Striking A Chord. Get ready for the North Devon Music Network.

A few months ago Dion Sears, Development Manager St Annes Arts and Community Centre and Lucy Betts (Frithelstock Fest), sent out a questionaire regarding live music in North Devon. They set a target for responses and by the number of questionaires that came back they knew there was great interest.

They then looked at the feedback and came up with a networking evening where there would be direct access to good quality up and coming musicians that venues and promoters could book on the night if they fit with their program of events.

This is a great opportunity to meet other promoters, venues and supporters - a way to meet and help each other. 

It will also be a social evening with some great music. Josh Stevenson will be taking shots of the musians performing for free. They know people's time is short so they've kept the program to one and a half hours, but this is flexible and there will be a bar. 

It would be great if people could come and support this night, they hope people will enjoy it and gain from coming along.

This event is Sponsored by Clearwater Brewery

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Get in Touch via

Facebook 

Email: ndevonmusicnetwork@gmail.com 

FREE ENTRY - Get Tickets

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Venue

St. Anne's Arts and Community Centre, Paternoster Row, Barnstaple EX31 1SX

Follow in the footsteps of Monty Halls on a Coast Path Adventure and win a GoPro Hero4 camera

Fancy a challenge? Join Monty Halls for an adventure as part of the South West Coast Path Challenge this October and get creative by making a pledge on social media for a chance to win a Go Pro Hero4 camera - the ultimate tool for recording your adventures.

As Patron of the month-long fundraising event, TV adventurer Monty Halls has created a video blog that sets out his challenge and nominates three friends to join him.

The South West Coast Path Association is leading on the event alongside the National Trust with the aim to raise vital funds for improvements on the Coast Path. Both charities are encouraging the millions of people that visit the coast every year, to challenge their friends and families to take part and share their experience on social media by tagging their posts with #Challenge630.

All posts using words, pictures or video along with the hashtag, will be in with a chance to win a prize at the end of the month with the winner chosen by Monty. The more creative the post the better the chances of winning and this can be on Twitter, Facebook or Youtube.

Alongside video blogs, picture entries can include a selfie beside a beautiful view, footprints in the sand or a simple pair of boot clad feet, anything that represents people enjoying the Coast Path's access to the sea and reinforcing the idea of the old adage; ‘take only pictures, leave only footprints…’

How to create your own video blog

To create a simple video using your smartphone, which can be anything from a 6 second Vine loop to a 30-second video on Youtube, Facebook or Twitter, here’s a quick start guide to what to include:

Step 1: Introduce yourself and let us know what your challenge is going to be.

Why are you doing this particular challenge? e.g., - it brings back memories of family walks or this is my favourite beach and I’ve never set foot along this particular stretch of coastline.

Step 2: Remind people what it's for, e.g., - to help protect the coastline. You can fundraise for your own nominated charity if you wish but you still need to register your challenge for just £10 and we will share your post if it includes #Challenge630

Step 3: Nominate three friends to join you - if they're on Facebook, Twitter or Youtube, tag them into your post. If not, let them know by other means.

Step 4: Sign off by asking your nominated friends: What will your challenge be?

If you're not using social media, you can still take part in the competition. Simply create your video or picture story and send it to us via email at hello@southwestcoastpath.org.uk

Don’t forget to put #Challenge630 in the subject line. We'll add it to our Youtube Playlist and share it on our Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest pages.

Monty at home in Dartmouth pledging his support for the Coast Path. 
 

Deadline to enter the competition: Midnight 31st October – a pledge can be made right up until the last minute – so if you decide to do something on October 31st you can create your pledge and fulfil your challenge in the same day.

It costs at least £1,000 to look after just 1-mile of Coast Path and it needs your help.

Full terms and conditions can be viewed on the #Challenge630 competition page at www.southwestcoastpath.org.uk/events/challenge/challenge-630

Charity re-homes reptiles

More than 200 reptiles including slow worms and grass snakes have been given a new place to live. Their new home includes bespoke sleeping quarters and the run of one of Devon's most beautiful nature reserves.
The reptiles have been removed from Palm Cross, near Modbury, which is the site of a proposed new development by national house building company Bloor Homes.

The animals are being given a fresh start in life by Devon Wildlife Trust at the charity's Andrew's Wood nature reserve, near Loddiswell. The Trust's Jackie Gage explained:

'We were very pleased to be able to provide these reptiles with a new start. We recognise the need for providing homes for people but wildlife doesn't have to be the loser. Andrew's Wood's 50 hectares of wildflower meadows, ponds and woodland already offer a rich variety of plants and animals a haven in which to flourish. These slow worms and grass snakes are going to a good place.'
In preparation for their arrival Devon Wildlife Trust has been busy building six 'hibernacula' - special winter homes in which the reptiles can sit out the cold winter months ahead in a safe and frost free underground home. Funding for the hibernacula has come from Bloor Homes. Jackie explained:

'A lack of hibernation places is a real problem for reptiles. The hibernacula we've built are basically holes in the ground a metre deep and two metres wide. We've positioned them on sunny south facing slopes. We've filled them with stones for drainage, then logs and larger rocks to create crevices and cavities. On top we've piled sticks, bracken and turfs to offer snug insulation, making sure we've left enough entrance and exit holes for the reptiles to come and go.'

The planned housing development is proposed at Palm Cross in Modbury by Bloor Homes. The company's Land Director Isaac Kibblewhite said:

'As a responsible housebuilder, we do everything we can to ensure that we create a positive difference in the areas we build. This includes making contributions to help the ongoing welfare of the local wildlife and on this occasion we're delighted to assist in translocating reptiles to a new home.'

The reptiles are being captured and moved to their new home by experienced and licenced professionals from Exeter-based EAD Ecology. Associate Director, Ross Bower, explained the process which his team is undertaking:

'Slow worms are legally protected so EAD Ecology is working with Bloor Homes and Devon Wildlife Trust to ensure that none are harmed as a result of the development. We have set out a grid of 'felts', which are squares of roofing felt, in areas where they are likely to occur in the site. The felts warm up more quickly than the surrounding areas during the day, and because slow worms are cold-blooded they are attracted to the warmth. We undertake regular checks under the felts and carefully collect any slow worms that are there, which we then take to their new home at Andrew's Wood. This is part of a range of measures that EAD Ecology and Bloor Homes are implementing to ensure that the development is as wildlife-friendly as possible; a number of the new buildings will include bird and bat boxes and there will be a new wetland area, wildflower meadow, woodland and hedgerow planting within public open space in the site.' 

The trapping and moving of the reptiles from the donor to receptor sites should be completed by the end of September - in good time for the slow worms and grass snakes to find their new winter quarters. 

Devon Wildlife Trust's Andrew's Wood nature reserve is near the village of Loddiswell in the South Hams. It's free to enter and offers the chance to take walks through a wonderful part of Devon's countryside.

'Slow worms are one of the reptile species being found a new home at Devon Wildlife Trust's Andrew's Wood Nature Reserve, near Loddiswell' 
Photo copyright Michael Symes - All rights reserved