News/Events

We have over 150  pledges for nature on our Pledge Map! -Thank to everyone who has made a pledge we would LOVE to reach 250 pledges by the end of the year so please keep spreading the word to your friends and family and LOOK OUT for our social media challenges coming soon to get tagging and nominating your friends.

• Schools that will receive a double entrance house martin nest box in our latest giveaway: Instow Community School, Orchard Vale Community School, the Park Community School and Chulmleigh primary school. We will be in touch to organise delivery!
• The big nappy container spill (BBC news article): A huge well done and thank you to all the individuals and organisations that have helped clean up the beaches along the North Devon Coast over half term. The 2 minute beach clean team and Plastic Free North Devon have been helping to coordinate the response-check PFND social media on where to deposit any waste that you collect.
• Saving Devons Treescapes are giving out free trees at community hubs across Devon, visit their website to find out where your nearest hub is.

Your Pledges

Thank you to everyone who pledged during October we have had the following pledges come in from people across the South West:

• If you live in Roundswell keep a look out for 8 new fruit trees being planted along the cycleway by Chris as part of our community orchards challenge fund.
• Rob in Northlew is planting a new pond on his farm which is good for wildlife.
• The village of Swimbridge is creating a community orchard in a half acre former orchard close to the school.
• Ross in Axminster is hedge coppicing on 15/20 rotation about 10 miles of hedgerow.
• The Park Community School has pledged to install a bird box.
• Kaylea in Princes Risborough has pledged to calculate her carbon footprint and protect her waterways from pollution -for more marine water related pledge ideas see our Journey to the Sea pages.
• Sue in Exminster has pledged to help hedgehogs by installing a hedgehog house and is pleased to say that it is already being used!
• Orchard Vale community school have pledged to install bird boxes as part of their forest school and plant orchard trees.
• The Rebel Botanists in Plymouth have pledged to plant flowers for wildlife in their local parks.
• Marianne in North Molton has pledged to create a wildflower patch and let a corner go wild.
• Instow community primary school had pledged to help hedgehogs.
• Paula from Braunton pledges to record marine life on Estuary mouth rocks, & encourage others to do similar - to educate & get data.
• Ricky in Bishops Tawton has pledged to create a wildlife pond from a sunken bath and plans to make their whole railway embankment into a wildlife haven!
• The 'Farming in North Devon' family have been collecting acorns and conkers around their farm to hopefully grown into big oak and horse chestnut trees!

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End of 2020 Awards

At the end of 2020 we would like to celebrate and thank everyone who has made a pledge by giving out a number of awards. The categories will be laid out shortly in a 2020 Awards Blog post but will include recognition for: schools, community champions, farmers, gardeners, lottery players and organisations. All you have to do to be eligible is complete a pledge form and select enter into awards scheme.

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What to look for in November

• Don't forget if you are lighting bonfire this month to check for hedgehogs first!
• This is a good time for planting all trees and shrubs, as well as hedges, to give them plenty of time to get established before winter. If you have room in the garden, you might like to plan a mini-woodland or new shrub border to attract birds all year.
• It's hibernation for some small creatures such as hedgehogs, bats and hazel dormice. Amphibians and reptiles will likely be hiding out under logs or some may be in the sediment at the bottom of ponds, please try and leave an untidy area of your garden for them to hide out the winter in.
• Many birds will be flocking to wetlands and reservoirs whom are overwintering here away from the colder Artic climates. Along the Taw/Torridge estuary is a great place to go bird watching in North Devon, see this post here from Devon Birds for some good locations. You may see flocks of curlew, dunlin, redshank, oystercatchers, and sandpipers near the estuaries and mudflats and nearby fields may have many swans and geese. Another spectacle to look out for are starling murmurations as our residents are joined by migrants from the continent.

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Reminder of our key activities that you can take for nature in November

-Plant a Tree

-Create or Maintain an Orchard

-Install a bat or bird box

-Save Your Soil

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