June / July 2016
Issue 22
MOOR LINKS YELVERTON • BUCKLAND MONACHORUM • WALKHAMPTON • HORRABRIDGE • CLEARBROOK MEAVY • MILTON COMBE CRAPSTONE • BERE PENINSULA • DOUSLAND • PRINCETOWN • SAMPFORD SPINEY • SHEEPSTOR • POSTBRIDGE
s e e B s u o i r Glo ADVICE TO KEEP OUR GARDENS BUZZING!
❤ INSIDE THIS ISSUE: VILLAGE NEWS • GARDENING • EDUCATION • FOOD & WINE • HISTORY • WHAT’S ON
OUTSTANDING NATURAL BEAUTIES! Litter picking at Bere Alston
BURRATOR RESERVOIR
Celebrating 3 years of success
WHAT’S ON
From giant Man Engines to surprise theatre!
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CONTENTS
Bee – eautiful summer! Welcome to the first of our two ‘summer’ editions of the magazine and let’s hope the weather has finally turned for the better and we can look forward to some long warm and sunny days ahead. To welcome in the summer, we’ve slightly changed our front cover to give you a better flavour of what you can find in the magazine. We hope you like it!
CONTENTS
❤
4. Village News
Tree planting and a spot of tennis and cricket
10. Local People
Our beautiful front cover ‘bee’ image will hopefully attract you to our article on the importance of bees and how to encourage them into the garden – see page 36. As it turns out, less seems to be more with bees, so for gardeners who love big showy flowers Sue Fisher has given us a few alternative ideas for planting in our gardens that the bees may prefer, on page 29.
Volunteering at Burrator with Stephen Barrow, BBC natural History producer, Andrew Cooper and Helen Harris and her 50 year literary career.
As it is the season to be outdoors and active our Feature pages that cover the successful work of the Burrator Historic and Natural Environment Project over the past three years (p56) and also our walk ‘off the Burrator beaten track’ with Angus and Sennen (p58) will, we hope, encourage you to head out to Burrator and discover more for yourselves. The Discovery Centre exhibits are fascinating and certainly worth a visit.
22. Charity Focus
As ever in our fabulously vibrant community there are almost daily events over the next few months and we’ve tried to incorporate as many as possible into our What’s On section of the magazine. However, for a more comprehensive listing, do visit our new website – www.dartmoorlinks.co.uk . We update it daily with news, stories and events. Never a dull moment it seems in our part ofare West Devon…! We very well known for our magazines - Tavy Links and
40. What’s On
Enjoy the next two months, services to many local businesses.
A round-up of three years of project funding at Burrator.
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From a full-blown magazine to a brochure, leaflet, a new logo or business cards as well as design for your social media sites. We can provide you with full design, copywriting and print services ensuring you get the right message to your target audience. Best of all - we can do all of this at affordable prices that won’t break your piggy bank!
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design&print WE’D TO HELP… TheContact deadline for anyLIKE inclusions in the Aug/Sept issue Lizzie or Tim for more information 01822 853110 is Friday 1stwww.olijam.co.uk July lizzie@olijam.co.uk We would like to take this opportunity to say a big thank you to our many contributors for so kindly giving us their time and expertise, in helping keep our magazine so interesting to all. THE OLIJAM TEAM: Editor: Lizzie Watt Publisher: Tim Randell Deputy Editor: Rosemary Best Publishing Assistant: Liz Whitwell Writers: Rosemary Best, Nichola Williams Design: Terri Reeves, Julian Rees Advertising: Jane Daniel, Kate McCormick
See our new community website www.dartmoorlinks.co.uk
16. Education
Our jam packed education and fun section for children and a full What’s On section to keep them busy! Time for Life – new members encouraging and enabling.
28. Gardening
Projects for summer with Sue Fisher and the Forgotten Gardens of Lewtrenchard. A full round-up of all our local events for the next two months
52. Music & Art
It’s all about singing in the choir!
56. Feature
62. Food & Wine
A delicious recipe from the Bedford Hotel and a trip to southern France to taste the best wines on offer.
68. History
Royal and Honour Oaks, Bringing the Past to Life and more on researching family history.
ALL Advertising enquiries
Moorly is o about an ut and spotted d we’ve him througho 9 times magazin ut the e. C spot him an you too?
Contact Tim, Jane or Kate on 07450 161 929 / 01822 615627 to disuss your advertising enquiries. Email: advertising@moorlinks.co.uk or visit our website: www.moorlinks.co.uk to view our rate card.
Please note that the opinions expressed in this magazine do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the editorial team. We have done our utmost to ensure that all the content is correct and accurate at the time of print, but we emphasise that Moor Links or Olijam Communications Ltd accepts no responsibility for any mistakes or omissions. All data contained in advertisements are subject to the Advertising Standards Authority guidelines and are accepted by us in good faith at the time of going to press. Reproduction of editorial is strictly prohibited without prior permission from the publisher. All rights reserved copyright © 2016
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VILLAGE NEWS
Earliest known portrait of Sir Francis Drake now on display at Buckland Abbey The painting, believed to be the earliest likeness of the Elizabethan seafarer, Sir Francis Drake, is on loan from a private collector, Dirk T. Griffin, for the next 12 months and will be hanging in the Drake Chamber at the National Trust’s Buckland Abbey until early 2017. Angus Haldane, independent curator and art historian, undertook research in 2014 that led to the discovery that the portrait depicted Sir Francis Drake, by an unknown artist. Mr Haldane suspected it was Drake after noticing physical similarities to other portraits, including his facial warts. Other physical similarities including hair colour, eyes and physiognomy in known portraits of Sir Francis Drake have helped to confirm Mr Haldane’s research. The date of the painting is considered to be mid-1570s, before Drake circumnavigated the globe for which he was knighted by Elizabeth I. His coat of arms is not shown in the portrait, which suggests that it pre-dates his being awarded the honour from the Queen in 1581. The portrait also underwent paint analysis, alongside digital X-radiography and digital infrared to help pin point more closely the date of the painting. The style of the armour and its iconography also helps to date the painting and adds to the likely identity of the sitter.
Emma Jones, Curator at the National Trust in the South West says “ This striking and colourful painting now has a chance to be seen and enjoyed in the home of Sir Francis Drake himself. Visitors can see this new discovery up close as well as other notable pieces in the collection relating to Drake’s life.” For opening times and more information visit www.nationaltrust. org.uk/buckland-abbey
News from Yelverton War Memorial Hall and Field The Navy Inn FC, who we welcomed to Meavy Lane last summer, completed their first season at Yelverton with both Saturday and Sunday teams winning their respective leagues. Since January Slimming World has been holding weekly meetings at the Hall, with Weightwatchers meeting here on a Wednesday morning we are now officially the Slimming Centre of Yelverton! Three stalwart members of our committee retired this March but are extremely grateful to all three for their dedication and commitment and hope they enjoy a happy and healthy retirement. Rita Bickle has served as Booking Secretary for 23 years while husband Ian has been responsible for maintenance of the Hall and outbuildings. Sara Ferry has also worked in a number of capacities for 23 years. Rita and Sara are continuing to run our fortnightly Bingo Sessions. 4
Abigail Monkhouse and Kirsty Watters have joined our team, both from a younger demographic group; they bring a new perspective to our activities. We are still looking for more committee members and helpers, so please get in touch if you have time to spare and you would like to be involved in the local community. Over the summer months we are holding a series of Boot Sales in conjunction with the Bowling Club (weather permitting of course). Visit our website at www.yelvertonvillagehall.co.uk for dates and details. We are also now on Facebook : search for Yelverton War Memorial Hall for news of our clubs and forthcoming events. Carole Thompson Chairman, Yelverton War Memorial Hall and Field Trust
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VILLAGE NEWS
Cherry Tree Planting To celebrate the Queen’s 90th birthday, the Buckland Monachorum Parish Council arranged the planting of a cherry tree in the Parish meadow at Buckland Monachorum. The tree was donated by Celia Steven and planted by the Parish Council’s Chairman, Martin Fowler ably supported by people from around the Parish. Why not pay a visit to the meadow (just above the church)? It’s a great place for a picnic with two newly installed picnic tables and you might bump into the Buckland Food Growers’ sheep too.
Neighbourhood Plan - results from questionnaire The Neighbourhood Planning Team arranged an ‘Open Day’ on Saturday 23rd April to give residents of Buckland Monachorum Parish a feel for what’s likely to be included in the Parish’s Neighbourhood Plan. The event was attended by over 200 who were invited to complete a short questionnaire. The results from the questionnaire and the draft plan can be viewed at www. bucklandmonachorumplan.co.uk and there’s a contact form for people to ask questions or leave feedback on the plan.
Ridding Bere Alston of Litter - Outstanding Natural Beauties! What do a psychiatric nurse, a kitchen manager and a banker have in common? The answer is…they all love rubbish. They love it so much that they decided to form a local litter picking group on social media to rid their village of it completely. So what prompted this diverse set of people to give up their precious leisure time to go rooting around in the gutters and hedgerows of Bere Alston? “It’s all about appreciating what a wonderful place the Bere Peninsula is “explains psychiatric nurse, Julie Marks, a founder member. “ We just decided that there was just too much rubbish in our lanes and hedgerows, so we decided to do something about it. We formed a group on Facebook … “Outstanding Natural Beauties” what else! ” Already the group has 160 members. “We want to make it fun and safe for adults and children to keep our beautiful environment clean and tidy. Dog waste is of particular concern, but it’s about education. Litter is everybody’s responsibility” explains mum of two, Mel Perkin, who works at the village school. Julie has great aspirations for the group. “Already the enthusiasm generated by our members is encouraging others to tidy their own private home areas. Ultimately the village will be a cleaner, brighter, safer place for all of us, including nature.” Kathleen Snell, a banker, is leading the strategy on some of the wider issues. “Picking up unsightly litter is the easy bit. 60% of what we pick up can be recycled. Green waste will become more of a challenge if charges by the Council go ahead. We
See our new community website www.dartmoorlinks.co.uk
are currently exploring community composting with the Devon Network. Fly tipping is annoying and we are encouraging members to keep watch. We want Bere Alston to be the cleanest village in England”
Group founders: (l-r) Julie Marks, Kathleen Snell and Mel Perkin
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VILLAGE NEWS
Yelverton Tennis Club All spruced up for summer with the help of a Sport England award. Members at Yelverton Tennis Club are celebrating the finish of a £35K court refurbishment programme. Thanks to persistent work from Vince & Naomi Keep, Keith Rutter & Ashley Beare an award of £29,400 was obtained from Sport England. The Club raised funds to contribute the further £6,000 required. Courts 1 & 2 have been completely re-laid & painted whereas Court 3 has been power-washed & re-painted. New nets and posts have also been added where necessary.
book online or just turn up on the day for sessions being run by our accredited coach Roger Froud. Roger also offers individual & group coaching with regular junior and adult sessions on Saturday & Sunday mornings respectively. If you can’t wait until July please call our membership secretary Mags Berry now (01822 855583) to arrange a trial visit.
Yelverton is a friendly inclusive club set in beautiful surroundings. New members applaud both the facilities & the welcoming attitude. All ages and standards are accepted regardless of whether your ambition is to play in the Plymouth & District League or just join in regular fun club sessions. We strive to keep our fees as reasonable as possible, an adult membership is just £72 per annum. Various tournaments and social occasions are held throughout the year including fun tournaments, quiz nights and club championships. If you would like to give tennis a try we are taking part in the LTA sponsored Great British Tennis Weekend on 24th July. You can
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MUSIC & ART
VILLAGE NEWS
A Good Year for U3A Tavy Tars West Dartmoor
Tavy Tars are a group of nine singers and musicians based in
Celebrating Yearsis based on sea shanties and Bere Ferrers, whose25 repertoire songs of the sea.
The Tars performed at John Lewis in Oxford Street for last year’s Christmas shoppers, Plymouth Pirate weekend, Falmouth International Shanty Festival, Plymouth Seafood Festival plus various Seasalt shop openings. Another highlight was, for the second year running, singing on the Scillonian to Scilly and back as an RNLI fundraiser-and yes it was rolly! To celebrate their 10th anniversary, Tars recorded a new CD last autumn that was released this spring. Called ‘Take Me in Your Lifeboat’ after the title track of the album, sales from The U3A [University of the Third Age] must be one of the most the CD have already raised £530people for the RNLI andheard a cheque popular organisations that many have never of. If was recently presented on the RNLI’s Plymouth lifeboat. the “First Age” covers the early years at school and college,The and album is available anylifetime, memberthen of the the the “Second Age” afrom working theTars, Thirdthrough Age refers Tar’s website or employment. iTunes and Amazon to anyone whowww.tavytars.co.uk, is no longer in full-time Despite the downloads. name, there are no qualifications and nothing is needed except
The Tars have also done many local events and if you would like to book them, contact details are on their website as are links to videos of them performing.
This year West Dartmoor U3A will be celebrating their 25th Mike Grimshaw anniversary with a whole-day celebration at Tavistock Town Hall. This will be a free event, open to everyone, and intended to showcase all their activities, but especially the special interest groups. Planning is already under way: as well as displays featuring music, videos, and even a quiz, there will be performances by the Singing for Fun group and the chance to try your hand at Bridge, Scrabble, Chess or Canasta. Other local U3As, including Tavy District, Launceston, Okehampton and Moor’s Edge [Roborough], will have a presence so readers from all over the Tavy Links/Moor Links area will be able to find out what their local organisation has to offer.
perhaps a lively mind and the determination to make the most of retirement in the company of like-minded people.
Photo courtesy of Barry Perrins (RNLI)
Walkstock 2015
The U3A movement came to Britain from France in the early Saturday 28th February 1980s, soon took off and is still growing. Totnes and Barnstaple were the first U3As in Devon, but Tavistock was not far behind Having posted the date of Walkstock (28th February) on with the first group, West Dartmoor U3A, founded in 1991. Facebook, we had 42 people saying they were ‘joining’ After some years the group grew too large, so a second within the few hours and some were even branch, Tavyfirst District, was formed. Nowadays therediscussing are 124 babysitters! Bearing in mind this was 4 months U3As in the Southwest region, and 993 nationwide.before U3As the event, it shows how keen people are on Walkstock. If you are run independently, but all have the same aim: to provide haven’t heard about it, let us explain: It is a fundraising educational, creative and leisure opportunities by drawing on event for the Walkhampton Preschool, but is formembers. the adults the knowledge, experience and skills of their own (and older teens.) Local bands play to an overwhelmingly West Dartmoor offers a monthly talk by an outside speaker, on For most bandwith members it is the aappreciative wide varietycrowd. of subjects, together many other occasional highlight of their year. are Fallen Cedarsactivities, plus thegigging chance to joinThe overbands 30 special interest groups who meet regularly, on everything from Artfive with original material and focusing covers, this is a very talented Appreciation to Walking.
piece (now with an excellent drummer), Longfaces (originally named The Cashiers) - this band does classic rock/pop covers to really get the party going. Last but not least, Threes a Crowd- 3 young lads whose witty covers of unlikely pop songs keep Whether youany are crowd alreadythoroughly retired, or aentertained. relative youngster looking forward to all that free time in the future, there will be plenty to Venue: Walkhampton Memorial Hall whet your appetite.
Date: February 28th 7.30-11.30
The great£8day is on Friday, September (details at the Town Hall. Tickets: available from30th Pat Woodgate by emailing Look out for more information in theBring August/September issue poshpat@live.com) Other details: your own drink. of Tavydress Links/Moor and oncome the website, or visit www. Fancy themeLinks (optional) as anything beginning westdartmooru3a.org.uk. with the letter ‘T’.
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VILLAGE NEWS
New players and sponsors welcome at Yelverton Bohemians Cricket Club Yelverton Bohemians Cricket Club prides itself as a quaint village club, but with ambition and facilities to match some of its local urban based rivals. The picture postcard ground with a rugged moorland backdrop hides discreetly behind mature trees, just off the A386. Formed by Algy Langton, Cricket has been played at Yelverton since 1902, initially outside the Rock Inn, moving to it’s current home at Langton Park in 1933. The current Club President is David Langton. In 1960 Yelverton CC merged with Plymouth Bohemians CC to form Yelverton Bohemians CC as it exists today. Playing in the Devon Cricket League as a founder member since 1972, the club has evolved over the decades and now fields five Open-Age and four Colts league teams. Through the dedication of volunteers, and with support from sponsors and local businesses, investment in the ground and facilities has resulted in the club achieving Clubmark status
from cricket’s governing body (ECB). The success of the Colts Cricket Section with over 70+ members under the age of 19 is testament to the Club’s commitment to young players in the local community and bodes well for the senior teams of the future. All the Colts teams have had their successes in recent seasons and regularly feature as league and/or cup winners in the local West Devon Youth Cricket League. The Club’s development plans include further investment to ensure sustainability of the club for future generations of cricketers. YBCC offers cricket opportunities for all ages and all skill levels, whether seeking a regular place in the 1st XI or to enjoy a sociable Sunday friendly, there is something for everyone and new players are always welcome. Player or sponsorship enquiries can be made via the ‘contacts’ page at www.ybcc.co.uk or directly to geoffwillcocks@hotmail. com
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VILLAGE NEWS
Broadband Update – Dartmoor
PROGRESS TO DATE
Airband, the wireless broadband contractor for Dartmoor and Exmoor National Parks, has recently announced that their wireless transmitters are live on South West Dartmoor. Airband is now working with Connecting Devon and Somerset (CDS) and BDUK to finalise arrangements for the ‘wholesale open access platform’ that will make the service available to a range of internet service providers. The necessary testing of the systems should be concluded in a matter of weeks after which businesses and residents fed by the live transmitters can place an order.
WHEN WILL THE FIRST AREAS BE LIVE?
It is expected that over 1,000 premises on Dartmoor will have access to a wireless superfast service, from the end of May 2016 - focused on the area to the South West of the moor. All parishes that are capable of receiving a wireless signal, will be contacted by the CDS team to inform them when they are live. Installation of the rest of the network is progressing well across Dartmoor, many now have planning permission and the remaining few applications are expected to be submitted soon. Some of the challenges experienced by the build teams included difficulties in getting the diggers and cherry pickers up
steep hills in the wet conditions as well as having to locate poles where granite is found underground.
WHERE AND WHEN MAPS
The CDS team has been working with Airband to develop a specific map for Dartmoor and Exmoor. The map will be at a premise level and will also show the anticipated reach of the wireless signal across the two National Parks through the use of a ‘heatmap’. The map will be available on the CDS website and will not only show if your premises will be able to receive a service but will also give an indication of when it is expected to be live.
HOW TO GET A SERVICE
The public funding that has been provided to support the deployment of a new network across Dartmoor and Exmoor has a requirement attached to it that the network must be ‘open access’ - meaning that Internet Service Providers (ISP’s) must be given the opportunity to be able to provide a service to end users across the network, therefore providing choice to the end consumer. A ‘Wholesale Access Platform’ the mechanism that provides the ‘open access’ to ISP’s has been in the development stage for a number of months and will be reaching its conclusion over the coming weeks. Once live, local and national ISP’s will be able to register with Airband Community Internet (Airband’s Network Infrastructure and Wholesale Retail arm) to provide a service over their wireless network. Once the network goes live, a range of providers, including Airband Ltd (Airband’s ISP retail arm), will be able to offer broadband packages to residents and businesses and we anticipate that the number of providers will increase over time.
See our new community website www.dartmoorlinks.co.uk
When an area is live, residents and businesses should contact one of the providers offering a service on the network and ask for details of their packages. Depending on the provider, there may be a connection charge and a monthly fee that is broadly comparable to other fibre broadband packages. Information on how to get connected will be available on the CDS and Airband websites to coincide with the launch of the network at the end of May.
FOR FURTHER INFO:
Matt Barrow – CDS Engagement Officer: matt.barrow@devon.gov.uk Jo Rumble – Communities Officer, Dartmoor National Park Authority: jrumble@dartmoor.gov.uk
&
‘
The Connecting Dartmoor and Exmoor programme is led by Connecting Devon and Somerset Partnership (CDS) with the support of Dartmoor and Exmoor National Park Authorities. It is being delivered by Airband Community Internet Company and will connect 5,800 homes, farms and businesses across the two National Parks using fixed wireless broadband technology and is due to be completed at the end of 2016, one year ahead of the Government’s 95% target.
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LOCAL PEOPLE
Helen Harris With a keen interest in science and the countryside, Helen’s 50 year literary career has included topics on farming, industrial heritage, archaeology and even Devon’s railways. Over the 50 years of her literary career, Helen Harris has captured a wealth of knowledge on local history, industrial heritage, agriculture and transport, recording intrinsic details about people’s way-of-life over the last century. She has lived in Tavistock for more than half of her 89 years, although she grew up in Tiverton and attended boarding school in Exeter during the blitz when her boarding house was burnt down. A keen interest in science and the countryside led her to study agriculture and dairying, and after eight months’ experience on a large dairy farm she studied at Studley College in Warwickshire where a typical day started at 6am with milking, butter-making or cheese-making, followed by academic lectures and rounded off with more practical work and private study. After gaining her National Diploma in Dairying in 1947 Helen joined the government’s National Agricultural Advisory Service and was posted to north and west Devon where she advised farmers on matters of milk production. There was a real need to increase food production in the post war period but it was also a time of great change with people leaving the forces and
looking for employment; attractive land and property prices also encouraged people to move to the country and start farming. Helen’s role as an adviser was part of the national campaign to bridge the gap between scientific research and practical farming, helping people to make a livelihood and increase quality output. She loved the work, especially meeting the farmers and eventually it also brought her in contact with her future husband, the district agricultural adviser at Holsworthy. After their marriage they were fortunate to be moved as a couple to Tavistock enabling Helen to continue working for another four years until she left to start a family. Once the children were at school though, Helen started to think of ways to use her time and started writing about her family walks on the moor and the history of objects they discovered. Soon her articles were being accepted by Western Morning News, and Tavistock Times. Then in 1966 her husband was offered a promotion and they relocated to Derbyshire. At first Helen felt at a loss without her local media contacts, until one day a neighbour passed
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on a letter for her, forwarded to the wrong address. It was from David & Charles Publishers inquiring if she would be interested in writing a book on ‘The Industrial Archaeology of Dartmoor’. Initially she thought the geographical difficulties rendered the project impossible, but encouraged by her husband, she completed the task in just over a year with return research visits and the aid of good friends to locate contacts and check site details. The book was published in 1968 and ran to four editions. Fascinated by the prospects in her new location, Helen suggested a book on the Peak District, which
article, ‘Bakewell tarts are better with Devonshire cream’ was published in Farmers Guardian. She realised she was going to need a more sophisticated camera before approaching magazines like Country Life and enrolled at evening classes to learn how to develop her own photos, subsequently blacking out her kitchen as a darkroom when her family was out. She had several articles published by Country Life and became a regular contributor for The Field on farming and countryside matters, bringing her in contact with the owners of a number of large estates, such as the Duchess of Devonshire, the Duke of Buccleuch, and Lord Home. After returning to Devon Helen continued to write on many subjects including ‘Devon’s Railways’ in 2001 and ‘A handbook of Devon Parishes’ in 2004, for which she visited all 422 parishes over 18 months. She was vice-chairman of the Devonshire Association 2009-12 and chairman of its Tavistock branch for fourteen years. At 89 Helen still seems to have an incredible zest for life and has only very reluctantly ‘cut back’ in recent years; she gave up outdoor swimming and body-boarding at 83 and never succumbed to a wetsuit!
was published in 1969, swiftly followed by books on the Bude Canal and the Grand Western. Helen’s independent spirit spurred her on to rekindle journalism and her breakthrough
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11
LOCAL PEOPLE
Andrew Cooper Chair of Devon Wildlife Trust, BBC Natural History producer and now also working with Dartmoor National Park Authority. Just fifteen minutes into my conversation with Andrew Cooper he has already convinced me that being a BBC natural history producer is one of the most challenging, varied and fascinating roles in media. Andrew has spent 35 years working as a television producer and broadcaster with the BBC Natural History Unit in Bristol, travelling all over the world and regularly working with famous great naturalists such as David Attenborough, Gerald Durrell and Peter Scott. Yet Dartmoor has always been one of his favourite locations and he is delighted to have been appointed to serve on the Dartmoor National Park Authority from the beginning of July. Growing up in Newton Abbot meant that Andrew considered Dartmoor his playground and has always had a huge affinity for the area. From a very early age he used to go out exploring Dartmoor with an archaeologist who was a close family friend. Andrew remembers having the important duty of holding the tape measure while their discoveries were recorded. Familiarity
with Dartmoor over the subsequent years has only served to increase his admiration of its scenery, archaeology and wildlife. Another early memory dates back to when he was four and a half years old and whilst watching Peter Scott on a natural history programme he declared: “That’s what I want to do!” He is one of those fortunate people who has always known what he wanted and so achieved the qualifications he needed in geology and biology and then persisted in his aim to work with the BBC - initially working as a presenter with BBC Plymouth and then moving into production when an opportunity arose. Andrew has been responsible for producing some of our most popular natural history television programmes including the BBC ‘Secret Nature’ series, the ‘Natural World’ series, ‘Five Owl Farm’, ‘The Farm That Time Forgot’ and ‘In the Eye of the Wind’ - a tribute by Sir David Attenborough to the late Sir Peter Scott and the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust.
Exceptional Residential Care
Set in the peaceful and tranquil surroundings of traditional Devonshire life, Redmount is a quaint family Residential care home offering a variety of care services to our local and surrounding communities. Redmount can offer long term permanent accommodation and short term respite stays as well as day care services to people living at home who may require a little extra support and companionship. At Redmount we have been working hard to achieve our goal of ensuring couples do not have to face older age in separation from one another, therefore we are excited to announce the completion of our en suite premier rooms specially designed for couples. Complete with 32inch flat screen televisions, luxurious soft furnishings, free Wi-Fi and parking, countryside views, private telephone access, separate sitting & bedroom area, personally tailored meals and of course, the 24 hour care and attention from our family of professionals carers. Rooms are limited so call us today for more information or to book an appointment for viewing.
We welcome people to pop in at anytime for an informal chat and tour of our home or contact us on the details below to request a free brochure. Competitive rates and discounts for couples are available.
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We look forward to welcoming you! 12
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I asked him to talk me through what is involved in ‘producing’ and to be frank it would be easier to list what isn’t involved. His role starts by conceiving the idea for a programme, followed by securing the funding in the BBC budget. He would then turn his attention to logistics, planning and scheduling, establishing the transmission date (which is ‘set in stone’ once fixed) and working backwards to allow time for organisation, filming and editing - a series can take two years from conception to transmission. He is responsible for absolutely everything from putting the film crew together, writing the narrative script, choosing the music and ensuring health and safety is observed. Andrew even does some of the filming himself and gets to grips with the landscape on location by simply buying a set of the local postcards. He would never ask one of his team to undertake a task that he would not carry out himself, although he revealed that in pursuit of a great shot, he once donned a set of antlers and challenged a buck fallow deer, so perhaps his cameramen still have room for concern! Every last detail is considered in production, including how long a clap of thunder will last and whether David Attenborough should use the English, American or native Hawaiian pronunciation of ‘Hawaii’. For Andrew a powerful natural history production hinges on telling a story with an impact, putting all the pieces of the jigsaw into place and ensuring viewers are left with the salient points. He knows that if the whole audience feels an emotion at the same time and everyone laughs or holds their breath, then he has got it right. Producing natural history programmes involves understanding and caring about the environment but it is obvious that this ethos underpins Andrew’s whole way of life. He is currently the Chair of the Devon Wildlife Trust, which has 32,000 members in Devon alone, and 50 nature reserves. He was also a non-executive director for a local NHS Trust for 11 years and as vicechairman of the board all his operational skills were employed to the full. Andrew has developed an enormous wealth of knowledge in his travels and enjoys sharing some of his insights by giving lecture tours on board cruise ships to the ‘intellectually curious’; he has recently been to Chile, Cape Horn and the Falklands and in July is setting off for Norway and the Arctic.
Andrew is looking forward to working with Dartmoor National Park Authority and using his experience in whatever way he can to help in balancing the needs of farming, environment and wildlife, that are key to the successful management of Dartmoor. He believes we bear a huge obligation to collaborate in finding a way to look after our environment, as human impact is responsible for modifying the landscape, climate and even the wildlife around us today - he quotes David Attenborough in saying that awareness is very important, because we can’t care about something unless we are aware of it. For more information visit Andrew’s website www.wildlink.org Rosemary Best
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LOCAL PEOPLE
Stephen Barrow My Volunteer experience at Burrator with South West Lakes Trust Following retirement and relocation to Tavistock, Devon from Bristol, where I had lived all my life, I needed to find something to do to keep active, both physically and mentally. In the Devon area there are numerous opportunities for volunteering as advertised on various web sites, from Tidying Tavy to Dartmoor Preservation Association, (both of which I am now involved with) I saw an article about a new Heritage Lottery Funded (HLF) project was about to be implemented by South West Lakes Trust (SWLT) at Burrator Reservoir and volunteers were need to assist with the development of this task. Having previously been involved with a large HLF project in Bristol, the Burrator proposals looked inviting, so following an open day at Burrator Lodge I had a meeting with Emily who explained what was required and was of the opinion I could be of use! The first few volunteer days I attended at Burrator were practical tasks, gorse clearing (and burning) and tree guard removal. I then became involved with the development of the Discovery Centre interpretation project, carrying out research into the history of the reservoir, and in particular the leats, construction of the dams, and the Yelverton to Princetown railway. Following on from the celebrations of opening the centre in June 2014, I have been regularly assisting the Centre staff as a volunteer guide one day a week, meeting visitors, explaining what the centre has to offer and answering questions. In addition between visitors I also help the staff
with administration tasks, investigation and designs for improvements and projects for the Centre. If days at the Centre were not enough I also take part in regular practical volunteer days around the SWLT Burrator area carrying out various landscape management tasks. There have also been a number of Rural Skill days which I have attended, including coppicing, charcoal burning, cob oven building, hedging, stone walling, cleft fencing and other days building bird boxes, reindeers and outdoor art work. What keeps a volunteer coming back? Apart from the initial reasons noted above to keep physically and mentally active, you meet people that you would not normally see and also, being involved with a different and varied work environment (without the previous pressures of employment), learning new skills, there is also a good level of camaraderie and working with the friendly, supportive staff. It would appear that my involvement has to date been appreciated by the Burrator management as I was presented with a volunteer award at the 2015 South West Lakes Trust awards ceremony. Hopefully I will be able to continue for the foreseeable future supporting the work achieved through the HLF project and help promote and develop the Discovery Centre to become a much visited centre of information and learning on Dartmoor.
THE TOP 5 THINGS TO DO AT BURRATOR
Stephen Barrow Come and learn more about the fascinating history of the Reservoir construction and the wider catchment area.
• Visit the Discovery Centre • Walk the arboretum boardwalk • Find the threshing platform at Longstone Peninsula • Evening talk, guided walk or family wildlife watch session • Give something back? Lots of opportunities to fit your spare time. Burrator Discovery Centre is open: Weekdays: Every Tues, Wed & Thurs 10am-4pm Weekends: June – Sun 5, Sun 12, Sat 18, and Sat 25 • July – Sun 3, Sat 9, Sun 17, Sat 23 and Sun 31
See our new community website www.dartmoorlinks.co.uk
15
EDUCATION
Tavistock College
Academy Conversion Update It is some months since we actively started the consultation process to convert Tavistock College from a foundation school to an academy, and there have been different announcements from the Department of Education in that time, along with the new appointment of Rebecca Clark as the South West’s Regional Schools Commissioner. Governors at Tavistock College are still pursuing the setting up of a Co-operative MAT (Multi-Academy Trust) with local co-operative schools, or those who have a similar ethos, but we are NOT seeking to sponsor or take over other schools.
and we want to give adequate time, through on-going dialogue, to ensure our partners are the right ones. We also have to remain confident that, amongst the shifting sands of governmental strategic planning, that we are moving in the direction that will benefit our students and not end up being maleficent. Regular updates will be posted on the college website including any questions that parents or other members of the community with an interest in Tavistock College would like answered. Sarah Jones Principal, Tavistock College
This partnership way of working is time consuming
Penmoor Nursery Yelverton War Memorial Hall, Meavy Lane
Recently graded as OUTSTANDING by Ofsted for the second time Monday, Tuesday and Thursday 7.30am – 4pm Wednesday and Friday 7.30am – 1pm
Incorporating FOREST SCHOOL Led by our Qualified Level 3 Leader For more information please contact Anne-Marie Cooper on 01822 851201 or visit www.penmoor-nursery.co.uk
What impresses our parents the most?
‘Happy, friendly, experienced keyworkers dedicated purely to each age group ‘Regular Forest School provision (at no extra charge)’ ‘Being able to choose their own finish time (and only pay for those hours)’ ‘Their children are happy, secure and can’t wait to get to Penmoor in the morning.’
COME AND VISIT US ON OUR OPEN DAY Thursday 9th June 9.30am – 2.30pm “Children are extremely happy and thrive in this outstanding nursery. Children make exceptional progress from their starting points.” OFSTED 2015 16
EDUCATION
SATS Stress With this pressure in mind and with many of her friends feeling the strain, Lily aged 11 from Milton Abbott primary school, took it upon herself to write to David Cameron, Prime Minister, to see if he could answer her questions as to why these tougher SATS were necessary. She was happy to receive a written response from the Prime Minister’s Correspondence Officer who stated: ‘Because the Department for Education is best placed to respond to the matters you raise, he (Mr Cameron) has asked me to forward your letter to the Department so that they may reply directly’.
In May over 60,000 Year 6 children (age 10 to 11) took the new SATS exams. In total each child had a minimum of 3 hours and 10 minutes of silent examination time, with some randomly selected schools taking part in an additional 1 hour and 15 minutes of extra science exams. So for some poor souls a total of 4 hours and 25 minutes of examinations were put upon them in a single week.
Although we are told these examinations should be dropped into a normal curriculum and children should not feel pressure from them, the reality is rather different to both pupils and the teachers – as Lily’s letter suggests. This year extra pressure has been put on all involved through the governments explicit warning of the SATS being ‘significantly toughened up’ to keep in-line with the new curriculum. With some secondary schools using the results to place pupils into ability groups and all schools being judged by the quality of the results, many schools, pupils
and parents feel an emphasis on practice being the key. However, many children feel overwhelmed with the hours of SATS paper practice they endure during Year 6 (and for some much earlier). Teachers feel they have to practice towards the papers and parents are torn between wanting their children to do well and disliking the pressures their children are under. For more information see the governments website: www.gov. uk/government/organisations/ standards-and-testing-agency
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17
EDUCATION
Animal Magic After seeing my normally ‘bouncy’ son turn to a calm ‘pig whisperer’ at Pennywell Farm and others stopping and standing transfixed whilst lambs were being born at Mat Cole’s, Lambing Live, I began to think about the effect animals had on children. I started to wonder if keeping animals as pets and being close to nature lead to positive changes. So what key things should we think about before choosing and owning our own pets? With the help of Drake’s Vets and Ron’s Pets here are some facts that may help you decide: •
Choose the right size and kind of pet for your own family environment. A large dog in a very small house with no garden, won’t be very happy!
•
Many everyday items are poisonous to dogs and cats including chocolate, grapes, onions, some flowers, many types of nuts and human medications such as ibuprofen and paracetamol.
•
Rabbits should be kept in pairs as they get lonely on their own.
•
Dogs should have their teeth brushed every day with a special doggy toothpaste.
•
Hamsters are nocturnal, which means they only come out at night.
•
Cats don’t only purr when they are happy, they can also purr when they are scared or hurt.
•
Human food is actually very fatty for animals, just one slice of toast for a dog can be the equivalent of a person eating three burgers!
•
If you keep a rabbit ensure it has enough exercise each day
•
All pets need a fresh supply of water at all times
•
Most pets need a varied complete diet (ask at Rons for advice)
•
Suitable clean and warm bedding or accommodation
•
Toys and chews to prevent teeth problems (and for rabbits from growing too long!)
Animal Therapy for Children Two local organisations, Collytown Therapy Ponies and Gulworthy Primary School are harnessing the benefits that animals can have on children. Collytown Therapy Ponies are using ‘pony power’ with children who struggle with poor mobility, co-ordination issues, partial sight or mental heath problems such as anxiety and depression, working alongside occupational, speech or physical therapists to set specific programmes and goals. And at Gulworthy School, they have been taking an alternative approach to intervention particularly for children who struggle in the classroom, where they have been using the outdoors and nature to provide practical active learning that relaxes and inspires children to learn. Chamaine and Alison at Collytown are more than aware of the benefits to children of what they call ‘pony power’. Although
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EDUCATION
Our Education Section has kindly been put together by Rebecca Martin from Exciting Education they have been offering therapy visits for some time, from May they have be offering specialised equine therapy programmes for people of all ages with special needs. After spending time at Collytown I couldn’t help but agree with Chamaine’s favourite quote from Sir Winston Churchill “there is something about the outside of the horse that is good for the inside of man”. It is amazing to see the children connecting with the ponies to overcome challenges and work through their issues. For children with behaviour issues, the ponies teach them to think of others and that animals respond to kindness. For children with physical needs such as cerebral palsy, the pony therapy means they can strengthen muscles and enjoy their physio-therapy in an exciting and alternative way. At Gulworthy, led by teaching assistant Fran Walker, this specialist approach based on problem solving and decision making has led to children feeling empowered and confident learners which in turn benefits them in the classroom. From watching their ‘bats in residence’ on their ‘Bat Cam’ and recording wildlife with infra-red cameras to using the outdoors for practical learning opportunities, children have access to real life learning that calms them, engages them and makes them positive learners.
approach. Children benefit from the school allotment, using camera probes to locate hidden ‘guests’ at their ‘bug hotel’ as well as time in their forest area. On the 23rd May the school started ‘The Bat Buddy School Award Scheme’ which will lead to them becoming a ‘bat friendly’ school. To find out more about the equine therapy programmes go to www.therapyponies.co.uk and to find out more about Gulworthy see their website: www.gulworthyprimary.org and www.devonbatproject.org For more information about choosing the right pet, talk to your vet or your local pet shop or see these websites: www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/pets/rabbits www.rabbitwelfare.co.uk
However, Fran says the whole school have access to the outdoor environment during their lessons which means that all children are given the opportunity to enjoy this nature loving
Open Evening
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together; we care, we challenge, we excel. 19
KIDS WHAT'S ON
EVENTS IN JUNE AND JULY COTEHELE COSTUME SUNDAYS AT COTEHELE
Sunday 31 July, 11am-4.30pm Meet the mill team dressed in Victorian costume. Milling demonstrations (water permitting) and mill tours. Normal admission charges apply.
LOPWELL DAM CHILDREN IN NATURE
Saturday 18th June, 10am – 12noon Each event usually has at least 3 activities, such as a sensory scavenger hunt, wild art or story stones. Activities vary but all of them encourage children to explore and learn while having fun. All children must be accompanied by an adult. Cost: £15 per child Venue: Lopwell Dam Information: www.wildernesswoman. wix. com/jacky, 07516 269656 (Jacky Pearce)
LYDFORD GORGE TWIG SCULPTURES AND WEAVE IN THE WILD
MAKE YOUR OWN WOODLAND SCULPTURE
26th June, 1pm – 4pm A fabulous family event enabling you to create your own wooden animal sculptures for your garden or home using wood and basic hand tools. Suitable for children aged 7 years and over. £5.00 per child. Booking advisable 01822 820320
WONDERFUL WILDFLOWERS 31th July, 1pm – 4pm Create your own beautiful pressed flowered pictures, build your own pocket sized flower press, plant, grow and press your own flowers. £3.00 per child. Booking not needed
MOREWELLHAM QUAY FATHER’S CLASSIC CAR DAY
Sunday 19th June, 10am until 5.30pm One of the most colourful days at the quayside, with over 150 vintage and classic cars from local clubs across the West Country. Come and admire these amazing machines or bring your own treasured classic vehicle for FREE entry. Usual Entrance Prices Apply (MEMBERS FREE)
PLYMOUTH MUSEUM AND ART GALLERY IMAGINATION STATION
12 June 2016, 1pm – 4pm Come along and make a twig sculpture Each Wednesday during term time, and learn to weave in wild materials. 10.30am to 2.30pm £3 per child.Tavy Booking not needed Links ad may 2016 final.pdf 1 10/05/2016 11:16 Calling all rising fives and their adults - roll
up, roll up to their ‘Imagination Station’ to discover, colour and play! This is a self-directed activity enables you to have fun meeting other rising fives as you share activities and play together in the galleries. Free. Drop-in. No need to book.
THE IMAGINATION MUSEUM Saturday 2 July, 11am, 1pm and 3pm Meet Mildred, Henry and Harriet, three eccentric tour-guides and watch as they bring a series of objects to life through words and movement in these unique 30-minute promenade performances that move through our ground floor galleries. Free. Drop-in. No need to book.
STERTS THEATRE ROALD DAHL’S DANNY CHAMPION OF THE WORLD
Friday 17th June, 6.30pm Illyria is now one of the country’s foremost theatrical interpreters of Roald Dahl’s work. Join them for their production of Roald Dahl’s amazing book. Family fun for all ages 5+. Phone 01579 362382 or visit www.sterts. co.uk
THE WIZARD OF OZ
Friday 1st, Sat 9th, Friday 15th, Saturday 16th July all at 730 pm Follow the yellow brick road with Dorothy and her little dog Toto on a magical journey to the wonderful land of Oz. Phone 01579 362382 or visit www.sterts. co.uk
Near Tavistock C
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Test your nerve in the trees, then chill at the Beech Tree Cafe 20
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KIDS WHAT'S ON TAVISTOCK CARNIVAL FAMILY FUN DAY
Sunday 10TH July, 12 noon onwards Join the Lions for a fun-packed day with various demonstrations, duck race, enchanted garden, charity stalls, bouncy castles and much more.
PAVEMENT ARTISTS
Tuesday 12th July, 6 pm A chance for children to show their artistic talents with prizes for for the following ages: Under 5s, 5-8 year olds, 9-11 year olds. Superdrug, Duke Street Entry: 50p per person
TAVISTOCK CARNIVAL DAY
Saturday 16th July, All day During the day there is a fair in the Town Centre as well as food stalls. The procession starts at 6.30 with humorous floats, bands and much more.
TAVISTOCK WHARF THE BFG (FILM)
Various Dates and times, 22nd – 30th July Ten-year-old Sophie is in for the adventure of a lifetime when she meets the Big Friendly Giant. Naturally scared at first, the young girl soon realises the giant is actually quite gentle and charming. Join them on their adventure as Roald Dahl’s book is brought to life on screen. Phone the Wharf Box Office for times and prices. 01822 611166
THEATRE ROYAL PLYMOUTH CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG
Wednesday 15th – Sunday 19th June, 2.30 pm and 7.30 pm Watch out! The most fantasmagorical musical, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, lands in Plymouth in 2016. One of the world’s favourite musicals, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang will have audiences of all ages flying high with its mixture of madness, intrigue and exuberance. Phone the box office for more details 01752 267222
ROADFORD LAKE MAKE YOUR OWN INSECTS!
ROADFORD LAKE MAKE YOUR OWN INSECTS!
27 July, 10.30am-12.30pm Do you know your dung beetle from your biscuit bug? Explore the lake with our countryside wardens and see what you can find. Have a go at making the insects you’ve spotted on your walk to take home. £4 per child, adults go free (one adult to accompany each child). To reserve a place call 01566 784559.
27 July 10.30 -12.30pm Do you know your dung beetle from your biscuit bug? Explore the lake with our countryside wardens and see what you can find. Have a go at making the insects you’ve spotted on your walk. £4 per child (adults free but one adult must accompany each child). To reserve a place call 01566 784559
SUMMER HOLIDAY EVENTS
BURRATOR FOREST FUN SESSIONS
BUCKLAND ABBEY MEDIEVAL BEAST HUNT
23 July – 4 September Pick up your trail booklet and head out onto the Buckland Abbey estate in search for the medieval beasties lurking in the woodlands. Will you find them all? Normal admission charges apply, plus £1 per booklet.
NATUREMAKE
28-29 July, 12noon-4pm Join the Naturemake team to create magical, mystical and inspiring scenes. Let your imagination run wild by turning natural objects into boats, islands, creates and more. Normal admission apply, plus activity charge £3 per person.
PLYMOUTH MUSEUM AND ART GALLERY SHIP’S FIGUREHEAD
Tuesday 26 July - Friday 29 July 10.15am to 12.15pm and 2pm to 4pm Help decorate a model of a ship’s figurehead based on Pegasus the winged horse and the figurehead from famous ship HMS Bellerophon. The finished piece will be on display for visitors to see throughout the summer. Drop-in. No need to book.
See our new community website www.dartmoorlinks.co.uk
(June, July, September and October) The idea for ‘ forest Fun’ grew out of a love of nature, and long experience of helping children learn more about the natural world. We felt there was a real need for an activity for younger children that encouraged them to get outdoors, get active and explore nature. The sessions provides children with freedom, space and a beautiful natural environment in which they can run, swing, get muddy, climb, be creative, acquire a natural curiosity and hands-on understanding of the natural world, make dens, giggle, sing songs , play and explore, listen to the wind in the trees. We even cook on fires sometimes. Every session we discover and learn something new through the ever changing seasons. This is the start of their journey in developing strong physical, social and language skills. The Forest Fun sessions, which run from Burrator Discovery Centre on the first Wednesday of the month during term time, from 9.30am to 11.30 am are led by Early Years/ Forest School practitioners and are for children up to the age of 4 with their Mum, Dad, or whoever normally, looks after them. We will be holding extra sessions over the summer holiday for families with primary aged children as well! For more information please contact burratorforestfun@gmail.com or 07845597997 21
CHARITY FOCUS
Time for Life A new-look ‘Time for Life’ West Devon team is hoping to change lives for the better in the coming months, enabling people to get out and engage more in their local community. Time for Life is a targeted service for people who are aged 65 years and older and is funded by Devon County Council. The service provides an enabling facility for people living in their own homes, helping to build confidence and boost independence. The Time for Life community enablers work with people on a one-to-one basis over a set period of time, helping individuals gain more from life, enjoy new experiences, get out and about, make new friends and learn new skills which might range from singing and home computing to joining walking groups or art clubs. The enablers give practical support, re-engaging people in activities they enjoy and helping them to develop their confidence to explore new aims and experiences in the future
22
Ali Fife Cook is the Time for Life co-ordinator in West Devon. “I’ve been a part of the Time for Life team for several years now and it’s nice to be working once again in the area where I live. In helping to reduce the very real problems associated with social isolation I’ve seen some amazing changes to individuals, so I know just how effective the work undertaken by Time for Life can be. Individuals are offered help and encouragement to join groups and become part of social activities, such as going to coffee mornings, art or exercise sessions, going on outings, or whatever activity they would enjoy. The first step is often the hardest, so by accompanying someone to a new situation and making arrangements for transport for the longer term if needed,
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an individual is often able to do things that they couldn’t have achieved on their own” Joining Ali (centre) are enablers Ros Russell (right) and Jane Honey (left) Ros, who lives near Yelverton, said: ‘Although I only started working as an enabler fairly recently, already I am finding myself able to help people get out and about and engage in their local community - it’s very rewarding.’ Jane, who lives at Mary Tavy, said: ‘I was delighted to join the Time for Life team – I know how debilitating loneliness can be and am really looking forward to being able to help people get more out of their lives.’ In addition to the help provided by enablers working one-to-one with individuals, Time for Life also works in the community by helping establish new social groups or by providing support to existing groups and creating activities wherever there is a perceived need. Groups currently running in West Devon include tea dances, sing-along sessions, an art club, a regular coffee morning and a play-reading group. There is also a writing group and a new ‘knit and natter’ group.
charity established in 1986 and became a company limited by guarantee in 2007. The organisation was originally set up to provide practical and emotional support to people in the villages along the west bank of the River Exe. The organisation now works with communities and individuals across Devon. West bank has been providing practical help such as shopping, transport for medical appointments, befriending and support since its inception. Supporting carers has always been a top priority and this is now delivered and managed by Westbank through the Devon Carers service. Its work is funded from a variety of sources and through local authority and health authority service level agreements. The organisation is committed to generating income of its own to ensure long term sustainability. For more information about Time for Life, go to www.timeforlife. org.uk or phone 0845 304 7267 (free from most landlines). Anyone can refer a person to receive free support from the Time for Life team, but the referral has to be made via Devon County Council’s Care Direct Service. If you wish to make a referral, please call 0345 155 1007 (local rate). Jane Honey
The Time for Life service is managed by the Westbank Community Health & Care charity. Westbank is a registered
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See our new community website www.dartmoorlinks.co.uk
Caring for People in the Community
23
HEALTH & BEAUTY
Well-being Dr Harriet Doyle
Kerry Ward ITEC. MAR
Reflexology & Holistic Massage Therapist
Fourward Health t. 01822 855331 m. 07795 057397 www.fourwardhealth.co.uk /fourwardhealth
What defines it and how do we achieve it?
It is estimated that up to one third of GP consultations are regarding mental health. This will include anything from anxiety and depression, to major psychiatric illness, to loss of wellbeing. Well-being is a difficult state to define, and will mean different things to different people. For some it is contentment, others personal fulfilment, good health and happiness. If you asked 10 different people to describe what a sense of well-being felt like to them, you would almost certainly get 10 different answers. Maybe a more abstract definition is most accurate, where wellbeing centres on a state of equilibrium or balance that can be affected by life events or challenges. Because of this dynamic nature, high levels of well-being mean that we are more able to respond to difficult circumstances, to innovate and constructively engage with other people and the world around us. As well as representing a highly effective way of bringing about good outcomes in many different areas our lives, there is also a strong case for regarding well-being as an ultimate goal of human endeavour. Much research has been conducted on the subject on both a national and international level - common themes are often identified with the following
being considered the most important.
Connect: Engage with the people
around you, family, friends, colleagues or neighbours. Research has shown the importance of social support and relationships to an individuals mental health and happiness. Having 3 people with whom you are close may be enough to protect you from a psychological disorder, with the best relationships being ones with people who are supportive and encouraging. Having life goals associated with commitment to social relationships seems particularly helpful as well. If your primary goals in life are to succeed at work, you’ll be fated to a life with lower levels of wellbeing than people who value relationships most.
Be active: we know there are many benefits to an active lifestyle, not least of which includes fewer chronic health problems. In terms of mental health, high levels of physical activity have a range of positive effects. Researchers believe that physical activity can protect against some of the ills that befall us in later life such as dementia, but can also stave off feelings of depression and anxiety to individuals of any age. In general the longer and more intense the physical activity, the better it is for
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health, but even an exercise session of just 10 minutes can have an impact on mental well being.
Keep learning : new skills can
give a sense of achievement and a new confidence. Undertaking adult education courses puts you in situations with others who you would not otherwise have met, but have similar interests. Through learning, people also start to engage in goal-setting which, in turn can promote feelings of well-being. When you choose your own goals that you feel are consistent with your values, you’ll be more likely to feel engaged in your life even outside the sphere of the particular skill you’re learning
Give to others: Going beyond your
own personal desires or self-interests is one of the best ways to enhance your feelings of wellbeing. It does feel good to obtain reinforcement in the form of personal rewards, but your overall well-being is more enhanced when you do something for someone else. Even
the smallest act can count whether it is a smile, a thank you or a kind word. Larger gestures such as volunteering for community events can improve your well being and help build new social net works. Research even shows that being a volunteer can help to reduce mortality among older adults.
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Be curious: Being engaged with
your surroundings is a significant component of well-being. The best type of curiosity to promote well-being goes beyond being interested and engaged in your surroundings. Mindfulness, in which you deliberately pay attention to what you’re sensing, feeling, and thinking, pays off in a heightened sense of self-determination over your behaviour. The more in control you feel about what you do, the better you’ll feel about yourself and your experiences. Even when you can’t completely control the forces that impact on your life, thinking about your reactions and gaining greater self-understanding can help offset their negative impact.
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HEALTH & BEAUTY
Gluten Free Is Gluten Free just another ‘fad’ that’ll fizzle out or something we should all take a little more time to understand?
Firstly, what is gluten and where is it found? Gluten is a family of proteins found in wheat and other grains such as rye and barley. It is commonly consumed in the form of breads, pasta, cereals, pizza, beer, cakes and anything else where the aforementioned grains are used. If you do have a sensitivity to gluten, how would you know? Symptoms as a result of food intolerances/sensitivities can be quite obvious such as abdominal pains, bloating and diarrhoea. However, they can also be more subtle and wouldn’t make you think of it being linked to food, this can include feeling generally tired and lethargic, struggling to lose stubborn body weight when you’re doing everything else correctly or even depression.
How to find out if you are intolerant: If you have any of the above symptoms and believe that it could potentially be a reaction to gluten what should you do? The best way to self-test is to go on an exclusion diet; these are really helpful with finding food intolerances and work really well with dairy too. All that you need to do is go for 30 days without consuming anything that contains gluten and see how you feel. If you feel better then that is a good indicator but to really test you would then add a gluten containing meal back in and see how you react to it, if you are fine then try a different one and see how you react to that. If you don’t have any adverse reactions from adding the gluten containing foods back in then there is no need for you to go gluten-free;
however, if you do have a reaction then a gluten-free lifestyle may be a good option for you.
What to do now? So to summarise, if you suspect that you may have a sensitivity to gluten then complete a 30 day exclusion diet, reintroduce the foods and see if you have a reaction to them. If you don’t then great but if you do then you have two sensible choices to choose from: 1) If you felt a lot better during your exclusion diet and want to stay that way then do! 2) If you can’t see yourself realistically going totally glutenfree but you have some issues after eating it then go mainly gluten-free but have one or two meals a week where you let yourself have the culprit foods. If you have severe symptoms or are worried that you may have something more than a food intolerance, then consult your GP who can carry out further testing if they feel it necessary. For those of you who have no problems with gluten then feel free to continue to eat it and don’t feel guilty when you next read in the newspaper that gluten is the ‘Devil’s food’!
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GARDENING
Projects for SUMMER After a chilly spring that delayed both growth and outside work, the warmer days of summer are great for getting on with new garden projects – anything from a couple of new containers to a new border or patio. Garden shows and open gardens, large and small, local and national are a wonderful source of ideas, whether viewed on TV or visited in person. Chelsea kicks off the show season in late May and is crammed with gorgeous, impossibly immaculate gardens full of beautiful plants. Although the large show gardens are undeniably magnificent, I find the richest source of inspiration comes from the small plots that are much more realistic both in terms of scale and budget. The Great Pavilion is my favourite part of Chelsea: plant-lovers heaven with over 100 specialist nurseries and exhibitors. If battling the crowds at Chelsea doesn’t appeal, Hampton Court Flower Show (5-10 July) is a much more pleasant experience, in the extensive and beautiful grounds of the Palace. Here in Devon, though, we’re fortunate to have a wealth of gardens to visit: some that regularly open to the public like The Garden House, Cotehele and Lukesland, plus many gems open for a shorter time or just one day only for charity. St Luke’s Hospice now has around 20 open gardens including Gunnislake gardens on Sunday 19th June and my near neighbour, Lower Birch Farmhouse, Bere Alston, on the afternoon of 3rd July (it has wonderful views of the River Tamar). Whether you’re gardenwatching on TV or in person, do take a notebook and camera 28
to record all the plants and ideas that catch your eye – and do research whether or not the plants will thrive in your own garden before actually buying them! “Right plant, right place” might be an oft-repeated adage, but it bears remembering.
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Biological controls can be used to tackle specific pests once conditions are sufficiently warm. This environmentally friendly approach uses insects or microscopic nematodes to combat common pests such as slugs, vine weevil and red spider mite. Ensure container plants are regularly and thoroughly watered. Installing a watering system is worth considering if you’re often away – or use ‘self-watering’ containers that have built in water reservoirs. Regularly train and tie in tall or cordon tomatoes and snap off the side shoots. Sow frost tender vegetables such as French and runner beans, courgettes and sweetcorn, or buy ready-grown plants. For quick, easy and splendid summer colour, direct-sow hardy annuals in sunny spots. Many blooms are wonderful for bees and other insects: natives such as viper’s bugloss and ox eye daisy blend well with Californian poppy (Escscholzia), Calendula (pot marigold), sunflower and nasturtium.
Looking good now...
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Early to mid-summer is a hugely floriferous time – so here are just a few of my favourites: 1. Clematis: large flowered hybrids have the largest blooms but need good soil and shelter. 2. Dierama: (angel’s fishing rods) 3. Herbaceous geraniums: ‘Rozanne’ is an outstanding blue. 4. Lilies: Especially Regal and Oriental types which are magnificently scented. 5. Roses: ‘English’ types combine the best characteristics of old and new roses.
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Sue Fisher is a garden designer and writer based on the Bere Peninsula. Tel 01822 841895. Email: suefisher@talktalk.net Website: www.suefishergardens.co.uk
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29
GARDENING
The Forgotten Gardens of Lewtrenchard
Once a charming and quite extraordinary Edwardian woodland garden, this once forgotten garden is being slowly restored to its former glory. On a sunny afternoon in May I had the pleasure of a bluebell walk and cream tea at the Forgotten Gardens of Lewtrenchard. The walk through the delightful grounds took a leisurely twenty minutes and in that time I began to appreciate the prodigious effort taken to restore this woodland garden.
the restoration of the forgotten garden. There and then they determined to make this dream come true. They brought together a group of enthusiastic volunteers who, in 2007, set themselves up as a charitable association, known as The Friends of the Forgotten Garden of Lewtrenchard.
One unexpected outcome of research by local historians into the life of Sabine Baring-Gould, the renowned Victorian author and scholar who was Squire and Parson of Lewtrenchard from 1881 to 1924, was the discovery just to the north of Lewtrenchard Manor Hotel, (which, as Lew House, was the ancestral home of Sabine) of a much neglected and densely overgrown valley in Barton wood, known locally as ‘The Glen’. Once a charming and quite extraordinary Edwardian woodland garden as evidenced by the remains of ponds, walls, an imposing waterfall, walkways, slate steps, viewing areas and a grotto.
The Friends, with the generous assistance of the Baring-Gould Corporation, have leased the garden area, comprising about 1½ acres, together with the surrounding ancient bluebell woods, amounting to approximately a further 5 acres. Their aim was to preserve and advance the heritage of the Rev. Sabine Baring-Gould, who created the garden, to restore the man-made structures, conserve the woodlands together with their wildlife and rescue the lost Holy Well. Through a combination of perseverance, an 1884 map, a 1913 family bible entry, a 1914 photograph, a sentence in Sabine’s Early Reminiscences, and some logical deduction, the Friends at last discovered and, in the autumn of 2007, excavated the site of the well. In October 2013 a simple new stone and slate housing was erected over the Holy Well by Tony Worth’s craftsmen.
Professional gardener, Robert Stemson, and amateur local historian, Ron Wawman, first met in July 2006 at the Open Garden Day of Lewtrenchard Manor Hotel. Rob and Ron soon discovered that they both had the same romantic dream – 30
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Brian Wilkinson was one of the original volunteers and is now the project manager. He explained how just ten years ago the woodland was dark and dense, entirely overgrown with
brambles and weeds, nothing like the beautiful open situation today. The friends have taken out much of the old wood and planted many native tree specimens, shrubs and flowers. They are environmentally friendly; the wood is herbicide and pesticide free. On the third Saturday of every month, April to October, there is a working party at the garden to help with ongoing projects to restore and maintain the Forgotten Garden, together with its associated buildings and features. The friends have made the garden and woodlands available as a community resource for educational and recreational purposes for the benefit of parishioners of Lewtrenchard and others. Perhaps you might like to join the friends or just visit and appreciate this peaceful and reflective place. For more information please visit the website www.forgottengarden.co.uk Nichola Williams
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NATURALIST
GORSE One of the glories of the countryside at this time of year is the gorse, it has a multitude of perhaps surprising uses for both animals and humans. In Devon we have two different types of gorse – common or European gorse Ulex europaeus and western gorse U. gallii. Common gorse, also called furze (and in Devon ‘vuzz’) or whin, is in flower almost throughout the year, hence the expression: “When furze is out of bloom, kissing’s out of fashion”. The much smaller western gorse flowers in late summer/autumn (July-Oct). Whereas European gorse reaches 7-10 feet in height, western gorse only grows 12-15 inches high. At this time of year the scent of the bright yellow flowers is unforgettable, variously described as creamy coconut/almond/etc. Seeds are produced in dark-coloured, elongated pods that when ripe, burst noisily open on hot summer days, scattering far and wide their seeds. Gorse flowers are edible and can be used in salads, in tea, and to make a non-grape-based fruit wine. Gorse is high in protein and may be used as feed for livestock, particularly in winter when other green vegetation is not available. Traditionally it was used as fodder for cattle, being made palatable either by ‘bruising’ (crushing) with hand-held mallets, or grinding to a moss-like consistency with hand or water-driven mills, or being finely chopped and mixed with straw chaff. Often growing in almost impenetrable clumps, gorse provides ideal shelter from the weather for Dartmoor ponies, and despite its rigid, barbed spikes, is an important source of food for the stock, especially in late-winter when alternatives are in short supply. Nowadays, rotational heathland burning removes the stems of old, woody gorse bushes and encourages regeneration of fresh, new shoots.
Hwyaden yr Eithin - the furze or gorse duck. Bees are important pollinators of gorse. Other insects whose larvae (caterpillars) feed on gorse include two butterflies - green hairstreak and silver-studded blue - and six ‘macro’ moths grass emerald, grass wave, July belle, lead belle, double-striped pug and Spanish carpet, as well as at least eight ‘micro’ moths. Large numbers of insects shelter within the confines of gorse, including multitudes of spiders. Dartford warblers manage to find a way through gorse’s prickly maze of branches, searching for the spiders, and other insect prey, whilst Stonechats use the upper reaches as lofty perches for song-posts. In late summer and autumn you may occasionally see the parasitic plant Dodder growing on gorse or heather, especially on the coast. This forms a dense network of reddish-pink stems and pale pink flowers trailing over the gorse. A very characteristic yellow/orange fungus (Tremella mesenterica) can often be seen growing on gorse stems. Gorse has been used for many different purposes. On one Welsh island that I know, gorse is used for spreading out damp washing for drying in warm sunny weather. Some local gardeners placed chopped gorse or ‘fuzz’ over germinating or emerging peas to deter mice and pigeons. Gorse bushes are highly flammable and in many areas bundles of gorse were used to fire traditional bread ovens. On the island of Guernsey, many traditional farms had furze brakes. The prolific gorse and bracken would be cut, dried and stored to be used as fuel, with farmhouses having purpose-built furze ovens. In former days gorse was also used as a thatching material.
There are many local names for birds nesting in and around gorse; these include furze chat, fuzz chat (Wheatear), furze chitter (Stonechat), Step into Summer – furze hacker, whin lintie (Whinchat), whin treat yourself to a sparrow (Dunnock), and furze bird (Linnet); cream tea! Linnets often nest in loose ‘colonies’ in Traditional Clotted Cream Teas areas of gorse. Other birds using gorse and Elegant High Teas regularly include Dartford warbler and Licenced for Weddings – available for private Yellowhammer. In Wales, once Shelduck functions have paired in the spring they move away from water to the hills, where they search out a large rabbit hole for a nest. Often these holes lie beneath old gorse bushes Princetown Yelverton – hence the Shelduck’s Welsh name, Devon PL20 6SL
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35
NATURALIST
Bees
Feared by some, loved by many, these little insects perform a role in our world that is vastly disproportionate to their size.
As a pollinator bees have a major part to play in a huge amount of the food that we eat, whether directly or indirectly. Not just the food we as humans buy, (the fruit, vegetables and plantbased products) but also the food fed to our farming animals that form part of our diets world-wide. That’s to say nothing of the honey they produce as well as the beeswax that is a component of many other products. Without bees pollinating flowers, our gardens, hedgerows and countryside would be very different places. Yet for such a vital role, numbers of both bumble bees and honeybees are in sharp decline.
For the fat and furry bumblebee, which lives wild in nests of 50 to 400 bees, this is largely due to changes in agricultural techniques in the pursuit of greater land productivity, meaning fewer wild flowers for bees to feed on. According to the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, it has been estimated that we have lost 97% of our flower-rich grassland since the 1930s and as bees rely entirely upon flowers for food, it is unsurprising their populations have declined. Two species of bee have become extinct in the UK since the start of the 21st century other species are also in danger. Organisations like the Bumblebee Conservation Trust and Friends of the Earth are doing their best to combat the decline of bumblebee populations through education - encouraging farmers
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to adapt their techniques to promote the growth of wildflowers and also encourage the public to plant bee-friendly plants in their gardens. The population of honeybees, most of which live in hives looked after by beekeepers, has also been threatened in recent years by diseases and mites, such as the Varroa mite. Honey bees are also facing threats from other invasive species like the Asian hornet (Vespa Velutina) and the small hive beetle. However, the good news is that local beekeepers’ societies are thriving and dedicated bands of apiarists are doing their utmost to protect and promote bees. David Painter, chairman of the Tavistock branch of the Devon Beekeepers’ Association, has kept bees at his home in Mary Tavy for the last four years. David, who has eight hives at the moment, said beekeeping has proved a fascinating and deeply satisfying hobby and one in which the learning process seems never-ending. For example, did you know that bees can actually make a noise that sounds almost like a duck quacking? This happens during what David described as a ‘night of the long knives’, when the newly hatched Queen bee is hunting her rival Queens that are hidden in ‘Queen cells’, or on the honeycomb hunting her. The victorious Queen must kill her rivals in order for the colony to survive and flourish. David inspects the hives once a week throughout the year as he explains: “It’s primarily to ensure they have enough food and are healthy. If there are problems with the queen or it looks like they are going to swarm you might have to look at the hive twice a week.” David and his family became involved in beekeeping thanks to son Robert, who expressed an interest as a young teenager. “Robert is now 18 but still enjoys beekeeping; it’s something we, as Tavistock Beekeepers, would like to try and encourage among young people.” Tavistock Beekeepers’ website has plenty of information about
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bees and encouraging bees into gardens. David explains that surprisingly the showy flowers are ones to avoid and what is needed is something with a good nectar content. “Don’t put out old supermarket honey jars for them – some diseases are carried by imported honey, and can contain things that are not good for the bees or humans. Try not to use pesticides especially early in the year - honeybees actually love dandelions! So is David concerned for the future of bees, both bumblebees and honeybees? “It does worry me. Honeybees have been around literally millions of years and they can manage and adapt to changing climates, they just move! However, it is the threats created by humans that have caused the majority of the problems faced by bees, which in turn threatens their continued survival.” For more information about the Tavistock branch of the Devon Beekeepers’ Association go to www.tavistock-beekeepers.org. uk
How to help and encourage bees • Plant clumps of bee-friendly plants in sunny places. • Double or multi-petaled cultivars of plants are best avoided as they may lack pollen and/or nectar. • Use pesticides sparingly. • Provide nest sites for bees. Some will nest in hollow stems, such as bamboo canes or herbaceous plant stems. Cardboard nest tubes can be bought in garden centres. Holes 2-8mm diameter can be drilled in fence posts or logs. Place these nest sites in sunny positions. Bumblebees prefer to find their own nest sites down tunnels dug by mice or in grass tussocks. If you are lucky enough to have tree bumblebees in a bird box leave them alone, but clean out the box in the winter. Jane Honey 37
FARMING DIARY
A farming point of view on BREXIT… Let’s shut the door on spring and welcome summer to Dartmoor and let’s hope that the sun comes out to get the first cut of grass harvested and start shearing the sheep, but the rain arrives back in small doses to keep the grass growing, the dust damp and the farmer happy…. There is only ever a few days between the last downpour and a farmer somewhere who will spout the inevitable “could just do wid a drop o rain ya know”….. But with the longest day closing fast I am sure we shall muddle through. I am sure by now you are all fed up to the teeth with talk of Brexit and Europe but as the polling stations open the decision will have to be made. British agriculture has a large stake in the outcome as the European Common Agricultural Policy has been one of the main stays of Europe since its conception and this decision will affect every farmer in the UK, like it or not. I am not going to start a history lesson but I may just touch on how BREXIT or STAYIN, could affect a family farm on Dartmoor. We currently rely on payments from CAP and without them farming on Dartmoor would not exist as we know it. Land and
labour costs for a start would just drive us to the wall and the national park and the British countryside as it stands would be a very different place. In Europe we are supported, the question is will the BREXIT campaign support British agriculture? I think the answer is yes but how and which sectors? Farming in the UK continues to experience hard times with no real light at the end of the tunnel. But many farmers, perhaps braver than me say let’s cut the shackles, red tape and support ourselves. For me I think the head says stay, the heart says BREXIT. My gut feeling is the election will be tight but we will stay in. This gives us bargaining power whilst still maintaining a seat at the table. Whichever way it goes, I will be glad when a decision is made, we can then get on with it. Political commentary over, I shall return to my day job…. Cows and calves are now growing fast and getting ready for courting. All the Bulls have their shiny new summer coats on and are ready to step out with the ladies as the eternal season’s role around once more. We have a new bull this year as we are trying a new breed on our commercial cows. We have bought a Hereford Bull called Lancelot. Hansom young 2 year
SOUTH WEST WILLS & PROBATE • Will writing tailored to your needs • Home visits • Will storage • Lasting Power of Attorney • Living Wills Contact Robert Cumming 01822 860281 / 07958 669541 swwillsandprobate@btinternet.com
old chap from Nottingham. Some of our younger cattle can get a bit spooky so we are slowly moving away from the Simmental which is more prone to being bad tempered in our experience, to the quieter Hereford. Let’s hope it works. All the autumn calving Galloway cows are away on the common for the summer and will only come home briefly to have
‘Lancelot the Hereford Bull’
their calves weaned. They will start calving again in September, and although that seems a far way off and too much like autumn to be talking about it, we have to give the cows a couple of months to rest and recover before they calve again. This time last year I was going on about our family holiday to France. Sorry to say now our eldest is at school full time our holiday will have to wait until the prices and the temperature triple in late July and August! So thanks big brother, we will be engineering some kind of staycation in the UK. Wish us luck. Mat Cole, Greenwell Farm
Robert Cumming is a Member of the Society of Will Writers
www.willwriters.com
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WHAT’S ON
REGULAR
Thursday 9 June, 7-9.30pm
LADIES EVENING
At Bere Alston Primary School, tickets £3 including complimentary refreshment.
THE PLOUGH AND SHARE CREDIT UNION
Is open every Wednesday between 11.00am and 1.00pm in the Princetown Community Centre. You can save as little as £1.00 a time. Regular savers can obtain loans for 2% or less. Call into the Centre for more information.
JUNE
COTEHELE NANCY BELLE RIVER TRIPS
Board the Nancy Belle and head up river under the Calstock viaduct to learn about the Tamar Valley. 2 hrs, £15. Ring 01579 351346 for times and to book, www. nationaltrust.org.uk Saturday 11 June, 2pm
BUTTERFLY WALK
Support Children’s Hospice South West in its 25th year. The farm walk includes a talk on the habitat of the threatened Marsh Fritillary butterfly by Jenny Packman, conservationist and butterfly specialist. Archaeological information and breathtaking views complete the walk before returning to the farm where tea, cake and raffle tickets will be available. .£3 per person, Eggworthy Farm, PL20 6LJ. For more information ring Linda on 01822 852142
Thursday 7 June
PRINCETOWN HISTORY CLUB
Carvings in Postbridge Church. Helen Wilson Meet 19:00 at the Village Hall Car park, Postbridge SX 691 792 Wednesday 8 June, 8pm
DEVON WILDLIFE TRUST
10, 13, 14, 15, 27, 28 & 29 June
Dartmoor’s Wildlife – Past, Present and Future. Ecologist Phil Page will talk about the changes that have affected the flora and fauna of Dartmoor since the last Ice Age involving the extinction of some species, the arrival of others and the factors influencing these changes. Refreshments included, The Parish Church Centre, Plymouth Road, Tavistock. £3 donation to Devon Wildlife Trust.
Sunday 12 June, 10.30am-1pm
GUIDED WALK - EXPLORING THE TINNERS TRAIL.
Burrator Discovery Centre. This short walk will be led by Anne from Dartmoor Tinworking Research Group and will cover the tin working activity that took place at Roughtor, Outcombe, Deancombe, Middleworth and Bal Mine. £3 per person. Please book your place in advance, Burrator Discovery Centre please contact
01822 855700 or heritage@swlakestrust. org.uk Sunday 12 June, 10am-4pm.
TIN WORKING EXHIBITION
Burrator Discovery Centre. With Dartmoor Tin Working Research Group, including models and launch of our second tin working self-guided walk leaflet. Please contact 01822 855700 Sunday 12 June, 10.30am-3.30pm
PRACTICAL CONSERVATION VOLUNTEER DAY At Burrator Reservoir with SWLT. Hot drinks and biscuits provided! Please contact 01822 855700 or heritage@ swlakestrust.org.uk 10 June, 10.30am-4pm
TEXTILE ART CLASS: SNOWDROPS
The Garden House. Spend the day learning from textile artist Meg Beable and make your own unique piece of art. Meg will show you how to create mixed-media pieces using fabric, embroidery and even watercolour. Tea/coffee is included at midmorning and mid afternoon breaks. Tearoom facilities are available for lunch or bring a picnic to enjoy in the grounds. Cost £38.00 including materials. Booking essential 01822 854769. 11 June, 1pm
BUCKLAND MONACHORUM SUMMER FAIR This year’s theme is ‘Kings and Queens’. Parade starts at 1pm from the Village
R
Reader Offer
ea
ER FF o O w T ER D or
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Two delicious, traditional Afternoon Teas at The Bedford Hotel, for only £20* Tasty sandwiches, selection of home-made cakes, warm scones with local strawberry jam and clotted cream.
Please ensure you prebook by calling 01822 613221 and mention Tavy Links/Moor Links Reader Offer.
The Bedford Hotel In the heart of Tavistock
01822-613221| www.bedford-hotel.co.uk1| 1 Plymouth Road | Tavistock PL19 8BB * Normally £12.95 per person. Offer available Monday to Friday, 2:30pm until 5:30pm, until 30/9/16.
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WHAT’S ON
A challenging multi-terrain 6 mile run, taking place during the summer fair. Registration open from 11.45 – 1.15pm in Buckland Chapel. £15 cash or cheque. Places limited to first 200.
After this there will be plenty to keep everyone occupied from traditional games such as hoopla, skittles, a coconut shy and ‘splat the rat’ to a bouncy castle for the youngsters. For the energetically minded the Burrator horseshoe 7 mile run will start at 2:30pm. Family Dog Show starts at 3.15pm – classes for all. For further information or offers of help, please get in touch Jenny Sharp, 853652 (evenings) or jennysharp@meavy.org.uk
Sunday 12 June, 1-4pm
Daily from 18 June, 11am-5pm
Hall. Games, stalls, bouncy castle and lots more. See What’s On Extra pages for more details. 11 June, 1.30pm
BUCKLAND BOUNDER
LYDFORD GORGE
Twig sculptures and wild weaving, 01822 820320 www.nationaltrust.org.uk/lydfordgorge Tuesday 14 June, 10am-3pm
PRACTICAL CONSERVATION VOLUNTEER DAY At Burrator Reservoir with SWLT. Hot drinks and biscuits provided! Please contact 01822 855700 Thursday 16 June
C.S. RETIREMENT FELLOWSHIP
Join us for a Cream Tea and Raffle in aid of Dr Barnardo’s celebrating their 150 Anniversary. In the restaurant of the Prince of Wales, Princetown at 3.00pm Thursday 16 June from 7pm
WAR HORSE
Burrator Discovery Centre. The story of the making of the film on Dartmoor’ by Paul Rendell. 7pm arrival for refreshments, 7.30pm-8.30pm talk, £3 per person. Please book your place in advance on 01822 855700 or heritage@swlakestrust.org.uk 17 June – 17 July, 11am - 4pm
THE SPIRIT OF BUCKLAND
Rediscover the spirit of Buckland Abbey as artists from Devon Art Pop unravel tales of Buckland’s past in their own individual artist way. 01822 853607 www. nationaltrust.org.uk/buckland-abbey 18 June, 2pm
MEAVY OAK FAIR
The fair will start at 2pm with a pageant from the children of Meavy Primary School.
THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS IN COTEHELE GALLERY
Cotehele. Exhibition featuring a general showcase of talent including painter Michael Hill, metal artist Spencer Larcombe and glassware artist Ed Burke. Normal admission charges apply, 01579 351346 www.nationaltrust.org.uk
Sunday 19 June, 9.30am
HOTEL ENDSLEIGH
Celebrating British Flower Week with Amanda Randell, supported by local growers and New Covent Garden Flower Market. £67pp, includes two course lunch with a glass of wine. 01822 870000, www. hotelendsleigh.com Sunday 19 June
ROADFORD LAKE - FATHER’S DAY Treat your dad to a cake, ice cream or carvery at our café and then head over to our outdoor and active centre to share a high ropes adventure! Fly high with your dad for £25.00 (1 adult and 1 child). For more information call 01566 784859 or book online http://www.swlakesbook.co.u k/?module=Booking&controller=Events&ac tion=Choose&subsid=56fba9b6046ed Thursday 16th June 10am – 1pm
Saturday 18 June, 10am-4pm
OPEN DAY
Burrator Discovery Centre. 01822 853607 www.nationaltrust.org.uk/buckland-abbey Saturday 18 June, 7pm
TAMAR VALLEY MALE VOICE CHOIR
Gala Concert at St Eustachius Church, Tavistock. Guests: the Three Welsh Tenors (Aled Wyn Davies, Rhys Meirion and Aled Hall). Proceeds to Children’s Hospice South West. Adults £12.50, children under 14 years £5, tickets available from Bookstop, Tavistock, Mary Tavy PO/Stores, Terry Pearce 01822 810648 or on the door.
VALUATION OF ANTIQUES, JEWELLERY & CERAMICS
Bearnes Hamilton & Littlewood will be at The Bedford Hotel, Tavistock. Lucy Marles (Jewellery Specialist) and Nic Saintey (Ceramics & General Valuer) will be in attendance to offer advice and valuations on items you may be thinking of selling at auction. No appointment necessary, for further information please call 01392 413100
Yelverton Tennis Club
Grab a racquet and join this thriving, friendly Club in beautiful surroundings. Three newly refurbished hard courts Extremely competitive rates ■ A professional coach for individual or group coaching ■ Junior coaching on Saturday mornings ■ Various tournaments and social events ■ Club nights each week ■ ■
New players of any age and standard are always welcome. Interested?
Contact Mags Berry on 01822 855583 for details
See our new community website www.dartmoorlinks.co.uk
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WHAT’S ON 20–26 June
Saturday 25 June, 10am-4pm
Wednesday 30 June, 8pm
ROADFORD LAKE RECYCLING WEEK
OPEN DAY
DARTMOOR BORDER MORRIS
Winning the Green Tourism award we are all about reducing our waste, reusing materials and recycling! Come see our green sculptures around the lake and take part in fun activities throughout the week. 21 June, 7pm
YELVERTON HISTORY SOCIETY
A guided walk around Royal William Yard, Plymouth. Meet at main gate 7pm 21 June, 1-2pm
COOKING THE MASTER’S DINNER
Buckland Abbey. See the Tudor cooks prepare a feast in the Elizabethan kitchen. Normal admission 01822 853607 www. nationaltrust.org.uk/buckland-abbey
Burrator Discovery Centre please contact 01822 853607 www.nationaltrust.org.uk/ buckland-abbey Saturday 25 June
DEVON WILDLIFE TRUST
Day Trip to Lundy Island from Bideford Quay. Simon Dell will lead a guided walk to see the puffins with time to explore the island. Attendees need to be in Bideford by 8.30 am to get parking (boat leaves 9.30 am) returning to Bideford for 8.30 pm. Group discount, 30 places only. Organised by the Tavistock Local Group of Devon Wildlife Trust – contact Sue Boxall on 01822 810447 Sunday 26 June, 1-4pm
LYDFORD GORGE
Woodland Sculpture, 01822 820320 www. nationaltrust.org.uk/lydford-gorge Tuesday 28 June, 10am-3pm
21-25 June, 10am-6pm
ART EXHIBITION
Tavistock Group of Artists display their artwork in Tavistock Town Hall. Sponsored by Ann Pointer olicitors, FREE admission. Open until 5pm 25 June, more information from www.tgartists.co.uk
PRACTICAL CONSERVATION VOLUNTEER DAY At Burrator Reservoir with SWLT. Hot drinks and biscuits provided! Please contact 01822 855700 Tuesday 28 June, 3.30-5.30pm
HOTEL ENSLEIGH
Friday 24 June, 10am-3pm
PRACTICAL CONSERVATION VOLUNTEER DAY
Italian Afternoon tea with a twist. 01822 870000, www.hotelendsleigh.com
At Burrator Reservoir with SWLT. Hot drinks and biscuits provided! Please contact 01822 855700
Thursday 30 June from 9pm
SOMME CANDLELIT VIGIL C.S. Retirement Fellowship. Join us at the Princetown War Memorial to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the Battle of the Somme for a short Service and Last Post.
JULY
Saturday 2 July, 2-5pm
CLEARBROOK VILLAGE FAYRE
Clearbrook Saffron Fayre. Come and enjoy a small, traditional village fayre in this picturesque hamlet. There will be stalls, games for adults and children, face painting, dog show, scarecrow competition and farm animals. Join us for a delicious cream tea and help to judge the Saffron cake competition in the village hall WHATEVER THE WEATHER! For further details go to our website clearbrookdevon. wix.com/clearbrook Saturday 2 July from 2.30pm
ANTIQUES, JEWELLERY & CERAMICS VALUATION DAY TAVISTOCK A Cartier novelty duck brooch Sold for £17,000
Thursday 16th June 10.00am - 1.00pm at The Bedford Hotel Plymouth Road Tavistock
BERE FERRERS WATERSPORTS DAY
Fun and games for all the family in and out of the water. Games, bar, BBQ and pig roast. Team competing in wild and wacky games in the river and entertainment for the children from 2.30pm. The day will end with live music from ‘Aftershock’ from 9pm. Sunday 3 July, 12pm-4pm
St. Edmund’s Court, Okehampton Street, Exeter EX4 1DU T: 01392 413100 W: www.bhandl.co.uk E: enquiries@bhandl.co.uk
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At The Drake Manor Inn, guests of the Plymouth Maids Clog Dancers. Any budding musicians are welcome to come and join the fun. During the dancing we will be collecting for our two charities: Global Action Nepal and CHICKS. Further info from Treggie on 01752 299700, www. dartmoorbordermorris.com or Facebook
2ND BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS
Come and help us celebrate our 2nd
To promote your business to 15,000 homes - call 01822 615627
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WHAT’S ON Birthday! Lots of different activities for all ages to get involved in plus cake! Burrator Discovery Centre please contact 01822 855700 or heritage@swlakestrust.org.uk Tuesday 5 July, 7pm
PRINCETOWN HISTORY CLUB
‘Stone Rows in the Meavy Valley’ with Dr Sandy Gerrard. Meet at Sharpitor carpark SX 560 708 5 July
THE ZIGZAG WAY
Tavistock Town Hall. A stage adaptation of Anita Desai’s Booker prize winning novel, a powerful story of mining and migration, and the coming together of two entirely different cultures through the movement of a mining community to Mexico in the 19th century. This event is part of the Tinth Celebrations. For more information and bookings go to www.collectivearts.org.uk or www.trebigganproductions.com/ Thursday 7 July, 12.30pm
C.S. RETIREMENT FELLOWSHIP
Cost £30.00, booking essential with The Garden House 01822 854769.
Join us for a friendly chat in the Prince of Wales, Princetown. Anyone who is retired will be warmly welcomed. Meet old friends or make new ones. 11, 12, 13, 14, 25, 26, 27 & 28 July
COTEHELE NANCY BELLE RIVER TRIPS
Board the Nancy Belle and head up river under the Calstock viaduct to learn about the Tamar Valley. 2 hrs, £15. Ring 01579 351346 for times and to book 12 July, 10.30am-4pm
PASTEL ART CLASS
The Garden House. This inspiring and creative day is a treat for those who are new to working with pastels and the more experienced. Maximum 10 per course, please bring your own materials. Tea/coffee is included and served at mid morning and mid afternoon breaks. Tearoom facilities are available for lunch or bring a picnic to enjoy in the gardens.
13 July, 6.30pm
HOTEL ENDSLEIGH
Film Supper: The Danish Girl, £22 two course dinner. 01822 870000, www. hotelendsleigh.com Saturday 16 July
AROUND THE WORLD TO RIO Tavistock Pannier Market. Free Fun Event for Carnival Day. Children’s Trails with a prize for everyone plus a free raffle. All Traders will be in costume representing different countries of the World. Take a trip from Great Britain to Rio via Australia, France, Japan and many more!!! 16 & 17 July, 10.30am-5.30pm
SUMMER FOOD FAIR
Buckland Abbey. Discover the taste of the West country as Buckland’s Great Barn plays home for more than a dozen producers of the finest food and drink from
YELVERTON CINEMA Summer Film Programme HELD AT YELVERTON CHURCH HALL Saturday Evenings Café Cinema Jun 11th
The Danish Girl (15)
Jul 16th
Steve Jobs (15)
Aug 20th
Eddie the Eagle (PG)
Sep 17th
The Revenant (15)
Doors open 7.15pm • Films start at 8pm BYO and refreshments available £4 on the door
Saturday June 25th Star Wars - The Force Awakens (12A) Doors Open 5.30pm Feature film at 6pm Themed refreshments available Prizes for the best fancy dress
May the force be with you! Suggested donation £2
Children’s Cinema Returns in September
For film details check our website www.yelvertoncinema.co.uk
See our new community website www.dartmoorlinks.co.uk
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G N I M O C SOON!
THE ULTIMATE ROOM W O H S T E P R A C & BED
Image © Cormar
specialists near Morrisons, Tavistock, or call to discuss how we can help you; 01822 614 537, or visit our website; tavistockcarpets.co.uk
TAVISTOCK BEDS Z
ZZ
01822 614537/612880 Open: Mon-Sat 9am - 5pm West Devon Business Park Tavistock PL19 9DP
tavistockcarpets.co.uk • tavistockbedcentre.co.uk
WHAT’S ON across the South West. £2 entry to fair for non-members. Under 5s and National Trust members free. 01822 853607 www. nationaltrust.org.uk/buckland-abbey 18 July, 11am-4pm
COTEHELE UNLOCKED
Explore areas usually closed to visitors and meet the staff and volunteers who care for Cotehele. Normal admission charges apply, 01579 351346 www. nationaltrust.org.uk 19 July, 6.45pm
YELVERTON HISTORY SOCIETY
A guided walk around Devon Great Consols Mine. Meet at Wheal Anna Maria SX 425 735 19 July, 8pm
PRINCETOWN NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH MEETING
In the restaurant of the Prince of Wales, Princetown. All residents of the Dartmoor Forest Parish Council are welcome to attend. Did you know that some Insurance companies offer a discount on your Home Insurance Policy to members of a Neighbourhood Watch Scheme? Membership is free. 21 July
C.S. RETIREMENT FELLOWSHIP
Coach Trip to Seaton Tramway with Lunch in a select hostelry. Booking is essential. Call Mike on 01822 890799 for more information or reservations.
21 July, 9.30am
Saturday 30 July, 12pm-5pm
HOTEL ENDSLEIGH
CHARCOAL BURNING EVENT
Flower workshop with Amanda Randell. Discover the impact of a parallel design. £67pp includes all equipment and a two course lunch with glass of wine. 01822 870000, www.hotelendsleigh.com 23 July – 4 September
MEDIEVAL BEAST HUNT
Buckland Abbey. Pick up your trail booklet and head out onto the Buckland Abbey estate in search of the medieval beasties lurking in the woodlands. Will you find them all? Normal admission plus £1per booklet. 01822 853607 www. nationaltrust.org.uk/buckland-abbey 25 July
MAN ENGINE
The largest puppet ever made in the UK, living proof of our world class engineering! The 10 metre high steampowered giant will travel the length of Devon and Cornwall’s Mining Landscape over the course of two weeks, with celebratory events at each resting point. Bedford Square, Tavistock. For more information see our What’s On Extra pages or www.themanengine.org.uk 27 July, 10.30am-12.30pm
MAKE YOUR OWN INSECTS! Roadford Lake. Do you know your dung beetle from your biscuit bug? Explore the lake with our countryside wardens and see what you can find. Have a go at making the insects you’ve spotted on your walk to take home. £4 per child, adults go free (one adult to accompany each child). To reserve a place call 01566 784559.
Burrator Discovery Centre. You can either come for the whole session or just pop along for part of it, no booking necessary. Please contact 01822 855700
AUGUST Saturday 27 August
WALKHAMPTON FLOWER & PRODUCE SHOW
2pm Entries now being taken. Please complete a show schedule entry form or go online at www.walkhamptonshow.weebly.com. Closing date for gardens is 28th July and all show exhibits 25th August. (Show schedules available from Dousland Stores and Yelverton Garage)
All event listings are FREE Send us event details for our next issue August-September by
Friday 1st July
Please get in touch: editorial@moorlinks.co.uk or 01822 853110
POWDERMILLS POTTERY CRAFT SHOP & CREAM TEAS New This Summer
Know Your Hill Ponies Exhibition
Situated 2 miles west of Postbridge on the B3212, surrounded by beautiful Dartmoor scenery.
Open 10:30am – 5 pm 7 days a week PL20 6SP TEL: 01822 880263
See our new community website www.dartmoorlinks.co.uk
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www.boringdonhall.co.uk Call 01752 344455 Boringdon Hall Hotel, Plympton, Plymouth PL7 4DP
SU OP M EN M I ER NG 20 16
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Your Wellness, Naturally For further information on Gaia Spa memberships, spa breaks and day spa call 01752 344455 4578M Tavy Links Ad:Layout 1
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HISTORY, ARTS, CRAFTS AND PERFORMANCE at PLYMOUTH CITY MUSEUM AND ART GALLERY • • • • • • •
Self-directed fun for pre-schoolers Holiday activities for families Free film screenings for all ages Exciting special events Lunchtime talks and gallery tours Great exhibitions and galleries Shop and café
PLYMOUTH CITY MUSEUM AND ART GALLERY DRAKE CIRCUS, PLYMOUTH PL4 8AJ
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The Imagination Museum © Pari Naderi
Some events require booking and/or admission charges For more information visit www.plymouthmuseum.gov.uk or call us on 01752 304774
To promote your business to 15,000 homes - call 01822 615627
editorial@moorlinks.co.uk
WHAT’S ON EXTRA
Saturday 11th June
Buckland Monachorum Summer Fair & Buckland Bounder! Buckland Monachorum June Fair has been traditionally held on the second Saturday in June for many years and the event seems to have developed from an older Village event known as the May Revels. For many years the Fair was held in the grounds of Pound House and then at the village primary school. It was decided to move the Fair into the Village for 2013 and rename it the Buckland Monachorum Summer Fair. The profits from the day are shared by the organisations that help put on the Fair. The Fair will begin as always with a Fancy Dress parade starting at 1pm, led by the City of Plymouth Pipe Band. This year’s theme is Kings and Queens. As always there will be various selections of stalls, a bouncy castle, teas, coffees & cakes from the Baptist Hall, a hog roast, burgers, ice creams, The Miniature Steam Railway and of course the Grand Raffle. The Family Dog Show run by the Gables Farm Dogs & Cats Home will be held this year in the Village Street towards Chapel Meadows. The Plymouth Pipe Band will also be playing some of their favourite music during the fair.
New – Buckland Bounder! The Buckland Bounder is a new challenging multi terrain 6 mile run, starting in the village as part of the Summer Fair. This is the first time that this run has taken place and is open to competitors over the age of 16 years with a good level of fitness. Numbers will be limited to 200.
the river at the footbridge at Double Waters. The route then heads up back over the moor to Berrator where it rejoins the road leading back towards Buckland Monachorum. The route is hilly in parts and in places difficult underfoot, particularly at Doublewaters. Entries will be accepted on the day at a cost of £15 (cash or cheque only) with registration from 11.45 to 1.15pm in Buckland Chapel. (Note: NO BAG DROP and strictly NO DOGS) For further enquiries about this run email Jan Moore at bucklandbeauty@gmail.com. If you would like a stall at the fair then please book a pitch via the Chairman, Gary Baird on 01822 855272 or email gazzerb@gmx.com. For safety reasons the road through the village will be closed from 10:30 in the morning and will reopen at 17:30. Local residents will have received a letter offering them alternative parking within the school grounds. If you would like a stall then please book a pitch via the Chairman, Gary Baird on 01822 855272 or email gazzerb@gmx.com.
The route leads up from Buckland Monachorum along country lanes up onto the Dartmoor National Park at Roborough Down, then heads across the moor down towards the Drakes Trail. It then crosses the new Gem Bridge and heads down left into the woods at Lower Grenofen, along the river Walkham and crosses
HARPER WILLIAMS PART OF CHARLES DERBY
Review your policies, review your plans, review your payments and have a Financial Health Check Up Contact Leanne Elliott to arrange your review
0800 246 5836 leanne@harperwilliams.co.uk With customers returning to our specialists year after year for over 15 years, that’s a recommendation you can bank on!
Drake’s Auctions Tavistock
Sales are held at Parade Business Park, Tavistock, fortnightly on Mondays. Viewings held from 12 - 5pm on the Sunday preceding sale. See our website for the full auction calendar. Antiques • Collectables • Jewellery • Quality Furniture • Household Appliances • Garden Furniture • Tools & Machinery We offer house clearance and valuation services, and take in goods at our office, every Monday to Thursday 9.30am - 4pm and Saturday 9am - 12 noon.
For more information call us on: 01822 616992
www.drakesauctions.co.uk Unit 6 Parade Business Park, Pixon Lane, Tavistock PL19 9RQ
See our new community website www.dartmoorlinks.co.uk
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WHAT’S ON EXTRA
Monday 25th July, Tavistock
The Man Engine
Celebrating the ‘Tinth’ anniversary of World Heritage Status To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape being added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites, the Cornish Mining World Heritage Site Partnership has commissioned an exciting summer-long set of inspirational events and experiential happenings entitled Tinth. The key commission is the creation of the Man Engine, a 10
from Bedford Square, Tavistock at 10am on Monday 25th July. The colossal metal Cornish Miner, part man, part machine, is the largest mechanical puppet ever to be built in Britain. Crawling down the road, the height of the Man Engine is 4.5m (a little taller than a double-decker bus) but when he ‘transforms’ he will stand at over 10m tall (two-and-a-half double-deckers!) Follow the Man Engine from Tavistock through the historic mining town of Gunnislake across the iconic bridge and up to the top of picturesque Kit Hill for a 360˚ view. He will be escorted by traditional bal maidens and miners, singing mining songs. It is expected that thousands will turn out to sing-on the Man Engine at celebratory events all along his journey. At five sites along the route the waiting crew has a gift for the Man Engine: a ‘Mining Wagon’, designed and built by local schools and communities. After his 14-day pilgrimage the Man Engine will reach Geevor in for the largest celebratory cornish gathering in a generation. Over the next five years the Man Engine will trace the footsteps of the Cornish Mining Diaspora through Spain, South Australia, South Africa, Mexico, the USA – an epic totem of the Cornish Mining World Heritage. Commissioned by the World Heritage Site Partnership, the Man Engine is being developed and fabricated at a top secret location by Golden Tree Productions. To keep up to date with the Man Engine’s journey, events leading up to it and to dig deeper into our unique mining heritage please visit the Man Engine website.
The Man Engine will be unveiled and then start his epic journey
www.TheManEngine.org.uk
RHS CHELSEA GOLD MEDALIST 2014
metre plus high steaming giant who will quite literally crawl the length of the Cornish Mining Landscape over the course of two weeks from the 25th July to the 6th August 2016.
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Workshops available
One to one’s or groups Experience playing with flowers with your friends and learning techniques you can use at home.
MDPF
Master Florist 07973 226710 01822 870888
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WHAT’S ON EXTRA
Tavistock Edge took the town by surprise last July as a series of musical, theatrical and dance tableaux sprang up out of the blue in public buildings and cafes around the centre of Tavistock at the start of Carnival Week. What will happen this year? The Edge was conceived by a talented group of communityminded Tavistock residents wanting to take a fresh and off-thewall look at the fringe side of the Arts. By bringing performances to audiences in informal and unconventional settings they hope to widen the appeal of the Arts with fun, free and vibrant acts for everyone to enjoy. The debut Tavistock Edge in 2015 was a very successful event, organised in conjunction with the Lion’s Carnival Week and featuring the 100-strong Flash Choir’s performances at the library and the Pannier Market, as well as opera and poetry in cafes, street theatre, belly dancing, musicians in the churchyard, a pop-up art gallery, and of course ‘knitting on the edge’. The underlying ideology though was to engage as much of the community as possible and of all ages and abilities. ‘Knitting on the edge’ provided the opportunity for the knitting community and particularly the older generation to come together and produce a thousand red poppies, blankets and fabulous window displays, as well as the incredible woollen car in the Lion’s Carnival Procession. For carnival week you will also need to be on the look-out for yarn bombing as there is a threat of Tavistock disappearing in a blast of kniffiti.
glassblowing and willow-craft. If that doesn’t tempt you then the Bedford Hotel is hosting a Beer Festival on 9th July as well as a number of Edge events in its grounds. Buskstop in the town centre will provide a platform for a number of ‘renegade’ buskers during the day, and in the evening there will be more entertainment in the form of music and poetry with a twist of humour. Sunday in the Meadows will see a wide range of activities for children, while there will also be a few surprises in store for the grand finale of the week at the Carnival Procession on 16th July. If you would like to perform as an individual or a group, or join the flash choir please contact the organisers via the Tavistock Edge Facebook page, or email Hilary at edge@tavistockedge. org.uk for more details. Otherwise just come along and join in the fun on Saturday 9th July. The organisers of Tavistock Edge 2016 would like to say a huge thank you to everyone involved in this year’s event and particularly to the Lions, The Bedford Hotel, The Ordulph Arms, Abode and Tesco. Photos courtesy of Roger Croxson
Last year’s Flash Choir attracted a hundred people keen to bewilder and delight shoppers with a rendition of African choral music, while small groups of theatrically dressed opera singers slipped into local cafes for five-minute operatic recitals. No previous choral experience is required for the flash choir so why not take up the opportunity to blend your voice with this year’s choir which promises to be even more spectacular. As well as the random flash events there will also be a core of programmed activities to ensure everyone has a chance of experiencing some of the event’s Edge offering. There will be workshops on a variety of themes such as dance, art,
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NATIONAL TRUST
Buckland Abbey
A summer packed full of events including a food fair and art from Rembrandt to Devon’s own ‘Art Pop’
Spring is slowly on its way out and the summer sun has started to bask us in glorious sunshine. It’s a beautiful time of year to explore the estate or to escape the sunshine by popping indoors to see many treasures in the Abbey. From mid-June to early July, we’re incredibly excited to be welcoming artists from Devon Art Pop as they display their own unique interpretation of Buckland Abbey’s spirit of place as their works of art sit alongside existing pieces; such as our verified Rembrandt self-portrait and the new identified Francis Drake portrait hanging in the Drake Chamber. We’re urgently in need of your help to continue looking after Drake’s home for generations to come. On Monday 6 June we’re hosting a volunteering recruitment day, showcasing the various opportunities we have for you to get involved. If you have some spare time, would like to help our cause and want to join our growing family, please do drop in. Buckland Abbey is now open daily from 10.30am-5.30pm. Visit our website www.nationaltrust.org.uk/buckland for more details of our events, opening times and more.
FAMILY FELT
1 June, 11am-4pm Join Claire Packer as her popular drop in family felt workshop returns. Normal admission plus £3 per person.
FAMILY RAG-RUGGING
2 June, 11am-4pm Drop-in anytime between 11am-4pm to join Debbie Hastings for her fun, family-friendly rag rug workshop - where you can create a masterpiece to take home. Normal admission plus activity charge (£2+)
EARLY BIRD NATUREMAKE
3 June, 10.30-11.15am Eager to get creative? Join the Naturemake team for an earlybird workshop creating wonderful fairytale inspired sculptures, from dragons and maidens, woodland fortresses to enchanted pixie gardens. £12 per person. Booking essential, visit www. nationaltrust.org.uk/buckland
Buckland Abbey 16 - 17 July, 10.30am5.30pm
Discover the taste of the Westcountry as Buckland's great barn is filled with food and drink produced in the south west.
F O O
PR
£2 entry to fair. Under 5's and National Trust members free. 01822 853607 nationaltrust.org.uk/buckland
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© National Trust Images/William Shaw. Registered Charity Number 205846.
Summer Food Fair
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NATIONAL TRUST
Cotehele
Enjoy over 60 quirky stalls, music, workshops and a catwalk at ‘All things Vintage and Lovely’
Take a break from the hustle and bustle of daily life and join Miss Ivy and her events team for All things Vintage and Lovely at Cotehele, the National Trust garden and estate near Saltash.
Cotehele is in St Dominick, near Saltash, PL12 6TA. Find details at www.nationaltrust.org.uk/cotehele, on Facebook and Twitter. The staff and volunteers always look forward to welcoming you to Cotehele on the Cornish bank of the River Tamar.
The weekend show will be on 18 and 19 June, 10.30am-4:30pm each day. The program will include live music, a theatre act (Saturday), a catwalk (Sunday), workshops, classic cars, military vehicles, children’s entertainment and more. Be prepared to be entertained throughout the weekend. There will also be over 60 quirky stands for lovers of vintage memorabilia including clothes, jewellery, crockery and kitchenalia. Local craftspeople will be showcasing their amazing creations too. Refreshments will be available in Cotehele’s Barn Restaurant and Edgcumbe tea-room, food kiosks as well as an outdoor BBQ.
NANCY BELLE RIVER TRIPS
10, 13, 14, 15, 27, 28, 29 June and 11, 12, 13, 14, 25, 26, 27, 28 July Board the Nancy Belle and head up river under the Calstock viaduct to learn about the Tamar Valley. 2 hrs, ring 01579 351346 for times and to book, £15.
THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS IN COTEHELE GALLERY
Daily from 18 June 11am-5pm Exhibition featuring a general showcase of talent including painter Michael Hill, metal artist Spencer Larcombe and glassware artist Ed Burke. (Normal admission charges apply)
Entry is £4 (National Trust members £3.00) and includes entry to Cotehele garden, house and mill.
Discover miles of walks, orchards, stunning views, terraces and the Tudor home of the Edgcumbes for nearly 600 years. 01579 351346 nationaltrust.org.uk/cotehele
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Registered charity number 205846. © National Trust Images
Cotehele Garden
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MUSIC & ART
Singing the Hallelujah Chorus The Buckland Chapel Community Choir is a growing group of hugely enthusiastic people determined to sing their hearts out every Wednesday evening. Starting from very small beginnings just over a year ago, under the leadership of Caroline Mitchell, they have enjoyed everything from simple folk melodies to contemporary pop. Everyone is welcome, regardless of musical ability. Caroline believes that everyone can sing and welcomes non singers and good singers alike: “The good singers help the others just by being there and it’s great to see the satisfaction on people’s faces when they tackle something that they didn’t think they could do” The choice of music is always available for discussion. “It was almost a unanimous decision to tackle the Hallelujah Chorus this term. Its quite difficult with such a small choir so we need some more voices to swell the sound. It would be great to have a huge group of people who want to do this!”. The emphasis at rehearsals is on having fun. The feedback from
members is that they really enjoy the evening, build friendships and have a good laugh. Learning Bohemian Rhapsody has been quite entertaining, we hope to perform this later in the summer when we have all had time to practice our air guitar! We have a Facebook page where there are always comments after rehearsals. If you do Facebook please “like” our page or join the group just to see what’s going on! Singing is a great stress reliever and especially when it is combined with humour, fun and friendship. We start promptly at 7.30 p.m. every Wednesday evening at the Buckland Chapel with tea or coffee, biscuits and chat to catch up on news, then we start singing at 8.00 p.m. finishing promptly at 9.00 p.m. We welcome new people even if you can’t make rehearsals every week. It doesn’t matter where you live and everyone is welcome from all the villages and further afield. If singing the Hallelujah Chorus is on your bucket list, look no further, come and sing with us. For further information contact Caroline Mitchell on 01822 853364 or carolinemitchell@ carolinemitchell.org or message on facebook.
July 1st & 2nd
Milton Combe Piano Festival Milton Combe is awash with award winning pianists and so the newly founded ‘Milton Combe Piano Festival’ sees it’s second season again this July. Last year the young performer, Peter Daniel Ciobanu, went on to win both the Morocco and South Africa piano competitions. This year three pianists will perform, David Malusa and Anna Demytrenko , prize winners at the Berlin and New York piano competitions. Heading the bill is Federico Colli winner of
the Leeds competition which is considered one of the finest competitions in the world. Performances take place on Friday and Saturday evenings with a late morning recital on Saturday for those who are unable to attend the evening performances. Ticket prices are £15 for the evening performances (tickets for children under 15 are half price ) and £5 for the morning recital. All tickets are available by contacting Elaine Stansbury on 01822 852721.
11.06.16 - 24.06.16
GRADUATE SHOWS For times & locations plymouthart.ac.uk
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MUSIC & ART
Carol Kennedy and Jay Hooper Orchard Learning Studios Jay Hooper was born in Tavistock and is still resident today. After raising a family and working both locally and in Exeter for over 30 years Jay decided in 2011 that she wanted to work for herself. Orchard Learning Studios was born out of Jay’s love of creativity and her desire to share her creative knowledge and experience whilst supporting other local artists. Jay’s workshops include a variety of crafting and sewing skills, such as dressmaking, embroidery and corsetry and are suitable for all ages and abilities. The courses have become very popular and now Jay teaches in studios, shops and homes across Devon. Carol was born and educated in London but has lived locally for the last 29 years, and has worked as a freelance interior designer. Disappointed with the lack of unique, bespoke furnishings she could offer her clients, Carol decided to refresh and broaden her knowledge of embroidery and crafting techniques at Orchard Learning Studios. In 2013 whilst working on a commission from The Garden House, to create hand painted curtains for their tearooms, Carol sought a large space to create her designs and so asked Jay for assistance. They enjoyed working collaboratively and realised that they worked well together, sharing a common ethos and thus their partnership began. In 2014 they designed and produced two life-size scarecrows “Dizzy Designer” and “Creative Cookie” for the Garden House Scarecrow Festival which then developed into two smaller dolls, affectionately known as Dizzy and Creative. They have now become the inspiration behind their blog. Jay explained “We are both passionate about beautifully crafted work and wanted a forum to promote and support quality craftsmanship”. They have created a beautiful set of commercial embroidery and sewing patterns based on the original curtains Carol designed.
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The collection includes panels which can be used to make cushions or framed as pictures, as well as smaller projects for unique buttons and even spectacles cases. Each project aims to provide inspiration and challenge for both new and experienced stitchers. After extensive research Jay and Carol have produced contemporary, elegant designs which draw on traditional techniques. They recently launched their new Dizzy and Creative products at the Knitting and Stitching Show at London Olympia, receiving overwhelmingly positive reactions from student and experienced stitchers, textile designers and industry suppliers. Jay and Carol continue to offer courses, from half a day to five day sewing schools but no longer use the studio, preferring to teach in a variety of venues. Additionally they have initiated a Craft Café - a weekly get together for people to share ideas and skills in an informal way, now hosted by Tescos on Plymouth Road. You can find out more about Dizzy and Creative - enquiries@ orchardlearningstudios.co.uk Blog http://Creativeanddizzy.blogspot.co.uk
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MUSIC & ART
Tamar Valley Male Voice Choir - Gala Concert June 18th The annual Charity Gala Concert, organized by the Tamar Valley MVC, will, this year, be held at St Eustachius Church Tavistock on June 18th at 7-30pm and in accordance with the policy adopted by the choir continue to bring the best of guest artists to perform and entertain at Tavistock. This year is no exception, the choir are pleased to have had their invitation accepted by The Three Welsh Tenors, Aled Hall, Rhys Meirion
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and Aled Wyn Davies, all established internationally known Welsh tenors, with solo careers in their own right, who in recent weeks have been performing at concerts in Canada and the USA. Aled Wyn Davies, who appeared as the choir guest artist at last years Gala Concert, will be returning to Tavistock to celebrate the Choir’s tenth anniversary, following it’s formation on 23rd April 2006.
The concert will be compèred by the President of the Tamar Valley MVC the ever popular Justin Leigh of BBC Spotlight, tickets at £12.50 each, children (under 14 years) £5 each are available from Bookstop Tavistock tel; 01822 617244, Mary Tavy PO/Stores tel; 01822 810422, Terry Pearce tel; 01822 810648 or any choir member. This year the charity adopted for support from this concert will be Children’s Hospice South West.
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MUSIC & ART
Tapestry Choir Eighty members and more on the waiting list…… Tavistock’s Tapestry Choir is a real success story for community singing. The ethos of the choir is ‘Enjoyment’ and there is a strong emphasis on fun and social events, but the music is the ‘glue’ holding it all together and providing a successful platform to bring together a group of people whose paths otherwise might never have crossed. The choir has been led by Rob Shepherd for the last eight years and he is obviously doing something right as the membership has quadrupled to eighty members in that time. Rob’s wife joined the original nucleus of the choir that was started by Jo Wren and called Patchwork Choir at that time. She later persuaded Rob to come along as well and when Jo Wren moved on, he agreed to step up and lead the group, which evolved into Tapestry Choir. Rob’s career is in consulting engineering but music has always been very important to him; he developed an early love for the piano after he persuaded his mother to buy an old piano from the dancing club they attended, and later took piano lessons, eventually becoming an organist as well; he grew up with choral singing in church and university choirs and still enjoys singing with Mount Kelly Choral Society. He has also been learning the
violin for the last six years and now plays with the Palace Theatre Philharmonic Orchestra. Rob’s musical background exposed him to many different music genres and he has always been keen for the choir to embrace an eclectic mix of music to ensure that there is something for everyone Tapestry’s extensive repertoire includes folk, pop, classical and ethnic works to name but a few. The choir always sings unaccompanied and Rob often writes his own arrangements of the harmonies which sometimes encompass 5 or 6 different vocal parts. A lot of members originally joined the community choir to meet new friends and this has resulted in a very supportive group of singers who respond well to new challenges, making it extremely rewarding for Rob to work with them. There is a good mix of people who read music and those that don’t, as well as a good balance of men and women - in fact Tapestry Choir’s main problem is that it can’t accommodate all the people that want to join and has a three-year waiting list for new applicants. Last year also saw the first appearance of a Flash Choir as part of the Tavistock Edge ‘fringe’ events during the Lion’s Tavistock Carnival Week in July. One hundred people gathered in Tavistock to surprise shoppers and visitors with
various impromptu choral performances around the town. Approximately half the people in the Flash Choir were Tapestry Choir members but there was an open invitation to anyone else who wanted to have a go at singing, regardless of experience. Rob would like the Flash Choir to be even ‘bigger and better’ this year and is hoping for about 200 people - so if you would like to join in Tavistock’s largest open air choral event then please get in touch. For more information about Tavistock Edge Flash Choir please contact Rob Shepherd on 07775 951677. For more information about Tapestry Choir or how to purchase CDs please visit the website http://tavistocktapestrychoir. co.uk or email tapestry.choir@btinternet. com
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FEATURE
BURRATOR RESERVOIR Three years of the Historic and Natural Environment Project
Aim of the project: ‘To preserve the area’s rich heritage, make it more accessible, improve the visitor experience and extend the learning programme.’ I’ve been coming to Burrator for many years. On visiting the Centre I didn’t realise how rich the heritage of the area was and have learnt about new places to explore!’ ‘It is hard to believe that we (South West Lakes Trust) have almost come to the end of the three year ‘Burrator Historic and Natural Environment Project’ as preparations are underway for Burrator Discovery Centres 2nd Birthday. The project started in July 2013, funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, South West Water, Dartmoor Sustainable Development Fund, Biffa Award, West Devon Borough Council and South West Lakes Trust. The overall aim for the project was ‘to preserve the area’s rich heritage and make it more accessible by improving the visitor experience, overcoming barriers, extending the learning programme and by reaching out to a more diverse range of people.’ for which we have carried out the following: • Restored a 100 year old corrugated iron store into Burrator Discovery Centre complete with an interactive interpretation centre for site visitors, a classroom and the SWLT field office. • Improved accessibility by developing a 1.5km easy access trail in the Arboretum along with reinforcements to 56
the boardwalk, and additions of a two way wheelchair accessible entrance gate, nature markers and bench. • Carried out consolidation works to two important historic ruins, Lowery Barn and Longstone Manor. • Designed and installed the following, in line with the results from our community consultation: Exhibits in the Discovery Centre; 32 nature markers around the arboretum; 3 site orientation and noticeboards; and 3 artistic illustrations at Leathertor Farm, Lowery Barn and Longstone Manor, in partnership with a design company, artist, local historical groups and volunteers. In addition to these capital works, the other half of the projects focus has been to develop opportunities for learning, interpretation and participation for all audiences through the following: • 32 work experience placements (the equivalent of 430 days) • 80 School Visits (1051 pupils) covering subjects like mini beasts, habitats, water supply, history, ancient Greek and dinosaurs
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• 328 Informal (non-curriculum) learning opportunities of forest schools & wider outdoor learning • 77 Public Events including monthly evening talks, guided walks and family wildlife watch sessions • 14 Rural Skills Training Days including coppicing, charcoal making, cleft fencing, cob construction & lime mortar repairs However, I feel our biggest success has been our volunteers who represent the surrounding area and without whom we wouldn’t have been able to do any of the above. Volunteers have been involved in everything, woodwork, gardening, site maintenance, practical conservation tasks, archaeological preservation projects, education, visitor guides, historical research and much, much more. Over 2,500 volunteer days have been achieved to date which equates to a staggering value of £125,000 ! Thank you ever so much! Read all about Stephen Barrow one of our volunteers and what he enjoys about volunteering with us, within the Local People pages of this magazine (p14). If you would like to find out more please pop in and see us at the Burrator Discovery Centre (PL20 6PE), ring 01822 855700 or e-mail heritage@ swlakestrust.org.uk Emily Cannon Burrator Heritage Learning Officer
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DOG WALK
Off the beaten track at
BURRATOR Incorporating Longstone Manor, Burrator Reservoir and Sheeps Tor Distance: A circular route of 3.2 miles Difficulty: Moderate with one steep optional climb Time: Approx. 1 hour and 20 minutes
With the area surrounding Burrator reservoir having undergone many improvements during the past 3 years of Heritage Lottery Funding, we thought we’d take a dog walk that incorporates some of its finer features and some of the work that’s recently been undertaken.
1. Park at the base of Sheeps Tor SX 559 679 (if travelling from Dousland to Burrator, once at the reservoir, head over the main dam towards the village of Sheepstor, continue on this road and take the first available turning to the left, continue for 500 yds and park). Walk along the road in a NW direction (ahead of the direction you arrived) for a further 200 yds and take the gate through to the inner area of the reservoir where you will start to walk on a path alongside the waters edge. Continue in a northerly direction around the reservoir (away from the dam). The path in some areas can be rather muddy and narrow with tree roots – do take care!
2. After about half a mile you will reach the ruins of Longstone Manor, one of the major success stories of the Burrator Historic and Natural Environment Project. The path beside the manor
will take you around an area of land /plantation that juts into the reservoir. This would be a lovely area to stop for a picnic and take in the breath-taking views of the reservoir. This is a peaceful area and popular with fly fishermen, so please be considerate. (Dogs are not allowed in the water.)
3. Continue on this path and along the edge of the reservoir for a further half mile or so. You will pass stiles that take you back over the fence to the road. Continue along the track though until you get to the third stile. Here you need to cross over the road and head up the track on the opposite side (recently widened from tree clearing, with some forestry debris still evident). Continue on this track until you reach a gate. Go through the gate and you will see a signpost saying Sheeps Tor or Sheepstor village. At this point you can decide to be energetic and turn left to take in the stunning views afforded from the top of Sheeps Tor or turn right and enjoy the more sedate track which skirts the base of the Tor and then on through the trees until the path reaches the final gate (as mentioned in point 5 here). 4. If taking the high road to the top – follow the track until it
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comes out onto open moor and the base of Sheeps Tor, continue round to the left until you see a clear grass path that takes you up to the top of the Tor (up to your right.) This is a relatively steep climb – but certainly worth it!
5. From the top of the Tor you will be able to identify grass tracks/paths that take you down the steeper side of the Tor and down to the edge of the woods where you will go through a gate and pick up the stone track back to your car.
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A DAY OUT TO... leatherworkers, iconic hardware stores, delis, arts and crafts emporia and food stores all to be found within just a few minutes stroll. At 30 The Square antique country furniture, lighting and jewellery sits side by side with contemporary gift ideas, and a collection of organic children’s wear and inspiring toys. Artisan is a bespoke leather studio and gallery selling the work of over 40 local artisans including unique jewellery, pottery, turned wood, forged iron, feltwork, original artwork, prints and photographs alongside leather goods made to order. Two hardware shops, Webber and Sons and Bowdens both established in the 19th century are warrens of Aladdin’s cave delight. You can quite literally find everything here with departments in cookware, DIY, ironmongery and many more.
A Day Out to…
CHAGFORD Chagford, in the heart of Devon, lies toward the Northern edge of the Dartmoor National Park, close to the beautiful River Teign. Described as the “gateway to Dartmoor” this Stannary town is an endearing mix of funky and traditional, exceptionally popular with visitors for its wealth of fascinating independent shops, large range of eateries, galleries, famous festivals and the undisputed warmth of its welcome. It is an exceptionally good place to discover history and legend at its best, with many well preserved 15th and 16th century buildings. From Yelverton it is a leisurely forty five minutes drive through beautiful wide open moorland with big skies and dramatic views.
Food Chagford is sheer bliss for lovers of food and drink with some seriously top-class restaurants, a range of superb hostelries, cafes and restaurants to suit all budgets. Blacks Delicatessen offers a wide range of delicious home cooked food, cheeses and Chagford Ice Cream. A magnet for foodies, it has beautiful displays of carefully chosen fare from local producers. Best Cellars offers a wide range of wines from around the world, interesting spirits and liqueurs and local beers, ales and ciders. The Courtyard is an organic whole food
Shopping Family businesses abound and you can enjoy the slow and unhurried pace whilst browsing the wealth of independent, quirky and traditional shops that cluster around Chagford’s famous octagonal market house. There are boutiques, florists,
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Things to do Chagford is always buzzing and there are lots of events taking place throughout the year including open mic and comedy evenings. There are regular jazz nights, a flower festival and summer fair as well as the Chagstock music festival this year on the 22nd and 23rd of July. The river Teign runs through Chagford and Fingle Bridge is a favourite beauty spot. For the more active, The Two Hills Race in May is a must. Opened in 1934, Chagford Swimming Pool was dug by hand by local residents on land entrusted to the village by the Hayter-Hames family. It is the largest freshwater swimming pool in the south west of England and is a very special spot to visit. Chagford is also a great base for cycling with a number of excellent cycle routes to suit all abilities across spectacular Dartmoor. Fernworthy Lake is a great place to visit with enchanting waymarked walks including a 3-mile circular waterside walk plus a walk suitable for less able visitors with seats, restful viewpoints and information around the route. You can picnic or enjoy fishing or bird watching and there is a Special Protection Zone managed in partnership with Devon Bird Watching and Preservation Society.
cafe, offering breakfast, lunch and tea. Whilst The Birdcage offers tapas and cocktails. Whiddons Eatery is run from a thatched building, parts of which date back to the 16th century and much of its olde worlde charm has been retained.
Places to stay Chagford is a fabulous place for an idyllic stopover or a longer visit, with a choice of excellent hotels, a wonderful range of B&Bs plus delightful farm stays and camping sites. Sitting in the heart of this vibrant stannary town, The Three Crowns Hotel is a delightful thatched 5 star Devon Inn. It is warmly elegant with stone walls, inglenook fireplaces and beamed ceilings. Cyprian’s Cot is an early 16th century cottage located in the heart of Chagford. Just outside Chagford, visitors could try The Mill End Hotel, a beautiful country house hotel on the banks of the river Teign, or Gidleigh Park one of the most highly rated small luxury country house hotels in the world or even further afield, Bovey Castle overlooks beautiful Edwardian gardens and a meandering championship golf course set in the valley of the River Bovey.
For more information on events and places to see visit www. visitchagford.com or www.chagford-parish.co.uk Nichola Williams
Art Always a hub for talented artists, Chagford has a lively art scene and has been the inspiration for musicians, artists and writers for centuries. It is host to many festivals of art, music, literature and film, with galleries and studios open throughout the year.
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FOOD FOOD & & WINE WINE
Thai Crab Cakes Head Chef Raoul Ketelaars from the Bedford Hotel, Tavistock has launched a new menu for summer, featuring classic dishes alongside new and exciting choices with an international flavour, always featuring the finest seasonal West Country produce. He has kindly given us one of his favourite recipes:
Ingredients
Serves 4 (3 crab cakes per person) 500 g Mixed crabmeat 1/2 cup chopped coriander 1/2 cup finely sliced spring onion 5 Tbsp Thai fish sauce 3 Tbsp fresh ginger 1.5 Tbsp Red Thai curry paste 1 Tbsp garlic 2 finely diced shallots 1 egg white, lightly beaten 2 lime leaves, cut into wafer-thin slices 4 cups bread crumbs 1 egg Zest of 2 limes
Method 1. Sweat the diced shallot, ginger, garlic, lime leaves with 3 tbsp of oil 2. Add the curry paste, and fry off for 2-3 minuntes. Take off the heat, and transfer into a mixing bowl. take off the heat, transfare in the a mixing bowl 3. Add the crab meat, lime zest, egg white, Thai fish sauce, coriander and spring onion, 4. Divide the crab cake mixture into 12 equal portions and mould into patties. Place on a tray and chill in the fridge for about 20 minutes before cooking. 5. Preheat the oven to 180C/365F/Gas 4. 6. Beat one egg in a small bowl with one tablespoon of water to make an eggwash. Place some plain flour and the remaining breadcrumbs in separate shallow dishes. 6. Coat a crab cake in the flour, then dip into the egg and coat in the breadcrumbs. Shake gently to remove any excess breadcrumbs. Repeat with the remaining crab cakes. 7. Heat oil in a frying pan and fry the crab cakes for 2-3 minutes on each side, or until crisp and golden-brown all over. Transfer the crab cakes to a baking tray and bake for 5-10 minutes, or until piping hot all the way through. At the Bedford Hotel, these crab cakes are served with lime curd, pickled chilli, roasted peanuts, coconut foam and Thai basil
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FOOD & WINE
A tasting and blending trip to Southern France As Wine Merchants, the element we of course enjoy the most is getting overseas, visiting wine regions and seeing the places and meeting the people behind the wine. Although the two of us have been in the industry for what must add up to over 50 years collectively, as a father and son team, Liam and I have, as yet, not travelled and explored many of the wine regions together so it was fascinating to travel together and realise just how strong our personal draw is to the fascinating and allembracing world of wine. Last week we were in the South of France, a region that interests us both hugely and looking at the levels of sales, apparently our customers too. It is from this area that we source many of our critically important ‘house wines’. The real focus of the visit was not only to search for new exciting wines, maybe try out some of the lesser-known grape varieties but primarily to look at wines that were grown in the summer of 2015. The Languedoc-Roussillon is located around the basin of the Mediterranean and is the world’s largest wine region, stretching all the way from Nimes in the east to the Spanish border in the west and consists of a multitude of quality appellations and a more generic source of good value Vin de Pays. Regions like Minervois and Corbieres continue to offer outstanding quality reds, shared and innovative winemaking skills ensuring each year the wines seem to get better and better. The salty dry Picpoul de Pinet from vineyards close to Beziers are currently so fashionable, so blending our own Picpoul under the l’Abeille label has been an interesting project and gives us complete control of quality and pricing.
On this trip particular attention was given to the Roussillon, where Liam is making his own wine from predominately 100yr old Carignan vines under a label called Immortelle. With only 100 cases available for the UK market this year, the 2014 has almost sold out, but it was fascinating to look at the components of the 2015 vintage and start to get a look at blending options. Tasting raw wines that are in their infancy ...anticipating how they will develop, the use of oak, and so on, a real eye opener...2015, again a great vintage, watch this space.... In Limoux, the high vineyards that face the Pyrenees create wines that are extraordinarily close to Burgundy in style and quality...and yet often at half the price; both the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay shone out and will certainly be additions to our list this summer. It is impossible to visit south France without mentioning rosé. Wines that continue to be more and more popular every year, in fact the sale of rosé wines is now counting for 10% of still wine sales. Provence rosé are quite brilliant, and the warm summer of 2015 seems to have been captured in the bright strawberry fruit that characterises this region’s wine in this year. Southern France, a region that 20 years ago was really only a source of cheap Vin de Table, now seems to be one of the world’s most interesting regions. Offering such diversity and value, I cannot overstate our collective passion and interest in the wines from Southern France.
Charles Steevenson Steevenson Wines
"Tavistock's Independent Wine Merchant supplying wine throughout the South West" Plymouth Road Industrial Estate, Tavistock, Devon PL19 9QN / www.steevensonwines.co.uk / Tel: 01822 616272 / sales@steevensonwines.co.uk 64
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65
BUSINESS
IT FAQs
Gidon from The Technology Company answers your technology questions
Q. I’d like more storage on my smartphone – what are my options? Many smartphones and tablets have expandable storage via a microSD slot. MicroSD cards are inexpensive and available in varying capacities up to 128GB, but check what size your device will support. Apple iPhones and iPads don’t have expandable storage but there are flash drives that will plug into the lightning port. These allow you to manage your photos and videos, albeit only via their accompanying app. The Sandisk iXpand is one option, at around £50 for 32GB of storage. Q. What’s the best way to keep my gadgets charged when I’m away on holiday or on the move? A power bank is the best option for charging your smartphone, tablet or any other gadget that charges via USB. These portable battery packs usually have one or two USB charging ports that you plug your device’s charging cable into. Look for power banks with at least 8,000mAh of capacity which also offer fast 2A charging ports for power hungry devices like tablets. My current recommendation is the Cygnett Chargeup Digital 10000
with a large capacity battery and a convenient digital battery level display. For further details, please see my complete article: http:// goo.gl/PiqipZ. Q. I’m after an action camera but am confused by the choices – please can you narrow down my options? GoPro are the most recognised brand of action cameras and currently offer three models. The Hero Session (£159) is their least expensive model. It’s lightweight and easy to use, but has limited features and no built in display. The Hero 4 Silver (£329) is the most versatile model, with more advanced features than the Session and a built in touch screen display. The Hero 4 Black (£409) is the most expensive option and confusingly loses the built in display, in favour of a more professional feature set. Drift, TomTom, Garmin and Sony also offer action cameras. A good budget option is the Drift Stealth 2 (£99), which is lightweight, has a handy rotatable lens and good battery life. Gidon Reid
If you have any questions now or for a future column, and for all previous articles, please visit thetechnologycompany.co.uk/linksqa.
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BUSINESS News from Geoffrey Cox MP
Help with the property ladder With high house prices, many second home owners and a limited supply of housing due to the rural area in which we live, many young people across Torridge and West Devon are finding it increasingly difficult to get on the property ladder. Add to this the fact that since the financial crisis, larger deposit requirements and reduced equity values mean many creditworthy households cannot get a mortgage, or are trapped in their existing homes unable to take the next step, and it becomes clear that steps had to be taken to get the housing market moving again. This is why the previous Conservative-led Government introduced the Help-to-Buy scheme, a package of measures to increase the supply of low-deposit mortgages for credit-worthy households. The success of this and other schemes means that the number of first-time buyers increased by nearly 60 per cent between 2010 and 2014. The main components of the Help-to-Buy scheme are the Equity Loan scheme and the Mortgage Guarantee scheme. The Equity Loan scheme provides buyers with an equity loan of up to 20 per
cent of the value of a new build property, repayable once the home is sold. While the Mortgage Guarantee scheme, which helps people to access an affordable mortgage with only a five per cent deposit, is coming to an end this year, it is extremely pleasing to see that the Equity Loan scheme has been extended. The extension means that a further £8.6 billion will help up to 145,000 more people buy a new-build home. I also welcome the announcement of the Help-to-Buy ISA, which supports people saving up for their first home by providing them with a maximum government bonus of £3,000 on £12,000 of savings - a boost of 25 per cent. Over 150,000 people have bought their own home through Help-to-Buy, with 80 per cent of completions made by first-time buyers, and I am confident that many more, including those living in this constituency, will benefit in future, gaining the valuable foothold they need in the housing market. Geoffrey Cox
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67
HISTORY
Bringing the Past to Life We are probably all aware of sites of major historical and architectural importance in our local area, but how often do we walk past other lesser sites without realising their significance or perhaps even noticing their existence?
There are an increasing number of opportunities for volunteers to get involved in “bringing the past to life” ranging from one-day working parties helping to conserve endangered sites to longer-term community projects such as Parishscapes projects which are designed to help local communities come together to explore their parish landscape and discover its heritage. The 2007-2010 East Devon AONB Parishscapes Project involved digitising historical tithe maps for use by local councils, history societies and the local community, including a number of schools, so that they could use them as a basis for comparing past and present landscape connections and building a wealth of historical information about the parish and the people who lived there. The evaluation report on the project concluded that it had been extremely successful - “Parishscapes was as much about community engagement as it was about any of the specific activities that took place, but without either it would not have worked.” Nigel Rendle sent in the following article based on a Yelverton History Society talk by Phil Planel who led the East Devon AONB Parishscapes Project:
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The Lees Cottage Story – a Study in Victorian Landscape History The feature which attracted the most interest in the project was the existence of several houses and farms in each parish which had completely disappeared from the landscape, although their names were recorded in the1841 Census. Efforts were concentrated in Northleigh Parish where a cluster of farms and houses had disappeared. The landowner was willing to allow work to proceed so volunteers carried out historical research and attempted to marry the census data with the tithe apportionment data. It turned out that all the houses were abandoned by the end of the 19th century probably because of the agricultural depression and loss of communal grazing. Lees Cottage was identified as the smallest of the houses and was selected for partial excavation by volunteer labour under professional supervision. Excavation amongst the boggy and overgrown area revealed that tiny and ‘primitive’ as it was, the occupants of Lees Cottage were able to afford a reasonable standard of living, as revealed by the discovery of poignant artefacts
such as a hearth, kettle handle and chain, bread oven and a rare example of a lime ash floor. A fragment of an inscription on the hearth, reading Lee, established that this was indeed Lees Cottage (the name appears in the census data but not on the map). The Census also revealed that a Mr Dunning, a tailor, had lived there. The report was put on the AONB website and immediately attracted the attention of the descendants of the Dunning family, who were tracing their origins prior to their migration from East Devon to the industrial centres of South Wales. Several members of the family subsequently visited the site. If that sounds like something you would like to be involved in then ‘Moor than Meets the Eye’ led by Dartmoor National Park, commenced in September 2014 and provides opportunities for communities to come together and find out more about Dartmoor’s heritage. The £3.8 million Landscape Partnership Scheme will run for five years and includes 28 community heritage and conservation projects to explore Dartmoor’s past, conserve its wildlife and archaeological heritage, improve understanding of the moor and develop the required skills to preserve it for generations to come.
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Dartmoor National Park rangers Ella Briens and Andrea Roberts, together with DNP archaeologist Andy Crabb have also been working with volunteers to preserve English Heritage ‘Sites At Risk’ which are in danger of being eroded or undermined. Their work has focused on removing vegetation (which may ultimately undermine sites), and reinstating the sites’ prominence in the landscape. Ella said: “What makes this work even more special is the fact that we have had so much volunteer help from both local and national visitors, coming along to join us for the day, using hand tools to remove vegetation (mostly gorse) from the sites. We have worked on a number of sites including bronze age stone rows and hut circles, through to medieval farmsteads.” Crazy Well farmstead or Classywell near Crazy Well Pool was one of the sites worked on earlier this year; the site was abandoned in the early 1870s and contains the ruins of a two-roomed building, set within a small enclosure in the outer fields of ’Classywell’. Suggested origins of the building included a 13th century ’longhouse’ built when Dartmoor enjoyed warmer conditions, or a small holding established in the 18th century, perhaps by a tin miner. After the team
of volunteers cleared the site of gorse Andy Crabb was able to examine the building in more detail and determine that the building had been built with the contours rather than being built into the hillside as was the custom for medieval longhouses. There was also no evidence of a chimney or fireplace and due to the poor drainage it would have been a very unsatisfactory site for a house. Andy therefore concluded that it was more likely to have been an outlying barn for one of the nearby farms. Conservation volunteering is a great way to experience the outdoors, get healthy exercise and help look after the environment. DNP will be working on conserving other ‘at risk’ sites from October so if you would like to get involved please check the website for more details: www.dartmoor.gov.uk/ aboutus/vi-volunteers If you are interested in volunteering for any of the Moor than meets the eye projects please contact Andy Bailey the Community Officer for MTMTE on 01822 890903 or email andy@ moorthanmeetstheeye.org Rosemary Best Nigel Rendle
How to do Family History Research Local libraries are a rich resource for family history research. Tavistock library has an extensive collection of genealogical research material, including census records on microfiche or CD-Rom, parish records, trade directories and local historical maps. Their parish register collection covers a large number of parishes in West Devon, and interestingly there are also some non-conformist registers too. The Tithe maps are available, as are old field maps of the area, Village Packs which give a wide variety of local information about specific settlements, sometimes including old photographs. The census returns include details from the Tavistock Workhouse. The extensive Transactions of the Devonshire Association is a mine of information about the county, its places and its people. In the Local History section of the library you will find books giving information on mining in the area, railways and industry, schools, businesses, shops and charities. It also offers biographies of local people, and includes some of the Duke of Bedford’s sale catalogues, which can provide very detailed and fascinating information. Historical newspapers dating from the 1970s are also available. Susan Francia Historian and Genealogist.
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HISTORY
Honour and Royal Oaks English Oak, Quercus robur, has been used throughout history in many ways as a form of ‘bank’, platforms for musicians to perform from and of course legendary Royal hide-outs.
Whitchurch
Meavy
English Oak, Quercus robur, has become a national emblem from its perceived characteristics of endurance and steadfastness. British warships were traditionally made of heart of oak as it was the strongest wood from the tree. Heart of Oak is the official march of the Royal Navy. The words were written by the English actor David Garrick, as part of an opera and the music by Dr William Boyce was first performed in 1760 at the Theatre Royal in Drury Lane.
boundary between Tavistock and Whitchurch parishes.
There are many famous ancient oak trees throughout the United Kingdom which have played a part in English history. In West Dartmoor we have two examples, the ‘Honour’ and ‘Royal’ oaks.
In 2014, the accuracy of this statement was questioned and it was suggested that it should be amended to reflect more accurately the dates of the Napoleonic wars (1809-16). But the parole system had been established from eighteenth century conflicts, when French and Spanish prisoners were paroled in Tavistock from prisons in Plymouth and prison ships on the Tamar.
HONOUR OAK TREE WHITCHURCH The Honour Oak tree on Whitchurch road is thought to be at least 500 years old. It marks the limit to which French prisoners on parole in Tavistock were allowed to walk from the centre of town. These parole prisoners, from the wars with France, 1809 to 1815, would have been sent to the Dartmoor Depot war prisons, Princetown, then named, Princes Town. They were then allocated to various towns around Dartmoor, which acted as parole depots. French army and navy officers lived freely on parole in these towns, provided they adhered to certain conditions, which they agreed to honour. Those officers paroled in Tavistock had to limit their excursions to one mile from the centre of the town. This coincided with the last oak in a row of trees on Whitchurch road, which was then the main route to Plymouth. This tree became known as the ‘Honour Oak’ tree, and before 1935 marked the 70
The plaque on the tree, which may have been put up in the 1960s, reads: ’Marked boundary of French prisoners on parole in Tavistock from Princetown during the Napoleonic war (1803-14) also where money was deposited in exchange for food during a cholera outbreak in 1832’.
The Honour Oak tree was also the place where money was deposited in exchange for food, during a cholera outbreak in 1832. Tavistock was quarantined, for fear of infection, and people left money at the oak tree in exchange for food and other supplies. ROYAL OAK AT MEAVY This ancient Oak tree, at Meavy village green, said to have been planted in the reign of King John (1166-1216), may be over 800 years old. It is the centre of the Meavy Oak Fair, which is held on the third Saturday in June, near St Peter’s day. Records from the 1800s state that during this festival the tree was surrounded with poles and a platform erected on top of the flat, clipped, top
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branches. This was reached by a ladder or stairs, and various reports suggest that musicians, dancers or diners used the platform. In 1899, Sabine Baring-Gould, the rector of Lew Trenchard, described a platform placed under the canopy of the tree, to which musicians climbed by a ladder to play their instruments for villagers to dance on the green at Meavy Oak Fair. The trunk has been hollow for at least 150 years, as William Crossing quotes a poem of 1826 by Carrington, that nine people once dined inside the trunk of the tree, guests of the hostess of the inn. The Royal Oak inn takes its name from the ancient hollow oak tree, and a place where the innkeeper stored peat turves for fuel. There is a legend that Charles II hid in the tree, when he was chased by Cromwell’s men, hence the name ‘Royal’ Oak, but it is doubtful that it was this tree. Similar legends are associated with other royal oak trees around the country, most famously the Boscobel Oak in Shropshire. Royal Oak day is celebrated on 29 May each year, to commemorate the restoration of the monarchy, in 1660.
marriages. Small villages could not always afford a church until there was a rich benefactor. A church at Meavy was built in 1122, and later dedicated to St Peter, as the village fair is held in June near the saint’s feast day. The preaching (or village) cross, close to the Royal Oak tree, was the forerunner of the village church. Although more than 13 ft tall it is dwarfed by the Meavy Royal Oak behind it. Boys used to ride bicycles, through the hollow Meavy Oak tree, but it is now surrounded by a protective railing. The adjacent tree, grown as a successor, from an acorn, from the ancient Royal Oak tree was planted in 1920. A recent appeal suggests that saplings should be grown from the acorns of the original oak tree to ensure its continuity into the future. Dr Ann Pulsford
The Meavy Royal Oak was also used as a ‘gospel’ oak, where preachers would conduct services, under the shelter of its branches. Priests would ride around the country preaching to villages without a church, and also perform baptisms and
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wv wv CAPITAL D E C O R AT I N G S E R V I C E S
CALL - 01822 619628 M:07939 527 005 steve@capitaldecorating.com www.capitaldecorating.com
STEVE SYMONS Turn your home into a SMART home with a
ELECTRICAL & MECHANICAL ENGINEERING SERVICES
• DOMESTIC ELECTRICAL INSTALLATIONS, EXTENSIONS AND ALTERATIONS • AGRICULTURAL AND COMMERCIAL INSTALLATIONS AND REPAIRS • INDUSTRIAL INSTALLATIONS, PROCESS CONTROL SYSTEMS AND FAULT FINDING • MECHANICAL REPAIRS AND PLANNED MAINTENANCE • HOME AUTOMATION SYSTEMS • HD CCTV SYSTEMS
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01822 859395 • 07851 711338
info@griffinelectric.co.uk • www.griffinelectric.co.uk
WV
Home Automation System.
All your flooring needs supplied and fitted. Carpet, vinyl, Karndean and much more... I can provide a door to door service with a range of flooring samples for your convenience or alternatively just a fitting service.
WILVERSCHUT
LOCALFLOORINGSPECIALIST Email: willv31@aol.com
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TRADE SECRETS
TRADE SECRETS Jonathan Case Builder and Contractor Why did you become a builder?
As a child I used to help my father and grandfather with DIY around the home. Neither were builders but both very practically minded. I enjoyed the projects and after some work experience with a Tavistock builder I was offered an apprenticeship and have never looked back.
clients and also have good working relationships with architects, quantity surveyors, and designers. We are also supported by IT and Health & Safety Consultants.
How much training is involved, what qualifications do you need to become a builder?
What is involved in being a builder? How does your day usually unfold?
Someone going in to this trade now will need a minimum 2 year NVQ qualification which essentially means working out in the field for four days a week as an apprentice with one day at college. You learn the theory at college and put it in to practice on site. Modern courses offer modules where you can choose a trade specialism, so you might take carpentry, or plastering. It is crucial to keep up to date with techniques and regulations, so courses are a fundamental part of being a builder.
Every day is different, but they always start early and finish late. I have been fortunate to work on a large variety of domestic buildings and each presents as an original assignment. We are currently renovating a listed building which involves sensitive restoration using traditional materials. At the same time we are also building a contemporary house with cutting edge design, using the latest in modern building techniques and resources. I enjoy the unique creative challenges of every building project.
How long have you been a builder?
What would you say to someone thinking of this as a career?
I have been building for over 25 years and in that time my wife Jane and I have invested heavily in the business so that although I am still very much hands on, the job has developed to include the management of several small teams.
Where do you work?
Part of the day is spent in the office, planning, pricing quotes, and keeping up with the admin, although Jane does the majority of the paperwork. Most of my day is spent on site. We cover the west of Devon and Dartmoor.
Who else works with you?
We run a company of 11 staff which usually includes at least one apprentice. We sub contract electricians, plumbers and scaffolders. We pride ourselves on working very closely with our
If at school you enjoyed the practical subjects or have never shied away from putting up a shelf, then this might be for you. Most people can be taught how to use the tools and the theory of construction, but some have a real gift for making things and excel at crafting, designing, and imagining. There is something for everyone in this trade be it stonework, roofing, or decorating and it helps if you are happy working with people –both your fellow tradespeople and your clients.
What is the best thing about your job?
The variety. Each job is different, each location, each client and each day: as the building grows the jobs on site change too, although the weather is the same every day!
A CASE for Quality and Craftmanship
Jonathan Case Builders & Contractors
01822 855076 / 07971 522301 jane@jcasebuilders.co.uk
www.jcasebuilders.co.uk 78
ADVICE, DESIGN & BUILD, EXTENSIONS AND NEW BUILDS BARN & LOFT CONVERSIONS, REFURBSHMENTS & RENOVATIONS KITCHENS & BATHROOMS, ROOFING, MINOR WORKS, DRIVEWAYS & PATIOS
Design, Print & Copywriting services - call us to discuss your next project 01822 853110
editorial@moorlinks.co.uk
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1-2 MOORSIDE COURT YELVERTON BUSINESS PARK DEVON PL20 7PE
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I finally completed all 26.2 miles in the London Marathon in 4 hours, 57 Minutes & 5 Seconds! I would sincerely like to express my thanks to all the kind sponsors who have helped to raise in excess of £2600+ (monies are still coming in) for Meningitis Research Foundation, your support certainly encouraged me, I didn’t want to let you all down, especially in the later miles when my legs were tired, but running for over £100 per mile made all the pain worthwhile, raising this amazing amount in memory of our Aimee. for your support! nks Tha
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