VISITORS to Okehampton?s Old Town Park will be able to enjoy a sizzling, fluttering, flapping feeling when South West Forest holds a ?Moth, Bat and Barbecue evening? at the site later this month.

South West Forest is working in partnership with West Devon Borough Council and the Old Town Park Partnership ? formed to advise the ongoing care and management of the historic site ? to hold the free event on Friday, August 27.

Jim White, woodland projects officer for South West Forest said: ?Participants will have a chance to feast upon their own freshly barbecued food and learn more about some of the moths which live among the trees of Old Town Park.

?With special electronic detection equipment people will have a chance to hear a bat with their own ears and learn how to tell what species it is.?

Mr White said the evening would provide a great opportunity to find out more about the Old Town Park site ? just across the river from Okehampton Castle ? and its importance for the wildlife and history of the area.

Chris and Helen Shaw, of the Devon Bat Group, will be bringing their bat detectors and a wealth of knowledge about bats to share at the event, while ?Moth man? Steve Hatch will have a number of moth traps set up around the site for people to look at.

Esther Richmond, West Devon Borough Council?s project development and countryside officer, said: ?This is a first for the site and there are bound to be some interesting discoveries as the evening progresses.?

Other members of the Old Town Park Partnership will be at the event, including Dartmoor National Park?s senior ranger Ian Brooker who will show the benefits of using local sustainably produced charcoal in the barbecue.

Booking is essential for this free event as numbers have to be limited for safety reasons.

Those booking will be asked to bring their own food, blanket to sit on and utensils for the barbecue. A torch is also advisable to help find one?s way around the site in the gathering nightfall.

For further details and to book places ring South West Forest on 01409 221896 or e-mail: [email protected]">[email protected]