Seaton Visitor Centre Trust News

Seaton Visitor Centre Trust (SVCT) is:

‘Celebrating Seaton’s Natural Environment’

FREE EVENT, open to all.

Seaton Town Hall, 24^th February 2010.

6pm – 8pm

Help us to celebrate the natural environment we live in and that many people visit, through listening to our inspirational speakers and joining us for light refreshments.

There will be time, before and after the speakers, to judge our table-top competition entries, look at the information displays and meet with the guest speakers, representatives of the SVCT, Axe Estuary, Natural England, Jurassic Coast Team, Visitor Centre architects and internal design specialists and other partners, working hard to create the vision of the Seaton Visitor Centre.

Our speakers:

• Prof. Denys Brunsden, Jurassic Coast Trust.

Prof. Brunsden will tell us what inspired him to strive for World Heritage Site status for the Jurassic Coast and what makes Seaton’s natural environment unique.

• Tracey Guiry, Project Manager for the Exmouth and Seaton Visitor Centres.

Tracey will update us on the Seaton Visitor Centre project

•  Dr Sam Rose, World Heritage Site Team Leader.

Sam’s talk will cover Seaton’s place in the Jurassic Coast, including the strength of community involvement, the things that can be achieved and the pivotal role that the Visitor Centre will have.

•  James Chubb, East Devon Education Ranger.

James will focus on updating us on the progress being made in the Axe Estuary, including its significance to the Visitor Centre.

•  Donald Campbell, Chairman of East Devon AONB, Trustee of the SVCT and Vice-Chairman of the Exmouth and Seaton Visitor Centre Board.

Donald will link the various initiatives together, relating to Seaton’s natural environment and explain the vision of how the Seaton Visitor Centre will be the hub.

 For more information, please visit  www.seatonvisitorcentretrust.org or contact 01297 21056.

Members of Arts Group of the SVCT provided a selection of fun family art activities, with a local environmental theme, on 22^nd August, at the recent Wet ‘n’ Wild Weekend.

There was kite making, animal masks, paw printing and story telling too. While the youngsters wore their masks they also did some pond dipping.

The children (and adults) had a wonderful time being creative, as shown by the photos you can see on our Gallery.

John Seward, from the SVCT, has written a play (based on the book by Sabine Baring-Gould) featuring the story of Winefred, a young lady who experienced life in the mid 1800s and particularly the landslip on the Undercliff in 1839. John related some of the story of Winefred to an attentive audience of all ages.

A lovely time was had by all!

Wet ‘n’ Wild Weekend at Seaton Marshes

Fri 21^st August  - Sun 23^rd August

Please see our Events page for more details of lots of activities on the Marshes over the weekend. The events below are specifically run by the SVCT. All welcome.

SVCT Wild Art Events to complement the Wet ‘n’ Wild weekend and Carnival

Saturday, 22^nd August

10am – 4pm

Fun family activities including:

Kite Making

Animal Masks

Paw Printing

Pebble Painting

Story Telling

Saturday 29^th August

10am – 12noon

More of the same fun on the Marshes (see above). Fun for all the family.

Follow the directions from the Tourist Information Centre, Seaton to the Wild Art stand at the Axe Estuary Wetlands’ Seaton Marshes Local Nature Reserve.

SVCT Carnival Week Events

Sat 29^th August

10am – 12noon

Pebble painting outside the Hook and Parrot on the Esplanade.

Sun 30^th August

1.30pm

Crabbing at the Axmouth Harbour, outside the Chandlery (weather permitting)

Monday 31^st August

10am – 12noon

Fossil Dig and Pebble Painting, outside the Hook and Parrot.

(alternative date for crabbing, in case of cancellation on prev day, due to weather) 

Tues 1 Sept

10am-3pm

Arts & Craft Fun Day at Seaton Town Hall (see below)

Fri 4^th Sept

11.30am

Low Tide Exploration. Meet at Seaton Hole (by café)

Arts & Craft Fun Day

Tues 1^st September

Seaton Town Hall and Windsor Gardens

(10am – 3pm)

Drop in and get hands on!

Activities and demonstations for the whole family, refreshments available.

Painting, Model making, papier mache sculpture, corn dollies, beading and jewellery making, book illustration, mega dino collage, fossil model painting, story telling and more …

SVCT events for the weekend when the Tour of Britain comes through Seaton

Friday September 18^th /Sat 19^th September

There SVCT will be involved with two events during the weekend.

The Best Decorated Bicycle competition and

Hiring of bicycles for all the family.

More details to follow.

Last Friday, Seaton Visitor Centre Trust (SVCT) hosted a visit of the Chairman, Peter Cuthbe and other members of the Exmouth and Seaton Interpretation Centres Board. The Board represents all the partners in the two projects and encourages input from the SVCT on the needs of its proposed centre for Seaton. The Board were keen to see the two potential Seaton Visitor Centre sites, now that planning applications have been submitted to EDDC from both Sainsburys and Tesco, plus some of the unique and special offerings for visitors to Seaton.

The SVCT would like to thank Seaton Tramway who arranged a special tram journey to Colyford to enable Kate Tobin, from the EDDC Wetlands project, to give an inspirational and informative talk. She explained the progress being made to enable visitors to experience a wealth of wildlife habitats, including the new Black Hole Marsh saline lagoon. Plans for the wetlands include integrating the Stop Line cycle route and hides and walkways with access for all. Unfortunately, the sea mist obscured the wonderful coastline but this did not spoil the trip or the walk to Axmouth Harbour and then to Cliff Field Gardens to see the Labyrinth, following warming cups of coffee and delicious biscuits at the Arts Café.

Bernard Dunford, Chairman of the SVCT, said “We were pleased to have the opportunity to show the members of the Board first hand the attractions and interests of the area. Afterwards they said they could never have properly appreciated them until they were explained and interpreted”.

For more information please visit www.SeatonVisitorCentreTrust.org