Time and Tide

Acknowledgements

The final independent evaluation report from the Time and Tide project is now available on the Katalytik website.

We are indebted to the support and assistance of a wide range of organisations and individuals in bringing the Time and Tide project to fruition:

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills for the funding
Christchurch Activities for Young People supporters and volunteers, especially Tina, Tracy and Lynne.

Thanks also to the scientists and engineers who have provided materials and information and visited the Saturday Club and the Fair:

Dawn Powell, independent scientist and STEM Ambassador
Maria Baker, Ivan Haigh, Kevin Horsbrough, Athena Drakou and Jack Billinge from the University of Southampton and National Oceanography Centre
Genoveva Esteban form the University of Bournemouth.
Steve Woolard and colleagues at Christchurch and East Dorset Council coastal engineer, for helping us explore coastal defences and the possibility of getting the old tide gauge working.
Wilbert Smith and Steve Cox-O’Rourke also of Christchurch and East Dorset Council for enabling us to work with various groups of young people.
Mike Andrews, local historian for sharing his vast local knowledge and other members of the public who have contributed tales and myths to help us shape the story.
Friends of Stanpit Marsh for their support and for accommodating the display boards in the visior centre.
Helen Shipton and Karen Dickens for their help and support in making the project happen
Final thanks to Bev Bradley for the website set up and photography around the harbour used in literature and on the website.

The project website will remain active for at least 2 years after the project completes.

Our aim is to collect the stories, science and activities in a book.

The posters produced by the CREST AWARD students are available to view in the visitor centre on Stanpit Marsh.

The final project report is available from Katalytik and was contributed to by:

Jan Peters, Project Lead, Director, Katalytik Ltd
Jae Harris, Youth Lead, Independent youth worker specialist and Founder of CAYP
Martin Maudsley, Storyteller
Catherine Aldridge, Evaluator, from Catalyst
JAson Holderness, The Design Unit

Tuesday, December 08, 2015

Tideman

By Peter Stevenson for Time and Tide

Did you know that the tides are caused by Tideman? The man who sits on the tide? When he stands up the tide goes out, when he sits down it rises.

Thursday, June 18, 2015

The Time and Tide Display Boards have finished their tour in Christchurch library and are now to be found at Stanpit Marsh Visitor Centre.

Why not take some time to make a trip and enjoy the great surroundings as well as talk to the knowledgeable volunteers and wardens.

Wednesday, May 06, 2015

Christchurch Tides

Did you know that Christchurch benefits from an unusual double high tide? Or wondered why? Between September 2014 and March 2015 Jan Peters has led the Time and Tide project exploring the tides and environment in Christchurch with young people, scientists and engineers and storyteller, Martin Maudsley.

The science behind the tides is complicated. The effects of our high latitude and the rotation of the earth, friction and inertia (the reluctance of an object to move) all affect the motion of water as the moon and sun pass over and around us. We’ve used storytelling to help share the reasons why we have a stranger tide than most.

Here in Christchurch we can’t fail to notice the daily changes to our local environment and how different the harbour or beach can look at different times of the day. While many know there is a strong link between the tides and the moon on a monthly cycle few realise the strong impact of the sun on tidal height and how this can change over the course of the year. And another curious thing some may have wondered about is how come the tidal range at Portland and Portsmouth is 5m, while at the harbour wall at Mudeford Quay it is only 2m.

Dr Ivan Haigh, a tidal expert from the University of Southampton, described the reasons at an event at Highcliffe Sailing club as the combined effects of water sloshing across the Atlantic (a bit like in your bath) and spinning round because of the rotation of the Earth; this causes the water to slosh around a point which in fact is inland. When the tide ‘comes in’ water travels up along the coast but can’t navigate the corner into the North Sea and is reflected back down the coast. Dr Haigh says categorically, the tide has nothing to do with the Isle of Wight, debunking a commonly held local myth.

The project funding was provided by the Department for Business Innovation and Skills' Community Challenge Grant Scheme.

Find out more: http://christchurchtides.blogspot.co.uk
The Time and Tide project has been developed and delivered by Katalytik www.katalytik.co.uk

Thursday, April 30, 2015

Event 03: 30 April 7pm

Thursday 30 April 7-9pm, The Thomas Tripp, Wick Lane, Christchurch

Tales on the Tide is a brand-new storytelling performance piece inspired by the strange tides in Christchurch Harbour. Through the Time and Tide project, professional storyteller Martin Maudsley has been working with youth groups, local residents and oceanography experts to highlight and communicate the science behind the dramatic tides and their wide-ranging effects on the local area.

The result is a tapestry of tales from magical myths to salty yarns, featuring a colourful cast of characters including devastating dragons, sly smugglers, fortunate fishermen and epic eels. The spellbinding stories will be interwoven during the evening with specially-arranged live music from multi-instrumental musician Fiona Barrow.

This event is free. The bar will be open and food can be purchased. Please register using the link below to be sure of a seat! As a guide no children under 11 please.

Sell Tickets through Eventbrite

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Smuggling science

Two hundred and fifty years ago Christchurch could lay claim to being the ‘smuggliest’ place in England. Smugglers’ expert knowledge of the local tides, water properties, coastal geography and the changing weather would have been invaluable in helping them to successfully make a dishonest living and evade the long-arm of the law.

Often contraband goods, particularly barrels of brandy and rum, were skilfully submerged just below the water surface when the smugglers ships were unloaded at sea, in order to be ‘rescued’ and brought to shore at night when the coast was clear. One smuggler Abe Coakes was famous, or infamous, in Christchurch as a human tug-boat! A superb swimmer, as strong and supple as an otter, he swam miles out to sea against the current to then guided large rafts of barrels through the Run on a fast-flowing flood tide, down Mother Sillar’s channel and into the harbour to be secretly collected and hidden away. Although this feat was incredibly dangerous and strenuous - swimming in the dark, often in wild weather and with strong tides - Abe Coakes somehow always managed to survive. Until, that is, the day he was betrayed…

.....Find out how and by whom in our ‘Tales on the Tide’ at the Thomas Tripp on 30th April!

Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Tales on the Tide Venue

New Venue Announced!

Day: Thursday 30 April 2015
Time: 7:00 - 9:00
Venue: The Thomas Tripp, Wick Lane, Christchurch

We're delighted to be moving the performance of Tales on the Tide to the Thomas Tripp on Wick Lane. A true haven for smugglers and the perfect place for the first full performance of work developed during the Time and Tide Project.

The result is a tapestry of tales from magical myths to salty yarns, featuring a colourful cast of characters including devastating dragons, sly smugglers, fortunate fishermen and epic eels. The spellbinding stories will be interwoven during the evening with specially-arranged live music from multi-instrumental musician Fiona Barrow.

This event is free. The bar will be open and food can be purchased. Please register using the link below to be sure of a seat!

Event registration for Tales on the Tide powered by Eventbrite

Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Tides talked

On Tuesday 24 March, Highcliffe Sailing Club was full to the gunnells (93 people) to hear from storyteller, Martin Maudsley and oceanographer and coastal scientist Ivan Haigh.

Ivan managed, with just one equation and a whole series of fabulous graphics, to explain the effect of the moon and sun on our tides and how friction, inertia and land constrain and distort the way the tide comes in and goes out. It seems the Isle of Wight has nothing to do with the double high tide, despite it being a commonly held myth. The main reason is the tides sweep up along the south coast through the channel, hit Holland and then bounce right back, giving the second tide.

Martin told the story of Raven and the very first tide, and then followed this up with how we have been working with young people to explore other myths, stories and impacts of the double high tide.

Calls for more such events will be considered!

Thursday, March 26, 2015

Mudeford Mud Monster

The creativity of the Time and Tide participants in helping to create and build stories, linking the tides in the harbour to historic events and activities has been amazing.

Of course all the water in the harbour has been treated and well cared for by Wessex Water! But do be careful what you flush down the loo!

Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Fair success!

Saturday's Fair in Saxon Square was a tremendous success with nearly 600 people passing through the Christchurch Community Partnership Marquee plus three dogs and our oldest participant was 94 years young. As well as a great showing by the TNT science club participants and helpers we were joined by Friends of Stanpit Marsh and Genoveva Esteban of Bournemouth University and Professor Vince May.

Team CAYP, led by Jae Harris, made sure the day got off to a great start by getting the marquee up efficiently!

Through the day a range of science experiments were available; these were chosen by the TNT participants. We explored how the density of water changes when you add salt; made Cartesian divers and looked at surface tension. Inspired by monsters and creatures from the deep there was plenty of slime to be made as well as using molecular gastronomy techniques to make fish eggs and worms.

Genoveva brought along four microscopes showing amoeba and plankton wriggling around under the lenses.

Martin Madusley ran two story telling sessions in the Library and did more informal storytelling around the craft and clay table.

A full report and collation of comments will be available soon.

We've been delighted with the response and enthusiasm for finding out more about our local environment and the double high tide.

A huge thanks to all those who came along and helped make the day such a great success!

There will be a final story performance on 30th April at Ye Old George Inn, Christchurch

Monday, March 23, 2015