Charity promises biggest ever Mother's Day bunch of flowers

Devon Wildlife Trust is offering a very special Mother's Day treat - and the good news is it's free. The charity cares for 50 of Devon's top places for nature and at one of these - Dunsford, near Exeter - this year's Mother's Day is set to coincide with the peak of its famous display of wild daffodils.
Devon Wildlife Trust's Steve Hussey said: 'Dunsford nature reserve contains one of England's biggest collections of wild daffodils. Every March these flowers bloom and together their delicate yellow flowers provide a spectacular natural spectacle. This year the signs are that the flowers will be at their best in the middle of the month, making it the perfect place for a Mother's Day stroll on Sunday 15 March.' Steve Hussey said: 'With the River Teign running through its heart, picturesque woodland walks and wonderful wildlife Dunsford attracts more than 40,000 visitors a year. It's a very special place at any time but in spring with the daffodils on show it makes the perfect place to take Mum and the rest of the family.'
The scene at Dunsford wasn't always so rosy. In the 1960s the wild daffodils were in steep decline as many were picked by unthinking visitors. There were even regular advertised 'daffodil picking' trips run by coach companies to the beauty spot. However, concerted campaigning by local people and a change in law to protect wildflowers means that this problem is largely a thing of the past.
Today it is the job of Devon Wildlife Trust's Andrew Bakere to look after Dunsford. Andrew said: 'We find that visitors today are very respectful of the wild daffodils. I think many realise just what a special natural event they are. Today people are content to just come and marvel at them.' Recently Andrew has been hard at work with the help of volunteers and funding from the English Woodland Grant Scheme to clear glades in Dunsford's riverside woodland. These glades are now providing light and space for the daffodils to grow. Andrew said: 'It's been hard work but rewarding. The wild daffodils last year were the best I've seen for years and we're hoping to top that display for Mother's Day this year. And it's not just the flowers that have benefited - birds including pied flycatchers breed here and use the glades to hunt insects in, while butterflies including silver-washed fritillaries bask in the warm, sheltered spots which they provide.' Dunsford's wild daffodils will be in bloom until the end of March.
Dunsford nature reserve is on the B3212 just inside the Dartmoor National Park boundary between Moretonhampstead and Exeter. Its main entrance is close to Steps Bridge over the River Teign. Like all of Devon Wildlife Trust's 50 nature reserves it is free to enter. For more details on Dunsford nature reserve visit www.devonwildlifetrust.org 

Daffodils at Dunsford. Photo copyright Kevin New. (All Rights Reserved)

"What is our rural landscape worth to us?" - five conversations - one play

The Common Charter Hall, Okehampton, March 14th, 7.30pm

Beaford Arts and China Plate present The Common. Spring 2014, five writers went to North Devon to explore what the rural environment means to its people. They got to know old farming families, incomers and returnees. They met rural life in mugs of tea at farmhouse kitchen tables, on windswept hills, under rusting barn roofs and from 'backies' on a farmer's quad bike. These encounters and conversations fed the writing of The Common, a performance work of five dialogues about life and land. Two performers (Charlotte Melia and Martin Hyder) play ten characters examining their relationships with each other and the landscape which connects them with life itself. 

Rural arts organisation and cultural ambassadors for North Devon's Biosphere Reserve, Beaford Arts initiated this project. "In north Devon, we've always known the value of our land." says Mark Wallace, Director of Beaford Arts "Now, as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and as one of Natural England's Nature Improvement Areas, we're increasingly under the national and international spotlight. But it's the rural communities, living with the land for generations, who made this landscape. This new show is about the values we still hold in common - about the voices which should still be heard." Six months on from its world premiere in North Devon, The Common is going on tour to four other NIAs - Meres & Moses, Morecambe Bay, Birmingham and Wild Purbeck. The Common is a local play with national significance, it captures the environmental zeitgeist and its universal relevance makes for vital viewing in every rural community. One of the five writers, Inua Ellams, said "It was a job of listening, of conversations that were heart breaking, overwhelming, passionate and multi-layered. When it came to writing, I didn't know where to start, but an idea crystallised after I met a farmer, his wife and two sons." "They told stories and anecdotes to illustrate how complicated a process it would be. How there are some aspects of the land that simply cannot be valued, that are (by that definition) priceless. He referred to us as townies, and he and his colleagues as country folk. He did not like townies. As a black African I'm used to prejudice, I found it refreshing, dare I say thrilling, to be prejudiced because of where I lived rather than the colour of my skin. As we talked and I asked the right questions, he began to relax and slowly 'you townies' became 'those townies'. We 'othered' them so we could point and laugh."
Talking about her part in the development process, another of the writing team, Charlotte Josephine explains "The piece I wrote was mainly inspired by meeting photographer Rosie Anderson. I read her charming 'personal post on a place called home' on her website on the train down and knew we'd be friends. Her passionate post about the closing of Hatherleigh Market really struck a chord with me. It's heart-breaking when we sacrifice tradition, community and culture for financial gain." 

The Common will be performed in Charter Hall, Okehampton, March 14th, 7.30pm Tickets are free but limited so booking is essential. Bookings through Eventbrite: 

Beaford Arts The Common - Photos copyright (All rights reserved) 

Read previous post about The Common 

 Beaford Arts www.beaford-arts.org.uk China Plate www.chinaplatetheatre.com

A wild life is a better life says charity

A Wild Life is a Better Life - all the evidence is there Sir David Attenborough highlights why the natural world is so important to us all South West charity wants to hear all about people's wild lives!

When we stop and think, we all know that nature is good for us - but how often do we stop and think? Devon Wildlife Trust is launching My Wild Life today which encourages us all to stop for a minute to reflect on what wildlife means to us and think about how to make wildlife part of our everyday lives. If we did this, not only would wildlife benefit, but so would we - because contact with nature is good for us. Those people lucky enough to live near and experience green spaces have a 50% chance of being more healthy - both physically and mentally and are 40% less likely to become overweight or obese.

Sir David Attenborough has travelled the world in search of wildlife but in London where he lives he can watch stag beetles flying in his garden and marvel at ancient trees in London's parks. Sir David, The Wildlife Trusts' President Emeritus, says: "Contact with nature should not be the preserve of the privileged. It is critical to the personal development of our children." This is why Devon Wildlife Trust is restoring wildlife and wild places in the county's towns and cities as well as in its wonderful countryside, and why we are encouraging people from all walks of life to share their own personal stories about what nature means to them.

Sir David Attenborough is one of hundreds of people taking part so far, alongside students, nurses, families, volunteers, teachers and many others from across the UK. From today his, and other stories, can be found at www.mywildlife.org.uk where people can add their own story and discover wild places near to them. Sir David continues "People turn to nature in moments of joy and in moments of sadness. We are part of the natural world: we depend on it for the air we breathe and the food we eat. The Wildlife Trusts are helping people to understand their role in the natural world and their dependency on it. This is essential if we are going to speed nature's recovery." 

Simon King OBE, The Wildlife Trusts' President, said: "People across the UK benefit from the work The Wildlife Trusts do - from nature therapy projects to forest schools, the thousands of wild places we care for and our work bringing back wildlife and natural processes to landscapes. We've always known that contact with nature can make a big difference to people's lives. The evidence is now building to back this up. We hope these stories inspire others to think about their relationship with the natural world and to make nature part of their life." 

Imogen, 15, from Exeter has been volunteering for Devon Wildlife Trust for the past six months and her story features in My Wild Life. Imogen says: "I volunteer for The Trust as part of my Duke of Edinburgh Award and I chose the charity because it looks after the things that I really care about. I love Devon as a place to grow up in. I body-board and swim in its seas, I love the feeling of freedom I get from walking on Dartmoor and I like sharing these spaces with its very special wildlife." 

Steve Hussey from Devon Wildlife Trust explained the thinking behind the My Wild Life campaign: 'The South West's landscapes and nature are what underpins our quality of life - they make this a special place to be. Unfortunately, in our busy daily lives we sometimes lose sight of this and the things that really matter. With My Wild Life we're asking people to stop, think and then tell us what their connection to nature is. We're interested in hearing all about people's wild lives!' Everyone can share their stories of the wildlife and wild places which matter to them and why, using #MyWildLife on twitter, facebook and Instagram. 

* Find inspiration - explore stories about people and nature at mywildlife.org.uk, including Sir David Attenborough's. 
* Share your wild life - share your 'Wild Life' and what nature means to you. Upload your story at mywildlife.org.uk or use #MyWildLife 
* Wild is better, pass it on - read and share our '10 Reasons Why Wild Is Better' infographic at mywildlife.org.uk 
* Make nature part of your life - see our ideas for putting the wild back in your life mywildlife.org.uk 
* Discover Devon's best Wild Walks at www.devonwildlifetrust.org/wild-walks/ 
* Start your wild life at one of hundreds of Devon Wildlife Trust events this year http://www.devonwildlifetrust.org/whats-on/