It was the fox that brought fire to the naked, huddled masses in the time before television, at least according to the storyteller at the combined opening of the Centre for Contemporary Art and the Natural World (it’s difficult not to be drawn to pithy acronymns – CCANW anyone?) and the Forestry Commision’s new activity trails at Haldon Forest.
Twenty miles of safe off-road access for walkers, cyclists and horse riders, with play and sensory trails for all abilities, can’t be bad in opening up what, for many, is a daunting mass of outdoors. This is combined with contemporary art and a project space that has been environmentally reclaimed.
To celebrate the opening, artist Jennie Hale led Workshop Under the Sky for children and adults to draw pictures of the natural world (tadpoles were quite popular), storytelling by Chris Salisbury, a demonstration by woodworker Peter Whiteman (he shot arrows too), performance by Dartmoor musicians Nigel Shaw and Carolyn Hillyer (mystical and woody), and a demonstration/taster session by Peter Chin Kean Choy, founder of The Rainbow T’ai-Chi Chi Kung School (missed it, stuck in a sandy playground).
So much for the arty stuff. There was running with Dawlish Coasters, a Silverton Riders learn to ride demonstration, guided rides with Exeter Mountain Biking Club and the free use of mobility aids from the Exeter Mobility Unit and free bike checks (with minor repairs thrown in) from Sidwell Cycles.
What a way to democratise the forbidding forest (am I just a little bit too urban?) and promote healthy living for hearts and minds in a very real way. That fox certainly has lit a fire.
Posted by Cptn
Come and enjoy Devon – book a hotel and get away!
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