With an estimated one million birds and 100,000 marine mammals and sea turtles dying each year as a result of entanglement in plastics or plastic ingestion the Exe Estuary Partnership are very concerned about the devastating impact of litter on a global scale but also its local impact on the Exe Estuary.  

Regular volunteer clean up events have proved incredibly successful in reducing the amount of litter on the estuary but there is still more that needs to be done to prevent litter ending up
there in the first place.

Over the past few months the Exe Estuary Partnership and Dawlish TRAIL have been working with 7 local primary schools in Dawlish, Cockwood, Starcross, Kenton, Kenn and Topsham to help students learn about the dangers of marine litter.  Each class then put their new found knowledge to good use by creating large marine litter displays that communicate the damaging impacts that litter has on our marine environment.  These 3.5m by 2m pieces of art were displayed at the Exe-travaganza on 10^th July and can now be visited outside the
Manor House, in Dawlish as part of the annual
Recycled Art in Landscape Sculpture Trail in
Shaldon, Teignmouth and Dawlish from 19th
July until 5th Sept 2010.

Exe Estuary Officer, Jenny Lockett, has been providing the environmental information while Carolyn Ballard, TRAIL project coordinator, has provided artisitc guidance to the teachers.  Materials were provided to the schools including marine litter collected from the estuary during volunteer events organised by the Partnership and Dawlish Warren Rangers.  The base for each display is a recycled fence panel, as seen on building sites, which were each checked for safety and the litter was cleaned before they were
provided to the schools.

Carolyn Ballard said, “The displays have to be seen to be fully appreciated as they are really quite remarkable combining 3D sculptures with colour
and different materials to create a truly magnificent piece of art.”

“This has been a fantastic project and we would like to thank partnership Schools and their young artists for their hard work indesigning and making the sculpture for the Exe- Extravaganza Festival and Dawlish TRAIL. The panels are part
of the exhibition of environmental sculptures and
art work created by local community groups."

Bernard Huges OBE, Chairman of the Exe Estuary Partnership said, “I am very surprised by how much of an impact the panels have had and how cleverly they have been created, especially as they were made by primary school children.”

“We are incredibly grateful to everybody that has supported the Partnership to make this project happen such as our festival sponsors, the Crown Estate and Dawlish Warren Tourisim Group, and our Partners, Teignbridge District Council, who have transported and stored the art work throughout the project.

“Some of the schools have also visited the Exe Estuary over the past few months to attend education sessions that Jenny has delived jointly with Sally Mills of the RSPB at Turf Locks.  The sessions provided an opportunity for local children to learn more about the ecology and value of this globally important site, which has helped them to fully comprehend the consequences of marine litter.”