. Lent by Artist Rooms Foundation 2013
© The Easton Foundation/VAGA at ARS, NY and DACS, London 2023. Photo © Tate

Louise Bourgeois 10am is When You Come to Me 2006
ARTIST ROOMS Tate and National Galleries of Scotland. Lent by Artist Rooms Foundation 2013
© The Easton Foundation/VAGA at ARS, NY and DACS, London 2023. Photo © Tate

THE BURTON AT BIDEFORD

Kingsley Road, Bideford EX39 2QQ 

Email: info@theburton.org

Tel: 01237 471455
Website: www.burtonartgallery.co.uk

Instagram/Facebook @BurtonatBideford

New community award will help struggling wildlife

A leading Devon conservation charity has launched a new award to highlight the wonderful work local community groups are doing to encourage struggling nature.

The Wilder Communities Award is the idea of Devon Wildlife Trust. The inaugural award has been made recently to an East Devon community.

Awards are open to everyone in Devon – from groups of allotment holders and workplace employees to residents’ associations, schools and care home communities.

Staff at the conservation charity are keen to stress that the scheme is not a competition. Instead, applications will be reviewed by Devon Wildlife Trust’s Wilder Communities Team. The application process is open now and can be completed on-line via the Trust’s website. Applicants can find lots of guidance, examples and ideas about how to help local wildlife.

Applications to the Wilder Community application process is free.

 

The Trust’s Wilder Communities Team are especially keen to hear from Devon communities who are working for nature in several ways, including:

• Creating space for nature: providing more food, water and homes for wildlife.

• Protecting the local environment: working to protect rivers and streams, to improve soil health, and reduce waste and pollution.

• Connecting local people with nature: bringing local communities together so that they can discover, learn and connect with wildlife.

Each Wilder Communities Award will be made for 12 months, but communities can look to re-new year-on-year. The schemes organisers hope that this will encourage communities to develop their wildlife plans over time, making them more ambitious and increasing their positive impact.

Katie Wilkinson is Devon Wildlife Trust Wilder Communities Team Lead. Katie said:

‘’We have been inspired by the hundreds communities across Devon who are leading amazing projects to help wildlife where they live, learn, work, or socialise. So, we have launched a brand-new award to celebrate their efforts.

There is so much to be hopeful for when we see so many people dedicating their time to help nature’s recovery. From holding environmental festivals to running community science projects or managing a local greenspace for wildlife, and campaigning to get swift nesting boxes installed in a town centre. When communities work together on a common cause they can achieve great things.

Thinking globally and acting locally will help us build a sustainable future where nature and people can thrive’’.

 

The first group to be designated as a Wilder Community is the East Devon village of Chardstock. Gill Keam is leader of the Chardstock Wilder Community. Gill reacted to becoming a Wilder Community pioneer and said:

“I feel so incredibly fortunate to have lived in this beautiful location within the Blackdown Hills for over 23 years. Being surrounded by all the treasures that this rural location has to offer is wonderful.

Our local community already does so much in support of the nature on our doorstep and in relation to connecting to it. So, when the opportunity to recognise and celebrate these connections was presented by the Devon Wildlife Trust’s new Wilder Communities Award, it felt like the ideal opportunity to bring our community even closer to nature.

Using our application form as a springboard, we have been able to acknowledge so much of the fabulous work already being done locally, and to set ourselves some challenges to do even more over the coming months and years.”

 

The Wilder Communities application process is open now. People and communities who want to discover more about what it takes to be a Wilder Community should visit the Devon Wildlife Trust website https://www.devonwildlifetrust.org/wilder-communities

Community members of Chardstock village celebrate receiving their Wilder Communities Award.

 Far left is Gill Keam (Chardstock community). Middle (crouching) Katie Wilkinson, Devon Wildlife Trust Wilder Communities Lead

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About Devon Wildlife Trust. Nature is in trouble and Devon Wildlife Trust’s mission stems from the need for urgent change and our belief that, if enough people care and act, we can bring nature back and do it on a grand scale. For 60 years, we have been at the forefront of protecting wildlife and the wild places that make Devon so special and believe, passionately, that a better world is one where nature and people thrive together. We are the only Devon focused charity that exists to protect all wildlife in Devon, on land and at sea. Homepage | Devon Wildlife Trust

Contemporary Artist, Louise Bourgeois coming to the Burton at Bideford in November

French-American artist Louise Bourgeois is widely recognised as one of the most important and influential figures of modern and contemporary art, with a career spanning eight decades from the 1930s to 2010. 

ARTIST ROOMS Louise Bourgeois brings together works which she made during the last twenty years of her life, a period of extraordinary creativity.

Bourgeois’s art was often autobiographical, exploring themes such as childhood, family, motherhood, identity and gender. She reworked her ideas in different forms and materials, creating large-scale sculpture and installation, painting, printmaking, drawing and textiles. Both biographical and universal, Bourgeois’s work reaches us with a powerful immediacy more than a decade after her death.

This is the Burton at Bideford’s third collaboration with Tate and National Galleries of Scotland through the ARTIST ROOMS programme, and follows presentations of internationally renowned artists Richard Long (2014) and Diane Arbus (2018)

Exhibition launch: Friday 17 November, 6-8pm

Join Burton at Bideford and special guests from Tate to celebrate the exhibition opening

 The Burton Art Gallery & Museum, Kingsley Road, Bideford, Devon, EX39 2QQ

Current & upcoming exhibitions > 

EDENMORE NURSING HOME WELCOMES HOME LIBRARY SERVICE

Edenmore Nursing Home are delighted and honoured to partner with Ilfracombe Library to welcome the Home Library Service through their doors and open their residents to the wonderful world of literature.

The Home Library Service is a bespoke book delivery service that is fully funded and available for the residents, fondly referred to as family members by the home, who are no longer able to go to the library for their books of choice.

Volunteer led, books are picked based on the reader’s interests and hand delivered every 4 weeks, giving those who receive them enough time to read through what they have chosen and then exchange for new ones. As the weeks pass, volunteers can befriend family members and bond over the joy of reading.

Not only does the Home Library Service deliver books, but there are also audiobooks and tablets available to borrow, making the service accessible for those with sight loss and granting access to a wide range of books, newspapers, and magazines online.

North Devon MP, Selaine Saxby, commented “Ilfracombe is a wonderful community, and it is great to see their library working with a local care home to provide a fully funded home library service. I do hope that this is a model that can be used elsewhere across North Devon.”

It is widely known that reading can be a great brain exercise, as well as a relaxing outlet to relieve stress levels. Stimulating stories with captivating illustrations can ignite feelings of joy, curiosity, and nostalgia, especially if a person has been an avid reader in their lifetime. The service has exemplified the importance of such communal gatherings in promoting a sense of belonging and shared experiences. The team remain dedicated to crafting more heartwarming experiences that enrich the lives of its residents and bring the community closer together.

Edenmore Nursing Home is based in Ilfracombe, North Devon. It’s approach to life recognises the values, beliefs and identity of each person. Each person that may need support is unique and by understanding one’s life history, one’s journey in life, by striving to be a true continuation of home, the team at Edenmore Nursing Home create a place where everyone feels safe and never alone.

To find out more about Edenmore Nursing Home, visit: https://www.edenmorenursinghome.com/

Exhibition of contemporary ceramics by British artist shortlisted for top award comes to the Burton this September

An exhibition of contemporary ceramics by one of the most innovative British artists working in the medium today opens at the Burton Art Gallery and Museum on Saturday 30 September.

Rebecca Appleby is a highly respected artist who pushes the boundaries of what is possible with clay. Her new body of work explores the Gaia theory – the theory that everything on earth is interconnected.

In this timely exhibition, Appleby asks us to re-consider our relationship to our environment using her own distinct visual language. Using the form of the sphere and the hemisphere, she makes the link between the hemispheres of the human brain and the planet. We can’t escape the fact that what we do to the earth, we essentially do to ourselves.

Rebecca Appleby brings a painterly and sculptural eye to her work, which has continued to gain her recognition in the world of contemporary ceramics. Earlier this year, Appleby was selected as one of ten artists to produce new work for the British Ceramics Biennial Award 2023.

Award is the headline exhibition in the British Ceramics Biennial, an international contemporary ceramics festival that takes place in Stoke-on-Trent, the home of British ceramics. One artist from the exhibition will be awarded a £10,000 prize. The winner will be announced at the end of September, which coincides with the opening of the exhibition at the Burton.

Rebecca Appleby © David Fulford

Rebecca Appleby © David Fulford

Rebecca Appleby: Matter

Exhibition dates: Saturday 30 September - Monday 4 December

Open daily | FREE entry

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 TAP HERE visit their website to keep up to date with the latest special events and workshop activities  

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The Burton at Bideford, Kingsley Road, Bideford, Devon EX39 2QQ

The Burton at Bideford has been a registered charity since 2016

 

Docton Mill, Hartland highlight.

Off the beaten track. Just a small selection of the many photos taken on a visit to Docton Mill back in May. A historic place, tearoom, beautiful garden and woodland walk. The dappled light over the Mill leat set the tranquil scene at the start of a magical walk around. 

The award winning Tearooms and Gardens are about 1000m inland from the iconic Spekes Mill Waterfall on the Southwest Coast Path, and a welcome respite for walkers and hikers.

"Docton Mill and its adjoining leat, head weir and terrace have been traced back to Saxon times, probably before the Norman conquest......The mill continued to produce flour for local bakers, Giffords of Hartland, until 1910 when the mill ceased to trade." (For full history and more information visit doctonmill.co.uk)

Scenic overview of the tearooms

Dappled light over the leat

The ancient Water Wheel

Docton Mill is an RHS Partner Garden

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Docton Mill, Lymebridge, Hartland, North Devon EX39 6EA

Telephone:  01237 441369

OPEN 1st April to 5th October 11am-5pm 

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Out and about Hartland - Places to Visit

Hartland Village - Hartland Abbey - St. Nectan's Church, Stoke 

TAP HERE for Stay in Hartland website 

Hartland Quay - Spekes Mill Mouth & Waterfall - Hartland Point Lighthouse - Hartland Point Refreshments a "A Pick Me Up With a View" 

Southwest Coast Path

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All photos copyright Pat Adams North Devon Focus

Tap here to visit North Devon Focus site Hartland Focus

 North Devon Focus promoting North Devon Coast and Countryside & Beyond since 2002

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Clovelly Maritime Festival 2023

All smiles and a lot of Atlantic Spirit Gin, Crackington Cider and Rock Rum Down Along Clovelly Harbour for the maritime festival.

Live music, craft, food stalls with cream tea and cakes served by the ladies in the Lifeboat House. Well known author, Liz Shakespeare, whose books draw inspiration from the local history of the North Devon coast and countryside, was also book signing on the quay. Not forgetting Punch and Judy, Clovelly Soap, Devon Wildlife Trust, the RNLI and Coastguard teams. All credit to the stilt walkers "Higher Beings" traversing the bumpy cobbles on the Quay.

Spanning the generations. Bobbing boats and boatmen down below the Quay. Featuring Lugger Lilly, a new build to order by boatbuilder Chris Frisby, based on the lines of Bucks Ledge Lugger, Flying Foam, a small boat that once worked around the Bay in Bucks Mills.

Lugger Lilly in Clovelly Harbour. Photo copyright Pat Adams

Lugger Lilly with RNLI Boatman, Chris Braund, Chris Frisby and Stephen Perham in Clovelly Harbour. Photo copyright Pat Adams

Lily, was launched in May 2023, is planked in Sitka Spruce and Mahogany with #oak frames and fit out along with an Elm transom.  (www.cfrisbyboats.co.uk)

Watch the video, take a walk Down Along Clovelly to the shore

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Many thanks to Chris Braund for telling us all about the history of the old Bucks Ledge 

Shout out to the teams that respond to your shouts for help on the coast. 

Passing on their invaluable safety advice on the day with a smile.

bidefordct - rnliappledorewatersafety - clovellyrnli

Lugger, Flying Foam & Lily. All photos copyright Pat Adams North Devon Focus

Visit Clovelly Village website for the latest information & events

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 North Devon Focus promoting North Devon Coast and Countryside since 2002

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Internationally acclaimed artist, Ian Davenport, comes to the Burton.

The Burton at Bideford will welcome acclaimed British artist, Ian Davenport, to the gallery on Saturday 16 September to celebrate the opening of a new exhibition of the artist’s work. It marks another significant coup for the gallery, which continues to bring high profile exhibitions to North Devon.

Ian Davenport studied at Goldsmiths College, where he graduated in 1988 as one of the generation of Young British Artists who participated in the seminal exhibition, Freeze, organized by Damien Hirst.

In bringing together works from throughout Davenport’s career, the exhibition will provide a rare opportunity to clearly see the evolution the artist’s work from his early days as a student at Goldsmiths to the present day. Many of the works have never been displayed together before, making this exhibition a must-see for all art enthusiasts.

Ian Davenport is well known for his abstract paintings, which explore the materiality and process of applying paint. In recent years, his work has consisted of carefully poured lines of acrylic paint down a surface, which puddle and pool at the bottom. This technique allows him to explore complex arrangements of line and colour. Over the past ten years, he has also turned his attention to screen-printing and etching, building an impressive body of graphic work.

In 1991, he was nominated for the Turner Prize and remains the youngest ever nominee for the prestigious art prize. He has exhibited extensively all over the world and his work is held in important museum collections including: Arts Council of Great Britain; Tate in London; Centre Pompidou in Paris; and the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

A new fully illustrated catalogue will accompany the exhibition. Designed by Herman Lelie and Stefania Bonelli, it is the first of Davenport’s exhibition catalogues to be narrated by the artist himself.

The exhibition has been produced in collaboration with the Cristea Roberts Gallery in London, the exclusive worldwide representative for Ian Davenport’s original prints.

Olivia Desborough from the Burton says,

Ian Davenport’s work has a significant place in the history of contemporary art in Britain and we are honoured to be exhibiting it here at the Burton.

The exhibition will allow visitors a rare insight into the evolution of an artistic practice and into the workings of a creative mind. Furthermore, the exhibition catalogue will bring a fresh new perspective with words from the artist himself.

With an immediate appeal to visitors of all ages, we hope everyone will come along and enjoy what promises to be a remarkable exhibition.

As ever, we remain grateful to Torridge District Council and the Arts Council of England whose generous funding makes what we do possible.

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Exhibition launch and opportunity to meet the artist:
Saturday 16th September, 6-8pm
All welcome | FREE entry
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Ian Davenport: 'Works on Paper' opens Saturday 16 September 

and runs until Friday 3rd November.
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The gallery, museum and shop are open daily. Admission is free.

 Kamuro Copyright Ian Davenport, 2019. (All Rights Reserved). 

Photo: Prudence Cuming Associates 

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 TAP HERE visit their website to keep up to date with the latest special events and workshop activities  

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The Burton at Bideford, Kingsley Road, Bideford, Devon EX39 2QQ

The Burton at Bideford has been a registered charity since 2016