Visitor-friendly wildlife haven will be created on historic Avon island, if public gets behind the scheme AND casts votes

The Avon Navigation Trust (ANT) hopes to provide a sanctuary for birds, bats, mammals and ferried-in wildlife lovers on the currently publicly inaccessible Pershore lock island that it dramatically rescued from disaster in the winter of 2015.

The project, which will be the pilot for other ANT nature-friendly schemes, has been nominated for funding in the Aviva Community Fund, which will be decided  this month by public vote at https://community-fund.aviva.co.uk/voting/project/view/17-4029.

ANT moved super swiftly to stop the successive-flood damaged island from collapse, and its engineering team was back this year to restore the fallen tree-choked weir stream.

“The lock site has been in use since 1639 and its adjacent weir, with the separate fish pathway, are critically important, not just in maintaining river levels for both users and wildlife, but also as a key part of the area’s anti-flood control measures. However, the island is a valuable wildlife resource too,” says Penny Clover, ANT’s Funding and Appeals Director.

“Now we aim to transform this currently bare patch of earth with our volunteers and have some very exciting plans in store.” 

ANT has been nominated by Worcester-based Sutcliffe & Co Insurance brokers for the Aviva Community Fund. 

“By creating an accessible and informative haven, the Pershore Weir Island Wildlife Project will give a reason for the local community and visitors to discover and explore our hidden riverside environment,” adds Duncan Sutcliffe, Director of Sutcliffe & Co.

The funding will pay for the materials, while ANT will supply its team to support volunteers to carry out the planting and construction work on the 3230 square metre island.

They aim to:   
• Create a wildflower meadow and wildlife- friendly garden, attracting pollinators, insects, mammals, bats and birds.
• Build a shelter and hide so that visitors can spot those more secretive river inhabitants.
• Establish a pond and wetland area.
• Plant local Pershore heritage plum trees.
• Build a ‘paddlers path’ for canoe portage around the lock.
• Install information boards about the navigation and animal life.
• Team up with The Angel Hotel at Pershore to run bespoke boat trips for groups and then establish more regular cruises as the project develops.

“This project will also be a valuable pilot scheme for other wildlife areas planned by ANT, as the river authority and responsible with volunteers for the long term maintenance of similar lock sites along the whole River Avon,” adds Penny.

ANOTHER FIRST FOR ANT'S TRAIL-BLAZING LADY LOCK KEEPER

AVON Navigation Trust’s trailblazing lady lock keeper enjoyed another first when the charity’s engineering team beat the floods to complete its biggest project in years bang on time.

The Wyre Piddle-based Trust (ANT) celebrated the end of the major infrastructure project by launching a new tradition in the form of a ceremonial lock key painted in its blue and yellow colours.

The handover of the key to Tewkesbury’s Avon Lock lady Nic Lancaster signalled it was now back in her keeping after the mammoth three month makeover at the major Avon gateway.

Now each lock will have its own dedicated key and post work handover ceremony when appropriate.

“It’s good to start a new ANT tradition and this was a very apt project to kick it off because there was a lot to celebrate,” says Chief Executive Clive Matthews.

“The team pulled off a minor miracle by making sure the lock reopening was right on schedule despite the site being wiped out by a pre Christmas flood, which set other non ANT river projects months adrift.” 

Clive and his team had already leapt to river users’ rescue twice, first when they swiftly switched the failing hydraulic paddle to manual to avoid having to close the busiest lock on the river in high season.

Then planned emergency repairs in early 2016 were thwarted by a series of floods. But the team repaired the hydraulics for the season ready for the major repairs after the lock dewatering, which is usually only done once every 25 years. 

Work included replacing all the paddles, the full refurbishment of all hydraulics, repairing the lock chamber, repairing and sprucing up all the concrete walkways plus refurbishing and painting all the gates.

Nic, who became ANT’s first full time lady lock keeper in 2015, knew exactly how hard the team worked to hand it back in shipshape form for the first boaters’ through, because she had a bird’s eye view.

The Tewkesbury-born lady, who came home after getting a degree in Coastal Zone Management, lives with stained glass artist husband Pete in the lock keeper’s cottage on site.

“The ANT people are the best and all the people who come through here are lovely and happy because they’re on their boats,” beams Nic.

“I’ve landed the job from heaven and I laugh and smile my way through the day.”

Avon Lock keeper Nic Lancaster receives the ceremonial key, now hanging proudly in her hut, from ANT Chief Executive Clive Matthews, watched by the engineering team.

A MIDLANDS rock festival, which will celebrate a heavy metal icon’s mega comeback, is planning to make sure fans are even Appier.

The creative and rock-loving team at Areca Design is gifting a Drunken Monkey Augmented Reality (AR) Mobile App to bring publicity material to life for the festival, which raises money for the Midlands Air Ambulance Charity.

“The charity is a wonderful, life-saving service that deserves all the support we can give it,” says Mick Hurst, Managing Director of Areca Design, which is based in Evesham, Worcestershire.

“It’s a charity that’s particularly close to my heart, as an avid motorbike man. 

“We’re also pleased to support such a popular festival. We’re all music loving rockers here at Areca.”

The August 4-6 Drunken Monkey Rock Festival was launched four years ago in Worcestershire’s Upton-upon-Severn in memory of local man Ian Dowton, who died after a car accident. 

So far it has raised more than £11,000 for the life-saving Midlands Air Ambulance Charity and this summer’s three day event will be bigger and better than ever.

“We’re really excited about this year’s Festival. There will be some awesome performances and we are more than looking forward to rock legends Steve Grimmett’s comeback,” says Steve Coyne, Chairman of the festival committee of volunteers.

Cult band Grim Reaper’s frontman Steve will get a resounding reception when he bursts on to the main stage in one of his first performances since losing part of his leg on a life-changing South American tour earlier this year.

Singer Steve, who lives in Swindon with wife Millie, is currently learning to walk on his new prosthetic leg.

He had five operations and three amputations in an Ecuador hospital after picking up an infection during the Walking in the Shadows album tour earlier this year.

Steve has been stunned by fans’ support and fund-raising to help cover the $25k Ecuador hospital bill and ongoing recuperation.

“It has been phenomenal and very humbling,” says Steve. 

“I will reward everyone by getting back on stage... and walking round like I had two legs!”

Areca Design put its home town of Evesham on the world map in 2012 with a trail-blazing Historic Tourist Trail App.

The town became the first to offer tourists a unique experience with the App that brings to life mediaeval monk Brother Oswald on smartphones and tablets.

The team offers end-to-end digital and traditional marketing solutions, including those headline grabbing apps, which they have developed for a wide range of customers over the last five years.

The free to download Drunken Monkey App will trigger poster videos of Grim Reaper, Guns2Roses and hot-tipped Worcestershire up and coming band Population:7.

EVESHAM 11 YEAR-OLD ROCKERS MAKE THEIR FESTIVAL DEBUT

A GROUND-shaking rock festival, which celebrates a headline-making comeback for a heavy metal icon, is also bigging up Evesham talent.

Music-loving Areca Design has produced a special Augmented Reality (AR) Mobile App to bring publicity to life for the Upton-on-Severn August 4-6 Drunken Monkey Rock Festival.

The free to download app will trigger poster videos of cult band Grim Reaper, Guns2Roses and hot-tipped Worcestershire up and comers Population:7, whose singer Rachael Medhurst lives in Badsey.

Meanwhile mini rockers PiggyDooDar - Wyre Piddle best pals Dagan Alford-Longley and Max Jenkins and his Evesham cousin Thea - are making their big festival debut, aged just 11.

“We’re really excited about this year’s festival. There will be some awesome performances and we are showcasing loads of talent as well as raising cash for the Midlands Air Ambulance Charity,” says Steve Coyne, Chairman of the festival committee of volunteers.

The Drunken Monkey Rock Festival was launched four years ago, in memory of local man Ian Dowton, who died after a car accident. It has raised £11,000 so far for the life-saving Midlands Air Ambulance Charity.

The Festival has grown into a renowned three day wonder, which this year features a stonking line-up including Soul Stripper, Guns 2 Roses, Troyen, and Grim Reaper, whose singer Steve Grimmett is bound to get a mega reception.

The frontman for the band, which sprang from nearby Droitwich and stormed the 100-strong Battle of the Bands in the eighties, is currently learning to walk on a prosthetic leg after three amputations following a foot infection picked up during the Walking in the Shadows album tour earlier this year.

“I’m really looking forward to this Festival,” says Steve who has been stunned by fans’ support and fund-raising to help cover the $25k Ecuador hospital bill and ongoing recuperation. 

“I will reward everyone by getting back on stage... and walking round like I had two legs!”

In the audience will be Mick Hurst and most of his Areca Design team, who are based in offices next to Evesham’s historic Almonry.

Mick offered the Drunken Monkey AR Mobile App free of charge, as his contribution to the Midlands Air Ambulance Charity.

“The charity is a wonderful, life-saving service that deserves all the support we can give it. It’s a charity that’s particularly close to my heart, as an avid motorbike man,” he says.

“We’re also pleased to support such a popular festival. We’re all music loving rockers here.”

Emerging talent doesn’t get much younger than Worcestershire mini rockers PiggyDooDar, all aged 11.

A ROCKING WELCOME FOR GRIM REAPER'S STEVE
GRIMMETT AT GROUND-SHAKING FESTIVAL

A MIDLANDS rock festival will celebrate a heavy metal icon’s mega comeback after losing part of his leg on a life-changing South American tour.

Cult band Grim Reaper’s frontman Steve Grimmett will get a resounding reception on the main stage at the August 4-6 Drunken Monkey Rock Festival in Worcestershire.

The Upton-on-Severn blast is also making the news with a trailblazing Augmented Reality (AR) Mobile App that will bring publicity posters to life.

The two stage event combines big names with up and coming bands - including the PiggyDooDar trio of 11 year-olds and South African Gage, who are coming over specially.

The Drunken Monkey Rock Festival was launched in Upton-upon-Severn four years ago, in memory of local man Ian Dowton, who died after a car accident. So far it has raised more than £11,000 for the life-saving Midlands Air Ambulance Charity.

“We’re really excited about this year’s festival. There will be some awesome performances and we are more than looking forward to rock legends Steve Grimmett’s comeback,” says Steve Coyne, Chairman of the festival committee of volunteers.

The three day event includes Soul Stripper, Guns 2 Roses, Troyen, and of course Grim Reaper, which was born in Droitwich and stormed the 100-strong Battle of the Bands in the eighties.

Singer Steve Grimmett, who lives in Swindon with wife Millie, is currently learning to walk on his new prosthetic leg.

He had five operations and three amputations in an Ecuador hospital after picking up an infection during the Walking in the Shadows album tour earlier this year.

Steve, who is planning to write a book about his experience, has been stunned by fans’ support and fund-raising to help cover the $25k Ecuador hospital bill and ongoing recuperation.

“It has been phenomenal and very humbling,” says Steve. 

“I will reward everyone by getting back on stage... and walking round like I had two legs!”

The Drunken Monkey AR Mobile App is the brainchild of creative, rock loving Mick Hurst at Worcestershire-based Areca Design.

It will trigger videos of Steve Grimmett’s Grim Reaper, Population:7 and Guns2Roses on posters.

“The charity is a wonderful, life-saving service that deserves all the support we can give it. It’s a charity that’s particularly close to my heart, as an avid motorbike man, and we’re all music loving rockers at Areca,” says Mick.

He’s back! The legendary Steve Grimmett and Grim Reaper.