“Lets get cracking” for the 50th annual Shaldon Water Festival

Hundreds of crabs, renowned chefs, budding artists and a flotilla of decorated boats will all be heading for the picturesque regency town of Shaldon, near Teignmouth in South Devon next weekend (7 August) for the fiftieth anniversary of the town’s annual water festival. The “Lets Get Cracking “ campaign to promote South Devon crab organised by Visit South Devon Tourism Partnership is at the heart of the 2010 community celebration, which also raises thousands of pounds for local charities. www.visitsouthdevon.co.uk . The Marketing Manager for Visit South Devon, Sarah Streeter says that Shaldon has a long history of crab fishing and that the festival will be a great opportunity to celebrate both the town and its famous local catch: “Crab fishing is very much part of the local heritage of Shaldon and its vibrant local community, from the hard working local crab fishermen to the fabulous local restaurants which serve delicious South Devon crab. So it is only natural that Shaldon Water Festival is part of the highly successful campaign to promote South Devon crab and we have a fabulous day of crab related events planned to entertain the whole family.” The festival will showcase a variety of crab competitions from crab catching to crab sand sculptures and paintings as well as a special “duck race” using plastic crabs instead of ducks. A series of crab workshops and cookery demonstrations will be taking place throughout the day, featuring the renowned local chef Tim Bouget from the award winning restaurant Ode. Tim says that he is delighted to be taking part: “The Shaldon Water Festival is an amazing community event and we hope that this year’s festival which marks fifty years will be the best ever. As a chef, I know only too well the value of using the best local ingredients, and South Devon Cab is of world beating quality so it is great to share tips and recipes for local people to enjoy” A highlight of the festival is the flotilla of decorated boats which is part of the keenly anticipated parade on the River Teign before further festivities; live music and barbecue take place on Shaldon village green in the evening. During the history of the event 48 carnival queens have been crowned, including Georgina Bayliss who will be in charge of festivities for 2010. For the first two years, the Carnival crowned a King Neptune, who was usually a local fishermen but due to popular demand, the kings were replaced by prettier carnival queens. The festival has only been cancelled once in 1982! The festival begins from 10am at the river beach on 7 August. The floating flotilla of decorated boats starts at 5pm. For more information on the day’s events, visit www.visitsouthdevon.co.uk/crab. Notes for Editor: About Visit South Devon Visit South Devon is the area tourism partnership responsible for promoting South Devon to national and regional audiences. The main aim of the company is to increase the number of visitors to South Devon for the benefit of the local tourism economy. Visit South Devon works with Visit Devon the Destination Management Organization for Devon. Visit South Devon is a Community Interest Company existing solely for the benefit of the local tourism community. It is a public-private company limited by guarantee and not for profit – ensuring all revenue is put back into marketing initiatives for the area. The company operates a membership scheme for local tourism businesses who want to gain national exposure. Visit South Devon is funded through membership and South Hams and Teignbridge District Councils, but aims to be fully self-financing within 5 years.

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