Commissioned by the North Devon World Surfing Reserve (NDWSR), and filmed entirely by NDMI's trainees (Lavinia, Imogen, and Mollie), this short documentary explores the issues of water quality within the North Devon World Surfing Reserve. Through interviews with key stakeholders, the film searches for hope amongst all the negativity associated with water quality within the UK's waterways. Could the pioneering interventions being experimented with by the NDWSR and the members of its Local Stewardship Council help turn the tide on the poor water quality in North Devon's waters?

We're super excited to for the world premiere of our water quality documentary, this Friday 21st August at the Surf & Conservation Film Festival, in #Croyde #NorthDevon It'll be screened as part of the Save the Waves Coalition Film Festival on the Friday night, with plenty more festival action to follow throughout Saturday, too! Get your tickets here 👇 https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/surf-conservation-film-festival-2026-north-devon-tickets-1992360997376

For centuries, North Devon has undergone extensive land drainage to make way for infrastructure and to increase land productivity. Fields, woodlands and heathlands have been drained, along with the course of streams and rivers straightened and disconnected from floodplains. This has massively transformed the landscape and hugely impacted wildlife. With rising rainfall, worsening floods and the continued decrease in wildlife associated with wetlands habitat loss, there is growing interest in sustainable water management. This short film showcases the work done to restore significant areas of wetland habitat across North Devon by The National Trust. This Riverlands North Devon project and video was delivered through Freshwater Renaissance, a 2-year, multi-catchment programme of work aiming to restore a functioning network of biodiverse and climate resilient freshwater habitats. The programme was funded by the Government's Species Survival Fund. The fund was developed by Defra and its Arm's-Length Bodies. It has been delivered by The National Lottery Heritage Fund in partnership with Natural England and the Environment Agency. The programme of work was delivered across multiple river catchments at five National Trust places: Cumbria, the Bollin catchment, the Bure catchment, Holnicote and North Devon.

2025 was a year full of variety for North Devon Moving Image. Not only have we been lucky enough to continue to tell powerful local and regional stories, but we've also been privileged to share some inspirational and joyful live moments at events around North Devon. With big projects on the horizon for 2026, here are some of the highlights that made NDMI's 2025.

The Coastal Rivers Project is a collaborative pilot programme working to protect and restore rivers in North Devon, helping to mitigate the expected impacts of climate change and improve water quality. In partnership with the North Devon World Surf Reserve, the National Trust, and the Save the Waves Coalition, the project uses the Combesgate tributary as a case study to show how local action can deliver real change. The project aims to improve river health, slow water flow to reduce erosion and flooding, and involve the community through citizen science. Thanks to seed funding from the Save The Waves Climate Mitigation Fund, match funding from the National Trust via the Species Survival Fund (funded by Defra), and a significant donation from Dryrobe, early progress has already been made in the Combesgate valley. But this is only the beginning. With the support of our community, we can expand this approach to other streams flowing into the World Surf Reserve, with the long-term goal of restoring many more tributaries. 🚀 Help us fast-track the project – back our crowdfunder today and be part of the change: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/coastal-rivers

Highlights from the Saturday at the 2025 Croyde Surf & Conservation Festival held at Freshwell Campsite. Featuring workshops by ⁨@NorthDevonCoastAONB @earthactionnorthdevon @nationaltrustcharity @NDCCSADMIN @ecotribolife1573 @WestcountryRiversTV @silkcrystal. The event was funded by @NorthDevonCoastAONB and supported by @Dryrobe, @johnfowlerholidays and @NDCCSADMIN.

Commissioned by the Braunton Countryside Centre, Braunton Burrows: Sands of Time delves into the history, ecology, and management of the Braunton Burrows. Braunton Burrows, in North Devon, is a special area of historic, scientific, and military interest. This film explores the important role this vast sand dune system has played throughout history. And the continuing efforts to maintain and protect the biodiversity within it. For today. And for the future. Braunton Burrows: Sands of Time was made possible, thanks to The National Lottery Heritage Fund, through the Connect 2 Nature Project. @brauntoncountrysidecentre9277

Safeguarding Our Seas | Lessons from Lundy, presented by North Devon Moving Image, in association with Blue Marine Foundation. ----- The island of Lundy is situated off the North Devon coast of the UK’s south west peninsula. The waters around the island are home to an amazing diversity of marine life and seabirds from sunset cup corals to puffins. This film tells the story of Britain’s first marine No Take Zone – a protected area where no fishing has been allowed since 2003. It explores the amazing wildlife above and below the waves, the people who established and work to protect and study the area, and the fishermen who have benefited from the sanctuary this Marine Protected Area (MPA) provides for lobsters and fish. Could this little island be the key to a future where nature and local fisheries can both thrive together? https://www.bluemarinefoundation.com/2024/04/26/safeguarding-our-seas-lessons-from-lundy/

RISE – Raising Inclusion Standards for Everyone – is a groundbreaking project resulting from the work of the Kailo team of researchers and a group of young co-designers. They spent a year exploring the root causes of mental health challenges in young people across Northern Devon, identifying a lack of understanding of neurodiversity as a key factor in the poor experiences of school faced by many of our neurodivergent youngsters. After writing and piloting their own autism training for professionals who work with young people, NDMI was engaged to make a film to showcase the efforts of Abbie, Paris, and Storm, shining a light on the many challenges they, and many other neurodivergent young people, face daily.