Dartmoor ponies put to good use on charity's reserve near Torrington

Devon Wildlife Trust (DWT) has delivered five Dartmoor ponies to its Stapleton Mire nature reserve, near Torrington in north Devon with the aim of improving management of the site and giving the ponies a home for winter. The ponies are on loan from Mitchelcombe Farm near Holne on Dartmoor and will spend the next few months on the nine hectare Culm grassland site, one of DWT's many reserves in this part of the county. John French from Mitchelcombe Farm said: "We run a small business training our Dartmoor Heritage ponies for a future as safe children's ponies or driving ponies (http://www.mitchelcombefarm.co.uk/ ). Getting involved in vital schemes such as this enables us to over-winter our ponies off farm as they are growing up, whilst at the same time doing an important job for nature conservation. We hope they will settle in quickly here and do a great job for Devon Wildlife Trust. " The relationship has been brokered by Simon Berry who is Devon Wildlife Trust's Grazing Links Officer. Simon said: "This is just the latest in a series of livestock moves which we have successfully completed this year as part of our landscape scale Working Wetlands project. Stapleton Mire is a great site and home to a range of rare species but this habitat requires light grazing to keep it in tip-top condition. These five new ponies should have a great time and there is plenty of shelter for them in the woodland should the weather turn cold. We are always looking for more Culm grassland sites in need of grazing so people should feel free to get in touch if they need DWT's help."

The ponies arrived at their new home thanks to the support of Exeter based car dealership Vospers. The company has loaned a brand new Ford Ranger 4x4 for Mr Berry to use for delivering livestock and machinery. Rob Marchant from Vospers said: "Vospers is a company which is proud to support DWT.

We are pleased to be part of such great work supporting the Dartmoor Heritage Trust through DWT's Working Wetlands project."

Working Wetlands has been supported by the South West Water, Tubney Charitable Trust, The Environment Agency, Devon County Council, Devon Waste Management, GrantScape and Natural England.

Devon Wildlife Trust "Doves on Dartmoor" Charity Christmas Cards now on sale

Charity's favourite Christmas doves return for another year Following the huge success of its Christmas cards last year, a local charity is preparing for a bumper season in 2010 with a new range of wildlife designs along with the return of a well-loved favourite. Devon Wildlife Trust's best seller which ran out last year was an image of Doves on Dartmoor taken by one of its volunteers. The charity has re-ordered the card so that people who missed out last year are not disappointed this time around. There are twelve designs in the new range which are available to order online, over the phone or by post. The designs include fox, squirrel, robin, horse, stag, and a number of beautiful wintery landscape shots. Phoebe Grubb, DWT's Fundraising Support Officer enthused: 'With Christmas looming fast we're hoping for another great year. Our card sales over the past five years have raised more than £10,000 for local conservation work. We would like to thank all the volunteers that have helped to sell and distribute cards throughout the county along with everyone who has bought the cards. Their help has made a significant difference to our work for wildlife.'  
People who wish to purchase cards should visit www.devonwildlifetrust.org or call Devon Wildlife Trust on 01392 279244. The cards are also available through the Cards for Good Causes outlets across the county.

CLICK HERE TO SHOP

Talent of North Devon’s local photographers is now on show at the Museum of Barnstaple and North Devon

Photo exhibition shows off local talent and the spectacular biodiversity in the North Devon Coast Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. A stunning exhibition displaying the talents of North Devon’s local photographers is now on show at the Museum of Barnstaple and North Devon. ‘North Devon in Photographs’ highlights the unique character of the region and its artists, showcasing the very best entries from this year’s annual Heritage Photographic Competition. Well-known Bideford-based photographer, Graham Hobbs, selected the winners from over 500 entries. Gerry Davidson was declared the over all winner of the competition for his superb Town & Villages entry ‘Pasternoster Snow’. Graham Hobbs presented him with the perpetual cup and an engraved tankard. A separate competition was held for Under 16’s, which was won by 10 year old Robin Tanner who’s Character photograph ‘ The Old Chimney Sweep’ caught the judge’s eye. He was also presented with a special trophy. Once again the North Devon Coast Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty Partnership sponsored a special class, this time celebrating the 2010 International Year of Biodiversity. Naturalist and AONB Champion Trevor Beer, MBE, had the hard task of selecting the winners for this Wildlife category. Martha Mills image of a Common Lizard taken at Braunton Burrows gained 1st Place. Rose Day, Chairman of North Devon Coast AONB, was invited to attend the presentation and gave out the awards for this section. She says: “The standard of the entries was excellent, and highlights the depth of photographic talent that exists in North Devon. Graham and Trevor must have had a really difficult time in deciding who the eventual winners were to be.”

Gerry Davidson ‘Pasternoster Snow’

Winners of the open categories were:
Towns & Villages – Gerry Davidson
The Coast & The Sea – Keith Lowther
Characters – Mike Southon
Landscapes – Robin Mellor
Wildlife – Keith Trueman
Anything Goes! – Robin Mellor

Robin Tanner  ‘ The Old Chimney Sweep’

Under 16’s category winners were:
Towns & Villages – Robin Tanner
The Coast and The Sea – Robin Tanner
Characters – Robin Tanner
Wildlife – Robin Tanner
Anything Goes! – Robin Tanner
AONB special Wildlife category winner – Martha Mills

Alison Mills, Museum Development Manager says: “We are delighted with the response we received this year and I'd like to thank everyone for entering.” A full listing of awards can be found on www.devonmuseums.net/barnstaple.  
The exhibition runs until Saturday, 8th January 2011. The Museum’s winter opening times are 10am to 4pm Monday to Saturday and admission is free