The Equals IW Illuminated Carnival Team 2019 are taking part in the Ventnor Illuminated Carnival being held on
- Saturday 17th August 2019
The team will meet at Dudley Road Car Park 7pm.
Links:
Thousands of people stepped out on the hottest day of the year so far to celebrate the Isle of Wight Mardi Gras. The annual parade made its way through the streets of Ryde on Saturday 29th June 2019. Hundreds of revellers with costumes and floats linked by the theme ‘Biosphere Island’ were brought together. The natural beauty of the island was celebrated in true carnival style.
The theme ‘Biosphere Island’ was a collaboration between Island based event organisers, the New Carnival Company and the Isle of Wight Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (IW AONB). The IW AONB has bid for the Island to become a designated UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Celebrations got underway at Ryde School as the hot summer sunshine shone down on the Island and the many different group and schools.
Around a thousand participants from 23 island schools and 34 community groups danced in the streets. They proudly showcased their amazing artistic creations marking the culmination of months of preparation work. Each school and group worked under a heading such as Historic Environment, Food and Farming and Dark Skies. Local organisations and businesses partnered with the groups including Robin Hill, the Isle of Wight Zoo, Archaeology Discovery Centre, Hampshire and IW Wildlife Trust, Dinosaur Isle and Briddlesford Farm.
The Isle of Wight Filipino British Community in partnership with the IW NHS Trust and Equals IW are holding a celebration of Philippine Independence Day on
12 June 2019 from 12pm to 2pm
Full Circle Restaurant at St Mary's Hospital
Come along and enjoy the day.
The session on Wednesday 29th May 2019 session at the New Carnival Company Centre in Ryde was extremely successful. Two members have taken up the lead roles to help teach all the team the dance routine.
Some changes have been made to the base clothing and footwear of the costume. We are changing from white to brown and green to represent the costume theme of a tree from the forest woodlands.
Team Sessions
- Wednesday 5th June 18:00 to 21:00
- Wednesday 19th June 18:00 to 21:00
Both sessions are at the Riverside Centre Medina Room. The Riverside Centre has free parking accessed by Medina Road if the bridge is still closed.
Next Team Sessions
- Wednesday 19th June 18:00 to 21:00
At the Riverside Centre Medina Room. The Riverside Centre has free parking accessed by the bridge which has been re-opened.
Saturday 29th June 2019 is Mardi Gras Time for Equals IW.
Thanks to the team whom have been brilliant at making the costumes, we are almost done.
This Wednesday a small team are meeting at 6pm at Coppins Bridge Car Park to travel over to Bonchurch to transform the Dragon to a Lizard.
Thanks to Shirley who has been helping to prepare the mobile woodland and been helping over the weekend build and paint the feature.
Thanks to Sam of MCEnhancement who has the new PA system up and running and has helped put together a wonderful range of music featuring many styles of music associated with Mardi Gras.
According to the long range forecast the weather is looking good for Saturday,
The details of times to meet and places to park for Saturday will be published here on Tuesday June 25th 2019.
Saturday 29th June 2019 is Mardi Gras Time for Equals IW.
We have two places for anybody who wants to join in at the last minute. We need a Group Safety Marshal and spare hands to carry the banners.
Team members whom are performing as part of the main group need to be at Ryde Private School for 1.30pm.
Those who have equipment and materials will be informed of their arrival times on Wednesday evening* when we transform the Dragon to a Lizard.
Please all meet up at the Equals IW base camp (number 23) in the main field.
There will be no parking at the school for those performing team members who are not bringing equipment.
There is paid parking at either LA Bowing Car Park or at Ryde Canoe Lake. From there it is a walk up to to the school but note that your car will be near where the procession ends. Please be aware of parking charges. Alternatively park in either East Hill Road or West Hill Road where there are no parking charges and walk through Ryde to the School.
Team members are invited to the Captain's Table Café next to Ryde Swimming Pool after the Mardi Gras for a free drink as a massive thank you from the trustees. Everyone's help made it possible for us to take part in the Mardi Gras 2019 .
Maybe we can dance along to the café and relax in friendship.
The weather on Saturday looks wonderful so remember sunscreen and water bottles.
* Wednesday June 26th 2019 is when a small team are meeting at 6pm at Coppins Bridge Car Park to travel over to Bonchurch to transform the Dragon to a Lizard.
The Trustees of Equals IW are delighted with the amazing contributions by the 2019 Mardi Gras Team.
They would like to encourage the team members to enter the Mardi Gras theme in the 2019 island Illuminated Carnivals.
The aim is to further promote Equals IW and support other community events whilst developing friendships of group members and encouraging others to join Equals IW.
The dates for the IW illuminated carnivals are
- 10/08/2019 Shanklin
- 17/08/2019 Ventnor
- 22/08/2019 Newport
- 24/08/2019 Cowes
- 28/08/2019 Sandown
- 31/08/2019 Ryde
If you are interested please download this short form and
All lead designers and any other team members who want to help at this stage are to meet at
- New Carnival Company Centre
13 Union Road
Ryde, Isle of Wight, PO33 2ER - Time 18:15 to 20.15
The session is to present the costume and hand held feature for final approval.
We will also agree the required adjustments to the Komodo Dragon.
Materials already purchased need to be taken as the team will start to make elements of the costume and hand held feature.
Bouldnor Forest is the focus of the Equals IW involvement with the 2019 Isle of Wight Mardi Gras event. Our Mardi Gras entry within the 'Woodlands' section of the parade has to reflect the biosphere of the reserve especially in the costumes.
About the Reserve
Bouldnor Forest nature reserve is full to the brim with exciting wildlife. Red Squirrels leap from branch to branch and unusual birds such as Tree Creepers and Bullfinches flit between the trees. Why not download a wildlife spotter sheet before you go and see how many species you can identify?
Unusual birds such as Crossbills and Goldcrests are abundant, and during the spring a host of heathland rarities brighten the restored clay heaths, you will see Pale Dog-Violet, Heath Dog-Violet and Cyperus sedge blooming along the coastal path. Down on the beach you can uncover the Isle of Wight’s prehistoric past. Look closely and you may find small fossils among the pebbles. Once you’ve finished your archaeological activities, you can look out across the Solent and take in the stunning views of the New Forest coast.
Discover exciting wildlife in this fascinating reserve with a prehistoric past. The Pine Forest, Heathland, Cliffs and Sea Grass beds provide homes for plentiful wildlife. Buildings remain from the site’s former use as a naval training base, are evident among the trees and are now used as an Education Centre. Wander along the forest tracks between the Pine trees to look and listen for unusual birds such as Crossbill, Goldcrest and Raven. You may glimpse the iconic Red Squirrel leaping from branch to branch. With no introduced grey squirrels on the Island, their smaller cousin thrives here.
In spring along the coast path, discover Heathland rarities that brighten the restored Clay Heaths, such as Pale Dog-Violet, Heath Dog-Violet and Cyperus Sedge. By summer, Bell Heather is in its full glory. Look out for the strange parasitic Dodder, it has no leaves, only pink thread-like stems and dense heads of white and pink flowers.
The reserve is 38 hectares in size. The surfaced Forestry tracks are usually dry. Unsurfaced public footpaths can be muddy when wet. The coastal path is on a gentle slope. There is one wide gate to enter the reserve and one within the reserve.
Bouldnor Forest is one of our most important Flagship Pond sites. It is the only known site on the Isle of Wight for the delicate aquatic fern Pillwort Pilularia Globulifera. This small endangered fern loves the muddy edges of grazed ponds which dry down over the summer and fill in the winter. Unfortunately, pillwort has not been recorded on the site for some years and re-establishing and preserving what could potentially be the last stronghold for this plant on the island is of high importance.
The ponds at Bouldnor are also known to host other species of interest including protected Great Crested Newts Triturus Cristatus, Common Toads Bufo Bufo, numbers of which are thought to be declining across the UK, and several freshwater green algae known as Stoneworts.
Further Information
Hampshire and IOW Wildlife Trust
List of Species
Reptiles
- Slow Worm
- Adder
- Grass Snake
- Common Lizard
Amphibians
- Frog
- Toad
- Newts: Smooth, Palmate and Great Crested
Mammals
- Fox
- Badger
- Bat
- Rat
- Mouse
- Vole including Dormouse
- Rabbit
- Red Squirrel.
Birds
- Nightjar
- Nightingale
- Raven
- Kestrel
- Jay
- Dartford Warbler
- Linnet
- Goldcrest
- Crossbill
- Barn Owl
- Long Eared Owl
- and more, the list goes on and on.
Butterflies
- Small Heath
- Common Blue
- Holly Blue
- Green Veined White
- Large White
- Small White
- Brimstone
- Wall Brown
- Green Hairstreak
- White Admiral
- Silver Washed Fritillary
- Dark Green Fritillary
- Purple Hairstreak.
Damselflies
- Common Blue
- Large Red
- Azure
- Emerald
- Blue Tailed
Dragonflies
- Broad Bodied Chaser
- Southern Hawker
- Migrant Hawker
- Hairy
- Black Tailed Skimmer
- Ruddy Darter
- Common Darter
- Emperor
- Four-Spot Chaser
Key Habitat Plants
- Heather
- Gorse
- Tormentil
- Violets
- Heath Milkwort
- Oak
- Pine
- Hazelnut.