The North Devon Biosphere Foundation
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The North Devon Biosphere Foundation is dedicated to furthering the aims of the UNESCO North Devon Biosphere Reserve Partnership.
It is committed to the strategy and action plan and works closely with all partners in the Biosphere. The Foundation is a registered charity and not for profit company limited by guarantee and is registered with ENTRUST as an environmental body. The Foundation achieved charity status in April 2014. Company number 4462420, Registered in England. Registered Charity 1156589 |
Who are we?
Patron: Lord Robin Teverson
Directors:
Phil Byers
Tony Collyer
Robin Daniels
Robert Down
Brett Grosvenor
Tim Jones – Chairman
Mike Tucke
Current Projects
Estuary Project
The Estuary Project work is helping to reduce diffuse pollution from agriculture, create new wildlife habitats, and reduce flood risk.
Visitor Investment Scheme
Working with Marsdens Devon Cottages over £5000 has been raised so far for environmental work in the Biosphere. Visitors to their holiday cottages are asked to make a small £1 donation at the time of booking.
PAWS Restoration
Planted Ancient Woodland Sites - PAWS are ancient woodland sites where the semi-natural woodland has been replaced with a plantation.
Natural Flood Management
Combe Martin & Kenwith Valley
Taw Valley Facililitation Fund
Taw Valley Facilitation Fund Group, running from September 2016 to September 2021, has 68 signed up farming members. The area covered is nearly 34,000 Ha of farmland between North Tawton and Bishops Tawton.
Supporting governance
Past Projects
Timber girls
Working closely with the Biosphere Reserve and Courage Copse Creatives we have obtained funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund for the Timber Girls Project
Timber Girls will explore, celebrate and recreate achievements of the Womens’ Forestry Service (WFS) during WWI. 60 female students, commemorating 100 years of the WFS, will take part in practical workshops exploring that heritage. Spending a day in a woodland, practicing the hands on skills used by the WFS to successfully support forest industry during WWI, participants will:
• Learn more about the WFS and their contribution to forestry
• Discover through artefacts and stories how WFS women would have experienced life on the home front with opportunities to compare and relate the past to their own lives
• Experience some of the practical and physical challenges that characterised many WFS tasks, practicing traditional skills that provide a tangible link to the past and opportunities to compare their experiences with those of 100 years ago
• Learn historic forestry skills that remain relevant to a diverse and sustainable forest industry today, through learning and practicing WFS work
Life's Journey
The Life's Journey project will safeguard and increase the quality and quantity of physical and intellectual access to the built and cultural history of three sites in northern Devon that are linked by Tarka Trail cycle/pedestrian path. Life's Journey will explore what the heritage of those places jointly tell us about local people's relationship with the environment over the past 200 years. It brings together the winning of nature's riches (primarily heavy ball clay), the need for agricultural improvement, trade and the development of a related
transport infrastructure in the 19th and 20th century. The project is partly funded through Landfill Tax credits from Devon Waste Management and the Visitor Investment project
Visitor Investment
“Everything you can use to teach about your local coast in one room” !
One of a series of events celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the North Devon Coast as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Our marine and coastal landscapes offer a wealth of inspiring educational opportunities for children and young people. This conference provides an unusual chance for you to meet with experts and discuss how to develop your own projects about North Devon’s world class marine & coastal landscapes.
For the first time in North Devon, we are bringing together a diverse group of organisations. Experts and educators from Beaford Arts, Creative Partnerships, Devon Schools Library Service, Devon Wildlife Trust, Field Studies Council, Ilfracombe Aquarium, Marine Biology Association, National Marine Aquarium, National Trust and the North Devon Biosphere Reserve will be present to share their expertise and educational resources. Local schools will also showcase art and science work from recent marine and coastal cross-curricula projects.
This unique event, for both primary and secondary teachers, will include a key note speech, presentations from Devon Education Services on cross-curricula working and from Paul Naylor an inspirational marine educator and underwater photographer. Two experienced outdoor educators will run advance-booking outdoor workshops exploring Croyde Beach and its diverse range of habitats. There will also be plenty of free time to talk with and learn from scientists, environmental educators and artists.
We would like to thank Ruda Holiday Park for their generous support.
Julie's Bicycle
Julie's Bicycle, a broad coalition of music, theatre, visual arts and scientific experts committed to encouraging the UK arts and culture industry to become more sustainable.
Julie's Bicycle aims to create an opportunity for arts organisations to assess the environmental performance of the Biosphere Arts Community.
Organisations involved:
Appledore Arts
Beaford Arts
Burton Art Gallery & Museum
North Devon Theatres
The Plough Arts Centre
This project is the first time that Julie's Bicycle have worked with a rural arts community and it will be used a case study. This project has been generously funded by a private donation and gift aid has been reclaimed through our relationship with the Tarka Country Trust.
Confluence
Confluence is a ground breaking cross disciplinary arts, technology and environment project piloting the use of practical and digital arts to inform local communities about their impact on their local environment (specifically the River Torridge catchment).
The project is a collaboration with the University of Plymouth’s Institute of Digital Art & Technology (i-DAT), Appledore Arts, Beaford Arts, North Devon Biosphere Reserve and Petroc, and the North Devon Biosphere Foundation will initiate and manage this innovative, research based digital arts project. The project is funded by Leader4 Torridge and North Devon and the Arts Council
“Project part financed by the European Agricultural Fund for European Development 2007-2013: Europe investing in rural areas”.
Contact the Foundation
Patron: Lord Robin Teverson
Directors:
Phil Byers
Tony Collyer
Robin Daniels
Robert Down
Brett Grosvenor
Tim Jones – Chairman
Mike Tucke
Current Projects
Estuary Project
The Estuary Project work is helping to reduce diffuse pollution from agriculture, create new wildlife habitats, and reduce flood risk.
Visitor Investment Scheme
Working with Marsdens Devon Cottages over £5000 has been raised so far for environmental work in the Biosphere. Visitors to their holiday cottages are asked to make a small £1 donation at the time of booking.
PAWS Restoration
Planted Ancient Woodland Sites - PAWS are ancient woodland sites where the semi-natural woodland has been replaced with a plantation.
Natural Flood Management
Combe Martin & Kenwith Valley
Taw Valley Facililitation Fund
Taw Valley Facilitation Fund Group, running from September 2016 to September 2021, has 68 signed up farming members. The area covered is nearly 34,000 Ha of farmland between North Tawton and Bishops Tawton.
Supporting governance
- Operation management
Past Projects
Timber girls
Working closely with the Biosphere Reserve and Courage Copse Creatives we have obtained funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund for the Timber Girls Project
Timber Girls will explore, celebrate and recreate achievements of the Womens’ Forestry Service (WFS) during WWI. 60 female students, commemorating 100 years of the WFS, will take part in practical workshops exploring that heritage. Spending a day in a woodland, practicing the hands on skills used by the WFS to successfully support forest industry during WWI, participants will:
• Learn more about the WFS and their contribution to forestry
• Discover through artefacts and stories how WFS women would have experienced life on the home front with opportunities to compare and relate the past to their own lives
• Experience some of the practical and physical challenges that characterised many WFS tasks, practicing traditional skills that provide a tangible link to the past and opportunities to compare their experiences with those of 100 years ago
• Learn historic forestry skills that remain relevant to a diverse and sustainable forest industry today, through learning and practicing WFS work
Life's Journey
The Life's Journey project will safeguard and increase the quality and quantity of physical and intellectual access to the built and cultural history of three sites in northern Devon that are linked by Tarka Trail cycle/pedestrian path. Life's Journey will explore what the heritage of those places jointly tell us about local people's relationship with the environment over the past 200 years. It brings together the winning of nature's riches (primarily heavy ball clay), the need for agricultural improvement, trade and the development of a related
transport infrastructure in the 19th and 20th century. The project is partly funded through Landfill Tax credits from Devon Waste Management and the Visitor Investment project
Visitor Investment
- Tarka Foundation
Hope Project - 2004- 2006 . A £284,000 project led by the Tarka Foundation helping people with mental health conditions promote enterprising ideas. Funds were made available through the government's Small Business Service Phoenix Development fund - North Devon Biosphere Foundation
Marine Education Conference
“Everything you can use to teach about your local coast in one room” !
One of a series of events celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the North Devon Coast as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Our marine and coastal landscapes offer a wealth of inspiring educational opportunities for children and young people. This conference provides an unusual chance for you to meet with experts and discuss how to develop your own projects about North Devon’s world class marine & coastal landscapes.
For the first time in North Devon, we are bringing together a diverse group of organisations. Experts and educators from Beaford Arts, Creative Partnerships, Devon Schools Library Service, Devon Wildlife Trust, Field Studies Council, Ilfracombe Aquarium, Marine Biology Association, National Marine Aquarium, National Trust and the North Devon Biosphere Reserve will be present to share their expertise and educational resources. Local schools will also showcase art and science work from recent marine and coastal cross-curricula projects.
This unique event, for both primary and secondary teachers, will include a key note speech, presentations from Devon Education Services on cross-curricula working and from Paul Naylor an inspirational marine educator and underwater photographer. Two experienced outdoor educators will run advance-booking outdoor workshops exploring Croyde Beach and its diverse range of habitats. There will also be plenty of free time to talk with and learn from scientists, environmental educators and artists.
We would like to thank Ruda Holiday Park for their generous support.
Julie's Bicycle
Julie's Bicycle, a broad coalition of music, theatre, visual arts and scientific experts committed to encouraging the UK arts and culture industry to become more sustainable.
Julie's Bicycle aims to create an opportunity for arts organisations to assess the environmental performance of the Biosphere Arts Community.
Organisations involved:
Appledore Arts
Beaford Arts
Burton Art Gallery & Museum
North Devon Theatres
The Plough Arts Centre
This project is the first time that Julie's Bicycle have worked with a rural arts community and it will be used a case study. This project has been generously funded by a private donation and gift aid has been reclaimed through our relationship with the Tarka Country Trust.
Confluence
Confluence is a ground breaking cross disciplinary arts, technology and environment project piloting the use of practical and digital arts to inform local communities about their impact on their local environment (specifically the River Torridge catchment).
The project is a collaboration with the University of Plymouth’s Institute of Digital Art & Technology (i-DAT), Appledore Arts, Beaford Arts, North Devon Biosphere Reserve and Petroc, and the North Devon Biosphere Foundation will initiate and manage this innovative, research based digital arts project. The project is funded by Leader4 Torridge and North Devon and the Arts Council
“Project part financed by the European Agricultural Fund for European Development 2007-2013: Europe investing in rural areas”.
Contact the Foundation