Films celebrating South West landscapes released

A series of films described as "visual and verbal poetry" have been released which show landscapes of Devon and Cornwall.

The films, named Wild Westcountry Odyssey, have been co-funded by Natural England and made by Plymouth-based filmmaker Simon Willis.

Contributions have also been made by the University of Exeter and National Trust.

The first film - which was released on Monday - celebrates the landscape and wildlife in Kynance and the return of the chough to the Lizard peninsular in Cornwall.

Each film features two short poems written by John Wedgwood Clarke, professor of Poetry at the University of Exeter.

The remaining five films will be released weekly until 21 July.

Mr Wedgwood Clarke said: "I hope these films, and the visual and verbal poetry they contain, inspire people to explore this beautiful part of the world and think about how they can support, in whatever way they can, the work the goes in to helping people and nature thrive together in these special places."

Mr Willis said: "It's been a privilege to work with all the nature reserves and John.

"The human effort that goes into keeping them thriving for wildlife is remarkable.

"I hope our images and John's words encourage people to look beyond the picture postcard and really value the wildlife that makes the South West such a great place to visit."

And David Burton, of Natural England, added: "We supported the production of the films to research how creative media can help re-set the relationships between people and nature within the framework of Protected Site Strategies.

"The approach is to educate and highlight the need for nature recovery to everyone."

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