Yesterday Year 5 of Cirencester Juniors all took part in the rocky roadshow from the Cotswold Water Park Trust, called Gravel is Great.

In addition, they were given a short talk from representatives from Redrow Homes who had sponsored the visit to this school, along with four other schools in Cirencester. Redrow are constructing homes on the outskirts of the town, and the site features in the Gravel is Great DVD.

Sixty children watched the DVD which tells the story of the local landscape in a lighthearted and accessible format, then got stuck into the business of excavating gravel, finding fossils, Roman remains etc - all small scale of course, as the main resurce of the roadshow are the mini gravel pits.

Following excavation and sorting, the class was then tasked with restoration of the pits, into campsites, nature reserves, country parks and watersports centres. Decsions had to be made about where best to locate buildings, wildife areas, trees and activities, taking into account real life issues such as safety, disabled access, and litter. They also got to try their hand at some bricklaying - again in miniature, which proved to be a popular activity.

Feedback from the classes was very positive, with many children asking if they could do it all again! Some comments from the children - "This was a really fun day, and I really enjoyed finding out all about gravel" " I thought it was going to be boring becasue it was about stones and mud but it was really good and I liked playing with the models and deciding where to put things"

Download a PDF version ( 17 pages) Conservation report to Joint Committee February 2010

The lanterns had been made by youth groups, community groups and local schools from all around the Cotswold Water Park, as a celebration of the wildlife of the area in this International Year of Biodiversity. The project, which was funded through Natural England through Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund, was managed by In our Element, the Arts development programme for the Cotswold Water Park Society.

Arts consultant Lesley Greene was delighted with the event, “ It was wonderful to see artists and young people working together to observe and interpret the richness of the wildlife which is all around us here in this dynamic landscape. There were lanterns representing bats, birds, beavers, fish and insects. Even the past was brought to life with a giant plesiosaur held aloft by its creators and the procession was led by a 2m high woolly mammoth, two creatures whose fossil remains have been found around here during gravel extraction process.

The procession around the lake took approximately half an hour, accompanied by drums and plenty of enthusiastic supporters. Those who took part all seemed to enjoy the event thoroughly and there is talk of an even bigger one next year!

Our huge thanks go to all the artists, young people and volunteers who worked so hard to make this event such a success.

Mike Stuart, chair of South Cerney Parish Council said “I really must record my congratulations to you and your team for putting on such a wondrous event last night. I didn't know what to expect before I went but to experience so much fun was a privilege which I know was a sentiment shared by so many others there. To see so many youngsters getting involved not only on the night but in the construction of those "lanterns", was in itself amazing. The parade with all those wonderful lit up structures brought back distant memories of torch lit carnivals I went to when I was a child. I am sure those youngsters that took part last night will carry their own memories of the event for many years to come.

Jane Williams, leader of Ashton Keynes Brownies who all made wonderful pyramid lanterns, said “ This is such a lovely place and we are all so lucky - this creative event is a great way to help young people recognise and understand the landscape in which they live.”

Anthea Steel from Cirencester “ We didn’t really know what to expect but this has been a wonderful evening - to see so many young people with the amazing lanterns they have made all coming together in this celebration event was really enjoyable”

Come along to Lake Pochard on the Spine Road on Friday 19th February between 6 - 8pm to see these wonderful lanterns for yourself !

For any more information please call the CWPS offices on 01793 752413.

The launch event also marked the world premiere of the 15 minute DVD Gravel is Great, a lively and at times humorous look at the world of gravel, aimed at a primary school age audience. The DVD was made by Archaemedia Productions, a partnership between archaeologist and educator Julian Richards, and TV camerman Steve Shearn, and was extremely well received by the mainly adult audience.

A teacher said after the event " This roadshow has so much relevance to what we are doing in school this term, I will definitely be booking you to come along"

The project has been set up by the Jill Bewley, Education Officer for the Cotswold Water Park Trust, " This has been a really exciting and interesting project to set up, and I am looking forward to taking it out into the local schools - a number of teachers have been involved in the planning and development of the roadshow so I hope it will prove to be a valuable additional resource for schools"

Gravel is Great has been funded by Natural England through Defra's Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund - we are very grateful to the funders, and to those companies who have sponsored part of the Gravel is Great roadshow - Redrow Homes, Aggregate Industries, and the Mineral Products Association. We are also extremely grateful to the support of Hills Quarry Products who allowed access to the working quarries for the filming of the DVD.

If you would like to find out more, please contact Jill Bewley by email jill.bewley@waterpark.org or telephone 01793 752413.

For more information check out www.gravelisgreat.co.uk, or follow us on Twitter (gravelisgreat)

A Cotswold Water Park farmer has won the prestigious Gloucestershire Silver Pintail Award for conservation, awarded each year in the county by Gloucestershire Farming & Wildlife Advisory Group (FWAG). Bob Spackman and his team at Manor Farm, Kempsford won the Award in 2009 for the excellent work they have undertaken for Barn Owl conservation on the farm.

Wildlife and conservation is very much at the heart of the farming enterprise at Manor Farm, Kempsford. Through the existing Countryside Stewardship Scheme new meadows have been created, ditch management for water voles has been introduced and artificial otter holts have been created. The local Barn Owl population has benefitted from the new meadows and arable margins, and following the installation of new nest boxes, two pairs of Barn Owls breed on the farm each year.

The coveted Award was judged by Kevin Rylands, RSPB farmland Conservation adviser, and Ian Boyd, last year’s winner of the Silver Pintail. The winner was announced at Gloucestershiore FWAGs Annual General Meeting in December 2009, held at Calmsden Manor.

Gareth Harris, Biodiversity Officer for the Cotswold Water Park Society, is delighted that Mr Spackman won this Award; "Bob, Simon and John, work hard for wildlife on the farm and surrounding area, involving members of the local community such as Brian Coram whose passion for conservation is an inspiration. The Barn Owls are a superb indicator of the great health of Bob's farmland demonstrating that if the management is right, the food chain is also healthy, with species such as Barn Owl being right at the top. Well done Bob!"

For more information about Gloucestershire FWAG please contact them on 014520627487 or email gloucester@fwag.org.uk.

Although some of the lakes may look frozen, and the ice may be thick near the edges, there are large areas of treacherous thin ice, with extremely cold water temperatures.

The local fire service have issued the following warning - please please take heed!

Do not go onto ice-covered lakes, ponds or rivers – it’s not safe. In the event of entering icy water hypothermia can set in very quickly reducing the ability to get out safely.

The ice closest to the bank may appear to be thick but it may become thinner in other areas.

If a dog or another animal falls through the ice, do not go to its rescue, if the ice did not support the animal it will not take your weight.

Do not become a victim; always call the Emergency Services on 999.

If you do see a person or animal in difficulties call 999 and direct the Emergency Services to the scene on their arrival.

Visitors to the Gateway Centre car park may have had some difficulty finding a place to park due to the flooding there - and travel on the roads between Ashton Keynes and Cricklade has been affected by the rising water although the road has remained passable. The clue to the nature of this area is in the name - Waterhay!

For those wanting to take a walk along the Thames Path from Waterhay near Ashton Keynes or along the Thames Path at Cricklade, this is not possible at present ( 02 December 2009) as the path is severely flooded in places - from just ankle - deep to over - wellie deep!

Near the Gateway Centre, again it is not possible to walk along the canal tow path, or round the path at the edge of Lake 6.

There will be other places near the river which have been flooded - so please take great care!

This short but extremely exciting DVD is being produced as part of an ALSF funded project called Gravel is Great, a rocky roadshow for primary schools to introduce them to the amazing landscape that is the Cotswold Water Park.

Producing and presenting the film is author and TV presenter Julian Richards, known to many from the popular BBC series Meet the Ancestors and Blood of the Vikings. Julian became involved in the area many years ago as the archaeologist who excavated the Iron Age settlement at Cleveland Farm in the late 1980s. Steve Shearn, the cameraman behind the lens has worked on many different programmes, mainly the Channel 4 Time Team series.

The DVD will be shown to primary schools in the area as part of the rocky roadshow which also involves interactive sessions with model size gravel pits!

If you would like to find out more about the rocky roadshow, contact Jill Bewley on 01793 752413 or email jill.bewley@waterpark.org