Interpreting the History of the Exe Estuary

The Exe Estuary Management Partnership are applying for funding to capture and interpret the heritage of the Exe Estuary.  The initial ideas for the project were agreed at the Exe Estuary Forum on the 22nd of October where a workshop of local residents discussed the possibilities of such a project.  It was agreed that the project's objectives were:

• To capture the memories and memorabilia of the people who live around the Exe and pass this on to future generations before it is lost, giving everybody an opportunity to be a part of the project.
• The creation of a Heritage Trail around the estuary to provide a fun and interesting way to learn about heritage as well as encouraging the use and enjoyment of the estuary trail.
• The promotion, use and interpretation of historic buildings such as the Turf and the boat house.
• Engaging Local residents as well as visitors with the importance of the estuary.
• The use of audio tours, such as downloadable MP3 clips,  to make the trail more accessible to all.
• The promotion of transportation links, such as the ferries and train services, to encourage use of these services as a method for exploring the estuary.

Since the Forum, I have submitted a pre-application bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund using the above objectives as the key theme.  I have received some very positive feedback from them but there is a lot of work that would need to be done before a full application could be submitted.  In order to gather ideas from the communities and groups who know the Estuary best we are inviting people to join an Exe Action Group, who will be responsible for the development of this project.  

The next meeting, to further plan the project, is going to be held on Thursday 11th December between 10am and 12.30pm if you would like to find out more or book a place then please contact me by email or call 01392 382236.  I hope to use this meeting to agree the core objectives and plan for the project, which I will use for the full application bid.

I am still working on the venue for the meeting so if anybody can offer a venue that would be suitable for 20 to 30 people to meet then please let me know.  I will try to find something in Exeter so that it is an equal distance for those coming from Exmouth or Dawlish.