APRIL HIGHLIGHTS. BLUEBELL WALKS, FANTASTIC FUDGE & EASTER FUN

April and no showers, fantastic. I have just seen my first fledglings, two little Blackbirds and I'm planning to sew some more wildflower seeds in the garden, a little more encouragement for the bees, birds and butterflies. The sun is out at last and we can titivate the garden, do some DIY, have a barbecue or head for the hills! Well probably not the hills but definately the North Devon Coast. It's Bluebell time in our ancient woodlands and where better to see them in all their glory than Hartland Abbey. This year you can choose one of three Bluebell Days during April. Here are just some of the fun events over the Easter holidays:

Easter EGGStravaganza at the Big Sheep From Saturday 5th April - Monday 21st April
They've got an action-packed Easter in store for you: Full details visit the Big Sheep website

• Exclusive Easter Bunny Breakfast Mornings on Good Friday and Easter Bank Holiday Monday - click here for full details.
  
• Over 30,000 mini eggs to find - search high and low and if you find 3 mini eggs you can swap them for 1 large egg.
  
• 1 large chocolate egg per child who takes part in the Egg Hunt. Various eggs to choose from.
  
• Meet the Easter Bunny - everyday he'll be around to meet and greet. Remember your camera for some great Easter pictures!
  
• FREE Face Painting every day from 14th April - 21st April. A face painted egg or chick or daffodil..all things Easter!

From Saturday 12th April to Monday 21st April Funtastic Fudge Hunt, Clovelly. 20 fudge stones, like this one, will be hidden in the village each day. Find one and take it to the Fudge Shop at the Visitor Centre and discover how much fudge you have won. If you find Number 20, you will get a whole kilo of fudge, made up of 8 different flavours - what a treat! And you can come back and try again. One stone redeemable per visiting family per day.

Easter Egg Hunt at North Devon Maritime Museum, Appledore. From Sunday 13th April to the 26th April the museum will be running an Easter Egg hunt! It will be held in the Museum from 10.30am to 4pm each day for a week. Come along and join in the fun!

Friday 18 April LIVE GIG at The Globe Hotel, Fore Street, Great Torrington 8:30pm. Valentine Gray and DIAMOND DOGS are kicking off the first night of their North Devon tour on Friday 18 April @ The Globe Hotel Great Torrington. Join us for a night of Punk, Rock & 70s Glam! Get down and funky! Make the first night of their North Devon tour a rip roaring one! ?3 entry fee on the door. Contact Tel: 07932 820764 Email: sallydonnellan@gmail.com

18th & 20th April Enjoy a Family Breakfast with the Easter Bunny at The BIG Sheep. HOP OVER TO THE BIG SHEEP FOR AN EGGSELLENT BREAKFAST WITH THE EASTER BUNNY! A GIANT Easter bunny will be making a special appearance at the BIG Sheep family attraction on Good Friday 18th April and Bank Holiday Monday 20th April to enjoy a very special holiday breakfast before taking children on a…

19th April Ruby Country Market, Hatherleigh 9am-2pm. Over 200 stalls. Website 

Sunday 20th & Monday 21st day April HARTLAND ABBEY BLUEBELLS & EASTER FUN 11- 5pm. Visit us on Easter Sunday or Bank Holiday Monday and explore the woodland walks carpeted in glorious bluebells while the children enjoy the Easter Egg Hunt – with a prize for every entrant! In the courtyard there will be traditional Easter activities – try Decorating Your Own Egg (specially laid by our bantams!) or enter Pin the Tail on the Donkey and other traditional games. Once you have worked up an appetite, enjoy lunch in the Old Kitchen Tea Rooms where there will be some special chocolaty treats as well as the delicious, homemade menu! Outside, Emma and Trevor will be serving mouth-watering burgers from their barbecue for a more savoury treat. Your entry ticket to the gardens and grounds includes the Museum, ‘William Stukeley – Saviour of Stonehenge’ exhibition and Gift Shop. The Old Kitchen Tea Rooms will be open serving hot soup, light lunches and home made cream teas. Parking free. House open at extra charge. For prices and further information visit www.hartlandabbey.com or phone 01237 441234 /441496 Hartland Abbey, Hartland, North Devon EX39 6DT 

23rd April St. George's Day at the Big Sheep. Anyone with the name George or Georgina is admitted free of charge to help celebrate St George's Day! George's or Georgina's must be accompanied by a full paying adult or child.

26th April Psychic Suppers at the Big Sheep. We'll be holding Psychic Supper's in collaboration with the English Psychic Company. After enjoying a two course homemade supper in the BIG Sheep’s Shepherd’s Restaurant, guests will receive their own personal reading. Susan Pengelly from the English Psychic Company has been…

26th April Second Vintage and Makers Market at  The Plough Arts Centre, Great Torrington. There will also be a Punch and Judy Show in town organised by The Chambers of Trade. There will be lots of lovely stalls and more space as we are in the main auditorium this time downstairs.

27th April, HARTLAND ABBEY BLUEBELL SUNDAY 11am-5pm. The bluebells at Hartland Abbey are legendary. Visitors can come at a reduced entry rate and enjoy the wonderful circular walks through the bluebells to the sea. We love children and dogs and hope that you will bring as many as possible! Your entry ticket to the gardens and grounds includes the Museum, ‘William Stukeley – Saviour of Stonehenge’ exhibition and Gift Shop. The Old Kitchen Tea Rooms will be open serving hot soup, light lunches and home made cream teas. Parking free. House open at extra charge. Entry to the grounds: Adults £5-00, Children (aged 5-15) £1; under 5 Free. Entry to the house £4; open 12-4 pm, includes Museum, Shop, Exhibition. Free parking www.hartlandabbey.com T: 01237 441234 /441496 Hartland Abbey, Hartland, North Devon EX39 6DT 

Please also check out Local Church Services  - What's On Guide North Devon Journal and the North Devon Gazette - Bideford Cinema - North Devon Theatres - Plough Arts Centre - Burton Art Gallery & Museum

 Photos: Hartland Abbey Bluebell Day 2013 copyright Pat Adams (All rights reserved)

NORTH DEVON TOURIST INFORMATION CENTRES

Barnstaple Tourist Information Centre, North Devon Museum, The Square, Barnstaple, North Devon, EX32 9LS Bideford Tourist Information Centre, Burton Art Gallery, Kingsley Road, Bideford, EX39 2QQ   Braunton Tourist Information Centre The Bakehouse Centre, Caen Street, Braunton, North Devon, EX33 1AA Combe Martin Tourist Information Centre Cross Street, Combe Martin, North Devon, EX34 ODH  Holsworthy Visitor Information Centre: The Memorial Hall, Holsworthy,  Torrington Tourist Information Centre, Castle Hill, South Street, Torrington    lfracombe Tourist Information Centre The Landmark Theatre, The Seafront, Ilfracombe, North Devon, EX34 9BX Lynton Tourist Information Centre Lynton Town Hall, Lee Road, Lynton, North Devon, EX35 6HT T South Molton Tourist Information  1 East Street, South Molton, Devon, EX36 3BU  Woolacombe Tourist Information Centre The Esplanade, Woolacombe, North Devon, EX34 7DL

NORTH DEVON MOVING IMAGE LAUNCHES BOAT STORIES FILM PROJECT

Local community film making organisation North Devon Moving Image (NDMI) is getting set to launch Boat Stories; a new project producing a series of short films about people whose lives revolve around the working boats of North Devon. Thanks to funding from the Northern Devon Fisheries LocalAction Group (FLAG), supporters of sustainable fishing communities in North Devon and Torridge, research on the films is starting this month. NDMI has teamed up with local film producer Jo Stewart-Smith who says: "I met Amanda from North Devon Moving Image by chance, on Woolacombe beach, where we were covering the same story – she was filming, I was writing.  When I saw her work I knew that she understood the importance of a good story in a film so I approached her to host Boat Stories." FLAG Programme Manager Jenny Carey-Wood commented on the funding award “The FLAG members were keen to support Boat Stories to increase understanding and awareness of the diversity of fishing and marine activity in the local area. “The awarding of £18,934 European grant towards this project will provide a legacy on film to record, inform and celebrate the local fisheries and working boats through people’s own stories.” As with all of NDMI's projects Boat Stories will take a close up look at the lives of North Devon people.  Jo explains "I think for many of us landlubbers there is a big divide between what we can see - the romantic boat out on the water – and an understanding of the skills needed to work on a trawler out at sea or cope with the tidal race and sandbanks while fishing in the estuary. I think there’s a disconnection between the fish we eat and knowing where it comes from and how. Hopefully our films will go some way towards closing this gap."Amanda McCormack, Director and founder of NDMI adds "We are really excited to be collaborating with Jo on the production of Boat Stories. One of our aims as a community interest company is to promote and encourage documentary film making in North Devon.  Jo will be working with local film makers on the Boat Stories project and we are really looking forward to seeing some exciting films made by our home grown talent."The Boat Stories series will be complete by Summer 2015 and the films will be shared on the North Devon Moving Image website.  To keep up to date with the project visit the news page on the Boat Stories website www.boatstories.co.uk, twitter @boat_stories and facebook page Boat Stories North Devon.

... and if you have a Boat Story to tell please get in touch with Jo by email: boatstories@outlook.com telephone: 07816815761

Photo: Jo Stewart-Smith copyright North Devon Moving Image NDMI (All Rights Reserved)

• Boat Stories website: www.boatstories.co.uk
• NDMI website: www.northdevonmovingimage.org.uk

Greater Horseshoe Bat Project wins Heritage Lottery Fund support

Devon Wildlife Trust has received initial support, including £65,600 development funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) for the Greater Horseshoe Bat Project. The money will be spent over twelve months developing a longer term project which aims at securing a future for the rare bats, in their last remaining stronghold in northern Europe. Devon Wildlife Trust is leading the project's development which involves twelve other partner organisations. The charity's Conservation Advocacy Manager Peter Burgess said: "Recent decades have not been kind to the greater horseshoe bat. They have struggled to cope with a changing landscape and insensitive building developments. British populations have fallen by 90% in the last century, leaving Devon as a last remaining stronghold." Peter continued: "But this project is offering hope. Funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund will allow us to plan the first stages of the Greater Horseshoe Bat Project. It will allow us to support local farmers to farm in more 'bat friendly' ways, helping to maintain vital bat feeding areas and flight corridors." Greater horseshoe bats are one of 16 bat species found in Britain. With wingspans of up to 40cm they are also one of the largest. They get their name from the remarkable horseshoe-shaped organ on their noses, which the bat's use to navigate and find prey. Female greater horseshoe bats are highly sociable and gather in large maternity roosts where they bring up their offspring. Devon has 11 of these roosts making it the most important place for the bat in northern Europe. The roosts are located in man-made structures including quarry caves, barns and mines at locations including Braunton, Buckfastleigh and the Tamar Valley. One of the most exciting elements of the Project will be the central role to be played by local people. Peter explained: "It's going to allow us to work with local communities, to help everyone to find out more about the bats, and enable them to contribute to the project and gain a sense of pride in their local bats. A number of 'bat beacons' will be set-up that will be a focus for guided walks and trails, while new camera technologies will give everyone an insight into the daily lives of the bats. With hundreds of local people involved, bats - indeed all wildlife - stand a better chance of thriving." Nerys Watts, Head of the Heritage Lottery Fund South West, said: "Whilst not always considered to be cute or cuddly, bats are essential to our ecosystem and their dramatic decline in numbers clearly demonstrates the urgent need to protect and understand them. We're sure the Devon Wildlife Trust run project will be a great success and we look forward to seeing these initial plans progress over the coming months." Peter added: "Devon already has Europe's largest maternity roost of greater horseshoe bats. With this project, Devon could in future boast Europe's largest population of bat enthusiasts too." 

Greater Horseshoe Bat. Photo copyright Hugh Clark. (All Rights Reserved)

About the Heritage Lottery Fund Using money raised through the National Lottery, the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) aims to make a lasting difference for heritage, people and communities across the UK and help build a resilient heritage economy. From museums, parks and historic places to archaeology, natural environment and cultural traditions, we invest in every part of our diverse heritage. HLF has supported almost 36,000 projects with more than £5.9bn across the UK. www.hlf.org.uk.