Regenerating the community and the environment of the Tale Valley

November 06, 2010

July 2009 saw a new family fun fundraising day evolve on the Tale. With the working title of ‘Messing About on the River’ the first event celebrated 100 years since the writing of ‘Wind in the Willows’. The Tale Valley Community Theatre wrote a bespoke version of the story, which they performed adjacent to the river, in the Redwood Storytellers Corner in Escot Park. Other activities included river dipping & kick sampling, to discover the rich aquatic fauna, tracks & signs, splat the mink, meet the water vole, birds of prey display,  circus skills, face painting, & the infamous Tale Valley swamp walk!

So successful was the event that it was repeated in July 2010, this time celebrating ‘The Return to the 100 Acre Wood’ – a new book written 100 years after A.A Milne first introduced us to Winnie the Pooh, & containing a new character – Lottie the otter. 

This time there was a professional storyteller – Clive Pig the Storyfella, who held audiences of all ages throughout the day. New too was panning for gold in the river, pin the tail on Eeyore, an expedition to the North Pole, & of course Pooh Sticks!  There were lots of happy, wet families at the end of the day, & the PR & educational values were considerable. 

We had tremendous support from local partners & sponsors, but in particular   East Devon District Council, South West Water, West Country River Trust, & Alan Bruford, the Tale Valley education ranger, collectively without whose help the events would have struggled.

Messing About on the River event will be        repeated in July annually for as long as it remains popular & viable.