July 2008

Job Vacancy - Geopark Project Officer

Thanks to funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund “Your Heritage”, the English Riviera Geopark Organisation is looking to recruit a Geopark Project Officer.

This exciting, new, 2 year role will increase public awareness, understanding and enjoyment of the English Riviera Geopark by encouraging local people and visitors to identify, look after and celebrate the geological heritage of the area.

The job description and application form can be found here:
Job Description (PDF 105kb)
Application form (PDF 85kb)
(The forms will open in a new window).

The opening date for applications is Wednesday the 9th of July 2008, and applications must be submitted by the 31st of July 2008.

July 2008

March 2008

Dr Iain Stewart, Patron of The English Riviera Geopark Organisation

The newly appointed chairman of ERGO, and owner of Kents Cavern, Nick Powe commented on the news that Dr Iain Stewart had accepted the position of Patron said:

“This is a fantastic boost for raising the profile of the English Riviera Geopark. Iain’s enthusiasm and passion for geology is infectious.

In our first year as a Global Geopark we need to inspire the local community into seeing the benefits this status could bring to our local schools, the local community and, most importantly the local tourism economy in Torbay. Having Iain as patron is a giant leap in the right direction.

We are designing a membership package for businesses, organisations and individuals who want to get involved and can see the benefit of using the Geopark trademark logo for their own purposes.

Mel Border said “It was always a long shot when I first thought of inviting Iain to be patron so I’m absolutely thrilled that Iain has accepted the invitation and it’s a great step forward for the Geopark. Having someone so clearly enthusiastic about geology with such a high media profile supporting what we are doing is amazing. This is a brilliant start to our first year.”

ENDS

NOTES TO NEWS/PICTURE DESK

1) For further information and interview or photography/filming requests in the English Riviera Geopark or at Kents Cavern, please contact Mel Border on (01803) 606035 or Niick Powe on (01803) 215136.

March 2008

11th February 2008

MEET YOUR GEOPARK - An update.

The English Riviera Geopark has today received the following update from Terra vita Naturpark, Osnabruck, Germany:

The organising committee of the Meet Your Geopark competition in Germany, have advised that they may have found funding to cover the cost of the accompanying adult in addition to the cost of the 4 students.

This is great news.

We hope to have confirmation by the end of March and we will pass on any further information regarding the competition as and when it arrives.

We'll be following this with interest, and the website will be updated as soon as we have an update from Terra vita Naturpark.

ENDS

11th February 2008

6th February 2008

MEET YOUR GEOPARK - AN INCREDIBLE OPPORTUNITY FOR OUR LOCAL STUDENTS

The 3rd International Geoparks Conference will take place from the 22 to 26 June 2008 in Osnabruck, Germany, and it will attract a worldwide audience.

Prior to that the organising committee of the conference in conjunction with the Geopark Network are arranging a competition for secondary school students (15-18 years old) living within or near a Geopark.

The idea behind the competition is to get young people interested in the Geopark concept and the earth history of their region.

To enter the competition teams of 2-4 students need to examine and understand their own Geopark and then think about how they would present it too others.

The English Riviera Geopark team will judge an overall local winning team. The winning team with the best presentation will then have the opportunity of an expenses paid trip to join other students from Geoparks all over the world at an Earth Camp in Osnabruck 20 to 29 June 2008.

The winning team will also be invited to present their idea to experts from all over the world at the Global Geoparks Conference.

More information is on the English Riviera Website.

ENDS

6th February 2008

12th October 2007

THE ENGLISH RIVIERA RECEIVES GLOBAL RECOGNITION AS GEOPARK STATUS IS CONFIRMED

…Torbay declared one of only fifty three Geoparks in the world…

Long-awaited news that the UK’s English Riviera is to receive international geo-tourism status arrived last night (Sunday 16 Sept).

With its successful bid for admission into the European and Global Geopark Network confirmed, the English Riviera is set to capitalise on this world-wide recognition.

Now, as one of only six in the UK, and 53 around the world, the new Geopark status will have a dramatic effect across the local community, impacting positively on education, economic regeneration, European partnerships and Torbay’s widely acclaimed cultural and heritage sites.

Enthusing about this prestigious accolade, Torbay Mayor Nick Bye said: “This is great news for Torbay and its beautiful and geologically rich landscape. I am truly delighted that our wonderful natural heritage has been recognised on a global level through gaining Geopark status and I pay credit to those who have achieved this accolade.

“The array of international opportunities now open to the English Riviera is phenomenal and we must fully embrace them. Torbay is already promoted on a global level, but this new Geopark branding will undoubtedly enhance our tourist status amongst overseas travellers and those who love the environment even further.”

Aviva Pearson, Director of Tourism at the Torbay Development Agency said: "We are thrilled that after so much hard work by so many, the English Riviera Geopark has become a reality. The potential, in terms of tourism and the products we can create, is huge. We are already putting together new guides and packages and looking into ways of exploiting these roads into attracting new markets. Our staff are receiving special training about the value of this new status and how this can be shared with our visitors. The Geopark status is a valuable new string to our bow and something our whole team is extremely excited about."

"Our press and PR activities are set to increase 100 fold, with the Geopark status adding great value to our already busy schedule of national and international press initiatives. This certainly gives us an exciting new way of promoting our beautiful Bay in terms of geology and heritage and certainly gives us a fresh new angle with which to reach brand new markets."

Operating under the international ‘Geopark’ umbrella, Torbay will now be recognised as an area with ‘geological heritage of international significance’. Professor Malcolm Hart, of Plymouth University’s Earth Science Department, played a key role in the inspection and said: “Torbay’s geological heritage is outstanding, and provides one of the best teaching areas for students in the whole of the South West. The Geopark will mean more people understand how the world around them came to be, and deepen their appreciation of the natural world”.

Part of the application for the Geopark status meant proving Torbay’s sustainable economic development through geological heritage. Integral to this part of the bid was Nick Powe, Managing Director of Kents Cavern whose prehistoric caves house some of the UK’s only known bone artefacts believed to date back to Neanderthal man. He said:

“We’ve been working on this new bid since 2002 and I’m absolutely delighted that it has been a success. Both locally and internationally, the Geopark status holds great significance and it offers Torbay even more opportunities for increased tourism development.

“Under the global Geopark umbrella, we can really optimise on this success and promote many more of Torbay’s assets including links to the work of Charles Darwin, Agatha Christie and Isambard Kingdom Brunel, plus our fabulous wildlife, marine biology, seagrasses, dolphins, archaeological and geological heritage, and much more.”

An assessment of Torbay’s bid was carried out by Guy Martini, UNESCO expert on Geoparks on the 8 and 9th September last week. Part of his remit was to evaluate how the English Riviera was using its geology and natural heritage as a regeneration tool.

Nick Powe recalls Guy Martini’s extremely encouraging comments: “He said that Torbay undoubtedly housed Geosites of great national and International significance, and that he had rarely seen such an enthusiastic Geopoark management team.

“He also commented that it was the first Geopark he had ever visited from the sea. And, on a very positive note for our caves, he mentioned that he never seen any other cave interpreted and operated as professionally as Kents Cavern.”

Following his visit, Guy Martini presented his evaluation to the UNESCO Geopark Panel who recommended that Torbay be accepted under the Geopark banner.

This recommendation was then put to the final vote of the General Geopark Panel which announced Torbay’s successful bid last night at the annual Geopark conference at North West Highlands Geopark, Scotland.

The conference was attended by Nick Powe from Kents Cavern, Mel Border for Torbay Coast and Countryside Trust and Dr Adrian Humpage (BGS and expert geological advisor to the English Riviera Geopark).

Maintaining a truly unique status within the international Geopark arena, Torbay will be the only urban Geopark in existence. Dominic Acland, Director of the Torbay Coast and Countryside Trust commented: “Everyone is working to regenerate Torbay, which we know has social and economic problems, and the Geopark designation turbo-charges all those regeneration efforts. It is a fundamental part of our strategy to build up people’s pride in the area, to attract new visitors, to diversify and improve our tourist offering.

“The key thing is that it puts Torbay on the international stage as an important heritage destination. This boosts our perception of ourselves, and boosts the way other people will view the Bay.

“And, this was only possible through the tremendous partnerships that were developed during the bid with people working together as ERGO, the English Riviera Geopark Organisation.

“So there is huge potential in this designation. If we use it properly it will be a significant part of the power-house that turns Torbay around and sets it on a different course towards a more sustainable society and economy. What’s more, we’ve got the international geological recognition at last that Torbay’s coastline rightly deserves!”

The ERGO partnership includes: Torbay Council, the Torbay Development Agency, the Torbay Business Forum, the Torbay Coast & Countryside Trust, the Earth Science Department from Plymouth University, Natural England, Devon Regionally Important Geological Sites (RIGS group), local secondary schools, British Geological Survey (BGS) and many others who made this bid successful. ENDS

12th October 2007

4th September 2007

The English Riviera Geopark Organisation (ERGO) are very much looking forward to hosting an inspection visit by two members of the European Geopark Network coordination committee this coming weekend. Guy Martini from France and Rosaria Modica from Sicily will be arriving in Torbay on Saturday evening.

The purpose of the visit is to asses the areas suitability to join the European Network and become European Geopark, an internationally recognised designation. ERGO have planned a packed itinerary to show the Bay's spectacular geological heritage.

We will hear very soon if we have been successful. After their visit the inspectors will join the rest of the coordination committee for a meeting on the 11 September and then the Networks decision will be announced at the European Geopark's annual conference being held at the North West Highlands Geopark in Scotland, 13 - 17 September.

Two members of ERGO, Mel Border representing Torbay Coast and Countryside Trust and Nick Powe owner of Kents Cavern will be attending the conference in Scotland.

Geoparks Website updates

Information about the new English Riviera Geopark trail leaflet and the new Discover Devon geology booklet is now available on our geotrails page.

4th September 2007

25th July 2007

Geoparks Website updates

We have also been working on the website, and have updated our publications page, provided a table of our sites to go with the map, and updated our page containing 'Visiting the English Riviera' information.

Splosh Marine Arts Festival

Between the 12th and 14th of August we are jointly hosting Torbay’s first ever Marine Arts Festival SPLOSH! alongside the Torbay Coast and Countryside Trust and Living Coasts.

Funded by the National Lottery all events are free to the public and it will be a great opportunity to connect with the amazing marine environment of the past and the present on our doorstep!

The festival will include a whole range of fun indoor and outdoor visual performance and creative events taking place on 3 sites, working with experienced artists and a range of materials.

At the Seashore Centre in Goodrington, take the opportunity to cast your very own footprint in the sand, enjoy rockpool rambles and scavenger hunts, or a walk through time, at Berry Head National Nature Reserve ‘get creative!’ by making sea creature masks and puppets, and also listen to underwater stories. At Beacon Quay Torquay, outside Living Coasts try your hand at painting a coastal scene or making giant sea monsters from willow!

For more media information, contact Torbay Coast and Countryside Trust on 01803 606035 or e-mail rachel.tapper@countryside-trust.org.uk

25th July 2007

12 February 2007

A step back in time but a step forward for Torbay

Torbay’s bid for Geopark status is all signed off and ready to go.

The application for European Geopark Status has been signed off by elected Mayor Nick Bye and will be sent to the European Geopark Network in France this week.

Confidence is high amongst the 13 members of the English Riviera Geopark Organization (ERGO), which was formed in January to drive the project forward and includes, amongst others, Torbay Coast and Countryside Trust, Kent’s Cavern, Torquay Museum, Torbay Council, John Risdon Heritage South Devon, Palm Fm and several local schools. 

Torbay Coast and Countryside Trust Education Ranger Mel Border who co-ordinated the application said. “After months of preparation it is exciting to finally submit the application. This is the second time we have gone for Geopark status for the Bay - an initial bid was considered premature in 2004 – and we have worked hard to put forward a much stronger proposal.”

Elected Mayor Nick Bye is also confident of success.  He said “Our unique combination of a superb geological landscape, existing tourism facilities and partnership working puts us in a strong position. Attaining Geopark status would be a fantastic win for the Bay. It totally supports our long- term strategy of encouraging sustainable economic regeneration.”

The European Geopark Network will meet in April when they will appoint one of their existing members to carry out an inspection visit.  A decision will be reached, and announced at the European Geopark Network conference in September.  In the meantime the hard work continues and the summer will be spent hosting geology based events and installing new interpretation boards.  Mel said “The Trust has planned 26 walks, boat trips and children’s events and many of the partner organisations will be running additional events throughout the summer.” 

“While we wait for news of the bid we will also be working to increase the number of school groups taking part in geology based visits, and putting together a new geology trail that will link the four gateway sites; Berry Head National Nature Reserve, the Seashore Centre at Goodrington, Babbacombe and Kent’s Cavern.”

To coincide with the application’s submission a new website will be launched on Friday at www.englishrivierageopark.org.uk with geological facts and information, and details of this summer’s events.

For more media information, contact Alison Brown at Torbay Coast and Countryside Trust on 01803 606035 or e-mail alison@countryside-trust.org.uk

12 February 2007

20 January 2007

ROCK SOLID BAY LOOKS TO FUTURE

11:00 - 20 January 2007
The rocks on which Torbay stands could prove a valuable tool for the resort's economic regeneration.

With the bid for European Geopark Status due to go in by January 31, representatives of the different organisations which are going to manage the ambitious project met for the first time yesterday.Nick Powe, Kents Cavern owner, emphasised that to gain geopark status an area has to show how it explains its geology to both local residents and visitors.

"The geopark status is not just about recording and conserving the local geology it is about making it of broader interest to more people both for the local community and tourists," he said at the meeting at Occombe Farm, Paignton.

"It is about using our geology as a way of promoting economic regeneration and if we can do this as part of expanding our tourism than all the better.

"I am sure a lot of people who appreciate it as a lovely place to live would be interested in finding out why it is such a lovely place and the history behind it."

He said there were also many opportunities to teach schoolchildren and students more about geology.

The area had also played a key role in the history of the study of geology, for example through the pioneering work in Victorian times at Kents Cavern.

He said organisations had already shown interest in visiting the English Riviera Geopark, even before the bid is submitted.

Once the bid goes in at the end of January, in which Torbay Council is playing the lead role, The European Geopark Network will meet in April and will send an inspector to the resort in the summer to report back to a meeting in August. The outcome should be known next September.

He emphasised that other areas are keen to win Geopark status and the English Riviera is one of two areas that could be designated this year.

It is hoped to raise money through licensing the English Riviera Geopark brand logo, to attract grants and raise funds.

The organisation already has £5,000 from Awards for All.

Dominic Acland, director of Torbay Coast and Countryside Trust, said: "There is no major infrastructure involved in this project, no need for new buildings, what it relies on is interpretation of what is already there.

"It is a project that covers the whole Bay, and every community. It will help build up civic pride and should be a great asset for our tourism industry and hopefully will become a brand that will grow.

"It has the potential, if we manage it properly, to go a long, long way."

For more media information, contact Alison Brown at Torbay Coast and Countryside Trust on 01803 606035 or e-mail alison@countryside-trust.org.uk