Petroc student organised Blues Brother Event raises thousands for Children's Holiday Foundation North Devon

Jackie Johns who is studying for her Foundation Degree in Events Management at Petroc raised £3265 for popular local charity Children's Holiday Foundation North Devon.

On Friday 22nd of April The Fugitive Blues Brothers appeared at The Pier House, Westward Ho! for a tribute evening packed with fun, laughter and dancing. As the sun was setting and the drinks were flowing there was a live auction with fabulous prizes donated by local North Devon business. Andrew Levick from Philip Smith & Dunn, the auctioneer for the evening was flamboyant and enthusiastic in conducting the auction making it light hearted and fun.

Jackie Johns has been working on this event to fulfil her Event Planning and Implementation second year module for her Event Management degree. Module leader for 'Event Planning and Implementation' Clare Chapple said
"It has been impressive to see the work Jackie put into the build-up of event, it is evident she had learnt so much from her studies here at Petroc. Her engagement with local businesses which resulted in an impressive variety of auction items. Jackie is going to make a fantastic Event Manager."

She enlisted the help of first year Event Management students Katie Kersey, Millie Wells and Katherine Harvey who assisted with the auction, raffle, décor and hospitality. Music between sets provided by Dean Kersey from Phatdog Discos. "Jackie's event was an extraordinarily well organised and attended evening. It was a thoroughly enjoyable night which raised a great deal for a good cause." Nicola Davies - Petroc.

Coincidentally on same night the Blues Brothers appeared, eight local children from North Devon landed in America for 2016's 'Holiday of a Lifetime', organised and funded by Children's Holiday Foundation North Devon. Jackie said
"It was an honour to be raising funds for the next trip and exciting that we managed to raise so much money on the night. Rob Braddick has been extremely supportive in letting me use The Pier House for this event, the staff were fabulous. I would love to support this charity again in the future."

Entertainment from The Fugitive Blues Brother was the perfect combination of live music from The Blues Brothers song books and audience participation and comedy. Songs included Everybody Needs Somebody to Love, Gimme Some Lovin', Soul Man and Jailhouse Rock. With audience wanting more, and unscheduled encore was agreed with a whip-round using the artist's iconic trilby hat!
"We were honoured to have been invited to be a part of a fundraiser for such a lovely cause. We have done events in the past and they were nowhere near as fun as this night. We would like to congratulate Jackie on running such a brilliant night." Thomas Mitchelles (Elwood Blues)

Jackie Johns and Clare Chapple met with Dr Buckland, founder of Children's Holiday Foundation at the end of May for a cheque presentation totalling £3265 Dr Robin Buckland said
"I would like to congratulate Jacqueline Johns on her amazing fundraising achievement on behalf of Petroc. The money will be used on the next holiday to Florida for eight more North Devon children in April 2017. This was one of the biggest cheques we have ever received." 

Cheque Presentation: Jackie Johns, Dr Buckland, founder of Children's Holiday Foundation and Clare Chapple.Photo copyright MK Collins Photography (All Rights Reserved)

 

Jackie Johns with Katie Kersey, Millie Wells and Katherine Harvey - Photo copyright MK Collins Photography (All Rights Reserved)

The  event featuring The Fugitive Blues Brothers was held at The Pier House, Westward Ho! 

Music between sets provided by Dean Kersey from Phatdog Discos -
Photos copyright MK Collins Photography (All Rights Reserved)

North Devon Wildlife & Environment Film Making Competition Open to All

North Devon Moving Image CIC (NDMI) wants your Wild Shorts! The local community film making organisation is calling for submissions of short films - between 2 and 4 minutes - about the wildlife and environment within the North Devon Coast Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).

The North Devon Coast AONB is designated to protect and conserve our beautiful and diverse coastal landscapes between the Hartland Peninsula and the edge of Exmoor. Amanda McCormack, Creative Director of NDMI, says "We want local people and visitors to capture the special nature of the area on video."

"We are hoping to see films about plants and animals, habitats, landscapes, conservation and just getting out and enjoying the beautiful coast and countryside. The competition is open to all ages - families, schools, young film makers and adults - with exciting prizes for the winning film makers in each category."

The Wild Shorts film making competition is open for entries until Wednesday 30 November 2016 and the competition terms and conditions and details on how to enter are on the NDMI website at www.northdevonmovingimage.org.uk.

To add a helping hand NDMI will be running a limited number of film making workshops for schools, families and community groups. The first event will be for families and will take place at the Braunton Countryside Centre on Sunday 31 July 2016. Additionally there will be some informal 'cafe style' events where people can drop in and get advice on film making techniques and equipment and details of these will be released soon.

Amanda adds "NDMI is really lucky to have some great local sponsors for Wild Shorts and so far we have some fabulous prize donations from GoldCoast Oceanfest, Down End Croyde car park, National Trust, Devon Wildlife Trust membership and Combe Martin Dinosaur & Wildlife Park. The competition has also attracted funding from the North Devon Coast AONB Sustainable Development fund with an additional contribution from Fullabrook CIC."

Caroline Leaver, Member of the Partnership that oversee the AONB commented "The coast of Northern Devon really is Outstandingly beautiful. It is contains some amazing scenery, wildlife and a range of world class beaches and coastal environments. The North Devon AONB Board is thrilled to be able to support the Wild Shorts competition, which will showcase some of what makes this area so special. We'd love to see entries from film makers of all ages, showing wildlife, habitats and what people enjoy about our coastline. North Devon Moving Image will be running training courses locally too, so its a great chance to learn new skills."

Beavers released at secret East Devon location

England's only breeding wild population of beavers has grown thanks to the release of two further animals at a secret location in East Devon. One adult female and one adult male beaver were released on Monday evening on private land close to the River Otter. The release was sanctioned by Natural England and was made by Devon Wildlife Trust as part of the River Otter Beaver Trial - a five year project being led by the charity which is studying the impact of England's only wild beaver population.

Devon Wildlife Trust's Peter Burgess was overseeing the operation and explained why the release of more beavers was made:

"There are already 12 beavers known to be living on the River Otter. Our DNA analysis has shown that these animals are closely related to one another. The genetic diversity of the beavers needed to be increased to ensure that we have a healthy population. So tonight's release was a crucial and exciting next step in the story of reintroducing this keystone species back to the wild, restoring our river catchments. We're very happy with how it went."

Peter continued:

"This pair of beavers may move down river to mix and then breed with the existing population very soon, or they may decide to stay-put, pair up and breed. Then it will be their offspring which mix and mate with the other beavers. Either way the outcome will be the same; the genetic diversity of beavers living wild in East Devon will have been enriched. That is our goal."

The female beaver of the pair was sourced from Devon Wildlife Trust's own captive beaver trial near Okehampton. The three year old was described as being in 'good health and ready to start a new family' by Devon Wildlife Trust. The male is of a similar age and was sourced from a captive breeding programme based in Devon run by renowned beaver expert, Derek Gow.

Devon Wildlife Trust's Peter Burgess said:

"This release site is the best we looked at. It's quiet and undisturbed. The ponds are perfect, while they are just a stone's throw from the river. I want to thank the landowner, a local family who have allowed us to use their land. Without their help this couldn't have happened. We've deliberately not revealed the exact location of the site because we want the beavers to be left undisturbed while they get used to their new surroundings."

Devon Wildlife Trust plans to monitor the progress of the beavers over the coming weeks. Their new home has been equipped with cameras, allowing the charity to get vital insights into beaver behaviour.

Peter Burgess said:

"We will have very privileged access to the secret world of beavers. These are animals that are active only in the evenings, at night and in the early mornings. They are also naturally shy and often difficult to see. The cameras will give us the chance to learn so much about how beavers behave and their impact on the local landscape - this is one of the main objectives of the River Otter Beaver Trial. It will be fascinating to see how this story develops."

People can follow the progress of the beavers and see video footage of their release at the Devon Wildlife Trust website www.devonwildlifetrust.org 

The River Otter Beaver Trial receives no government funding and it is estimated that it will cost the charity more than £500,000 over five years. People can help the project by donating to www.devonwildlifetrust.org/make-a-donation 

The Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber) is a large herbivore, a mammal that was formerly native to these shores and once played an important part in our landscape from prehistoric times until it was hunted to extinction in the 16th century for its fur, meat and scent glands. The loss of this charismatic species also led to loss of the mosaic of lakes, meres, mires, tarns and boggy places that it so brilliantly built. The beaver is a 'keystone' species and its absence has had a profound impact on the ecology of our rivers. There are few species which have such significant and positive influences on ecosystem health and function. For example, their reintroduction can help with: 

• Alleviation of downstream flooding - the channels, dams and wetland habitats that beavers create hold back water and release it more slowly in periods of heavy rain. 
• Increased water retention - by storing water and greatly enhancing the absorption capacity of the wider landscape, beaver activity also helps to sustain flows during periods of low water. 
• Water purification - beaver-generated landscapes have been linked to the significant amelioration of diffuse pollution from human activities. Beavers have been specifically introduced into some river systems in Europe and North America to combat environmental degradation and pollution. 
• Reduced siltation - dams trap silt, helping to reduce turbidity and sedimentation of water courses, reservoirs and lakes. 
• Ecotourism - where beavers have been reintroduced on mainland Europe, there is substantial evidence of revenue and employment generation from ecotourism. The most appropriate sites for initial reintroduction can often be in more remote areas where alternative forms of livelihood from traditional land uses are in decline. 

Devon Wildlife Trust's Peter Burgess and University of Exeter's Prof Richard Brazier carrying one the female beaver to the secret East Devon release site Photo copyright
Nick Upton/naturepl.com (All rights reserved)

 Female Beaver taking first steps - Photo copyright Nick Upton/naturepl.com (All rights reserved)

 Female Beaver entering the water - Photo copyright Nick Upton/naturepl.com (All rights reserved)

 Female Beaver taking a swim in her new home - Photo copyright Nick Upton/naturepl.com (All rights reserved)

Male Beaver prior to release - Photo copyright Nick Upton/naturepl.com (All rights reserved)

  
People can help the project by donating to www.devonwildlifetrust.org/make-a-donation

The River Otter Beaver Trial The River Otter Beaver Trial is led by Devon Wildlife Trust, working in partnership with the University of Exeter, Clinton Devon Estates and the Derek Gow Consultancy. Expert independent advice is also provided by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (Roisin Campbell-Palmer and Simon Girling), Professor John Gurnell and Gerhard Schwab, an expert on beaver re-introduction based in Bavaria.