Gifts Galore Ivybridge
Tue, 02 Mar 2010 22:22:22 +0000
Dartmoor and Exmoor have hooked up to combine their windswept and rugged goodness to create the first Dartmoor & Exmoor Low Carbon Festival 2009 from Friday to Monday, October 9 to 12, organised by the South West’s National Parks.
National Parks are looking to make the transition from oil dependency to a low carbon future through harnessing land-based resources and the festival events will show people how to make their own contribution while, of course, enjoying the beautiful landscapes of the two moors.
More than 20 events are planned across both Dartmoor and Exmoor throughout Low Carbon Festival. Most are free entry, although some need to be pre-booked.
Before the community events begin, the Dartmoor and Exmoor Low Carbon Festival Summit will be held at Exeter’s Met Office on Friday, October 9 where leading South West business and community leaders will engage delegates from key public, private and community sector organisations in exploring and debating the challenges for the National Parks and the implications posed by climate change for the wider South West
Full details of the events can be found on the Low Carbon Festival website, but here’s a taster by interest.
FUN LOVING FAMILIES:
• Exmoor: How to Grow your Own Home! – Monday 12th October (Brendon Hill & Exford)
• Exmoor: Wood Fair – Saturday 10th October (Dulverton)
• Exmoor: Mire Restoration Project Open Day – Sunday 11th October (Squallacombe)
• Exmoor Food Fair – Sunday 11th October (Porlock)
• Exmoor: Eco Fair & Film Show – Friday 9th October (Minehead)
• Exmoor Energy Excursion – Saturday 10th October (Various)
• Exmoor: Sustainable Leisure Events at Wimbleball Lake – Saturday 10th October
• Dartmoor: Green Living Open Weekend – Saturday 10th & Sunday 11th October
• Dartmoor: Increasing footfall, not carbon footprints (travel onto Dartmoor on the Haytor Hoppa (271) or transmoor (82) bus services) – Saturday 10th October
• Dartmoor: Tavistock Farmers’ Market – Saturday 10th October
• Dartmoor: Bovey Tracey Green Street Fair – Saturday 10th October
• Dartmoor: Climate change…medieval style – Saturday 10th & Sunday 11th October
• Dartmoor: Green Living by Sustain Dunsford – Saturday 10th & Sunday 11th October
CLIMATE CAMP AFICIONADOS
• Exmoor: How to Grow your Own Home! – Monday 12th October (Brendon Hill & Exford)
• Exmoor Energy Excursion – Saturday 10th October (Various)
• Dartmoor: Green Living Open Weekend – Saturday 10th & Sunday 11th October
• Dartmoor: Green Living by Sustain Dunsford – Saturday 10th & Sunday 11th October
WILDLIFE & VEGETATION LOVING RAMBLERS!
• Exmoor Mire Restoration Project Open Day – Sunday 11th October (Squallacombe)
• Exmoor: Carbon Fields Workshop – Tuesday 13th October (Venue TBC)
• Dartmoor: Walk to the Middle of Nowhere – and back! All weekend
• Dartmoor: Guided walk on Holne Moor – Sunday 11th October
• Dartmoor: Climate change…medieval style – Saturday 10th & Sunday 11th October
• Dartmoor: Increasing footfall, not carbon footprints (Travel onto Dartmoor on the Haytor Hoppa (271) or transmoor (82) bus services) – Saturday 10th October
RENEWABLE ENERGY LOVERS:
• Exmoor Wood Fair – Saturday 10th October (Dulverton)
• Exmoor Energy Excursion – Saturday 10th October (Various)
• Dartmoor: Renewable Energy Tour (Devon Association for Renewable Energy) – Sunday 11th October
• Dartmoor: Green Living Open Weekend – Saturday 10th & Sunday 11th October
• Dartmoor: Two Moors, One Planet Awareness (The Dartmoor Circle) – Saturday 10th & Sunday 11th October
• Dartmoor: Green Living by Sustain Dunsford – Saturday 10th & Sunday 11th October
• Dartmoor: Audio self guided Dartmoor walk – Sunday 11th October
GREEN FARMERS
• Exmoor: The carbon fields workshop – 13th October
• Dartmoor Farms’ Carbon Project Workshop – 7th October
LOW FOOD MILE CONNOISSEURS
• Exmoor Food Fair – Sunday 11th October (Porlock)
• Dartmoor: Tavistock Farmers’ Market – Saturday 10th October
About the Festival
The Festival, a partnership between Dartmoor and Exmoor National Park Authorities, will promote low carbon living in and around the region’s two National Parks, hosting community organised events for all ages to enjoy. A key aim of the Festival is for everyone interested to enjoy and celebrate existing low carbon activity on the moors and to share knowledge on how to achieve low carbon living.
The Festival is encouraging communities, individuals and businesses to devise and promote innovative solutions to low carbon living, meeting the challenge of tackling climate change.
For further information about the Festival and its events, visit www.lowcarbonfestival.co.uk or have your say…follow us on TWITTER @lowcarbonfest (http://twitter.com/lowcarbonfest)
DARTMOOR EVENTS (see website for booking details where relevant):
Wednesday, October 7
Dartmoor Farms’ Carbon Project Workshop: How your farm can be part of the solution to climate change bought to you by Devon Farming & Wildlife Advisory Group, The Dartmoor Sustainable Development Fund, Duchy of Cornwall & Devon Association for Renewable Energy. Farmers are invited to a project workshop being held at Higher Shapley Farm, Chagford – courtesy of Gordon and Julie Mortimore (10.30 – 14.30)
Friday, October 9
Walk to the Middle of Nowhere – and back! (Two Bridges) A challenging walk heading towards Fur Tor with an opportunity to discuss the role of blanket bogs as a carbon store. Walkers need to be fit and well equipped. Distance 10m/16km
Saturday, October 10
Bovey Tracey Green Street Fair (1.00pm – 5.00pm) Brought to you by Bovey Climate Action Group, local groups are joining together to put on a Really Green Street Fair in the centre of town – come along and have fun with lots of activities, including making and decorating candle jars, t-shirt painting, mini-pond-dipping and plenty of great gifts and goodies to buy!
Tavistock Farmers’ Market: Come and enjoy the finest local food and drink offerings from the UK’s foremost food producing region. Voted the ‘Best Farmers’ Market in the South West’. The markets take place on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of each month, from 9am to 1.pm. Everything you will find on sale is produced within the local area, and stallholders are the farmers, growers or producers themselves.
Increasing footfall but not carbon footprints: Hop on the Haytor Hoppa (Bus Service 271), the circular, scenic bus route – it’s perfect for the whole family to go exploring Dartmoor.
Saturday 10th & Sunday 11th October
Dartmoor Green Living Open Weekend (Ashburton and Buckfastleigh): Visit inspirational eco-homes and low-carbon projects up close and in action, in and around the Ashburton area. Based on the Open Studios arts events, the public will be given a map of the participating initiatives and will be able to pop in to find out more, get tips and ask questions. Examples include insulation, solar water-heating, wood-fuel boilers, off-grid living, low-energy lighting and appliances, community veg-growing and more. The tours will take place from 11.00 – 13.00 & 14.00 – 16.00
Climate change – medieval style (10.35am at Houndtor): Join a guided walk to the deserted medieval settlement at Houndtor (SX 7465 7878) to see how sustainable a lifestyle existed in the 13th and 14th centuries and how the inhabitants responded to changes in the climate. The visit involves a c. 2 mile walk over uneven moorland from the car park at SX 7397 7923.
Two Moors, One Planet Awareness (The Dartmoor Circle): The PL:21 Transition Initiative and Ivybridge Environment Action Group Partnership is hosting a sustainable living networking event at Ivybridge to meet and share knowledge with those already involved in working towards a sustainable future.
Green Living by Sustain Dunsford: As part of the festival two private residences will be open in Dunsford Parish to demonstrate their renewable energy installations. Briton Bank – a domestic wood chip boiler and solar water heating installation. Sowton Mill – a hydro generation turbine. Numbers are limited.
Sunday 11th October
Renewable Energy Tour – Brought to you by The Devon Association for Renewable Energy (Okehampton Business Centre): Understand how modern wind power uses the energy in the wind to turn turbines to convert this energy to electricity. Wind has the potential to produce substantial amounts of green electricity, and small-scale wind power has a genuine role in achieving this. Insights and examples galore to take your first steps into harnessing wind power!
Guided walk onto Holne Moor: Join a guided walk onto Holne Moor to look at this nationally important landscape which contains both prehistoric and medieval archaeology and hear about the sustainable lifestyle practiced by Dartmoor’s former inhabitants and also how they reacted to earlier periods of climate change.
3.30pm Greener Teign event: This event highlights the inter-connectedness of all parts of our world. We will be raising a 350 flag from the top of the tower to link the 2 Moors Low Carbon Festival to the Global 350 campaign. The flag which will be visible from many parts of Dartmoor will be transported to the tower from the Teign Valley by local children and adults on horseback, on foot, on bicycles or by any other non-motorised means.
Audio self guided Dartmoor walk: Download one of the new Audio Walks for Haytor, Postbridge, Princetown or Bellever from the Dartmoor National Park Authority website (www.dartmoor-npa.gov.uk) and be treated to a fascinating commentary on your walk.
=======================================================
EXMOOR EVENTS (see website for booking details where relevant):
Friday, October 9
Eco Fair & Film Show
Bought to you by Minehead & Alcombe Transition Group. Visitors will enjoy stalls offering local produce and goods, a fair-trade café and “pick your own shopping bag” made for you on the spot in a fabric of your choice. “Keep it local and retain traditional skills” is our message for the Festival.
Saturday 10th October
Wood Fair at Dulverton: This is the event for all wood lovers! Experience woodland management in action with demonstrations and displays about Exmoor’s timber and wood related industries and activities. On show will also be wood-fuel processors, mobile timber milling and processing, green woodworkers, craft stalls and timber framers manufacturing timber building products.
Exmoor Energy Excursion
Learn all about renewable energy on this full day tour around a variety of renewable energy sites on Exmoor including Hydro, Biomass, Wind power, Solar thermal and RPV technology. The event is open to anyone and a delegate fee applies to cover transport between sites, lunch and refreshments.
Sustainable Leisure Events at Wimbleball Lake
Come and enjoy a tour of Wimbleball lake by electric fishing boat, taking in the dam and the wildlife living in and on the lake. Tours will be on a first come first served basis. The Wimbleball Lake activity centre will also be offering some water sport taster sessions at the following times: 10-12pm Kayak taster; 12.30-2.30pm Sailing taster session; 3pm-5pm Windsurf taster session.
All sessions will need to booked in advance (01398 371 460 / wimbleball@wimbleball.org.uk) and cost £32 per person. However, anyone arriving at the lake using sustainable transport methods will qualify for a 20% discount of this price. You will also receive 20% off anything purchased in the Lake’s tea room. Booking advisable .
Saturday 10th & Sunday 11th October
Tall Trees Trek
Run in conjunction with award winning green tourism business – Spears Cross of Dunster – this trek will give delegates an opportunity to be some of the first people to use a new circular walking route that takes in the new tall trees trail (home of England’s tallest tree), through Dunster’s sustainably managed woodlands, stunning views from Bats Castle (iron age hillfort) by the most sustainable transport possible – on foot!
Sunday, October 11
Exmoor Mire Restoration Project Open Day – (Squallacombe)
Guided tours (lasting 30mins or 2 hrs) of the Mire Project restoration sites at Squallacombe and North Twitchen and plenty of other bog related activities so bring your wellies!
Exmoor Food Fair
An opportunity to meet the producers and purchase some of the best of Exmoor produce and to walk through the ‘Food
Mile Supermarket’, learning more about the true cost of one’s shopping basket!
Monday, October 12
Grow Your Own Home!
You’ll visit a two storey semi detached straw bale house – one of the only ones in the country – that’s near completion on the roof of Exmoor and far from a tourist attraction, it is considered the future of low carbon construction. Taking place on Monday 12th October, public and industry professionals alike can visit this unique construction and the Exford housing project that’s using hemp as the insulating wall structure. Both innovative, sustainable constructions, anyone interested can book their place via the website.
Tuesday, October 13
Carbon Fields Workshop
Join the BBC Archers’ Agricultural editor and author Graham Harvey as he explores the importance of grassland farming in meeting the challenges of climate change and food security in Britain.
Dartmoor and Exmoor have hooked up to combine their windswept and rugged goodness to create the first Dartmoor & Exmoor Low Carbon Festival 2009 from Friday to Monday, October 9 to 12, organised by the South West’s National Parks.
National Parks are looking to make the transition from oil dependency to a low carbon future through harnessing land-based resources and the festival events will show people how to make their own contribution while, of course, enjoying the beautiful landscapes of the two moors.
More than 20 events are planned across both Dartmoor and Exmoor throughout Low Carbon Festival. Most are free entry, although some need to be pre-booked.
Before the community events begin, the Dartmoor and Exmoor Low Carbon Festival Summit will be held at Exeter’s Met Office on Friday, October 9 where leading South West business and community leaders will engage delegates from key public, private and community sector organisations in exploring and debating the challenges for the National Parks and the implications posed by climate change for the wider South West
Full details of the events can be found on the Low Carbon Festival website, but here’s a taster by interest.
FUN LOVING FAMILIES:
• Exmoor: How to Grow your Own Home! – Monday 12th October (Brendon Hill & Exford)
• Exmoor: Wood Fair – Saturday 10th October (Dulverton)
• Exmoor: Mire Restoration Project Open Day – Sunday 11th October (Squallacombe)
• Exmoor Food Fair – Sunday 11th October (Porlock)
• Exmoor: Eco Fair & Film Show – Friday 9th October (Minehead)
• Exmoor Energy Excursion – Saturday 10th October (Various)
• Exmoor: Sustainable Leisure Events at Wimbleball Lake – Saturday 10th October
• Dartmoor: Green Living Open Weekend – Saturday 10th & Sunday 11th October
• Dartmoor: Increasing footfall, not carbon footprints (travel onto Dartmoor on the Haytor Hoppa (271) or transmoor (82) bus services) – Saturday 10th October
• Dartmoor: Tavistock Farmers’ Market – Saturday 10th October
• Dartmoor: Bovey Tracey Green Street Fair – Saturday 10th October
• Dartmoor: Climate change…medieval style – Saturday 10th & Sunday 11th October
• Dartmoor: Green Living by Sustain Dunsford – Saturday 10th & Sunday 11th October
CLIMATE CAMP AFICIONADOS
• Exmoor: How to Grow your Own Home! – Monday 12th October (Brendon Hill & Exford)
• Exmoor Energy Excursion – Saturday 10th October (Various)
• Dartmoor: Green Living Open Weekend – Saturday 10th & Sunday 11th October
• Dartmoor: Green Living by Sustain Dunsford – Saturday 10th & Sunday 11th October
WILDLIFE & VEGETATION LOVING RAMBLERS!
• Exmoor Mire Restoration Project Open Day – Sunday 11th October (Squallacombe)
• Exmoor: Carbon Fields Workshop – Tuesday 13th October (Venue TBC)
• Dartmoor: Walk to the Middle of Nowhere – and back! All weekend
• Dartmoor: Guided walk on Holne Moor – Sunday 11th October
• Dartmoor: Climate change…medieval style – Saturday 10th & Sunday 11th October
• Dartmoor: Increasing footfall, not carbon footprints (Travel onto Dartmoor on the Haytor Hoppa (271) or transmoor (82) bus services) – Saturday 10th October
RENEWABLE ENERGY LOVERS:
• Exmoor Wood Fair – Saturday 10th October (Dulverton)
• Exmoor Energy Excursion – Saturday 10th October (Various)
• Dartmoor: Renewable Energy Tour (Devon Association for Renewable Energy) – Sunday 11th October
• Dartmoor: Green Living Open Weekend – Saturday 10th & Sunday 11th October
• Dartmoor: Two Moors, One Planet Awareness (The Dartmoor Circle) – Saturday 10th & Sunday 11th October
• Dartmoor: Green Living by Sustain Dunsford – Saturday 10th & Sunday 11th October
• Dartmoor: Audio self guided Dartmoor walk – Sunday 11th October
GREEN FARMERS
• Exmoor: The carbon fields workshop – 13th October
• Dartmoor Farms’ Carbon Project Workshop – 7th October
LOW FOOD MILE CONNOISSEURS
• Exmoor Food Fair – Sunday 11th October (Porlock)
• Dartmoor: Tavistock Farmers’ Market – Saturday 10th October
About the Festival
The Festival, a partnership between Dartmoor and Exmoor National Park Authorities, will promote low carbon living in and around the region’s two National Parks, hosting community organised events for all ages to enjoy. A key aim of the Festival is for everyone interested to enjoy and celebrate existing low carbon activity on the moors and to share knowledge on how to achieve low carbon living.
The Festival is encouraging communities, individuals and businesses to devise and promote innovative solutions to low carbon living, meeting the challenge of tackling climate change.
For further information about the Festival and its events, visit www.lowcarbonfestival.co.uk or have your say…follow us on TWITTER @lowcarbonfest (http://twitter.com/lowcarbonfest)
DARTMOOR EVENTS (see website for booking details where relevant):
Wednesday, October 7
Dartmoor Farms’ Carbon Project Workshop: How your farm can be part of the solution to climate change bought to you by Devon Farming & Wildlife Advisory Group, The Dartmoor Sustainable Development Fund, Duchy of Cornwall & Devon Association for Renewable Energy. Farmers are invited to a project workshop being held at Higher Shapley Farm, Chagford – courtesy of Gordon and Julie Mortimore (10.30 – 14.30)
Friday, October 9
Walk to the Middle of Nowhere – and back! (Two Bridges) A challenging walk heading towards Fur Tor with an opportunity to discuss the role of blanket bogs as a carbon store. Walkers need to be fit and well equipped. Distance 10m/16km
Saturday, October 10
Bovey Tracey Green Street Fair (1.00pm – 5.00pm) Brought to you by Bovey Climate Action Group, local groups are joining together to put on a Really Green Street Fair in the centre of town – come along and have fun with lots of activities, including making and decorating candle jars, t-shirt painting, mini-pond-dipping and plenty of great gifts and goodies to buy!
Tavistock Farmers’ Market: Come and enjoy the finest local food and drink offerings from the UK’s foremost food producing region. Voted the ‘Best Farmers’ Market in the South West’. The markets take place on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of each month, from 9am to 1.pm. Everything you will find on sale is produced within the local area, and stallholders are the farmers, growers or producers themselves.
Increasing footfall but not carbon footprints: Hop on the Haytor Hoppa (Bus Service 271), the circular, scenic bus route – it’s perfect for the whole family to go exploring Dartmoor.
Saturday 10th & Sunday 11th October
Dartmoor Green Living Open Weekend (Ashburton and Buckfastleigh): Visit inspirational eco-homes and low-carbon projects up close and in action, in and around the Ashburton area. Based on the Open Studios arts events, the public will be given a map of the participating initiatives and will be able to pop in to find out more, get tips and ask questions. Examples include insulation, solar water-heating, wood-fuel boilers, off-grid living, low-energy lighting and appliances, community veg-growing and more. The tours will take place from 11.00 – 13.00 & 14.00 – 16.00
Climate change – medieval style (10.35am at Houndtor): Join a guided walk to the deserted medieval settlement at Houndtor (SX 7465 7878) to see how sustainable a lifestyle existed in the 13th and 14th centuries and how the inhabitants responded to changes in the climate. The visit involves a c. 2 mile walk over uneven moorland from the car park at SX 7397 7923.
Two Moors, One Planet Awareness (The Dartmoor Circle): The PL:21 Transition Initiative and Ivybridge Environment Action Group Partnership is hosting a sustainable living networking event at Ivybridge to meet and share knowledge with those already involved in working towards a sustainable future.
Green Living by Sustain Dunsford: As part of the festival two private residences will be open in Dunsford Parish to demonstrate their renewable energy installations. Briton Bank – a domestic wood chip boiler and solar water heating installation. Sowton Mill – a hydro generation turbine. Numbers are limited.
Sunday 11th October
Renewable Energy Tour – Brought to you by The Devon Association for Renewable Energy (Okehampton Business Centre): Understand how modern wind power uses the energy in the wind to turn turbines to convert this energy to electricity. Wind has the potential to produce substantial amounts of green electricity, and small-scale wind power has a genuine role in achieving this. Insights and examples galore to take your first steps into harnessing wind power!
Guided walk onto Holne Moor: Join a guided walk onto Holne Moor to look at this nationally important landscape which contains both prehistoric and medieval archaeology and hear about the sustainable lifestyle practiced by Dartmoor’s former inhabitants and also how they reacted to earlier periods of climate change.
3.30pm Greener Teign event: This event highlights the inter-connectedness of all parts of our world. We will be raising a 350 flag from the top of the tower to link the 2 Moors Low Carbon Festival to the Global 350 campaign. The flag which will be visible from many parts of Dartmoor will be transported to the tower from the Teign Valley by local children and adults on horseback, on foot, on bicycles or by any other non-motorised means.
Audio self guided Dartmoor walk: Download one of the new Audio Walks for Haytor, Postbridge, Princetown or Bellever from the Dartmoor National Park Authority website (www.dartmoor-npa.gov.uk) and be treated to a fascinating commentary on your walk.
=======================================================
EXMOOR EVENTS (see website for booking details where relevant):
Friday, October 9
Eco Fair & Film Show
Bought to you by Minehead & Alcombe Transition Group. Visitors will enjoy stalls offering local produce and goods, a fair-trade café and “pick your own shopping bag” made for you on the spot in a fabric of your choice. “Keep it local and retain traditional skills” is our message for the Festival.
Saturday 10th October
Wood Fair at Dulverton: This is the event for all wood lovers! Experience woodland management in action with demonstrations and displays about Exmoor’s timber and wood related industries and activities. On show will also be wood-fuel processors, mobile timber milling and processing, green woodworkers, craft stalls and timber framers manufacturing timber building products.
Exmoor Energy Excursion
Learn all about renewable energy on this full day tour around a variety of renewable energy sites on Exmoor including Hydro, Biomass, Wind power, Solar thermal and RPV technology. The event is open to anyone and a delegate fee applies to cover transport between sites, lunch and refreshments.
Sustainable Leisure Events at Wimbleball Lake
Come and enjoy a tour of Wimbleball lake by electric fishing boat, taking in the dam and the wildlife living in and on the lake. Tours will be on a first come first served basis. The Wimbleball Lake activity centre will also be offering some water sport taster sessions at the following times: 10-12pm Kayak taster; 12.30-2.30pm Sailing taster session; 3pm-5pm Windsurf taster session.
All sessions will need to booked in advance (01398 371 460 / wimbleball@wimbleball.org.uk) and cost £32 per person. However, anyone arriving at the lake using sustainable transport methods will qualify for a 20% discount of this price. You will also receive 20% off anything purchased in the Lake’s tea room. Booking advisable .
Saturday 10th & Sunday 11th October
Tall Trees Trek
Run in conjunction with award winning green tourism business – Spears Cross of Dunster – this trek will give delegates an opportunity to be some of the first people to use a new circular walking route that takes in the new tall trees trail (home of England’s tallest tree), through Dunster’s sustainably managed woodlands, stunning views from Bats Castle (iron age hillfort) by the most sustainable transport possible – on foot!
Sunday, October 11
Exmoor Mire Restoration Project Open Day – (Squallacombe)
Guided tours (lasting 30mins or 2 hrs) of the Mire Project restoration sites at Squallacombe and North Twitchen and plenty of other bog related activities so bring your wellies!
Exmoor Food Fair
An opportunity to meet the producers and purchase some of the best of Exmoor produce and to walk through the ‘Food
Mile Supermarket’, learning more about the true cost of one’s shopping basket!
Monday, October 12
Grow Your Own Home!
You’ll visit a two storey semi detached straw bale house – one of the only ones in the country – that’s near completion on the roof of Exmoor and far from a tourist attraction, it is considered the future of low carbon construction. Taking place on Monday 12th October, public and industry professionals alike can visit this unique construction and the Exford housing project that’s using hemp as the insulating wall structure. Both innovative, sustainable constructions, anyone interested can book their place via the website.
Tuesday, October 13
Carbon Fields Workshop
Join the BBC Archers’ Agricultural editor and author Graham Harvey as he explores the importance of grassland farming in meeting the challenges of climate change and food security in Britain.
