Wood if you could? Now you can
April 15th, 2006
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
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2 Comments Add your own
1. PETER CHIN | April 16th, 2006 at 6:43 pm
BRILLIANT GET TOGETHER, THE OPENENSS, THE EXPANSIVENESS OF SPACE, THE PEOPLE SLOWING DOWN, WALKING THE TALK….BE CLOSE TO THE EARTH, GENTLY BREATHE AND HEAR THE SILENCE AND THE CHILDREN PLAYING AMONGST WILD BIRD SONG AND GREENERY.
2. Ian Lynch | April 18th, 2006 at 8:13 am
Glad you enjoyed the day - it was manic, but excellent fun.
I hope more people will come along and enjoy the peace and tranquility of the forest, and don’t worry …. it isn’t forbidding anymore!
Bring the kids and their Grans too - there’s plenty for everyone.
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