General

Dodnor Fellowship Weekend 2013

From the 15th – 17th February we held our annual Dodnor Fellowship weekend.  This is a chance for people who have supported the work of the Centre to gather and spend time with each other.  There is also an opportunity to hear about the current work and the plans for the future.

This year was a special gathering as it marked the beginning...

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Red squirrels take up residence in the Centre grounds

Two Red Squirrels have taken up residence in the Monteray Cypress at the north-east corner of the lounge. The squirrels have now discovered the monkey nuts that are being left out for them, and are slowly overcoming their shyness. This photograph was taken with a compact camera just 3 metres away from the tree trunk.

If the squirrels turn out to be a pair...

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MVC celebrates 50 years!

Happy New Year! 2013 is the Centre's 50th Anniversary and we're ready to celebrate!

Special events are planned throughout the year  - watch this space for more details.

We wish you all a very Happy Christmas and a blessed New Year

Greetings from all the staff at Medina Valley Centre!
 

Photo: Frosted teasel in the MVC reserve.

Christmas Meals at the Centre

We are now hosting meals for groups to celebrate Christmas together.  On Monday evening we had a group from St. Mary’s Hospital Volunteers, who enjoyed a meal and then relaxing in front of the fire whilst listening to Christmas music from Emily on the piano.  We have more groups coming in the next few weeks on the lead up to Christmas.

Green Gym help around the Centre grounds

The Green Gym group came on the 14th November to help us with some management of our site.  Around 40 people joined us from 10am for 3 hours to help out around the Centre grounds.  The tasks included helping with clearing the grasses cut from the unimproved grassland areas, removing mulch mats from our Copse area and laying a hedge along our boundary.  The...

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We have achieved our food hygiene rating of 5 again!

We are very pleased that we have maintained the standard in our kitchen to achieve the highest level of the food hygiene standard.

Green Gym help out at the Centre

The Isle of Wight Green Gym group of volunteers taking a well-earned break from their hard work clearing hedges and woodland around the Centre.  They are one of the first few groups to take advantage of our new outdoor classroom overlooking the River Medina.

Quality Badge Awarded

The Centre achieved the Quality Badge Award in May this year.  It recognises our work to provide high quality, learning outside the classroom and meet the criteria for the Badge.  More details about the quality badge can be found on their website.

Eco-Challenger centre stage at the Newport River Festival 2012

The Medina Valley Centre's mobile field study unit was invited to the annual River River Festival at Newport Harbour on Saturday. The Festival celebrates the life on the Medina River in all its facets and the visitors to Eco-Challenger were able to find out more about life in the estuarine ecosystem.

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Help the Environment and Raise Money for Medina Valley Centre by Recycling!

We have signed up with Recycle4Charity.co.uk so that we will receive £1 for each original inkjet cartridge or up to £5 per empty laser/toner cartridge kindly donated by you, friends, family, or colleagues.

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The upper Medina Estuary ices over

In recent days the upper Medina Estuary has frozen over following sub zero temperatures overnight and highs of just 3 degrees C during the day.

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We wish you a very Happy New Year!

From all the staff at the Medina Valley Centre on the beautiful Isle of Wight.

Photo: frosted wild rose leaf above the Centre's pond.

Moths galore!

The moth trap took a long time to empty today after a warm, muggy night. Over 25 species were identified; one especially colourful and beautiful, a Marbled Green, was recorded here for the first time.

Popular week in October now available for school booking

Due to a last minute cancellation, a popular week in the autumn term Monday 3 October - Friday 7 October, has unexpectedly become available for a primary or secondary school looking for an excellent venue for a field trip at short notice. We can accommodate groups of up to 50 during this week, with labs and tutors available.

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MVC team take part in the Wight Wheels Challenge

The MVC team are taking part in the Wight Wheels Challenge for the second year running. The percentage staff participation received a boost on Friday when William Ainslie, the organiser of the Challenge, arrived with a trailer full of bikes and a Minghellas ice cream for everyone who rode a bike for more than 10 minutes!

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Cream Teas this Easter

As a special Easter Treat on the 20th and 21st April between 14:00 - 16:30pm, come and try our delicious homemade scones with cream and jam and enjoy beautiful views of the River Medina.

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MVC gets 5 star award

A delighted Sabine Gavin holds up the new 5 star award for Food Hygiene, a first for the centre.