Wildlife Charities Ride into Election Debate

Devon Wildlife Trust and RSPB are today calling on voters to ask their prospective parliamentary candidates (PPCs) about how they plan to restore nature in the West Country.

In an unusual move the two leading nature charities will be riding into Plymouth on a special campaign bicycle carrying a billboard with a ‘unique and wild’ election message.

Nick Bruce White, RSPB Regional Director, said:

“We know that nature is close to the heart of people here in the West Country, with both our organisations having tens of thousands of supporters locally. We urge people to talk to election candidates of all parties about nature, how important it is to them and how if elected they will make sure it protected and restored.”

Harry Barton, Devon Wildlife Trust Chief Executive said:

“Wildlife and wild places are critical to the health, welfare and prosperity of people in the South West. The debate around the future of wildlife cannot be allowed to go missing from this crucial general election. Today we are asking that people don’t let their candidates forget nature.”

The campaign’s novel use of a bike-powered billboard stemmed from a passion for cycling shared by both charities’ chief officers. Harry Barton said:

“We wanted a way to reach people, and pedal power fits perfectly with the ethos of each of our organisations.”

Devon Wildlife Trust and RSPB are asking voters to raise four key specific issues with their PPCs…

1. What will your party do to ensure our wildlife laws remain strong and that steps are taken to restore the damage we have done to nature?
2. What will your party do to ensure that wildlife thrives in our seas once more?
3. What will your party do to ensure we have new farming policies in each part of the UK to provide for nature’s recovery?
4. What will your party do to make sure we move to a low carbon economy?

The bike’s campaign billboard leads with the slogan ‘The real losers in the polls’, before asking voters to ‘Let your election candidates know how much nature means to you’. The billboard also states that 56% of the UK’s wildlife is in decline, a figure that headlined the recent State of Nature report which was published in 2016.

RSPB and Devon Wildlife Trust are asking people to find out more about why this general election is so crucial to the future of the region’s wildlife by visiting a special election webpage www.GE2017wild.org and joining the debate on social media using the hashtag #GreenerSW.

What's Slow Cooking at Bulworthy. Barbecue Cafe Evening in a beautiful Devon Woodland

Barbecue Café Evenings, hosted by the Bulworthy Project, are a great social event for all the family held in a beautiful Devon woodland on the last Saturday of the month from May to August.  The next event wil be on Saturday 27th May 

The menu will include slow roast mutton and barbecued free range chicken both of which are from small family farms within a few miles away. There will be falafel as a vegan option. Bulworthy can cater for gluten free and other dietary requirements, please ask when ordering. They will be serving local cider, ale and wine as well as a selection of soft drinks, hot beverages and a variety of  homemade sweet treats for desert. You can also enjoy an interactive blacksmithing demonstration from Bulworthy friends at Longdog Smithy. 

You are welcome to explore the woods whilst you are there where you can see sheep and piglets as well as enjoying the woodland environment. Overnight camping is available if you would like to stay in the woods and the café will be open for breakfast.

The Bulworthy Project Barbecue Café evenings really are unique. That's probably because they way that they came about is also quite unique. Anna and Pete Grugeon bought the woods where Bulworthy Project is based 10 years ago and a couple of years later they were living in a caravan in the woods making charcoal for a living. The next obvious step was to run charcoal making courses and they started catering for the courses. Because they were cooking on charcoal every day and they are passionate about locally produced food, they were producing really fantastic meals and people started saying that they'd be up for coming to the woods just for the food.

In May 2015 they got an events licence and put on the first Barbecue Café evening. Despite terrible weather, quite a few people came to shelter in what undercover space there was and eat delicious food. Slow roast shoulder of pork was on the menu, but was gone within minutes. There was no campfire that night due to the rain, but everyone had a fantastic time. That evening had been a real learning curve. By the end of the year, they had a full size marquee, meaning that everyone can stay warm and dry and had streamlined how the café worked so that it looked like a slick operation.

There was entertainment from the start of these evenings, with friends playing music, telling stories and doing craft demonstrations and now each café has it's own individual feel depending on what is going on. Some of it is organised and publicised in advance, some is spontaneous and just happens on the day. The food is locally produced, comes mainly from farms known to Anna and Pete and is of course still cooked on charcoal that they make themselves. This is however no normal barbecued food. The latest menu includes roast chicken, slow roast mutton and they have falafel as a vegan option. It is served as sit down meals and comes with a fine selection of locally produced ale, cider and wine as well as soft drinks and beverages. There's a blacksmithing demo booked and more entertainment expected on the day. 

 A great social event for all the family

  Blacksmithing demonstration with Longdog Smithy

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Bulworthy Project Barbecue Café evenings happen on the last Saturday of the month from May to August 6pm-11pm

Kid Friendly. Free Admission (You just pay for food and drinks as you order)

Please car share where possible. Sorry no dogs allowed due to ground nesting birds and other environmental considerations. 

For further details and directions visit www.bulworthyproject.org.uk/cafe

Bulworthy Project,  Hensons Wood, Rackenford, Tiverton, Devon, EX16 8DL

Tel: 07594569441

London band Flyte are Devon bound this Summer. UK tour gigs include Exeter Student Guild and Sidmouth Fringe

London four-piece Flyte have a colossal summer ahead. Announcing their biggest headline to date at London’s Scala on September 19, the band are going on the road and bringing their renowned harmonies to towns across the UK – busking in City centres, and recalling where it all began on London’s Portobello Road. With regional dates alongside in Manchester, Glasgow and Birmingham, Flyte will perform at festivals including Latitude, The Great Escape and Standon Calling.

Last year, vocalist Will Taylor and keys player Sam Berridge uploaded a cover of Joni Mitchell’s ‘River’ to their Facebook page. This heart-wrenching interpretation kicked off a Flyte-movement. Racking up over 1M streams, fans wanted more sessions, and Flyte began carefully curating covers in London landmarks with towering acoustics, earning a reputation for their trademark vocal arrangements, as well as their bold live sound.

Accomplished songwriters Will, Sam, Nick, and Jon have released a flurry of alternative-indie anthems including ‘We Are The Rain’, ‘Closer Together,’ and ‘Light Me Up’ over the past few years and have amassed over 1.5M Spotify streams. ‘Victoria Falls’ spells a fresh dawn for Flyte as the band put the finishing touches on their debut album with Burke Reid in Australia.
Watch the remarkable Church session for new single Victoria Falls here

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Live dates

26/04 Oslo, London - Alexandra Saviour support

28/04 Moth Club, London

29/04 Live at Leeds, Leeds

11/05 Busking in Nottingham

12/05 Busking in Birmingham

13/05 Busking in Liverpool

14/05 Busking in Sheffield

18/05 The Great Escape, Brighton

19/05 The Railway Inn, Winchester

20/05 Moles Club, Bath

21/05 The Crofters Rights, Bristol

24/05 The Rocking Chair, Sheffield

25/05 Fallow Café, Manchester

26/05 Chameleon Arts Café, Nottingham

27/05 Surf Café, Tynemouth

28/05 The Garage, Glasgow

30/05 Scala, London Alexandra Saviour support

31/05 The Sunflower Lounge, Birmingham

02/06 The Magnet, Liverpool

04/06 Exeter Student Guild, Exeter

24/06 Midsommar Festival, Sweden

02/07 Barn on the Farm, Gloucester

09/07 Smoked & Uncut, Somerset

15/07 Latitude - DIY stage

30/07 Standon Calling - Laundry Meadows Stage

09/08 Sidmouth Fringe, Devon

09/09 Moira Calling, Northern Island

19/09 Scala, London

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