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HAMPSHIRE WATER FESTIVAL PROGRAMME PUBLISHED
The programme for the first ever Hampshire Water Festival is hot off the press and will be available from Monday (4 August).
Packed with information about the day, and with a foreword by wildlife broadcaster Chris Packham, the programme is available free from Hampshire County Council Information Centres in Winchester, Waterlooville, Basingstoke and Farnborough or by calling 01962 845832.
The festival will be held in and around Winchester on 16 August, and is a celebration of Hampshire's freshwater environment and the vital role it plays in our daily lives. The events aim to combine education and entertainment - encouraging visitors to think more about water and the ways they use it, while enjoying a whole variety of water-related entertainment.
Among the free attractions are a Water Market in the cathedral's outer close, a slideshow and question and answer session by Chris Packham at the Guildhall, outdoor music and theatre performances in Abbey Gardens, canoeing lessons on the River Itchen, and engineering, water meadows and bat walks.
The festival is organised by Hampshire County Council, Winchester City Council, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, Hampshire Fare, Common Ground and the Environment Agency.
The County Council's Executive Member for Environment, Councillor Keith Estlin, said: "There's so much to see and do at the water festival, and the programme will help make sure that visitors don't miss a thing.
"Water is our most precious natural resource, and I'm sure the festival will prompt people to think about how they use it, and what steps they can take to reduce consumption. We're hoping that thousands of Hampshire residents will join us."
In his foreword to the programme, Chris Packham says: "Water is the single most essential resource to life as we know it, and yet we all take it for granted and waste it. Even here in the cosy south of England, there's no escaping the fact that water needs watching, but that's not to say we shouldn't celebrate it too."
For more information about the Hampshire Water Festival, contact Mike Bridgeman or Andrew Pitt on 01962 845832 or visit www.hampshireswater.org.uk.
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For further information please contact: Sarette Martin on 01962 847666 sarette.martin@hants.gov.uk