Coastwise helps at the AONB Combe Martin Discovery Day..........

The Discovery Day was held on a sunny Saturday in May, with a number of organisations taking part in this 50th year of AONB. The focus was on the discovery of life on the seashore, and this was carried out both outside on the beach area at low tide, and inside in the Sail Loft room upstairs at the Museum. During the day, over 60 species ‘outside’ were identified by individuals and families with the help of  trained volunteers from Coastwise. In the museum some lovely ‘artificial’ species were created, and ‘Professor Blenny’ (from Exmoor Zoo) helped children to create eco-friendly crabbing implements from wood and string.

There was an excellent degree of cooperation between Museum volunteers, Coastwise members,  Exmoor National Park, Exmoor Zoo and Ilfracombe Aquarium staff. And what with the very good number of  families from both the village and visitors, the day just seemed to flow along at its own pace, with people wandering down to the beach from the Museum, heading for the big Exmoor National Park flag fluttering bravely in the refreshing breeze. The excitement generated by collecting the specimens was palpable, especially the oohing and aahing over the jellyfish!

All in all it was an excellent community event, with Coastwise demonstrating how well it is developing its outreach potential. Special thanks to Jim, Paula, Mavis and Sandy for leading the all-important identification process.