Trees, rivers, cake and Lego ticked a lot of people's boxes last Saturday in Chardstock, when abiut 300 flocked to the River Café and Tree Giveaway.

The community hall was transformed into a warm space for the morning, and the place was abuzz as people queued out of the door to collect their free trees provided by Devon Wildlife Trust. 

East Devon District Council member Paul Hayward, who spent the morning chatting to people and visiting the displays that lined the hall, said it was the best attended community event he had witnessed.

Chardstock Eco Group used the occasion to showcase its work to restore the Kit Brook to good health. 

Funding has been provided by the Environment Agency and the Blackdown Hills AONB to support the eco group in its quest to find out more about the issues facing the river, which is a tributary of the River Axe.

Over the winter, farm adviser George Greenshields and river technical expert Simon Browning, who works for The Rivers Trust, have been out and about in the area talking to landowners.  

The River Café provided residents with an opportunity to have their say about the river, which for some people only springs to mind when they think about the duck race or flooding.

Residents talked about happy times on the riverbank with their children and many recalled a more nature-rich place with the river teeming with life.

Mr Browning rigged up a couple of lengths of drainpipe and used plasticine to place Lego bricks to show the impact leaky dams can have in terms of slowing the flow of a river reducing flood risks down the valley. 

On the other side of the hall, Vicky McLachan, who had come over from the River Otter, demonstrated the impact dung beetles have in improving the soil drainage using a cheese grater and child's watering can. 

Devon Wildlife Trust's beaver officer was on hand to explain the role beavers play in helping to increase biodiversity and hold back the water at times of high rainfall.

Axe Vale Rivers Association talked about sea trout in the Kit Brook and explained its Fish Eggs in the Classroom programme, which will see trout eggs going into Chardstock Primary School in the coming weeks for the children to watch hatch and later release back into the brook. 

At the adjacent table, the Riverfly team were showing visitors who lives at the bottom of the river with their Bugs in a Bowl display.

Chardstock Eco Group chair Vicky Whitworth said: "The Kit Brook Restoration Project is a real opportunity to make a difference for people, land, the river and nature. 

"The project – which is a pilot – is supported by the East Devon Catchment Partnership and is part of various initiatives to improve things across the Axe Catchment.

"Many people know that the Axe is in a very poor condition and yet it is an internationally important conservation area.

"Our ambition is to develop a plan for the Kit Brook which is created by the people of the place."

A successful morning was rounded off with a free cup of tea and slice of homemade cake.

If you would like more information about the Kit Brook Restoration Project or want to get involved email [email protected]