North Devon Coast AONB News

New AONB Partnership Chair

At the end of September we welcomed a new AONB Partnership Chair – Dr Eirene Williams, following the retirement of Steve Mulberry after a long-standing commitment and involvement with the AONB.

Eirene has spent the last two years as Vice-Chair and has a background in countryside management lecturing and in beef farming.  Born in Croyde she has directly experienced the tourism pressures of the last two years first hand, with this being only one of several priority issues currently within the AONB.

Click below to find out more.

Meet Our New Intern

We are delighted to welcome Jess Giblett to the AONB team through a Communications Internship through the University of Exeter, to back fill some of Laura’s role whilst she is on a part-time secondment to Natural England

Jess grew up in the North Devon area and has always had a strong appreciation for the ocean and the surrounding countryside, spending a lot of time at the beach as a child.

She began her career and first degree working with horses before attending Duchy College in Cornwall to study Horse Management and then achieving an honours degree in Equitation Science.

She has since worked in the horse industry in a variety of roles, from local riding schools to working in New Zealand at a show jumping yard and China for an equine performance company.

She returned to the UK to continue her education and take a slightly different path, doing a Masters in Conservation and Animal Behaviour at Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge, after travelling and working abroad for a few years. She wanted to pursue a career that was more tied to helping the environment, having always been very eco-conscious.

After studying a year for her Masters in Cambridge, she returned home to North Devon to search for some opportunities closer to home.

She has learned a lot about our local environment through summer volunteering at the Braunton Countryside Centre and then short-term contracted work as their activity agent. She is eager to learn more and get involved with local environmental work by helping to engage communities and inspire people to love and protect their natural environment.

Update on the Farming in Protected Landscapes programme (FiPL)

The AONB team are delivering a grant scheme as part of the government’s Agricultural Transition programme. This provides advice, guidance and funding to assist farmers and landowners to better understand the new priorities in forthcoming schemes to pay public money for public goods. Support is available for projects that deliver outcomes related to nature, climate, people and place.

The advisory team is led by Dave Edgcombe, alongside contractors Sophia Craddock and Phil Metcalfe who are providing detailed farm reports to identify projects and opportunities.

Over 40 farmers and landowners had engaged with the project by the end of November with ten applications submitted and a further 9 in development.

The FiPL Local Assessment Panel are delighted to have approved ten projects for funding, allocating 40% of the total grants budget, with grants ranging from £1,400 to £24,000 and delivery over the programme period to March 2024. The projects include: the creation of new orchards, ponds and public access paths; equipment to better manage habitats such as woodlands, meadows and grasslands; creation of new habitats such as wood pasture and small areas of tree planting; new interpretation boards and water management schemes to slow the flow, reduce flooding and improve water quality.

Photo above - Claire Moodie (Plastic Free North Devon), a new member of the AONB Partnership, successfully completed the half marathon on behalf of the AONB.

North Devon AONB Marathon

Back in June of this year we helped support the North Devon AONB marathon with sponsorship and the running of the Putsborough Aid station.  This year's event has now raised an incredible £38,180. The money is  being put towards the hospice team with a dedicated team of nurses providing vital care and support to local patients and their families in their own homes, as well as at the hospice. The last 18 months have been really challenging for the North Devon Hospice as they were unable to host fundraising events and their shops were closed. Well done to the whole hospice team and everyone that took part or volunteered on the day!

Nature loving volunteers needed at Hillsborough Nature Reserve 

A volunteer day is being held at Hillsborough on Thursday 16th December from 9.30am to 3.00pm, and everyone is welcome to come along.

It is part of the Monument Management Scheme (MMS) being run by us along with the Devon County Council Archaeology team and North Devon Council.

For those who would like to find out more about the history of this fascinating site there will be a guided walk around the reserve, meeting at  9:30am in the swimming pool car. There will then be some practical tasks throughout the day.

Click on the link below for information about how to book.

There is also a volunteers task day at Northam Burrows Country Park on the 17th. For more information about this please email dave.edgcombe@devon.gov.uk

Tides of Change Book

Don't forget our new book is still available to purchase. Our very own Dave Edgcombe teamed up with Beaford to present a fascinating ‘then-and-now’ publication. It contains a selection of never-before-seen Ravilious images from their Archive that were digitised from original negatives.

Copies are available to purchase from local outlets such as Appledore Bookshop, Braunton Countryside Centre, Combe Martin Museum, Ilfracombe Museum, Museum of Barnstaple and North Devon, the Burton Art Gallery, Woolacombe TIC and Walter Henrys Bookshop in Bideford. You can also purchase online (see link below)