Heath Fest

5th December 2006

As part of The HEATH Project (Heathland, Environment, Agriculture, Tourism, Heritage) a 2 month long festival, Heath Fest, will be held in September and October 2007 to celebrate Cornwall’s heathland.  The HEATH Project in Cornwall, supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund and EU Interreg funding, focuses on 55 sites on the Lizard, West Penwith and along the North Cornwall Coast around St Agnes.

Heathland photograph by Rory Goodall

The main outcomes of the work will be to protect, restore and conserve over 3,500 hectares of heathland by re-introducing management through grazing, cutting and burning.  The project also aims to inform people about the value of heathlands for nature conservation, archaeology, agriculture, history and recreational use.  This is where the Heath Fest comes in.  Cheryl Marriott, Assistant Conservation Manager at Cornwall Wildlife Trust, one of the local partners in the project explains:

“Cornwall has 12% of the national total of lowland heathland, this habitat has declined massively in the last 200 years and is now internationally rare.  We hope Heath Fest will encourage people to get out and explore and be inspired by their local heathland sites and work with us to protect them.”

Village surrounded by heathland photograph by Rory Goodall

Many groups and organisations have already agreed to hold events on heathland sites across the county.  There will be something for everyone from wildlife walks and photography workshops to children’s art events and moth trapping!  For more information about the project visit www.heathproject.org.uk.

If you are part of a group or organisation and would like to be involved in Heath Fest please contact Alison Forward at Cornwall Wildlife Trust - (01872)273939.

Projects .... Bat Conservation Bodyline CRAG Dolphin Group Geology Mammal Group Otter Group PARC Seaquest Seasearch Seal Group Water for Wildlife VIC SEARCH . . . . . . . . .