Peat-Fest South West will launch on Sunday 27th July 2025.

We’re hosting a very special celebration of peatlands to mark the start of our Festival.

Join us at Sterts Arts and Environmental Centre, just outside of Liskeard on the edge of Bodmin Moor.

We’ll have two creative performances of The Mossy Story by performers from Far Flung CIC with costumes by Sewcial Guild CIC.

Art and Energy will lead a guided walk to a nearby peatland location where we will look for mosses and learn about the local peatland environment.

Sunday 27th July is also Bog Day, an annual international celebration of the brilliance of bogs around the world!

Everyone welcome to join us and celebrate the launch of Peat-Fest South-West!

Launch event details:

• 11am - arrive from 11am, Sterts café will be open for light refreshments.

  
  

• 11.30am - welcome, introductions, our hopes for Peat-Fest South-West and hear from voices from our 5 peatland locations across the region.

  
  

• 11.50am - The Mossy Story reading and performance by Far Flung CIC with costumes by Sewcial Guild. Followed by The Mossy Carpet creative workshop, making moss inspired pompoms for the artwork. You will have the opportunity to walk to The Mossy Carpet (you’ll need to wear socks to take part).

  
  

• 12.30pm - join us for complimentary tea/coffee and cake (a soft drink will be available). Additional refreshments can be purchased from Sterts cafe or bring your own pack lunch.

  
  

• 1pm - 2.30pm - Guided walk to nearby peatland location with Art and Energy.

  
  

• 2pm - The Mossy Story reading and performance by Far Flung CIC with costumes by Sewcial Guild. Followed by The Mossy Carpet creative workshop, making moss inspired pompoms for the artwork. You will have the opportunity to walk to The Mossy Carpet (you’ll need to wear socks to take part). Please note this is a repeat of the 11.50am performance but you are welcome to enjoy both.

  
  

• 3pm - event ends.

Suitable for all ages, everyone welcome, children under the age of 18 should be accompanied by an adult.

Book a place to let us know you are joining us and for refreshments but you are most welcome to turn up on the day.

Sterts is located just outside of Liskeard on the edge of Bodmin Moor, in a village called Upton Cross. It is accessible by car and there is plenty of free parking available. 

Sterts Arts & Environmental Centre
Upton Cross, Liskeard
Cornwall PL14 5AZ

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Accessibility information can be found on the Sterts website.

Dorset Wildlife Trust are teaming up with the Dorset Peat Partnership and Peat-Fest South-West to host this community engagement event for the young people of Dorset (ideally suited to those aged 12+).

Who says there's no such thing as a FREE LUNCH? Well, at this event there is... FYI - that's for the young people only - soz adults, you'll need to bring your own!

As part of Dorset Heaths week, the aim is to come and learn about the special habitats and species that live on the heath and learn why and how to better care for them.

Join the Dorset Wildlife Trust reserve wardens for a guided wander out on to Upton Heath. You'll also have the opportunity to meet and chat to the teams who help manage the heaths e.g. Dorset Dogs & Firewise.

We’re pleased to be partnering up with RE-PEAT who’ll be running a chilled yet creative workshop session with songwriting, to bring together all the fascinating and interesting things we discover together around what our special heaths have to offer.

CHECK THIS OUT... Some of the material from the event will be put into a wider manifesto to Celebrate Peatlands and their importance... to be presented at COP30!

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Event Format

09:45- 10:00am : Arrive at the Urban Wildlife Centre - We'll kick things off by checking out what's visited the moth trap over night

10:00am : Brief intro from the Upton Heath & RE-PEAT teams

10:15am : Guided Walk on to Upton Heath

12pm : Lunch break back at the Urban Wildlife Centre

1pm : Session 1 - Fun workshop with RE-PEAT, inc. songwriting with Dorset musician Femi Oriogun Williams

2pm : Refreshments & Chill

2:30pm : Session 2 of the workshop

3:30pm : Creative workshop summaries & sharing

4pm : Event ends / The BogBus departs (FYI - this is just a normal bus, with a silly name!)

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Other useful deets...

• Event duration : 6 hours inc lunch & time to chill

• Ideally suited for ages 12+

• Those under 18 must be accompanied by a responsible adult

Date & Time : Wed 30th July ~ 10am-4pm

Location : Urban Wildlife Centre, Beacon Hill Lane, Corfe Mullen, BH21 3RX

Google Map link

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Peat-Fest South-West will be at the Avalon Marshes Centre on Saturday 9th August.

Save the date - more details coming soon.

Join Joe Hampson, Honeygar Wilding Officer, for an exciting day at Honeygar, our first-ever Wilded site!

This unique opportunity will have you carrying out species surveys to track nature's recovery and gain insights into how invertebrate communities are thriving thanks to our wilding approach. Be part of real conservation work, learn new skills, and help us understand the impact of restoring nature. Don’t miss your chance to make a difference!

This session is suitable for those between 14 and 18 years old. We do not expect parents or guardians to attend the session.

There will always be a member of staff or highly trained volunteer and first aider on site.

Meldon Wildlife Festival

Join the National Park and partners for a wild day out celebrating Dartmoor's unique and beautiful wildlife. A free fun-filled, event for all the family!

There will be lots of wildlife activities to help you get closer to nature and nature crafts to take home. More details to follow but here is a quick taster of some of the things planned

• Stream dipping- see signs on the day for times

• Minibeast hunts

• Ranger Ralph wildlife craft

• Barn Owl Pellet Dissection with the Barn Owl Trust

• Butterfly Conservation

• Mammal Tracks and signs quiz and mammal related craft activities + skulls, droppings, nibbled hazelnuts and stuffed specimens with Devon Mammal Group

• Reptile walk, slow worms in a tank and reptile and amphibian craft activities with Devon Amphibian and Reptile Group

• Discover Dartmoor invasive plants- quiz and colouring activity with Dartmoor Invasive Project and South West Water

• Museum of Dartmoor Life

• National Trust

• Discover Dartmoor's bogs - spot the difference, stick the beak on a snip, interactive water display with South West Peatland Partnership

• Refreshments from 1st Okehampton Scout Group

• Ice creams from  Taw River Dairy

• Snail and Minibeast activity from Adventure Okehampton

• Why not grab your phone and become a Look Wild i-Naturalist to help us record the wildlife you see on Dartmoor or take part in our Time for Nature Challenge

• Water themed obstacle course participatory event - seen signs on the day for times

Spend the day with us and our wildlife partners at a beautiful part of Dartmoor.

We would like to thank the landowners Okehampton Hamlets Parish Council and the Duchy of Cornwall, and Adventure Okehampton, who lease the land, for their support in making this event possible.

Facilities

Free parking, toilets, and refreshments available to purchase.

Getting there

From Okehampton: Follow the B3260 uphill and look for Meldon Quarry sign. Turn left just before Betty Cottles. Follow road over A30, through the woods, under viaduct and look out for car park entrance to Meldon Old Quarry on right.

From Tavistock & A30 Cornwall: Follow signs to Okehampton leaving the A30 via slip road. Turn left onto B3260 towards Okehampton until you see Betty Cottles on your left, take next road on right marked Meldon Quarry. Follow road over A30, through the woods, under viaduct and look out for car park entrance to Meldon Old Quarry on the right.

Peat-Fest South-West will be at Nature Fest with Planet Purbeck on Saturday 20th September.

Save the date - more details and confirmed location coming soon.

Peat-Fest South-West will be at Exmoor National Park as part of the Exmoor Dark Skies Festival.

Exmoor Dark Skies Festival runs Friday 17th October - Sunday 2nd November 2025.

Date for our Peat-Fest South-West event will be confirmed shortly.

More details coming soon.

Join us as we put the species spotlight on the wonderful world of sphagnum moss, a key bog building species, and its vital role in the rehabilitation of the peatlands at Westhay Moor.

Join us and take action in the face of the climate and ecological emergencies

To improve sphagnum coverage on the site we will be planting sphagnum plugs on one of our most recently restored areas. Planting involves finding a spot where conditions look right and planting the sphagnum plug, making sure to pinch the hole snug around the plug so it doesn’t dry out. Whatever the weather is up to on the day, conditions underfoot are likely to be wet and boggy in places - so wellies are advised!

There are no welfare facilities available at our Westhay Moor Reserve, the nearest facilities are at the Avalon Marshes Centre, BA6 9TT.

This session is suitable for those between 16 and 24 years old. We do not expect parents or guardians to attend the session.

Peat-Fest South-West finale event, celebrating all our achieves across the region and sharing our love of peatlands.

Details are just being finalised and we’ll share updates soon.