This is an exciting programme announced to help residents connect with their local area
Details have been announced of an action packed programme to engage communities with the natural heritage of the Kingswear and Brixham peninsula using a range of creative and innovative activities. The aim is to generate opportunities for the whole community to discover more about the special landscape on their doorstep. The activities are part of the Heritage Lottery and Environment Agency funded ‘Routeways and Connections’ project.
The events will include:
28 March - 'Up Close and Personal' on the old fish quay in Brixham
28 March to 10 May - Brixham & Kingswear Peninsular Quest - a treasure hunt taking searchers to ten iconic points on the peninsula with a prize for the best entry. There will be primary school involvement from Kingswear with music, poetry and performances planned around the water catchment theme.
5,12 & 19 April - Wild Parkour along the wild shorelines and woodlands near Brixham
25 April - 'A Layered Journey' - a day long ridge walk will take place from Brixham, through to Churston Cove, then onto Greenway. This will be led by local historian John Risdon, with scheduled stops en route to meet key individuals who are responsible for looking after the landscape. Participants will then board a ferry down to Kingswear ready to catch the bus back to Brixham just before dusk.
3 May - and an alternative dawn chorus experience at Mansands. The community will have the chance to look at maps and discover the best places to explore the countryside, see butterflies, enjoy the sunrise and the best views.
10 May - Peninsular Fair Sunday at Lupton House. The project will culminate in a free showcase event at Lupton House near Brixham involving performances, art, peninsula food and drink, poetry recitals, and tours of the house and gardens.
South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Communities Project Officer Nicky Bailey said “We are thrilled to be working with Encounters Arts, The National Trust, Torbay Coast and Countryside Trust, The Lupton Trust and Galmpton and Churston local history group, on helping people to discover their local area in such innovative ways.”
Shelley Castle project lead with Encounters Arts said "For the last 12 years Encounters has worked with communities to look deeper into their connections with the area they live in, each other, and the wider world. Through 'Routeways and Connections' we are exploring an area of specific historical and natural importance together with the people that inhabit, volunteer and work in the peninsula."
"The events created by Encounters will focus on various aspects of the natural world, engaging a broad range of local residents with different backgrounds, ages and interests, and inviting them to see their local environment through a new lens.”
Click here for full details of the events
Click here to follow Shelley Castle’s blog about her work
The project is funded by a Sharing Heritage Heritage Lottery Fund grant and the Environment Agency.
