2010-11 highlights
- Popular year-round Countryside Events programme promoted 94 events
- First Blackdowns Woodland Fair was a great success
- Outdoor classroom established at Hemyock Primary School
- Improvements to our website made it easier to plan days out
Events programme
The AONB promoted 94 outdoor events through the ever popular Countryside Events programme, bringing together walks, courses and activities from 16 local organisations.
22 of these were organised by the AONB team. We ran activities such as wildlife gardening, bat hunting, stargazing and storytelling, as well as walks to discover birdsong, wild flowers, fungi, ancient history and more.
Events calendar
Woodland Fair
The AONB provided advice, assistance and funding to the Blackdown Hills and East Devon Woodland Association to organise the first Blackdowns Woodland Fair in July, part of the Working Our Woodlands project. This family event at Park Farm near Wellington was a celebration of all things woody, with demonstrations and stalls featuring a wide range of craftspeople and foresters. Highlights included horse logging, tree climbing and longbow making. The day was a great success, with 50 exhibitors and over 1000 attendees. The second Woodland Fair is planned for 2011.
Wood Fair webpage
Fairs and festivals
AONB staff took stands to the Stockland Fair, Honiton Show and Wellington Food Festival. We chatted to hundreds of visitors about the work of the AONB Partnership and gave out information to enable many more people to enjoy and understand the importance of this protected landscape.
Somerset Hedge Group calendar
The AONB supported the Somerset Hedge Group's photographic competition and manager Linda Bennett sat on the judging panel. Selected photographs from the competition were used to create a calendar of inspiring hedgerow images.
Interactive mapping
Planning a day out in the Blackdown Hills was made much easier with improvements to our online mapping. Maps were developed to show walks, horse rides, cycle routes and events, with full details available at a click. This feature is particularly useful to visitors who don't know the area well - welcoming and encouraging more people to enjoy the AONB.
Routes
Outdoor classroom
Learning outdoors can inspire a life-long interest in the natural world. We helped Hemyock Primary School to establish an outdoor classroom on land made available by a local farmer. A grant from our Sustainable Development Fund (SDF) was used for fencing, native shrubs and trees, and birdboxes. Children from all the school's classes, along with parents and teachers, got involved in the work, which created an inspiring space for learning.
