Crash, Bang, Wallop. Surging into the New Year

I'm hunkered down writing this while the wind is howling outside, the birds have nipped off to the safety of the hedges and the trees so it’s a good job I did the Big Garden Birdwatch Survey this morning. Crash bang wallop, what a start to the New Year. The interminable rain caused rivers to break their banks, rainbows followed the rain, there were giant hailstones and lightning strikes, landslips and land-slides and that was before the storm Hercules arrived. According to news reports there were "twenty-one severe flood warnings, the highest level, issued in the South and West with 500 alerts in total across the UK" The great Atlantic surge began at the end of December when these photos were taken down at Westward Ho! a few days later the coast was bombarded with monster waves up to 10 metres high. The huge swell wreaked havoc along the coast, thundering waves "towering" over the Renish Tower at Lynmouth, breaching sea walls at Ilfracombe and Instow and even the mighty Pebble Ridge succumbed as the pebbles were flung up off the ridge and over the car park and Go-Cart Track by the slipway at Westward Ho! Diggers were brought in to repair the damage, the car park was still closed last week. As the swirling Atlantic waves surged and unrelenting high tides crashed onto our North Devon Coast, residents, local authorities, highways agencies and emergency services have been left counting the cost. In the aftermath tons of marine debris and litter were deposited on beaches in the area and the SAS (Surfers Against Sewage) community worked together as over 400 volunteers helped at BEACH CLEAN events including Croyde and Woolacombe. It’s amazing that we never tire of watching a raging sea, people stand in wonder, children delight in racing away from the surf, photographers will risk all for that one definitive shot, even surfers are not deterred by the possibility of being caught in a rip tide. However, it’s definitely a dangerous game as you’re never quite ready for that extra big wave so quite rightly the Police and the Environment Agency have urged people to stay away from the sea and rivers at such times. Great care must still be taken while walking on coastal paths, the ground is sodden making it more possible for cliff falls. The Southwest Coast Path Association urge people to “Stay safe and away from the shoreline and cliff edges if you're out on the Coast Path!” Click here for the latest news on cliff falls and Path diversions. Article 25th January 2014 and Pictures Westward Ho! 29th December 2013 PM Adams North Devon Focus

UK STORM NEWS REPORTS FROM

• Western Morning News
• Daily Mail
• North Devon Journal
• North Devon Gazette

USEFUL LINKS

• Southwest Coast Path Association
• North Devon National Trust
• Devon County Council - REPORT A POTHOLE

Appledore and Lundy Granite

Post by North Devon Coast & Country Chronicle.

THE DONKEYS OF CLOVELLY LAUNCH NEW NORTH DEVON FILM PROJECT

The Donkeys of Clovelly are the stars of a new short film which launches the North Devon Moving Image (NDMI) film making project. NDMI is a long term project which has been established to create and share a collection of short films examining everyday life in north Devon today and preserve them for future generations. Amanda McCormack, founder of NDMI says “I was inspired to set up the North Devon Moving Image project after watching some fascinating archive films in the North Devon Movie bus a few years ago. It occurred to me that despite the fact that most people are regularly recording video on their mobile phones, tablets and digital cameras, no one is actually preserving this valuable resource.” Amanda added “Coming up with a bright idea is just the start, the tricky bit is actually doing something about it. It takes a lot of hard work and focus to get something like this off the ground but I was delighted to find that once I said it out loud I wasn’t the only one who thought the project was a good idea. With plenty of moral support and some practical help from Jerry Bix at North Devon Plus (who guided us through the business registration) and a grant from the North Devon Coast AONB Sustainable Development Fund, we are now up and running.” Amanda wanted NDMI’s first film to be a good example of how five minutes of video can capture a moment in time while being informative, entertaining and inspirational. “Working with Sue and Bart Kelly at Clovelly Donkeys was just wonderful. We felt really privileged to be given an insight into their lives with the donkeys. They are lovely people and it goes without saying that having big cuddles with the donkeys was quite a treat!” Richard Butler, Sustainable Development Fund Chairman commented “This project is an insightful record which reflects on an iconic part of Clovelly’s rich Heritage. We were very happy to support this inaugural film project by North Devon Moving Image and hope it will be the first of many which will provide an informative record of life in North Devon.” North Devon Moving Image will be building their short film collection in a variety of ways, working with individuals, community groups and film makers in north Devon. 2014 will be a pilot year where NDMI demonstrates different creative film making styles, launches community projects and hopefully inspires other local film makers to get involved. 

To find out more you can visit the NDMI website at www.northdevonmovingimage.org.uk or catch up on twitter @NDMovingImage and Facebook North Devon Moving Image CIC.

Photos: Amanda McCormack with Sarah the Clovelly Donkey, Bart and Sue Kelly of Clovelly Donkeys

What viewers have said about the film

Colin Shaddick “A beautiful and quirky film from North Devon.”
Jos Goulding “An absolute delight … well done Sue & Bart” 

Dion Sears “I loved it! Perfect music at the start and I loved how the donkey was part of the interview and kept trying to nibble things, it must have been hard not to laugh. Hope they find someone to pass the job onto … Great stuff, what's next?”

WATCH THE FILM/LEAVE ACOMMENT ON YOUTUBE HERE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtHE0hF4szA