Walking Festival 2008 - Launch Information

Saturday 3rd May 11.00 - 3.00pm

Come to Newport's Town Quay and celebrate Newport's rivers - their habitats and wildlife, industry and heritage at the Island's very first Riverfest. The Newport Rivers Group, in conjunction with the IW Walking Festival, will be presenting a combination of information and entertainment to transform people's ideas about rivers, highlighting the Island's water resources and the importance of water in the environment.

Riverfest is also hosting the launch and celebrations of the 10th Isle of Wight Walking Festival, with the official launch taking place at noon by Alan Titchmarsh, the Island's High Sheriff. Mr Titchmarsh will be brought to Newport Quay on the P.S. Monarch, reputedly the world's smallest commercial paddle steamer. The Monarch will also run trips for the public at £5 per person as long as the tide allows passage. PS Monarch is a 42 ft paddle steamer with a license for 12 passengers - reputed to be the world's smallest commercial paddle steamer. The boat is currently undergoing an extensive refit to make it ready for its first commercial season on the river Medina. Riverfest and Walking Festival launch will be Monarch's first outing in her new livery.

There will be five Walking Festival walks leaving from the Quay area throughout the day including Ten Minute Tales - storytelling walks for children with Sue Bailey - and Tales from the Riverbank, a guided walk with Dave Ellison the mastermind author and producer of the 1960s children's television programme of the same name starring Hammy the hamster and friends. There will be a chance to look for some probs hidden along the riverbank itself.

Medina Valley Centre are hosting a 2 hour canoe safari on the Medina, leaving Newport Quay at 11am. Places are limited to 15 at £10 per adult and £5 per child (7+ only) and can be booked via the Centre on 522195 Medina Valley Centre are also running free trips in a Drascombe dinghy between 10.00am and 1.00pm from Newport Quay up to the Centre for tea and biscuits.

The Classic Boat Museum will be open during the day. The Museum houses an exciting collection of sailing and power boats of both local and national interest and importance. - There is a small entrance charge to the museum.

Two exciting and hilarious theatre acts are bringing their watery themed shows to Riverfest. Professor H2O is performing two shows in the Quay Arts Theatre during the afternoon. Tickets are available from the Quay Arts box office, 822490. Southern Water's Drips Ahoy are performing for free throughout the afternoon in the Quay car park.

The Quay is a great location for food throughout the day, with Quay Arts and Riverside Centre both having licensed cafes serving food all day. The Riverside Centre is also planning to hold an open air barbecue during the day weather permitting. The Farmers Market will be at Riverfest selling local produce, and the vintage ice cream van from the Plaza, Cowes and Dr Bean's roving coffee van will be parked on the Quayside. The Classic Boat Museum also has a café serving drinks and snacks.

Southern Water are bring their "Taste Testing Marquee" to the event. Does bottled water really taste better than tap water? Come and let your taste buds be the judge at their blind taste test. They will also have information and advice about water efficiency, as well as great giveaways and freebies.

The Estuaries Project will be attending the event with the Eco-Challenger bus. They will be highlighting the importance of the Medina Estuary to wildlife, and using microscopes to look at samples of estuary mud to see what's living in it.

Please click here to download the Riverfest Launch Day Guide.

Stilt Walking & Workshops

Ryde Extreme Performers will be on hand to teach all newcomers the art of stilt walking on peg stilts, this ancient skill has been used for many centuries in many different countries for many different reasons, come and learn how to walk on traditional Peg stilts or try 'booking' on technologically advanced Jumping Stilts.

Fire Shows

Fire is the symbol of passion and to celebrate the passion the Island has for walking, Ryde Extreme Performers will be displaying their fire skills through out the day.

There will also be entertainment from Joules and Dave so don't miss the family fun festival. Festivities take place 11.00 - 3.00 pm. The day promises to be a fun-packed event for all the family.

Introducing Professor H2O

Professor H2O is performing 2 shows at the Quay Arts Centre, Newport as part of the Riverfest and Walking Festival celebrations on 3 May. Phone 01983 822490 for more details and tickets. Water music takes on a whole new meaning The effervescent Professor H2O is on a mission to dazzle you with drains, ponder over pipes and wonder at water. Tearing himself away from his research work into 'backwash sluicing' at Oxbow University, the Professor is ready to shower you with watery wisdom.

Amazing unplugged facts about water and pipes mixed with bubbles of music from his unique musical plumbing. This whirlpool of information and entertainment is flushed with urgency and humour.

• What is rain water harvesting?
• What percentage of the world's water is fresh?
• Learn the truth about bottled water!
• How much water do we use every day?
• How much could we live on?
• How can we conserve water?

Find out the answers to these questions and more in Professor H2O's show Watery Notes.

Immerse yourself in his show Watery Notes to understand how valuable and essential water is for all life on earth and our need to conserve it.

Suitable for ages between 2 and 102.

WARNING: singing in the bath will never be the same again!

Drips Ahoy

Facepack Theatre will be bringing their street theatre style show to Riverfest and Walking Festival Launch on 3 May 2008. They will be performing four free shows during the day at 11.30am, 12.45pm, 2.00pm and 3.15pm.

The show is sponsored by Southern Water, and 2008 will be the tenth year that Facepack Theatre has presented their colourful characters to entertain children and get them thinking about how and why to save water. During the past ten years the show has visited nearly 300 schools and events in Kent, Hampshire Sussex and the Isle of Wight and 43,000 children have seen the show. If each of these children turn off the taps when they clean their teeth they'll save 1,032,000 litres of water a day!! (based on 6 litres a minute wasted for 2 minutes, twice a day.

Tales from the Riverbank

An original Children's television series created by Dave Ellison and Paul Sutherland

A Trip down Memory Lane

From stories written by Dave Ellison and Paul Sutherland, an initial series of thirteen episodes with a running time of fifteen minutes each, was commission by the BBC in the spring of 1959.

The first programme went on air during the afternoon of Sunday 3rd July 1960, starting a run of over thirty years on fifty networks around the world. Using live animals to play all the parts, Ellison and his partner Sutherland knew that any child who talks to a Teddy Bear is sure to know that it is entirely logical for a hamster to use a typewriter and it is perfectly normal for a white rat to drive a motorboat. Which of course it is.

Production of the black and white series ended in 1962, but re-edited 5 minute versions were syndicated in the United States during the 60's. A new series went into production during 1971. Shot in 16mm colour each episode was of thirty minute duration but scripted in such a way that two fifteen minute programme could be made out of each episode. Twenty six of these new programmes were produced and played over the Granada network in the UK. It was during this series that Roderick the White Rate underwent a rather strange operation and became a mouse. Contracted to the Mattel Toy Corporation in the States, Roddy Rat became Matty Mouse but nobody along the riverbank seemed to notice.

Sales around the world followed in the footsteps of the original black and white series and the programme was a distribution until the mid nineties. In 1989, BBC Enterprises contracted episodes for the Watch with Mother series of Video's which became their best seller to date. A year late, Polygram entered into a deal with the producers to put out the entire black and white series on video. It was a great success, reaching number two in the charts and staying in the top ten for eighteen weeks.

During the mid 90's Working Title Productions in conjunction with Channel 4, commissioned twenty six five minute episodes using the footage of the first colour series. These re-edited and re-scripted versions played successfully for several years as did the video's that went on sale.
In 1993, Scholastic Children's Books contracted a series of new stories and activity books which were published around the world during 1994.

The Launch of the Walking Festival will include a walk "Tales from the Riverbank" and Dave Ellison himself will tell some tales, and there will also be three TV props along the riverbank to find. Join Dave and Ian Boyd from Island 2000 and re-live some memories.

Launch evening with Ben Fogle at Medina Theatre

A night of magical adventure with Ben Fogle and Ordnance Survey

For those of you lucky enough to have a ticket to See Ben Fogle - you are in for a magical evening full of adventure….

Ordnance Survey is delighted to offer Isle of Wight walkers the chance to take part in what promises to be a memorable, fun-filled night of magical adventure that will delight audiences young and old.

As part of 10 years of the Walking Festival, TV Castaway Ben Fogle will be appearing at the Medina Theatre on Saturday 3 May.

Ben has presented a host of popular television programmes such as Castaway, Animal Park, Country File, Wild in Africa, Crufts, One Man and his Dog and Holiday, and recently appeared in the BBC® adventure series, Extreme Dreams.

Ben has travelled extensively across the world and will be giving an inspirational presentation and a question-and-answer session, which will no doubt be yet another highlight of our celebrations.

With more adventures planned, the Isle of Wight Walking Festival is honoured that Ben is taking a breather to spend an evening at Medina Theatre.

International professional magician and illusionist Rod Newman is supporting Ben and will help bring the perfect end to the launch of the Isle of Wight Walking Festival. Rod has been performing magic for over 30 years and is a member of the Magic Circle and has recently performed at the passing-out celebrations of Prince Harry at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.

The night will take you on a journey of magical adventure, incorporating Ordnance Survey maps into breathtaking, unforgettable acts. This evening will allow the magic to not only happen right in front of you but right into your very own hands….

This event has now SOLD OUT!

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