Community News

A world class gymnast

“It still doesn’t feel real,” said gymnast Ruby Stacey, exceeding her own expectations in her first gymnastics world championship at the age of 16. A former pupil at Mary Tavy and Brentor Primary School, Ruby is now a student at Tavistock College. She has trained at Plymouth Swallows School of Gymnastics since she was three years old, and qualified 16th at the 2021 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Japan. However, during the final she scored a personal best and improved to finish 15th in the world. Ruby competed on all four pieces of equipment in qualification to place in the top 24, qualifying for the all-around final. Starting on the beam on both days, she held her nerve and managed to go clean (no falls) scoring 12.0, followed by the floor with a solid 12.4. She scored an impressive 13.5 in the vault, and finished with the bars, her favourite event, receiving a personal best of 13.433. “I am over the moon with my routines and scores,” said Ruby. “It felt amazing to compete for Great Britain. There was no pressure going into the championships which I think helped. I just enjoyed being back out there in a big competition arena and with an audience again. I really enjoyed the whole experience, being away with the GB team, making new friends and soaking up the whole atmosphere. I can’t wait to get back in the gym, work some upgrades and then get back out there and do more events in the future. The commonwealth, European and world championships are all next year so I really hope I get to do one of those.” A natural talent from the age of 3, Ruby had a passion for gymnastics from day one, progressing through the Swallows competition squads quickly. Her coach Jemma Maskell said Ruby instantly stood out with a beaming smile and non-stop energy. She gained her first national squad selection aged 12, which is quite late in gymnastics, but Ruby decided she had big dreams for her gymnastics career and really upped her work ethic and form. Jemma said: “She’s certainly shown the GB team that she can handle the pressure of major events — in fact she did so with the biggest smile on her face throughout. Ruby has been an absolute pleasure to teach throughout her time with us.” Ruby studies double PE at Tavistock College, and Jemma and Ruby are both grateful to the college for supporting Ruby’s training and competition schedule, and celebrating her hard work and success over the years.

Lindsay Turpin

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Serving Devon, Cornwall & Surrey

From strength to strength

After such a strong mandate for a third BID term back in the summer, the annual AGM was positive as the Board of Directors shared plans for the year ahead. We believe there is every reason to be optimistic for Tavistock going into the Christmas season and new year. The Tavistock Gift Card scheme is going from strength to strength with new businesses now accepting the card. It makes a perfect Christmas, birthday or thank you gift – enabling people to discover the best of Tavistock in one gift card. As well as purchasing it at Lawsons or online, we have launched ‘Load This Card’ enabling you to pick up a card at any participating business and load it yourself at home. It really is so simple and the choice is vast! Best of all, it directly supports the town. The perfect gift this Christmas. www. tavistockgiftcard.co.uk We are extremely proud to have won a Gold for our entry in South West in Bloom and for supporting the town’s own entry which also was awarded Gold. Thanks must go to Ali Sedgewick of the Community Gardeners and Becky Rowe at Tavistock Town Council for supporting it alongside Tidy Tavi and all the other local community groups that make this town so special. These awards have a social impact creating a positive environment in the town centre and, because areas are better places to be, locals stay and visitors are attracted, bringing economic benefit to the town and encouraging investment.

With Christmas fast approaching, we look forward to the many events taking place throughout the town. There will be ‘free from 3’ parking on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays throughout December, so a good reason to come in and shop later in the day! After a turbulent couple of years, Let’s Christmas Together in Tavistock. For more details on all the upcoming events visit www.visit-tavistock.co.uk/whats-on

Chelsea Gold & Best in show

Tavistock resident Amanda Randell-Cox was recently awarded ‘Gold’ and ‘Best in show’ at this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show in the Floristry: Floral Window category. This is the second time Amanda has received a gold award at Chelsea and she is absolutely delighted. She is one of the few British Master Florists in the country, and through her company Flowers et al, she creates beautiful and unique wedding flowers; she is also a tutor at the British Academy of Floral Art in Exeter.

As the flower show was cancelled last year, Amanda’s winning design has been two years in the planning. Her inspiration came from Hotel Endsleigh and its 100 acres of enchanting gardens and woods created by Humphry Repton. She has worked with the hotel for the last 21 years, arranging flowers gathered from the gardens, and giving classes. The judging criteria changed for this year’s flower show and Floristry and Floral Design was divided into themes under an overall concept of ‘Our World’. Amanda chose to exhibit in ‘British Blooms’, a theme highlighting the environmental benefits of buying UK-produced blooms. She wanted her design to reflect the old forms of traditional floristry and so her zinc container is a replica of the hallway container at the hotel - although with the addition of an old washing up bowl to ensure it was watertight! All of the flowers and foliage used in her exhibit were grown in the Hotel Endsleigh gardens, such as wonderful dahlias, penstemons and zinnias, as well as the more intriguingly named cup and saucer vine, toad lily and smoke bush - while the feathers represent the multitude of pheasants roaming the grounds. All the materials used are environmentally-friendly, from the reels of florist’s wire to create the hovering birds with tails of miscanthus, to the green paint of the backdrop, which depicts the tunnels through the woods and is also the colour of the hotel sitting room. Amanda said: “I haven’t stopped since I came back, but receiving Gold and Best in show was the most incredible experience and I had an amazing time. This was the first and last time Chelsea will take place in September and so the show was a very special autumnal one, with new growers showing autumnal jewels and a different group of trade stands representing clever upcycled/recycled items. There was an atmosphere unlike any other show and I felt enormous joy to have been a part of this unique event.” For more information about Amanda’s work visit flowersetal.co.uk

AMANDA RANDELL COX

Weddings

flowers for life’s events creating georgously romantic & unique designs.

Workshops

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medalist Chelsea Gold RHS

Links Magazines 10th Anniversary Lunch

4th November at The Bedford Hotel, Tavistock

The Links Magazines team celebrated 10 years of publishing local community magazines in the presence of the Mayor of Okehampton, Cllr Bob Tolley, the Mayor of Tavistock, Cllr Andy Hutton and Mrs Sue Hutton, and the Mayor of West Devon, Cllr Caroline Mott, with magazine contributors and advertisers. Kindly supported by The Bedford Hotel, SW Bottle Shop and Sovereign Wines, Porsham Cakes and Flowers et al.

Rock Methodist Church window

On behalf of Rock Methodist Church, I would like to say a huge thank you to all who have given such generous donations to repair our stained-glass window. As most of you know the window was smashed in multiple areas by vandals in May. The response from everyone has been really touching and heart-warming and brought the church much closer to the village community. You will have seen the scaffolding covering the window and I’m sure would like to know what is happening. The stained-glass expert doing the repair and restoration has finished the top section which she was able to do in situ. The five main panels which feature The Road to Emmaus, are more damaged and need to be removed for repair at the workshop. Once the window is finished, we intend to have a rededication ceremony to which you are all invited. We will announce a date once completion is in sight - this may even be possible during the Christmas Tree Festival. Thank you again for all your love and support, and making the restoration of this beautiful window possible. We look forward to it being once again a reassuring and comforting beacon of light through the dark winter months.

Tuesday 14 to Sunday 19 December Yelverton Christmas Tree Festival

We have decided to hold the Christmas Tree Festival again this year having missed a year due to Covid. After such a tough year, we thought we would like to cheer everyone up with the return of this uplifting event. Opening times are 10am to 4pm from Tuesday to Saturday, 2pm to 4pm on Sunday. There will also be a carol service on Sunday 19 Dec at 10.30am.

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