Café Scientifique @ Sidmouth Tree Week >>> a talk on "Trees for Multiple Purposes" > Tuesday 21st May

It's Tree Week next week:
Sidmouth Arboretum

Much of the time will be spent walking through some arboreal delights - and much of the time will be spent talking climate change:
What are the effects of global warming in the UK? - Woodland Trust

The Science Fest's Café Scientifique will be hosting a talk on what a good thing trees are - starting with the climate:

Cafe Scientifique: Sidmouth Tree Week: Trees for Multiple Benefits

Tuesday 21st May 2019 3:00 PM –to 4:30 PM

Location/Venue: Kennaway House Coburg Road EX10 8NG

Trees for Multiple Benefits with Bob Chard, Member of the Royal Forestry Society

VISION FOR A FOREST NATION

So now it is accepted as true. Climate change is for real and a very urgent emergency problem. The Government is going into panic mode about what to do. We have to give them some credit for their vision. UK is the first nation in the world to adopt necessary climate action targets which are both adequate and credible. Also in some respects including forestry policy the UK Government is quite well prepared for fast acceleration in new directions. We will commit to a very large increase in tree planting targets to double the woodland area. 

However achieving tree planting number targets is the easy part; what is of more  concern to me is the more difficult part. Will we plant the right trees and will they be planted in the right places?  Will public money be spent wisely and will it be managed in the best possible way? To be sure many people in all walks of life will want to be part of the action but in the past we have made mistakes with forestry policy and we need to learn from that and not simply throw money at achieving targets. 

I would like to share my knowledge and experience with you and suggest some trees which we can all plant and nurture, as well as my own project which is designed to grow unusual trees as substitutes for current unsustainable imports of tropical hardwood timbers; much of which is being illegally felled, is uncertified and imported from the other side of the planet with a large carbon footprint, at ever increasing cost.  We have to do better.

Everyone welcome. This is a free event so please buy a drink to keep it so

Cafe Scientifique: Sidmouth Tree Week: Trees for Multiple Benefits | Sidmouth Science Festival

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Sidmouth Spring Food Festival > Saturday 20th April

The Food Festival is happening again this weekend: 

🍰🍕🥙 SAVE THE DATE!! 🥗🥙🍦

Sidmouth Food Fest returns for its 4th year and now better than ever!

This Spring edition will be showcasing some of our finest local suppliers, street food stalls and artisan food producers.

Not only do we have all you foodie fans covered but this time, we’ll have an Artisan Market hosting many local craftspeople and artists with a beautiful range of creations on sale.

Join us at Kennaway House from 10-4 on Easter Saturday (20th April) for some foodie heaven, with lots to see and scoff!

Sidmouth Food Festival - Home | Facebook

Sidmouth Food Festival - Home | Facebook

And from today's Herald: 

Time to tuck in - food festival returns this weekend

PUBLISHED: 17:00 17 April 2019

Sam Cooper

From street food stalls to artisan food producers, there will be plenty to get your teeth stuck in to this weekend.

Sidmouth Food Festival is returning for its fourth year and in this spring edition the organisers will be showcasing a huge variety of food, drink, crafts and products from local producers.

Not only do they have all the foodie fans covered but this time, they'll have an artisan market hosting many local crafts people and artists with a beautiful range of items on sale.

There will be plenty to see with over 40 traders and lots of tasty treats to whet your appetite, so go and get stuck in.

For some foodie heaven and crafty creations attend Sidmouth Food Festival and Artisan Market at Kennaway House from 10am until 4pm on Easter Saturday (April 20).

For more information, search Sidmouth Food Festival on Facebook.

Visit the sidmouthherald.co.uk for the latest news.

Sidmouth Food Fest returns for its fourth year | Latest Sidmouth and Ottery News - Sidmouth Herald
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Sidmouth Farmers' Market: Saturday 9th March

The Farmers' Market is doing very nicely down at Kennaway House
- every second Saturday of the month: 

IF THERE ARE ANY FARMERS / TRADERS / PRODUCERS / SMALL LOCAL BUSINESSES THAT WOULD LIKE TO PARTICIPATE IN THE MARKET, PLEASE DO NOT HESITATE TO GET IN TOUCH. 

CALL 01395 515551 OR EMAIL MAIL@KENNAWAYHOUSE.ORG.UK

FARMERS' MARKET: Second Saturday of Each Month

With a bit more info here: 

Sidmouth Farmers’ Market

2nd Saturday of most months, 9.00am–1pm

A range of locally produced fresh foods including: pork, eggs, game, lamb, chickens, fresh local vegetables, cakes, tarts and chocolates. A wide variety of preserves and pickles, flowers and plants. There is also a cafe serving homemade cakes, flapjacks, sausage rolls. Visit the seaside at the same time!

Raising money for Kennaway House Trust to help keep it going for the Community. We are a charity and need to encourage the communities support. For each trader it is £10 a stall.

Sidmouth Farmers’ Market - Our Local Expert

See also:

Food and sustainability - Vision Group for Sidmouth

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A Celebration of Trees > photos and thanks

A great time was had by all at last week's Arboretum event:
Futures Forum: A Celebration of Trees > Friday 30th November > stalls, songs, talks, quiz, snacks, bar...

Or so it seems:

Story-telling from Jon Freeman

Mousey display from the National Trust

Intent attention from attendees

Prize-giving from quiz-master Ed Dolphin

Song and movement from Sid Vale Folk

Sidmouth Arboretum - Home | Facebook

With a thank-you in today's letters pages of the Herald:

“The Sidmouth Arboretum would like to thank all those who generously gave their time to enlighten and entertain us all at last Friday’s Celebration of Trees.

Firstly, we are very grateful to Nikki and her team at Kennaway House for their as-ever professional preparation of the Cellar Bar for the occasion.

The evening was kicked off by the joyous melodies of Tess Bisson and the Sid Vale Folk, all in good voice and filling the space with songs celebrating trees.

A big thanks too to our speakers – to John Wilding MBE, head of Forestry and Environment at Clinton Devon Estates; to Tracey West of Word Forest, based in Lyme Regis but doing fantastic work with reforestation projects in Kenya; and to Jon Freeman of the Clyst Valley Ancient Trees project who gave us a wonderfully lively rendition of a folk tale from the wilds of old Scandinavia.

The fantastic array of stalls from other tree-minded groups added to the variety of the evening, including: Devon Wildlife Trust, Friends of the Byes, Forestry Commission, National Trust, Sid Vale Association, Sid Valley Bat Research Project and Sidmouth Rotary Club.

Not forgetting our thanks to local woodturners Diana and Martin Russell and to local artist Cherry Ferris and her beautiful pyrography work – who brought in craft as seasonal gifts to take away.

And thank you to all the members of the public who turned up to join in the fun.

We at the Sidmouth Arboretum look forward to seeing everyone again next year at our Celebration of Trees.”

Sidmouth and Ottery breaking news and sport - Sidmouth Herald
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Explorer and climate change campaigner Sir David Hempleman-Adams @ Kennaway House > Thursday 8th November

Quite a catch for Kennaway House in its 'meet the author' series: 

Meet explorer Sir David Hempleman-Adams at Kennaway House Sidmouth

04 November 2018

Philippa Davies

He has been campaigning for action on global warming, after seeing the loss of Arctic ice during an expedition

The famous explorer and climate change campaigner Sir David Hempleman-Adams visits Kennaway House, in the last of the Meet the Author events.

Sir David has achieved plenty of record-breaking feats during his lifetime, but most recently he has used his adventuring streak to highlight the impact of global warming on the Arctic.

In 2016 he set off to circumnavigate the Arctic polar region by boat, and said his journey confirmed his worst fears about disappearing ice. The trip which used to take three years was completed in just three months, because so much ice had melted. Afterwards he called on politicians to take urgent action to combat climate change.

Signed copies of his book about the expedition, Open Water – Breaking Ice: The Polar Ocean Challenge will be available at his talk on Thursday, November 8. Tickets are £13 to include a glass of wine on arrival at 7pm.

Meet the Author Sir David Hempleman-Adams at Kennaway House Sidmouth | Latest Sidmouth and Ottery News - Sidmouth Herald 

SIR DAVID HEMPLEMAN-ADAMS - Kennaway House
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How to Fall in Love with Honeybees @ Café Scientifique Tuesday 18th September

We all love bees:
Futures Forum: "BUZZ: the nature and necessity of bees" @ Radio 4's Book of the Week

But perhaps we can do better:
Futures Forum: "Meadowland" > how to stop our traditional meadows from becoming barren deserts
Futures Forum: How to entice more creatures into your own garden
Futures Forum: Banning neonicotinoids to "save bees" ... but questions remain around the science, as the ban "is already forcing farmers to switch to older, broadly sprayed pesticides that are much worse for bees and have to be used in much greater quantities."

As suggested in tomorrow's Café Scientifique: 

Cafe Scientifique: How to Fall in Love with Honeybees

Tuesday 18th September 2018 3:00 PM –to 4:30 PM

Location/Venue: Cellar Bar

Image gallery

Jacqueline Freeman’s biodynamic farm in western USA is alive with animals, bees, gardens, orchards and wildlife. In 2004 she welcomed honeybees onto her farm, but rather than following the conventional approach, she sought a more respectful way that acknowledged the way feral bees live. She blends bee-centric beekeeping and insights into the nature of bees, encouraging beekeepers to enter into respectful relationships, to passionately fall in love with the bee community, and to celebrate a compassionate co-existence with bees and all Nature.

Jacqueline speaks bee. She teaches throughout north America and Europe and worked in Dominican Republic with rural beekeepers, combining sustainable organic practices with historic beekeeping methods. She appears as the gentle swarm rescuer in the documentary, "Queen of the Sun.” Her articles on honeybees and progressive agriculture appear in national magazines.

Her book, “Song of Increase: Listening to the Wisdom of Honeybees for Kinder Beekeeping and a Better World,” describes the bees’ intelligent, generous and exemplary role in Nature as models of community. The book is published in English, French, Dutch and soon in Spanish and Swedish. Visit www.SpiritBee.com to see videos of her working with thousands of bees, free of protective equipment, celebrating the caring and considerate ways humans and bees can exist in harmony.

Talk followed by book signing.

Venue: Cellar Bar, Kennaway House, Sidmouth, EX10 8NG

Cafe Scientifique: How to Fall in Love with Honeybees | Sidmouth Science Festival
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Sidmouth Food Festival >>> today: Saturday 18th August

Another great food fest at Kennaway House today:
Futures Forum: Sidmouth Food Festival >>> Saturday 18th August

More info here:
Sidmouth Food Festival

And from the Herald: 

Kennaway House hosts the Sidmouth Food Festival

PUBLISHED: 17:30 12 August 2018

Philippa Davies

The Sidmouth Food Festival in 2017. Picture: Contributed

One-day event is a ‘foodie’s paradise’, showcasing the best local produce

Sidmouth’s third food festival takes place on Saturday, August 18 in the grounds of Kennaway House.

The free event will include cookery demonstrations and tastings, with more than 25 stalls offering a range of food and drink from local producers.

The exhibitors include Sidbury Vineyard, Devon Fish Cakes, Toad Marsh Venison, the Olive Branch Deli, and – for those with a sweet tooth – Trow Farm Fudge, Cherry Tree Preserves, and the Milli Vanilli icecream tuk-tuk.

The cookery demonstrations will be by chefs from Kitchen In The Wood, Neil’s Restaurant, The Salty Monk and the Victoria Hotel.

The festival was started in 2016 by Kerry Gibbons from the Sidmouth farmers’ market, to promote the quality and variety of locally produced food. The event was supported by the East Devon Sustainable Development Fund and the Vision Group for Sidmouth.

The farmers’ market was taken over byKennaway House last year and the charity is also running the food festival, with many of the original exhibitors still on board, including Angelchops Cakes, Trow Farm Fudge, Peddlers Coffee and Flaming Good Pizza,

Nikki Dawkins, the manager of Kennaway House, said:

“I am so pleased that Sidmouth Food Festival is taking place yet again at Kennaway House this year, it is such a great venue to showcase our local fresh food and drink producers, with some of the best in the west, there will be a fantastic variety of exhibitors and demonstrators. The demonstrators are from some of our top class restaurants; throughout the town and a little further.

“This is a one-day only event, so anyone who appreciates food and drink at its best should not miss this wonderful occasion! A lot of planning has gone into making this day a special one and that’s the intention, a foodie’s paradise!”

She added that she was very happy to see Kennaway House hosting the event.

“It is such a versatile venue that it just needs to be used. It is a community building that should be used by the community and what a nicer way to share than with sharing food with lots of people, the community, our community?”

The food festival runs from 10am until 4pm with the first food demonstration at 10.20.

Sidmouth Food Festival at Kennaway House | Latest Sidmouth and Ottery News - Sidmouth Herald
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Sidmouth Food Festival >>> Saturday 18th August

Every August now, there has been a big food event held in the grounds of Kennaway House:
Futures Forum: Sidmouth Food Festival >>> Saturday 19th August
Futures Forum: First Sidmouth Food Festival >>> Saturday 13th August

And this coming Saturday sees it happening again: should be really good!

Sidmouth Food Festival at Kennaway House | Latest Sidmouth and Ottery News - Sidmouth Herald
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How to revive the health of Sidmouth's high street >>> >>> East Devon MP's on-line survey

The government is reviewing the future of our high streets:
Futures Forum: Save our high streets > government 'calls for evidence' in its review of the future of high streets

East Devon's MP has organised an on-line survey to consider the key issues:
Futures Forum: How to revive the health of Sidmouth's high street >>> >>> East Devon's MP urges retailers to "fill in and return my survey as 
they arrive over the next 
week in order for us to get a better understanding of the problems and to work out the best solutions"

In his latest newsletter, he provides a reminder of his campaign: 

Hugo Launches 'Sidmouth Survey'

Friday, 8 June, 2018

Sidmouth's local MP, Hugo Swire, has launched his survey into Business Rates and the Future of Sidmouth.

Following his successful meeting at Kennaway House to discuss the ongoing issues surrounding the High Street, Hugo promised to send surveys to the independent traders of Sidmouth, so that their voices could be taken to the heart of Government.

During the meeting at Kennaway House in May, a number of issues were discussed such as the role of charity shops in the town centre, parking in Sidmouth and a possible levy for large online retailers who are sucking the life out of our high streets. Business rates were the number one issue to come out of the meeting.

The survey has been sent to over 250 traders in Sidmouth and it can be found at the bottom of this page.
Speaking after launching the survey, Hugo said: "High Streets across the country are suffering. Online retailers are taking business away from our small independent traders. We need a common sense approach to maintaining and revitalising our high streets and I believe that this survey will help to get a fuller picture of how we can improve the situation. I'll be looking very closely at the results as they come in and I will certainly be speaking to the Government and passing on the results".

Attachments

Attachment	Size
Hugo Swire MP Sidmouth Survey	296.31 KB

Hugo Launches 'Sidmouth Survey' | Hugo Swire
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Plastics Week in Sidmouth >>> Matt Harvey, performance poet... and plastic friends Tilly and Cliff, created from debris collected along the Jurassic coast

We had the pleasure of Matt Harvey, poet extraordinaire, coming to Sidmouth last week:
Futures Forum: Sidmouth Plastics Week > final events > Matt Harvey on Friday 11th May > Beach Clean on Saturday 12th May
Futures Forum: Plastics Week in Sidmouth >>> Matt Harvey: performance poet "whimsical, ecological, political and just plain funny": Friday 11th May

He brought along his friends:

With a little more biographical info here:

Tilley and Cliff were created by the sculptor Lal Hitchcock from debris collected along the Jurassic coastline here in Dorset. I love the attitude that they both exude!
The poet Matt Harvey has written a great dialogue between the two characters finishing 'I am so glad you washed up on my shore'

Tilly and Cliff | lindastuff | Blipfoto

And here:
The Jurassic Journey so far - Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site

Here is Matt explaining his friendship:




Poems for driftwood lovers and corporate thieves | Matt Harvey | TEDxExeter - YouTube
Poems for driftwood lovers and corporate thieves Matt Harvey TEDxExeter with English subtitles (closed captions) and transcript

And here is artist Lal talking about hers:

Taking you on a Jurassic Journey | Dorset Echo
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Sidmouth Plastics Week > final events > Matt Harvey on Friday 11th May > Beach Clean on Saturday 12th May

The plastics week in Sidmouth has been busy:
Futures Forum: Plastics Week in Sidmouth > Presentations and Q&As on marine pollution from Plymouth University > Tues 8th May
Futures Forum: Plastics Week in Sidmouth >>> helping businesses go plastic-free @ Chamber of Commerce breakfast > Wednesday 9th May

With more coming up over the next couple of days:
Futures Forum: Plastics Week in Sidmouth >>> Matt Harvey: performance poet "whimsical, ecological, political and just plain funny": Friday 11th May
Futures Forum: Tuamor the Turtle comes to the Sidmouth Sea Fest > Saturday 12th May

With more in the latest newsletter from the Sidmouth Plastic Warriors: 

Dear all 

It's been another crazy week for the Plastic Warriors.

John Hammond (Dairy Shop) and I were invited to talk at the Chamber of Commerce Breakfast on Wednesday, (causing lots of nerves on my part) but we think it went pretty well and are delighted to welcome some new supporters to our cause, most recently Ford Simey Solicitors who are pledging to make (and already making) lots of changes within their offices, which we are delighted with. 

This weekend sees the first ever 'single use plastic free SeaFest' so it will be very interesting to see how that goes. We are kicking it all off with the beach clean at 10am - 11am, with headquarters at the Ham. Anything interesting is going to be used by Coco in an art display, so all plastic, from big bottles down to tiny nurdles, will be used. Tesco Express in Sidmouth have offered their help which we are of course delighted to accept! 

We very much enjoyed the speakers on Tuesday evening at Kennaway House - 2 PhD students from the University of Plymouth, who gave some excellent talks about marine plastic, and also the psychology behind behaviour such as littering (which is very pertinent after the bank holiday weekend). 

On Friday there is an event again at Kennaway House, and again as part of Plastics Week, 'An evening with performance poet Matt Harvey', 7pm, Cellar Bar, Tickets £5 on the door or from Paragon Books and Winstone's Bookshop. 

There is a new blog post about our recent assemblies at Sidmouth College at http://sidmouthplasticwarriors.org/sidmouth-college-assemblies-april-2018/ 

That's all for now, hope to see you on Saturday at 10am, and please share the attached poster, and remember there's a free cuppa for all helpers! 

Thanks for your continued support 
Denise x 


Sidmouth Plastic Warriors – Doing everything in our power to get Sidmouth single-use-plastic-free
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Beach Management Plan: the panels in detail

The Beach Management Plan was on show earlier in the week:
Futures Forum: Beach Management Plan: on BBC Spotlight tonight and at Kennaway House Thursday 19th April
Futures Forum: Beach Management Plan: public exhibition 19th April > an opportunity for local people to learn more about outline design to help flooding and erosion in Sidmouth

Here are the panels, courtesy of a correspondent who was at the consultation: 

With further pictures of the current splash wall - which will have to be raised, the question being by how much:

Sidmouth and East Beach Management Plan - East Devon
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Beach Management Plan: on BBC Spotlight tonight and at Kennaway House Thursday 19th April

This evening, the Beach Management Plan was a feature on Spotlight:
BBC iPlayer - Spotlight - Evening News: 18/04/2018 

With commentary on the BBC: 

Sidmouth residents asked to pay £3m towards flood defences

Sophie Pierce

BBC Radio Devon

Local people and businesses in a coastal Devon town are being asked to help pay towards the cost of a new £9m flood defence scheme.

Sidmouth's eastern cliffs, which protect the town from flooding, are vulnerable and eroding at the rate of about a metre a year.

East Devon District Council is asking locals and businesses to contribute £3m towards the project.

But many locals do not see why they should pay, and are accusing the council of having wasted time and money over the last decade, "fiddling while Rome burns".

East Devon District Council is completely committed to this project. We have already invested over £500,000 of our own money into the research, investigations and all the other necessary work that is done. If we can find another £3m, we can then unlock funding just under £6m from Defra, who are the primary agency concerned with flood protection."

Tom WrightEnvironment Porfolio, East Devon District Council

Article share tools

BBC Local Live: Devon & Cornwall - BBC News

The Plan will be on show tomorrow:
Futures Forum: Beach Management Plan: public exhibition 19th April > an opportunity for local people to learn more about outline design to help flooding and erosion in Sidmouth

With the Herald giving further info:

Exhibition on Sidmouth Beach Management Plan to be held in Sidmouth

PUBLISHED: 12:00 14 April 2018

Beth Sharp

This photograph of Pennington Point and East Cliff was taken for the BMP by a drone at lower altitude. If you look carefully you can see circular waves with their centre at the end of the river training wall. This is wave diffraction and it can cause erosion.

A public exhibition showcasing the latest works on the Sidmouth Beach Management Plan (BMP) will take place next week.

The event will be held at Kennaway House between 1pm and 7pm next Thursday (April 19).

Those who attend will be given the opportunity to learn about the background of the outline design for the East Devon District Council scheme.

The drive aims to reduce the risk of flooding to Sidmouth by maintaining the standard of defences along the beach and to reduce the rate of erosion to the cliffs to the east of the town.

Royal HaskoningDHV will be on hand to answer questions and residents will also be asked for their views.

Devon County Council will also be displaying information about the replacement Alma Bridge, in advance of submitting its planning application.

Councillor Tom Wright, BMP steering group’s chairman, said: “A lot of effort has gone into bringing forwards a scheme for Sidmouth and East Beach, so it would be great to see local people coming along to learn more about what the scheme could look like and to give us their views.”

Exhibition on Sidmouth Beach Management Plan to be held in Sidmouth | Latest Sidmouth and Ottery News - Sidmouth Herald
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