Maynard girls go green

Creating new paths for people with disabilities

Around 50 Lower 5 girls from the Maynard School for Girls in Exeter came to Parke in Bovey Tracey today to help the National Trust in the Walled Garden and the orchard. The day out was one of Maynard's contributions to 'Girls go Green Week'.

Listen to our podcast where Maynard staff and pupils are interviewed about their day out. Click the title of the blog - 'Maynard girls go green' to download the podcast - be warned it gets noisy by the end!

Over the weekend we will also have edited the video of the day and we will include highlights in this blog - come back later to view it.

The award winning Walled Garden was a 'jungle' 18 months ago and has been restored by the National Trust and Bovey Climate Action so that vegetables and fruit can once again be grown to feed local people. There is even a solar powered pump which raises water from the well to water the plants. Its possibly the greenest Walled Garden in Devon.

The wider aim of the project is to cut carbon emissions, in our fight against climate change, from food by growing it locally thus reducing 'food miles', rather than importing food from further afield and abroad. The project was recently featured on BBC Radio 4's You and Yours programme.

Creating a pond a small wetland to encourage wildlife

Wardens from all over Dartmoor came to Parke to help the girls with the work today. Adrian Colston, Property Manager for Dartmoor said "Today has been a real success and has made a big difference. With the girls' help we have managed to harvest the entire year's crop of apples which will now be made into apple juice, we have created a wetland area for the garden's wildlife, we have created a composting area and have begun to install a new path which will allow people with disabilities who help in the Walled Garden every week get around more easily and safely. Without the helping hands from the Maynard this would have taken us months!"

Spike and Bracken look on in amazement at the work rate

The day worked exceptionally well and we were very lucky with the weather and best of all the girls seemed to really enjoy themselves as well as achieving a great deal. As everyone knows National Trust wardens all have dogs so Spike, Bracken and Fin were all on hand to help and provide encouragement.

Picking the apples in the orchard

This Saturday Parke is hosting a series of events to mark the apple harvest - during the day we are hosting a free Apple Orchard Day in partnership with Bovey Climate Action. In the evening we are holding an event called Heathen Harvest - celebration of drama, music, dance and food - tickets are still available so why not come along?

Why not come back to Parke again there are lots of great walks down by the river - you can download this walk from our central web site.

Thanks to everyone from the Maynard for making the day so successful and useful.

New book on Dartmoor

Ian Mercer has just published his book in the Collins New Naturalist series - Dartmoor. This is a classic series of books and indeed this is the second volume on Dartmoor - the first being published in 1953 by Harvey and Leger-Gordon.

At this point I haven't read the book as I only received it today - but I have skimmed it for 45 minutes, however I fully expect it to be a classic and an essential reference source on the area for years to come.

Ian Mercer is highly qualified to write the book having led the Dartmoor National Park Authority for many years, he still lives in the Park and amongst other things is Chairman of the Dartmoor Commoners Council. As well as being qualified to author this volume he is also widely respected as an advocate for the Park and its inhabitants - both people and wildlife.

A fuller review will follow once I have read the book but even at this stage I can recommend the book to you as an invaluable reference source and a commentary on upland affairs - the title of the first chapter indicates what is to follow 'A layman's topography, brief history and political guide'!

Available from good booksellers and of course from Amazon where the hardback retails at £38 (RRP £50) whilst the paperback is £21 (RRP £30)

Support Wicken Fen

Wicken Fen NT in Cambridgeshire was my old stomping ground and the Wicken Fen Vision was my baby.

Why not sign this Number 10 Downing Street petition to help the National Trust team deliver the 100 year vision to create 5000ha of new wetlands for wildlife and people just on the doorstep of Cambridge. For more details of the Vision - click here.

Fiona Reynolds, Director General of the National Trust said the following “The Wicken Fen Vision is the most ambitious and far reaching project undertaken by the Trust in modern times. It is a fantastic example of the Trust and our volunteers working with local communities and government at every level to create a unique place that will be enjoyed by the public for generations to come”.

Please support them by signing the petition.

Sustainable chainsaw oil?

The National Trust on Dartmoor uses biodegradable non toxic chain oil in all its chainsaws. The product is produced by a company called Plantoil and is manufactured from oil seed rape.


This cuts our CO2 emissions by around 370kg per annum.

For more details visit the Plantoil website

Heathen Harvest at Parke Estate - an event not to be missed!

Don't miss an evening of theatre, music and dance accompanied by a delicious supper using produce from the walled garden and local food producers. Devon based theatre company, The Common Players, will be putting on an evenings entertainment at Parke on Saturday 3rd October starting at 6pm. The popular play, Heathen Harvest, is full of mythology and traditions of apples and cider making. Accompanying the entertainment will be a light supper using produce from the walled garden at Parke Estate. The event is to celebrate the first year of the walled garden being back in production. The event is also part of the learning revolution festival. All are welcome to come along. Pre-booked tickets adults:£8, children:£6, On the door tickets: Adults:£10, children:£8. Book early to avoid disappointment. Tickets are available from The National Trust office at Parke Estate, 01626 834748, or National Trust, Widecombe Shop, 01364.621321 and at Bob Arnold's Hardware shop, Mary Street, Bovey Tracey.

Putting Dartmoor First

The National Trust on Dartmoor has been awarded the Dartmoor First award by the Dartmoor National Park Authority.We will putting the stylish wooden plaque up a our five Dartmoor locations: Lydford Gorge, Finch Foundry, Home Farm Park, The National Trust Shop in Widecombe and at Plym Bridge.

Dartmoor First is the replacement of the Dartmoor Charter for Sustainable Tourism. The name reflects the opportunity to encourage all Dartmoor businesses to recognise first and foremost their commitment to looking after Dartmoor.

Dartmoor First is an award for all businesses, not just tourism enterprises, on Dartmoor to recognise their commitment to sustaining Dartmoor and its special qualities. It is not just a green award. It is a call to action and offers a sense of purpose to those who achieve it and a sense of place for those who recognise it!

If you want to know more about Dartmoor First visit the DNPA web site. If you are an organisation involved on Dartmoor why not put an application and get official recognition. It is not an onerous task but it will help keep Dartmoor special and sustainable.

Living Hisitory at Plym Bridge

Danny and Margaret from the People Company at the Royal Theatre Plymouth tell the lives of Edward and Suzanna Gullet who lived in the miner's Cottage adjacent to the Princetown to Plymouth railway in 1094. A free Living History event organised by the National Trust to celebrate Heritage Open Day 12th Sept 2009

Scythes v strimmer

In a world where oil is becoming scarcer and more expensive we will all have to re-learn old skills. Well here Simon Damant from the National Trust's Wimpole Hall Property shows that being carbon neutral is quicker and far more popular than the new fangled polluting ways.

UK Climate Projections 2009

What are the UKCIP projections?
In June 2009, the UK Climate Impacts Programme (UKCIP) released its long-awaited 2009 climate change projections. The Projections look at how the climate may change between now and the end of the century based on different greenhouse gas emissions scenarios – high, medium and low. They are based on the latest cutting edge science and present a series of probabilities for climate variables such as temperature rise, rainfall change, sea level rise etc.

What are the main findings?
They projections confirm similar trends as the 2002 projections (Hotter, drier summers; warmer, wetter winters; more extreme events such as sea level rise, storms, droughts, floods) plus the following findings:
• Choices we make on emissions will have little impact on 2050’s climate - we are locked in for the next 30 years
• Under all scenarios average summer temps rise by up to 3ºC by 2050 (The 2003 heatwave was a 2.3ºC rise)
• There are therefore impacts that we can't avoid and need to prepare for, but UKCIP also warns of the very severe impacts which we are likely to face if we don’t radically and rapidly reduce emissions.

What are the projections for the South West?
The South West will increasingly experience hotter, drier summers and wetter, milder winters with more extreme weather events. Under a medium emissions scenario, the central estimates for the 2050s are:
• Summer rainfall to decrease by up to 19%
• Winter rainfall to increase by up to 17%
• Sea level rises: Weston-super-Mare 22cm, Newlyn 25cm, Poole 21cm
• Summer average temperature to increase by 2.7ºC by 2050 and 3.9ºC by 2080 (when the temperature on the hottest day of the year could increase by up to 10ºC)

What conclusions can we draw from the new projections?
The key conclusions we can draw are:
• Climate change will increase the risk of flooding and coastal erosion
• There are large uncertainties for projected sea level rise – and a remote possibility of a 2m sea level rise
• Reducing emissions is essential but we will also need to adapt

How will this affect the National Trust?
Below are some of the key impacts identified by DEFRA:
• Tourism: sea level rise will affect location and management of tourism business - tourism development will need to be managed to ensure increased visitor numbers do not negatively impact on the regions resources
• Agriculture: move to drought, pest & disease resistant crops
• Biodiversity: looking at adaptation opportunities for habitats and species vulnerable to climate change
• Business and utilities: design of utilities must incorporate the effects of climate change on supply, demand and headroom
• Housing and construction: designed for warmer, wetter climate and increased storminess
• Public agencies: reducing vulnerability to effects of climate change by planning, working in partnership and sharing best practice in adaptation

As a result of climate change, we will have to learn to live in a world of change, complexity and uncertainty. This could bring with it:
• A loss of control
• A challenging of our mindsets
• The slaying of sacred cows
• The loss of ‘old England’

What is the National Trust doing on climate change?
The National Trust will be coming together with its sister conservation organisations across the world to produce the ‘Dublin Declaration on Climate Change’, which will then be submitted to the United Nations climate change conference in December in Copenhagen. We work closely with the Department on Energy and Climate Change (DECC) and are engaged in the national debate on how we make the transition to a Low Carbon society. Centrally and within the regions, we have established Environment Footprint and Climate Change Groups to coordinate our work in this area.

Getting more information?
UK 2009 Climate Impacts Projections

Technical website for tailored projections

UK Low Carbon Transition Plan - Road to Copenhagen

Our first Dartmoor podcast

Today we have finished our first podcast! Press the title 'Our first Dartmoor podcast' above to download the mp3.

The podcast contains a description of our land holdings in the Plym Valley, interviews with volunteers in the Parke Walled Garden, meets Roger Boney, Custodian at Finch Foundry, Tom Wood our warden in the Teign Valley tells us what he got up to at the Chagford Show and we listen to two of Dartmoor's lesser known insects!

Please listen to the podcast and let us know what you think

Devil's Cauldron in spate

The River Lyd in full flow after the heavy rain on Wednesday in the Devil's Cauldron at Lydford Gorge - one of Dartmoor's special places

10:10 10% cut in 2010 - lets go for it

A new campaign has been launched for indivuals, businesses and schools - the idea is that they make a pledge to cut CO2 emmissions by 10% in 2010.

Click here for details and how you can support the fight against climate change.

The campaign is getting strong political support - see here and here.

George Monbiot's commentary is also very interesting - he's being very positive!

We've signed up as the Dartmoor Property - lets do it together