TCCT - Torbay Coast and Countryside Trust Site

The Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) has ann ounced a £2.2million award to Torbay as part of its Sea Change programme for cultural and heritage projects in Cockington, Torquay and on Berry Head, Brixham.

The ann ouncement follows a detailed application submitted by the council and its regeneration arm, the Torbay Development Agency (TDA) in June for a slice of a £10million Government funding pot.

As part of the submission the council and TDA identified four projects for Rock Walk, Cockington , Berry Head and Brixham, totalling £4million in the hope of getting the highest award possible.

The Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE), who are overseeing the project, carefully considered the bids and have allocated £3.8million to Dover , £4million to Blackpool and £2.2million for Torbay .

The Mayor of Torbay Nick Bye said: "This is fantastic news for Cockington and Berry Head and gives us the green light to kick start regeneration projects aimed at boosting our cultural tourism trade and building on our Geopark status.

"We want to transform Cockington into a sustainable cultural centre that draws more higher spending people into the area, creating jobs for creative business people from art graduates to crafts people and artchitects to graphic designers.

"The £2.85million project for Cockington will see the creation of incubator units, as well as refurbished galleries, multi-use areas for performances and studio space.

"It will build on the incubation units at South Devon College and Lymington Road allowing fledgling artists to draw on the business expertise and facilities available. Linking other cultural attractions such as Occombe Farm will also be high on the agenda with the possibility of bike hire and even perhaps a land train encouarging more people into the area.

"The Berry Head grant means that people will have better access to the amazing heritage and natural environment of the landscape of Berry Head on the Edge.

"Whilst £2.2million pounds of additonal government funding gives cause for celebration it is disappointing that our bid to improve Rock Walk, once the repair work has been completed, and funding for Brixham harbour ' s street scene were not successful.

"We are committed to doing the essential stabilisation works for Rock Walk and will now be looking at ways in which the beautification of the cliff face can be funded in the future as well as options for improvements to the public realm in Brixham."

Cabinet Member Councillor Chris Lewis, who sits on the Cockington Sea Change Project Board said: "This is fantastic news in what has already been an exciting year for Torbay . Work progressing all four projects has been going on behind the scenes since submitting the bid, so that we could remain on schedule should the funding be approved.

"The Cockington Project Board has already been working with current tenants at Cockington and will be consulting with local businesses and residents to help progress plans and ensure we get the best possible scheme.

"I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those working on the projects including the Coast and Countryside Trust who submitted such a strong bid within a very tight deadline."

* Cockington Project – Cockington Court will become a creative hub, developed within the existing heritage and outstanding landscape of Cockington. The revitalised manor house will become an inspirational new art space. New galleries, studios, teaching facilities and incubation space - designed to nurture new businesses - will embed high quality crafts within a heritage context.

* Royal Terrace Gardens – to create a bespoke piece of artwork as part of the cliff face as well and develop a trail to help connect the four projects and Torre Abbey and encourage people to move around the Bay using sustainable modes of transport.

* Berry Head on the Edge - Berry Head is an internationally important heritage site and a natural gateway to the Geopark. It will be transformed by a programme of renewed interpretation, upgraded visitor facilities, increased community involvement and learning opportunities.

* Brixham Geopark Gateway - the aim of this project is to celebrate the heritage of this harbour town and bring historical tales back to life with creative interpretation acting as a signpost for the Geopark.

The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) today announced a grant award of £850,500 to the Torbay Coast and Countryside Trust's ‘Berry Head on the Edge' project.

This is the first and largest single contribution towards the £1.8million project that will completely overhaul visitor facilities and safeguard the heritage of Berry 's Head for future generations.

“This is fabulous news for Berry Head and for the Trust. It is the culmination of 5 years of research, consultation, planning and a big team effort from staff, volunteers and partners, to whom I'd like to say a big thank-you. With this grant we will be able to unlock the rest of the funding we need to give Berry Head a complete conservation overhaul during the next 3 years, modernise all of its visitor facilities and reach out to new audiences. It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the Head and we are all immensely excited”.

“ Berry Head is a much loved heritage site in Brixham. This funding will vastly improve access and interpretation and encourage greater public use of a wonderful green space. Historic features will be reinstated so that visitors are more aware of its heritage value, and key facilities added so that it can function as effectively as possible. The project will have real benefits for the local community, improving an already popular space for everyone to enjoy.”

The main balance of funding for the project is expected to come partly from in-kind volunteer time over the three years and partly from Torbay Council's “Sea Change” regeneration bid, the outcome of which will be announced in September.

It is expected that work will commence on a new Visitor Centre and Café in the Guardhouse in the Northern Fort in February 2009, once this match funding is in place.

• Convert the Artillery Store into a Learning Centre for use as a base for school and other groups
• Convert the old Visitor Centre into a Training Base for trainees and volunteers
• Establish four Trainee placements offering apprenticeships in conservation and visitor management and employ a Trainee Supervisor
• Employ an Access Officer to promote the site more widely, involve more people in its management and encourage more people without a car to visit the site
• Employ a Project Manager to oversee the first year of the Capital programme
• Completely renew interpretation across the site, making it more accessible for all visitors.
• Remove landscape eyesores and modern paraphernalia.
• Clear invasive scrub that is choking the rare plants and extend a conservation grazing scheme across the whole site, using a primitive breed of sheep.
• Repair the Forts and associated buildings, mainly by removing invasive vegetation and stabilising loose stonework.
• Install a bridge across the moat into the Southern Fort to demonstrate how it originally functioned.
• Install a traffic management system to prevent unauthorised vehicles accessing the site, which is one of the main causes of erosion and disturbs its tranquillity.

MARCH 2008

COCKINGTON COURT WELCOMES NEW TENANTS

Torbay Coast and Countryside Trust are delighted to ann ounce that the tenancy of the Cockington Court Café has been taken over by Simon Storey and Tony Fagan, previous owners of the Orange Tree Restaurant in Torquay.

The venue, which sits on the ground floor of Cockington's 17 th century manor house, will be renamed Cockington Court Restaurant and Tea Rooms.

Simon and Tony aim to create an exciting and welcoming ambience in their new restaurant – with a vision of chic modernity in elegant surroundings. They said “We are delighted to be reopening the Tea Rooms at Cockington Court and look forward to welcoming all to our new venture.”

Local ingredients will be sought wherever possible and homemade produce will also be available, allowing visitors to purchase jams, chutneys, oils and cakes as souvenirs of Cockington.

Cockington Court Restaurant and Tea Rooms opens for Easter and will be open daily. Please call 01803 605873 for further information.

RECORD NUMBERS OF GUILLEMOTS VISIT BERRY HEAD

Torbay Coast & Countryside Trust have reported record numbers of birds spotted this winter from the headland at Berry Head, Brixham.

Berry Head has the largest breeding colony of Guillemots on our sea cliffs, where the guillemots come to roost after spending their summer at sea. The firsy guillemots landed on 11 October and the largest sighting over Winter reached 1331 birds - the highest number since the colony's records began.

Nigel Smallbones, who manages the National Nature Reserve, keeps a close eye on Guillemot numbers which have been increasing further. “I've never seen so many guillemots on the cliffs; it's sensational, really brilliant!”

The Guillemots have begun choosing their pairs and are already in their breeding plumage – they will begin laying their eggs directly onto the cliff ledges during the first week of April and Nigel predicts these will hatch week commencing 19 May. June will see the flightless birds jumping off the cliff into the waters below where their parents will call them out to sea to develop their flight feathers.

Berry Head is a landfall for migrants and Trust staff are also on the look out for Swallows and Sand Martins throughout March and April, which fly across from South Africa to breed in the UK.

FEBRUARY 2008

Cockington Country Park has launched a brand new bumper-packed activity booklet for local visitors, encouraging them to discover and explore the 450 acre parkland to get the most from their visit.

The 27-page pack contains a range of activities for the whole family based on local history and wildlife including puzzles, quizzes, wildlife spotter sheets, fascinating facts and colouring sheets.

Education Ranger Lisa Brunwin said “We are particularly excited about the new letterboxing trail around the park. Children will hunt for the hidden letterboxes using a map and clues inside the pack. There are special letterboxing champion badges to win at the end too! The new pack is a fun way to help your kids learn more about this very special place.”

The activity pack was initiated by Olwyn Barker, owner of The Old Granary gift shop in Cockington Village , in conjunction with education rangers from Torbay Coast and Countryside Trust who manage Cockington Country Park .

Design and print costs were funded by a grant from the Local Heritage Initiative. The Cockington Activity Pack costs £2.99, and can be purchased from the Trust Office at Cockington Court or The Old Granary. Profits will go towards reprint costs.

Local conservation charity, Torbay Coast and Countryside Trust, are investigating the possibility of generating electricity using wind power at Occombe Farm in the form of a small wind turbine.

An anemometer will be installed in the main car park on Tuesday (12 February), mounted on a 12m mast to measure the wind speed at Occombe Farm over a two month period. The results will then be compared with Met Office data to give the average ann ual energy yield. If the results are positive the Trust will look at installing a small turbine in the future.

Director of the Trust, Dominic Acland said “As an environmental charity we are trying to make all our operations as sustainable as possible. At Occombe we already have solar panels but our electricity consumption is quite high. Installing a small turbine would allow us to demonstrate another source of renewable energy, reduce our carbon emissions and hopefully our bills.”

Any resulting turbine is likely to be 15 to 20 kW in power and mounted around 15m off the ground. This type of small turbine could generate the equivalent to the consumption of six three-bedroom houses.

The Trust secured a small grant from the Naturesave Trust, based in Totnes, to fund the installation of the twin anemometer and wind vane system. The anemometer mast has been developed by a local company, Heidra Ltd, aiming to fill a gap in the market for small scale turbines.

TORBAY'S FIRST STRAW BALE BUILDING TAKES SHAPE

A pioneer new project at Occombe Farm , Paignton, is about to take shape as the straw bale building blocks arrived on site last week. This is the first construction project using straw bales in Torbay and is also a first for South Devon College who are carrying out the construction work as part of an innovative training partnership. Students from the local college will begin laying straw bales to form the walls of the building over coming weeks .

In the construction stages completed so far foundations have been installed and a damp-proof course has been laid, comprising of 180 used car tyres filled with recycled rubble. Stainless steel rods run through the foundations, securing a timber beam to the tyres which the straw bales will be built upon . Around 260 bales will be laid and pinned to one another using coppiced hazel stakes which were specially produced by a local woodsman .

Torbay Coast and Countryside Trust, who manage Occombe Farm , aim to demonstrate how low-carbon technologies can be used to build in a sustainable yet practical way which could be adopted in the wider community . Therefore cement and bricks are b ann ed from the entire project. Director of the Trust, Dominic Acland said “Straw bales make great walls – they are warm, don't contribute to global warming and can be put up very quickly. The one thing you have to be careful of is to keep them dry – otherwise they turn to compost! I'm convinced that one day most houses will be built this way.”

Construction work began at Occombe Farm in November last year and is the first of South Devon Colleges ‘Construction in the Community' projects, providing valuable site experience for the students . College tutor Nick Cleasby received specialist training in order to manage the project following a grant from the Learning & Skills Council. Nick said “The project is creating a very good buzz amongst students; some are even stopping me in the corridors asking if they can be selected to be involved in different stages of the build, they are very willing to give their time to make a positive contribution to the community.” All material costs were funded by a separate grant from an anonymous charitable trust, making the entire project self-funded .

The new straw bale project at Occombe Farm will be a centre for Education, Food and Farming . It is due for completion in May this year, welcoming school groups from September.

ORCHARD WASSAILING AT OCCOMBE FARM

A traditional folk custom is being revived for the second year at Occombe Farm , Paignton, as locals ‘wassail' to the orchard in order to awaken the apple trees, wishing for good health and a bumper harvest.

Wassailing was a core tradition carried out by our ancestors over a thousand years ago. The custom was common in cider-making regions and particularly popular here in South Devon due to the number of orchards in the area.

On Sunday 20 January families are invited to join in a lantern making workshop followed by refreshments before the children's musical procession begins from the farmyard to the orchard. Children will get the chance to play percussion instruments along the way and are encouraged to bring along wooden spoons and pans to bang, scaring away bad spirits!

At the orchard families will form a circle and ‘wassail' the apple trees, chanting a traditional wassailing song to bless the crops and wish good health. Children will then offer a toast to the ‘good spirits' by dipping dry bread into cider and placing it around each tree to attract birds such as the Robin, which is thought to be a guardian to the orchard.

This year children are invited to make larger lanterns the day prior during a two hour workshop at Gamekeepers Cottage, Cockington, weaving willow into a dome and coating with coloured paper to create an extra special magical lantern for the procession.

Charges for either day are £3.50 per lantern – those who attend the Saturday workshop are admitted free to the orchard wassailing. Booking is essential for the willow lantern workshop on Saturday 19 January (call 01803 606035), but the workshop on Sunday 20 January at Occombe Farm is non-booking, just turn up at 3.30pm.

Directions to Occombe Farm here >>

DECEMBER 2007

PRESENTS FOR TORBAY

An environmentally-friendly Christmas might be difficult to achieve, but a local conservation charity, can offer presents to help make Torbay a greener place this year.

Torbay Coast and Countryside Trust are offering new members 15 month's membership for the price of 12 months during November and December. Trust membership starts at £15 for a Friend, £25 for a Guardian and £50 to become a Benefactor.

Kate Foster, Development Manager said “Trust membership is the ideal present for people who love Torbay and is something that people can use throughout the year”.

Membership subscriptions to the charity contribute in the region of £60,000 per year towards the Trust's conservation work throughout Torbay, including hedgelaying, tree-planting and improving habitats for Torbay 's endangered species such as Cirl buntings or the rare Small blue butterfly.

Members of the Trust are entitled to a free car parking pass at Cockington Court , concessionary rates to Trust events, a Trust badge and car sticker, with quarterly mailings and information about wildlife and Torbay . A range of special events are being organized specifically for members in 2008, the first of which will be a behind the scenes tour of Cockington Court .

Memberships can be bought at Occombe Farm , Cockington Court and by phone on 01803 606035 or by downloading a membership form from the Trust's website at www.countryside-trust.org.uk .

The Trust will also be planting trees at Conqueror Wood shortly after Christmas. These can also be given as Christmas presents and cost £40 each, which includes a Gift Certificate and card. Contact Kate Foster on 01803 606035 or e-mail kate@countryside-trust.org.uk for more information about tree planting.

NOVEMBER 2007

TORBAY'S FRIST STRAW BALE BUILDING BEGINS

A new project is underway at a unique educational organic farm in Paignton, to construct Torbay 's first ever straw bale building. The building will be constructed by students from South Devon College in an innovative training partnership which is also a first for the College. Owned by local conservation charity Torbay Coast & Countryside Trust , Occombe Farm opened in March 2006, aiming to reconnect people with food, farming and the countryside.

Low-carbon technologies will be used throughout to demonstrate that these alternative technologies are practical and could be adopted more widely. Cement and bricks are banned, so the foundations will use recycled materials (recycled rubble and car tyres), the walls will be of straw bales coated with traditional lime mortar and pegged together with coppiced hazel stakes and the roof and floor timbers will be made from timber harvested in the Trust's own woodlands.

The building, to be named the Occombe Farm ing and Food Education Centre, is due to open in May 2008 and will become the hub for school and college visits and adult education classes at Occombe Farm . Educational visits to the farm are proving extremely popular but currently have to share space with other uses in the farm café. The straw bale centre will allow exclusive use for teaching groups, housing a single classroom to include a computer suite and learning kitchen with the capacity for 30 pupils.

The project is entirely self-funded, receiving a £92,000 grant from an anonymous charitable trust to pay for all materials. South Devon College has secured £30,000 from the Learning and Skills Council for their ‘Construction in the Community' project, to provide a course tutor, student transport and specialist training in the alternative technologies to be used on the project.

Dominic Acland , Director of the Trust, said: “Occombe has proved a huge success educationally, so much so that we urgently need to give our students more space – and to give our commercial premises room to operate effectively. We are delighted to be able to realise this ambition thanks to a generous grant from a local benefactor and thanks to a superb partnership with South Devon College . This is also an opportunity for us to experiment with low-carbon solutions that I am sure will one day be standard-issue on all new buildings”.

Nick Cleasby, Programme Co-ordinator at the College and Project Manager says “We are very pleased to be involved with this project. It will be a very positive, stimulating experience for the students. As well as being able to volunteer their services to a worthwhile community project, they are keen to gain valuable site experience”.

The pioneer project at Occombe Farm is sited adjacent to the existing visitor centre, farm shop and café. Foundations are due to begin this week and the whole build process is planned to take 25 weeks.