Community News

New Dartmoor Way walking route

Following the creation of the Dartmoor Way cycling route back in 2013, a new Dartmoor Way walking route, with a total distance of 108 miles will be launched over the late May Bank Holiday. This new, long distance trail is a joint Ramblers and Dartmoor National Park Authority collaboration, and circles Dartmoor along quiet footpaths, bridleways and little used byways, linking towns and villages on the edge of the moor. Differing in nature to ‘The Two Moors Way’ which crosses Dartmoor from north to south and traverses a sizable amount of open moorland, the Dartmoor Way explores the beautiful and diverse countryside between the open moor and Devon farmland, and is suitable for walking at most times of the year. There is also a High Moorland walking link crossing the moor from Tavistock to Buckfast, creating two smaller circular routes of either the north or south moors. In addition, the Dartmoor Way links up with the Two Moors Way where the paths cross at Ivybridge and Drewsteignton, enabling a variety of walking route combinations. You can also walk some of the Dartmoor Way, and cycle the rest of it!

One of the founders of Tavistock Ramblers, Rosemary Clarke, has been heavily involved with the Dartmoor Way project. To celebrate the launch, she plans to walk the whole 108 miles in the week commencing 23rd May. If you would like to help her raise much needed funds for Dartmoor Search and Rescue go to www.justgiving.com/ campaign/RESCUE-50.

22nd to 25th May Dartmoor Way Walking Festival A mini walking festival will celebrate the formal opening of the route with a variety of guided walks along sections of the Dartmoor Way. Tavistock Ramblers will lead several walks, starting from Pork Hill car park just outside Tavistock and other Rambler groups will lead walks from various locations around the route. For a full itinerary and more details about the Dartmoor Way see www.dartmoorway.co.uk and www. ramblers.org.uk.

With the arrival of April and hopefully more opportunity to get out into our gardens, Walkhampton Cottage Garden Society has been planning this year’s events. Our centrepiece, as always, will be the Annual Flower and Produce Show on Saturday 29th August, with a range of garden produce, handicrafts and food and drink classes for adults and children, open to residents of Walkhampton, Horrabridge, Sampford Spiney, Yelverton, Dousland, Meavy, Sheepstor, Crapstone, Buckland Monachorum and Princetown. In addition, we have taken on the mantle of G.R.O.W, founded by Sheila Glanville, Walkhampton Cottage Garden Society

Rachel Waldron and the late Gill Dixon, and will continue to provide talks on gardening and environmental topics. Rick Hoskins will speak on ‘Growing and Showing Dahlias’ at the first meeting on Monday 20th April (see what’s on for details). We are also continuing to run the two G.R.O.W. Challenge classes for the annual show, which involve growing specified flowers and/or vegetables from seeds, bulbs or tubers we supply. Details and everything you need to enter will be available at the talk on 20th April. Further information can be found

See our community website www.dartmoorlinks.co.uk at walkhamptonshow.weebly.com or for questions phone Sheila Glanville on 01822 859215. Printed show schedules will be available from several locations including Walkhampton Saturday markets.

25th ‘birthday’ for Horrabridge Drop-Inn Club

June of this year will mark the 25th birthday of the Horrabridge Drop-Inn Club for older adults. The club was opened in 1995 in the village hall as a result of Tavistock Area Support Services (TASS) developing its ‘Support for Local Villages’ plans. It has been there for the older adults of the area on almost every Thursday since then. The object of the club is to keep older adults involved in the community, reduce any isolation they might otherwise suffer on their own and help them with any problems that are worrying them. Over the years we have seen many members ‘drop in’ for a chat, some advice, a cuppa, or to get involved in board games with other like-minded members - they can drop in for as short or long a period as they require. Through the year the club also travels to other areas of Devon or Cornwall for a meal out and sightseeing, often visiting areas that have fond memories from earlier years.

We will be holding our 25th ‘birthday’ party on 25th June at Horrabridge Village Hall from 11am to 3pm, and we would like to see as many people there as possible. So we can celebrate the moment, we are inviting representatives of the wonderful organisations in Horrabridge who have supported us over the years; former club members; TASS volunteers and staff from the formative years; and MOST IMPORTANTLY relatives and friends of members no longer with us. If you would like to come and support this once-in-a-lifetime event, please call TASS on 01822 616958 and give your details to reception including phone/email and your connection with the Drop-Inn Club. I will get back to you.

Many thanks, Bryan Podmore Drop-Inn Co-ordinator/TASS

Easter and May Bank Holiday Recycling and Refuse collections

Normal day New day

Normal day New day

6 - 9 April No change Fri 10 April Tue 14 April

4 - 7 May No change Fri 8 May Mon 11 May

FRUIT

FISH

plastic packaging

metal packaging

plastic bottles lids on drinks cans

plastic pots, tubs and trays

Wash and squash plastic bottles. food tins empty aerosols foil

No cling lm, plastic bags or black plastic of any kind No crisp packets and sweet wrappers

www.westdevon.gov.uk West Devon Please use your recycle boxes for other recyclable material. West Devon Borough Council Please rinse your recycling. Clean recycling only.

Mon 13 April Wed 15 April Tue 14 April Thur 16 April Wed 15 April Fri 17 April Thur 16 April Sat 18 April Fri 17 April Mon 20 April

20 - 24 April One day late 11 - 15 May One day late

25 - 29 May One day late

Please put your waste out before 7.30am on your collection day Please put your waste out before 7.30am on your collection day

Please check carefully as catch up days are different to previous years

www.westdevon.gov.uk West Devon

Collection Day

For more information go to fi nd my collection day on our website

A spot of ‘balsam-bashing’?

Dartmoor National Park Authority (DNPA) is calling for people to help tackle the spread of invasive non-native plants. People are invited to go ‘balsam bashing’ to halt the progress of Himalayan balsam and American skunk cabbage. Dartmoor is a nationally important place for wildlife, their habitats and is where nine of Devon’s major rivers rise. Increasingly, they are all under threat from these non-native plants which outcompete our native flora for light, space, oxygen and nutrients, impacting on animals and insects including dragonflies, birds and otters. In 2019 DNPA embarked on a two-year project to minimise their spread, supported by community groups and volunteers. DNPA is now appealing for people to help again with work due to start in June. If you are interested in volunteering, please email invasives@dartmoor.gov.uk.

Your new Rayburn Approved Centre for Devon & Cornwall Chamings (Plumbing & Heating) Ltd, based in Tavistock, has just been named as the prestigious ‘Approved Rayburn Heat Centre’ for the area, covering Plymouth up to Okehampton on to Bideford and Bude. This achievement recognises the hard work and success of Alison and Gary Lynch, who have been involved with heating and plumbing in this area for more than 15 years. Chamings will offer oil, mains gas and LPG Rayburns and the new showroom will have the 600 series Rayburn model on display, as well as a plumbed in, working 400 series model. Alison explained: “As we will have a working Rayburn in the showroom, we plan to have cookery demonstrations a few times a year, performed by a professional chef which will help Rayburn owners develop new cooking techniques and refine existing recipes.” Gary added: “We are professional plumbing and heating engineers, which means that Rayburn customers can deal with one business for all their needs. We can both provide the Rayburn, install and service it. We also cover warranty issues on behalf of Rayburn and carry stock items so repairs can happen quickly. This also means that existing Rayburn owners in the area can call on us to service their stoves.” How much do you know about Rayburns? For 65 years Rayburns have been made by skilled craftsmen in Shropshire. They are controllable, programmable and fitted with thermostats. The cast iron ovens gently cook food and lock in flavour, moisture and goodness. They can also be used to provide piping hot water throughout your house. A large proportion of Rayburns are made from recycled materials and there are many colour options and powers to suit your home. The Chamings showroom is open from 9 – 4pm Monday to Friday, and by appointment on Saturday. It is located at 2A, Westbridge Industrial Estate, Tavistock PL19 8DE.

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Tamar Energy Community is celebrating its fourth year of generating community owned solar energy across the Tamar Valley, and we’d like to invite you to get involved. Working with local organisations we have installed 327kW of rooftop solar PV across six sites: Abbey Garden Machinery, Tesco Callington, Mount Kelly Senior and Prep, Plymstock School and Carbeile Junior School at Torpoint. We couldn’t have done this without the wonderful support of our Community Seed Loan Investors, the Low Carbon Society, our installers (Sungift Energy and ZLC Energy), our volunteers and of course our host sites. We’d now like to repay our loan investors, providing an opportunity for wider local ownership of Community Solar through our community share offer, which will be launching in the spring of 2020. Community Solar is an important Local benefit across the Tamar Valley

way in which we can increase locally owned energy generation with benefits including:

• putting money back into the local economy • using any surplus locally to tackle fuel poverty and energy efficiency • ‘co-ownership’ for the community by purchasing community shares with a fair return • Generating more energy locally from renewable sources Our host sites also benefit by enjoying a saving in energy costs, plus the installations support understanding of energy within the schools’ curriculum. Tamar Energy Community project developer, Kate Royston said: “We’re immensely proud of our first community generation project and we’ve enjoyed

working with everyone who’s been involved. We’re looking forward to wider community ownership, and to opportunities to develop more power and heat projects in the future.” If you’d like to know more about Community Solar and investing in our share offer, visit tamarenergycommunity.com, email hello@tamarenergycommunity. com or call 07969 569 444. Please also contact us if you’d like to get involved in community energy, help with social media, IT, monitor installations, join discussions and deliver greater local benefit.

Your Local Independent Funeral Director Morris Bros (Tavistock) Ltd

Arranging any funeral can be distressing, which is why choosing the right funeral director to ease you through the process can make all the difference. At Morris Bros, we understand the pain of loss and open our doors to you, offering both practical guidance & personal comfort. Simon & Lucie Luke live at the Foundry & are available to you 24 hours a day. Your loved one will stay with us; their care, attention and preparation only provided by us.

 e Old Bedford Foundry Lakeside Tavistock PL19 0AZ www.morrisbros.co.uk Telephone 01822 612023 (24hrs)

A pre-paid funeral plan with Golden Charter gives you and your family peace of mind with a range of plans to suit all budgets from just £1950. Your plan will be allocated to Morris Bros here in Tavistock. We also o er bespoke plans to suit speci c requests. Contact us for further details or to make an appointment.

People who care about Dartmoor National Park and its future can share their views on the draft National Park Management Plan, which assesses Dartmoor as it is today and the changes expected. It describes the main issues, priorities, opportunities and challenges and sets out how, together, we will tackle them over the next five years and beyond. It addresses topics including: climate change, nature and natural beauty, cultural heritage, farming and forestry, future generations of custodians, visitor management, communities and business. Dartmoor National Park Authority (DNPA), along with many other organisations and local communities, will play a crucial role in delivering the plan. DNPA chair Pamela Woods said: “We want everyone – regardless of age or background and whether they are familiar with Dartmoor or not – to get involved and check that it reflects your ideas and aspirations for how we all work together to collectively look after this special landscape.” You can take part in the consultation until Monday 20 April, by searching for Management Plan Review at www. dartmoor.gov.uk.

DNPA has also supported a group of young people aged from 18 - 35 to develop a ‘Next Generation’ vision and manifesto – a ‘call to action’ to influence how organisations and

A park for Yelverton

Those living in and around Yelverton can’t have failed to notice that the scrubland between the roundabout and Yelverton Play Park has been cleared. While this is ‘business as usual’ and is carried out by the landowner from time to time, on this occasion it provides a rare opportunity to see just what this area really looks like. So here’s a thought. What if this section of land was ‘managed’ in a way that made it an attractive and ‘useful’ part of the village - somewhere to sit, meet friends, perhaps ‘tidy-up’ the diy bike track? Neither the landowner, nor DNPA nor the parish council would object to such a scheme and Yelverton Community Projects, who look after the play park are willing to be involved. But it would

need volunteers to get it off the ground and look after it. This might involve physical work (strimming, weeding etc) COMMUNITY NEWS

decision makers shape the national park in future years. The manifesto includes digital connectivity, public transport, affordable housing, conservation, jobs, skills and leisure time. They now want to hear from others, so if you’re aged 35 and under you can complete a short survey atsurveymonkey.co.uk/r/ dartmoornextgen

or fundraising and chasing grants. Such a scheme will only work, if sufficient folk are prepared to help. Hoping that ‘someone else’ will do it isn’t going to work!

If you would be prepared to join a group and get involved, please email me at r_s_cheadle@hotmail.com. If there’s sufficient enthusiasm, I’ll arrange for everyone to meet up to decide how to move ahead. If not, then the brambles will grow back and the opportunity will have passed.

Ric Cheadle, Chair of Yelverton Community Projects

Community Solar Share Offer An Invitation to invest in West Devon’s and South East Cornwall’s carbon free future Tamar Energy Community has installed 325kW of solar PV on six sites across the area for community benefi t To register your interest to invest and help put the ‘Local’ back into ‘Energy’ visit tamarenergycommunity.com/community-solar • Find us on ² ³ • Launching in Spring 2020 •