The River Teign is a Salmon river that flows down from peatland bogs and mires of Dartmoor National Park to the seaside town of Teignmouth.

To be a river whose character can be defined and described as a Salmon river says a lot. It says clean, vibrant, healthy and wholesome. And the River Teign has been a Salmon river since the last ice age!

Things however are changing and we don’t fully understand why. This is where the River Teign Restoration Project and you can make a difference.

The River Teign Restoration Project has recently embarked on a four year project which aims to restore to the river and its tributaries, its accessibility, water quality and bio-diversity, so that the numbers of migratory fish, in particular salmon and sea trout can recover to something approaching their historic levels.

The core mission of this project is to improve the River Teign as a habitat for migratory fish. Fish species such as Salmon and Sea Trout have noticeably declined in recent times.

An Art & Environment Project for Schools, in association with the River Teign Restoration Project

MAKE Southwest’s President, Peter Randall-Page has a longstanding appreciation of the River Teign and is involved the River Teign Restoration Project. MAKE Southwest facilitates creative projects in schools so Peter got in touch with us about adding school involvement, through arts participation, which could help to get young people informed and interested in local wildlife and habitats.

We are inviting schools local to the river to take part in a creative drawing activity, the results of which Peter will look at, select from, and translate into a sculptural installation, a simple carved bench and/or carved stones, to be sited along the river in tucked away spots.

Participating schools are given materials for one class/group, a pack for each child taking part, and access to the following resources.

The aim of this part of the project is to build a collection of drawings. They could be drawings of fish, dragonflies, birds or any other river creature or plant life. Your drawings, and some from other schools, will become part of an online exhibition at makesouthwest.org.uk. Specially selected drawings will be part of an exhibition on display in one of our galleries.

Got your pack?

Watch the films and download the resources below.
Have a walk along the river, if possible.
Get drawing! Use your sketchbook to experiment, and make lots of drawings. Draw with a pencil, paint with a brush. Draw leaves, a whole animal, part of an animal, a tail, a fin, you can choose to draw whatever you like (salmon, dragonfly, dipper, otter…) as long as its natural habitat is the River Teign! You can make patterns with animal shapes, water ripples, whatever you like.
Your pack has some loose sheets of nice thick paper. When you have done some drawings in your sketchbook, select the ones you like best and see if you can do them again on the loose sheets of paper.
Arrange for collection or send your drawings to MAKE Southwest, Riverside Mill, Fore St, Bovey Tracey, TQ13 9AF (FAO: Phil de Burlet). All drawings will be included in an online exhibition, and some will be selected to be part of a live exhibition shown in one of our galleries.
Spread the word…

If you have any queries, please contact MAKE Southwest’s Education team: hello@makesouthwest.org.uk

River Life

Film by JM Media | Commissioned by MAKE Southwest

Below the Surface

Film commissioned by the River Teign Restoration Project

The image on the left shows the lifecycle of the mighty Atlantic Salmon. Click on it to enlarge.

Humans have been drawing fish for many centuries. Have a look at the images below from cave etchings onwards… Can you draw one too?

How to Draw a Fish

This video from Art Pro shows you the trick to drawing a realistic fish by pencil, easy and step by step.

In this video you can learn how to draw fishes and other animals with scales, with a quick and simple method. Full process from sketch to shading and texture.

Drawing Other Water Creatures

This is one of our Maker Members, Louis Scammell, who draws underwater.

Imagine you are underwater in the river, what would you see? Make a drawing from your imagination.

Get Drawing!

What else can you spot on the River Teign?

Goosander Duck

Freshwater invertebrates play a vital role in maintaining the quality of river water - discover more about them HERE.

Take a look at this amazing video of salmon jumping against the current, up the River Teign (film copyright John Walters), HERE.

This project has been made possible by a grant awarded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Led by the Teign Angling & Conservation Association (TACA) it is a partnership between the National Trust, Westcountry Rivers Trust, Environment Agency, MED Theatre and renowned artist Peter Randall-Page RA.