Wednesday, 6 April 2016

The Queen’s 90th Birthday Cruise with Northam Lodge

This year the MS Oldenburg will be hosting a special Birthday Cruise organised by Northam Lodge, to celebrate The Queen’s 90th birthday. This will take place on Friday June 24th and will depart from Bideford Quay at 7.30pm. Boarding will take place as from 6.45pm and the cruise lasts for about 2 hours. The Alan Lewis All Stars Jazz Band will be providing the entertainment, no doubt including some rousing patriotic music.

Tickets cost £15.00 per person and please contact Mark or Fiona on 01237 477238 or email info@northamlodge.co.uk  or  TAP HERE for more information
The Queen’s 90th Birthday Cruise in aid of Northam Lodge

Northam Lodge is a Devon charity for providing services for people with learning difficulties and their carers

Monday, 4 April 2016

Riverfly volunteers ready for another busy season on the River Torridge

A volunteer project which is keeping a close check on the health of one of North Devon's best-loved rivers is about to begin another season.

The River Torridge in North Devon is the focus of a project which has brought together 50 local volunteers whose job it is to take regular samples of its water between April to September. The samples are then analysed to look for signs of life in the shape of invertebrates - water-living mini-beasts - known as riverflies.

The work of the volunteers is providing an important regular check on the river's health. The volunteers collect their samples at points along the watercourse. Their efforts, which began in 2014, is allowing a better assessment of the Torridge's water quality and is acting as an early-warning system with which to detect pollution incidents. Data collected by the volunteers is also being shared with the Environment Agency and will help to direct future land management locally.

Izzy Moser from the charity Devon Wildlife Trust, which is overseeing the project, says:
'It's fantastic to see communities coming together to protect local streams and rivers which are so valuable to us all. Our network of volunteers is one of best Riverfly networks in the country. Last year they collected more than 290 samples, about 12% of all the national data.'

The initiative is named 'Riverfly' after the water-living invertebrates that spend a large part of their lifecycle in rivers and still waters as larvae, before emerging in their masses as short-lived adult flies. Since riverflies are very sensitive to changes in habitat and water quality, they are good biological indicators for overall river health. Riverflies are also a vital link in the aquatic and land-based food chain, providing a food source for many fish, birds, insects and mammals.

Understanding local water quality is seen as vital for the futures of protected local species such as the endangered freshwater pearl mussel. North Devon has the only remaining populations of these mussels in southern England and through the Biffa Award funded 'Restoring Freshwater Mussel Rivers in England', Devon Wildlife Trust's Izzy Moser has also been working on the River Torridge with a number of volunteers to survey and improve conditions for the aquatic animals.

2016 is the third year of the Torridge Riverfly Partnership which was set up by the North Devon Biosphere and Devon Wildlife Trust. Riverfly monitoring is a great way to get your hands dirty, enjoy nature and collect valuable data to better understand the health of the watercourse. Izzy Moser says: 'This year, we are hoping to recruit more volunteers and perhaps extend the scheme into the River Taw catchment. We are also planning to deliver a training event to support new volunteers with the survey programme. If people are interested they can contact Matt Edworthy by email at biosphere-mailbox@devon.gov.uk or by phone on 01271 388647.'

The Riverfly project has been supported with funds from the North Devon Fisheries Local Action Group and Torridge District Council.
Riverfly volunteers taking samples from the River Torridge in 2014. Photo copyright Devon Wildlife Trust
 Riverfly volunteers taking samples from the River Torridge in 2014:

Tuesday, 29 March 2016

A Taste of the Sea. Down along Clovelly

Make a date in your diary for the Clovelly Seaweed Festival in aid of the North Devon Hospice.  Its launch in 2015 was a great success and the fun will be repeated this year on the 12th June. Clovelly's Seaweed Festival is held to promote seaweed for its immense health and nutritional benefits as it is hugely versatile. The Quay kitchens down along Clovelly Harbour will be preparing a surprising variety of dishes and stalls will be selling a range of seaweed products along with demonstrations, crafts and talks.
There will also be plenty of entertainment for both adults and children to enjoy, such as Seaweed foot spa's and massage, Sciency workshops with Sarah Hotchkiss from CyberColloids exploring the types and uses of seaweeds, The National Trust & North Cornwall seaweeds craft activities (bring your own plastic bottle to make an under the sea miniatuere garden), Facepainting & Henna tattoo's. The Seaweed Health Foundation will provide information on the benefits of human food quality seaweed for food and health. Also Emma Gunn will be doing talks, providing tasters and the chance to buy a signed copy of her book.
There’ll be street entertainers and live music throughout the day which is included in the admission charges. 

You will be amazed at the world of seaweed. Bring your own and ask the experts what is the best use for your particular selection.

Also from 3pm the New Inn will be hosting an afternoon street tea-party, in celebration of the Queens 90th! With Cream teas, sandwiches, "make your own bunting" arts & crafts and live music! 

Clovelly Seaweed Festival 2015 - Photo P. Adams (All rights reserved)
A Taste of the Sea. A selection of photos from Clovelly Seaweed Festival 2015 by P. Adams

Clovelly Seaweed Festival, Sunday 12th June 2016
Clovelly Harbour,
10 am to 5 pm
For further details contact Clovelly Visitor Centre.