Sea hiking, rowing machine competitions, a treasure hunt and a new play from the Appley Tower Players were just a couple of the activities on offer at Appley Day last Sunday 1 October.
The event has become an annual celebration of Ryde’s Appley Park and beach, and this year’s day was packed with different things to do for all ages.
A range of activities
Appley Day saw locals flock to the park to take part in clay sculpture making, nature activities, tree climbing and land art thanks to the support of local organisations including New Carnival, Oakfield Church of England Primary School, Natural Enterprise, Goodleaf Tree Climbing and more.
On the seafront things were equally busy with the first performance of ‘Wish you were here’ by the Appley Tower Players, Appley Tower open day, litter pick with Planet Aware, sand art competition with Monkton Arts and sea swimming and hiking with Outdoor Swimming Isle of Wight.
Sea sports and theatre
Ryde Town Council offered free paddleboard and kayak sessions and were talking to residents about accessibility and the beach.
They also arranged the performance by the Wonderfell Theatre Company which was a big hit with families.
Protecting the wildlife
The wildlife of the park and beach were represented by local conservation organisations including Bird Aware Solent, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, Butterfly Conservation, Isle of Wight Natural History Society and Save our Hedgehogs Isle of Wight.
The day was organised by local group Friends of Appley.
Abi Fox of the voluntary organisation said:
“We’d like to thank everyone who supported Appley Day 2023 and embraced the relaxed community spirit of the day. It was wonderful to see people enjoying the park, learning new things about their local environment and simply having fun outdoors! We’d like to say a massive thank you to Ryde Town Council for all their behind the scenes support, 2nd Ryde Sea Scouts for their fantastic range of activities and Isle of Wight Bat Group who put on a last minute evening bat walk that was booked out almost immediately!”
We are looking for new members to join the group. If you have a love of the natural environment and would like to volunteer to support the park and local community please message via the Facebook page.
News shared by Abi on behalf of Friends of Appley. Ed
