THE chance to help make a recycled materials statue, test the energy efficiency of your home, check out noise nuisance and make bird boxes will all be offer in West Devon Borough Council?s marquee at Okehampton Show today.
Visitors to West Devon?s marquee will be invited to get involved in a host of different activities.
Parked next to the council?s marquee will be a recycled single-decker bus dedicated solely to home composting.
Okehampton?s famous agricultural event, being held at Stoneypark Showfield, attracts thousands of visitors every year. And this year livestock make a welcome return for the first time since the show had to be postponed two years ago during the foot and mouth crisis.
Among the exhibitors at West Devon?s marquee are:
l Community artist Maggie Squire of Tavistock who will be getting showgoers involved in making a sculpture entirely of recycled materials.
l West Devon countryside officer Esther Richmond making bird boxes with children to take away with them free of charge. Esther has 35 bird box kits on a first-come first-served basis. She will be helped by members of the Tavistock and District Conservation Project.
l Sound out noise nuisance with Ian Luscombe, a West Devon environmental health officer who will be bringing along a sound level meter for visitors to try out.
l Just how clean are your hands? A special machine will show that, even after washing them to prepare food, your hands may not be as clean as you think!
l Is your home energy efficient? Check out a special five foot wooden house which will show just where you can make energy savings.
l Where were you in 2002? If you went to Okehampton Show last year renowned Dartmoor photographer Chris Chapman ? who was commissioned by West Devon Borough Council to record the show ? may just have snapped you. A selection of his work is on display.
l Have a go at the competitions for visitors of all ages ? and win gift tokens, a wind up radio or a wind up torch.
The composting bus is packed with advice and information. It will help you produce good quality compost without the hassle, turning your unwanted waste into lovely material for the garden.
The bus comes complete with a compost ?conductor? from Remade South West who will be on board to steer you in the right direction. Over one third of household waste could be composted and the finished material can improve any soil ensuring bigger, healthier plants. The best items to compost include garden trimmings, green kitchen waste and grass cuttings.
And if you do not yet own a compost bin, Tavistock and District Conservation Project will be selling a variety of bins at discounted prices alongside the bus and with the first few sales West Devon Borough Council will be giving away an illustrated book, entitled ?Backyard Composting? worth £4.95.