Chardstock Eco Group is a community-based environmental group serving Chardstock and the surrounding eastern Blackdown Hills. Chardstock Eco Group has a wide environmental agenda and is free to join. Our activities include:

• The Kit Brook River Restoration Project supported by the Environment Agency and the Blackdown Hills AONB
• River monitoring including water quality, Riverfly, MoRPh, and habitat surveys
• Hedgerow surveys supported by the Great Big Dorset Hedge project
• Great Crested Newt habitat suitability index surveys
• Bat surveys – we have nearly all of the British bats recorded in Devon in the parish
• Veteran Tree recording in conjunction with the Woodland Trust
• Other Citizen science projects
• Community Ally of Plastic Free Axminster
• Regular programme of talks, walks and visits
• Supporting Duke of Edinburgh students complete their Award through providing volunteering opportunities with an environmental flavour
• Litter picking cos we aim to be the cleanest village in Devon!
• Lobbying, agitating and generally making a fuss to make change happen
• Supporting Chardstock Primary with its environmental teaching syllabus
• and much, much more

We have been awarded the Devon Wildlife Trust Wilder Communities Award for our work with nature, and a Saving Devon’s Treescapes award for our work with trees and hedges. A member of the group is a national rivers champion. We are members of the East Devon Catchment Partnership and the Making Rivers Better network.

Our free monthly talks in Chardstock Community Hall usually take place on the second Tuesday of each month, sometimes incorporating a bit of a field trip. We recently hosted a panel discussion with a group of farmers that attracted an audience of over 80 people

We love to welcome new people to the group. Please email vicky@essenceconsulting.co.uk