This Little Piggy Went To Market…

How Chagford’s farmers’ market has been revived

Once upon a time, long, long ago, Chagford, like almost every other town and village in the land, had a regular market, where folk would buy their food and farmers sell their produce and livestock.

Chagford’s original market dates back to the Middle Ages. Though the town had a bit of a quarrel with Moretonhampstead which tried to claim exclusive marketholding rights, keen for a monopoly on the gains from the booming tin industry. Fast forward a good few centuries with the advent of railways, cars, road links, supermarkets and retail parks, and the death knell was gradually sounded for local markets. By the end of the 19th Century, Chagford lost much of its trade to Newton Abbot and later Exeter, and eventually the market there ceased to exist altogether.

Last year, however, one woman set out to change that.

Bon idée!

On a trip to France in the summer, photographer Fern Leigh Albert was struck by how everyone outside big cities do much of their grocery shopping at local markets. ‘You can go to one almost every day in different villages. There’s a lot of passion for food there. As there is in Devon. But here, not many markets exist anymore. Like a lot of these things, these “old ways” have been lost.’

Returning home, Fern teamed up with Zsa Zsa Shea, who runs a charcuterie business, and together they set up the Chagford Farmers Fayre, which had it’s launch in October.

‘When we hosted the first two Farmers Fayres last year we were overwhelmed by the local support,’ Fern says. ‘We realised there was a huge demand for locally produced, high quality food. The producers who take part are mostly a stone’s throw from Chagford, if not actively farming in the parish. It was great to come together as a community and celebrate what the village has to offer.’

Back to the future

Just as Chagford market has a long history, so does Endecott House where the Farmers Fayre is now held every month.

In 1862, the original market building, known as The Shambles (which means ‘slaughterhouse’), had fallen into disrepair so was demolished in favour of a new octagonal market house, the focal feature of Market Square to this day. Quirky Endecott House was actually home to the market overseer. ‘You can still see the last set of public market tolls on the wall. So it feels very special to have set up there.’

But for Fern the Farmers Fayre isn’t a cosy recreation of the past, it’s about how people buy and sell now and in the future; it’s a proper ‘revival’.

‘Small scale farming is hard work and sometimes creating a platform to sell produce comes bottom of the task list. Selling directly is the best thing for a farmer, not just financially, but also by having a good relationship with the customer and the community. This market aims to be beneficial to both food producers and customers - and, of course, it’s just a lovely social event to be part of!’

Talkin’ about a revolution…

‘The market is not just about supporting local food producers, it’s also a way shoppers can lower their carbon footprint by shopping for a variety of food direct from the village. We’re starting to realise that not only does shopping locally make sense environmentally but it builds resilience within our communities.

‘We hope this Fayre will inspire other villages to create similar events to build their own local food revolution.’

Good Food Guide

‘We are extremely lucky in Chagford to have top quality producers on our doorstep such as: The Mortimore’s Beef & Lamb, The Beehive Farm Shop, Hill & Coombe Dairy, Teign Valley Venison, Jesse’s Chicken and The Cure Dartmoor. We try and bring a selection of stall holders to the Fayre so that it has something for everyone and then occasionally we have special guests who bring ins something a little bit more exotic…like kimchi!’

Teign Valley Venison

Established in 2017, Teign Valley Venison supply high quality, sustainable and ethically sourced wild venison. They believe that good deer management is essential conservation work which maintains a healthy deer population in balance with the environment. Wild venison has great flavour and is arguably the healthiest red meat you can eat.

The Cure Dartmoor

This business produces a range of charcuterie from their own herd of woodland roaming, heritage pigs, which feed on natural vegetation and organic bran, and are butchered using traditional knife skills ensuring there is as little wastage as possible. ‘We’re inspired by Frenchstyle alpine saucisson, the charcuterie is hand-processed, seasoned and slowly air-dried.’

Fare of the Field

Fare of the Field produce beautiful bouquets of locally, ecologically grown fresh and reined cut flowers. Main grower Essay Friend hand picks varieties of flower that particularly attract pollinating insects. ‘In the summer months we are visited by many species of bees, including the local honey bees from up the. Hill. I try to choose flowers that still have a wild feel to them.’

The Kids Are All Right Room 13 is a much-needed sanctuary for local young people

When we think of youth clubs many of us don’t get further than conjuring up images of listless teens aimlessly hanging out in draughty village halls listening to the tinny strains of pop music while some mentor tries to inspire them while breaking up fights.

But open the door to Okehampton’s Room 13 and you’ll find things are a little more dynamic and structured than that. Although, with his compassion, dedication and easy manner, Senior Youth Support Worker Mike St John Cooper definitely fits the ‘mentor’ mould. The sessions and events for 11-19-yearolds that he and his team hold at their small premises in St James Street can be anything from pool competitions to cookery classes; forestry lessons to camping trips. And, although councilfunded and part of Devon’s Space Youth Services, the centre gets much-need support from the likes of Okehampton United Charities, Adventure Okehampton and Waitrose.

Above and beyond

‘Primarily we offer three open access sessions every week, divided by age group,’ Mike explains. ‘We’re a safe space for young people to come and socialise. Communities often don’t like the idea of young people hanging round on the street or in the park. More than a couple of them and they’re seen as intimidating. We’re somewhere they can go and be themselves.

‘It goes beyond just sitting round talking. We challenge them. And they get accreditation for what they do. Food is quite high on the agenda because we some potentially very hungry youngsters - these days more than ever. So we get them involved in cooking - feeding the crowd - and they can get a certificate for that. And we’re quite big on the creative arts - painting, drawing, making things.’

But this is not just about teaching a few life skills or encouraging new hobbies.

‘The point is for them to learn something; to begin to give something back where they get other young people involved and become a little bit of a project leader. Ultimately we want them to develop their own ideas for activities and work towards organising them. The dream as a youth worker is just to have a hands-off supervisory role!’

A problem shared

For many youngsters negotiating life’s difficulties, however, there can be a long way to go to achieve this. The staff at Room 13 are there to lend an ear; to give proper advice and guidance.

‘Young people need a non-judgmental adult in their lives,’ Mike continues. ‘We’re not their school or their parents. We’re someone they can confide in outside those environments. We listen to them; help them tackle what they’re struggling with. We can give them individual attention. They can trust us.’

Mike is - rightly - so protective of his charges and their privacy that he felt he couldn’t give Oke Links any photographs of them in action at Room 13.

‘We give young people the respect they deserve and help them build the futures they want. It’s about patience and tolerance. We call it “warm positive regard”. Every one of them is a success story waiting to happen.’

Frankie Says…

Room 13 was a lifesaver for Frankie Hart

‘I first attended Room 13 when I was about 14 years old. I had just moved from up north and was finding the change difficult to adapt too. School was the biggest trouble for me as I wasn’t very good at making friends, but the first time I entered the youth centre I was welcomed by everyone in the building. I remember it clearly because this night was one of the most positive changes in my young life, I made new friends almost instantly and was supported by youth workers from that point on. They supported me through some of the most difficult challenges I faced during my teen years, fuelled my creativity and guided me on my journey to becoming the best version of myself.

I’m an adult now and still look back on how lucky I was to have so many caring, compassionate role models around me to learn from, I am truly grateful for the time I spent at Room 13 and all of the opportunities I was provided with. 10/10 I would recommend it!’

To contact Room 13 email: room13yc@ spacepsm.org; tel: 01837 657 601

Love’s Young Dream

When it comes to talent and hard work, Hannah O’Neill and Giles Herd are an inspiration

It’s hard not to be envious of Tess’s life. The five-year-old Collie dog spends her days pottering between her owners’ workshops in the garden, and, if it gets too chilly or noisy, she pads back to lie by the wood-burning stove in the outhouse they’ve converted into a small, but perfectly formed home.

Those owners are Hannah O’Neill and Giles Herd. Hannah is a skilled and creative leather-worker; Giles has his own sawmill business and is also a joiner, making wonderful furniture. Hannah is only 23 years old; Giles 27. The couple both grew up in the Okehampton area. Giles hails from Meldon Farm and Hannah from Lewdown. They met in early 2020 at a Young Farmers’ Association party; then the pandemic hit.

Fast love…

‘It was kind of make or break,’ says Giles. ‘I was like, do you want to move in, or shall we not see each other for six months.’

‘And here I still am!,’ Hannah declares. That ‘here’ is the aforementioned little plot just outside Okehampton. Neither has any desire to leave their home turf.

‘Lots of my friends went away to university,’ Giles continues. ‘They wanted to leave Okehampton and go off to big cities. But I like it round here.’

After leaving school Giles had little idea what he wanted to do and worked at the family farm for a while, but decided it wasn’t for him. He ended up getting a job at Winkleigh Timber and discovered his passion for all things wood.

‘I was there for two years and learned so much. I could’ve stayed there forever, but there were guys there in their 60s telling me I should start out on my own. I ended up working for someone else up near Cheriton who had a mobile sawmill, then I got the chance to buy my own one and that was how I started Okehampton Timber and Joinery. I go round milling for other people, but I’ve also started buying logs and making timber.

‘I really wanted to concentrate on the furniture-making but the cost of buying in the timber was such that I had to charge prices that people round here weren’t willing to pay so I had to find a way of getting timber cheaper. And that’s the joy of having my own sawmill!’

Going hell for leather

Hannah, meanwhile, did fly the nest a little further afield: Cirencester, via Launceston.

‘I did a fashion and textiles course after school and that’s when I came across leather-working. There just so happened to be a chap - an amazing man in his 80s - in Launceston who was doing it and offered to let me come in for a couple of days to see how I liked it. That couple of days turned into two years.

‘I wanted to do a proper apprenticeship, but it’s hard to find anyone who’ll take apprentices on. I ended up getting one in Cirencester, which I finished last May.’

Since then Hannah has set up Tully Hi Leatherwork, in a shepherd’s hut built, of course, by Giles. Not only does she do handmade leather repairs, but also bespoke designs of everything from purses to bags. Does she prefer the repair or the design side of things?

‘Both. It’s nice seeing the end result of a good repair; but I also like using my creative side, sitting down and making something from scratch.’

Giles also likes both sides of his business, being outside for the milling and inside for the joinery. ‘Ideally outside when it’s sunny and inside when it’s raining, but it never works that way!’

He also loves meeting all the different people he mills for - ‘There are some real characters - especially the farmers!’. And Hannah too gets to meet a variety of folk thanks to her other job.

‘I’m a relief milker. Which means I’m often up at 4.30am, but I do get to hang with other people.’

Three’s company

But for much of the time it’s just the pair of them - and Tess. A situation the three of them clearly love.

‘We work separately,’ Hannah says. ‘But always wander across to each other for breaks or if we’ve got a problem. And we like to go “home” for lunch!’

Although until Giles built a shed for all his timber, he used to store it in that home. ‘It was the only place I could keep it dry! Then Hannah would keep her stuff here until we sorted her out with the shepherd’s hut. But that’s what you do when you start out, just use whatever space you can.’

Plus, they do sometimes collaborate making wonderful pieces like the hide-covered blanket box which has pride of place in front of the log burner.

There’s no doubt that Hannah and Giles are an impressively skilled, self-starting and hard-working pair, but they say they are not alone among their contemporaries in being selfemployed and running their own ships.

‘A lot of our friends have started their own businesses in the last three or four years,’ Giles says. ‘For people our age, especially those who haven’t been to uni, it’s either that or be happy earning the minimum wage. It’s so hard to get paid enough to actually live on. Especially these days. When I was working at Winkleigh, I felt like I was only doing it so I could afford to fill up my truck with fuel so that I could drive to Winkleigh.’

Now, of course, he only has to take a couple of steps out of his own front door. With Tess at his heels and Hannah just a few feet away.

‘We do help each other out. I often get Hannah in to do the finishing touches to a piece of furniture, like the waxing and painting…’

‘…and the heavy lifting!’, she laughs. More information about Tully Hi Leatherwork and Okehampton Timber and Joinery can be found on their Facebook pages.

Welcome to the latest edition of Puzzles in Association with Chilcotts Law in loving memory of Mollie

Mollie was Chilcotts much loved Yorkie, who had her own fan club but sadly passed away in November. Many of our clients requested to see her when they called in. We hope that you enjoy the puzzles page, whilst they are challenging, they are not too difficult to solve. You will find the answers in the next edition.

At Chilcotts Law- It’s all about You

It’s all about You. We offer tailored legal solutions to meet your needs. Our solicitors have outstanding legal knowledge, practical experience and advice that is delivered in plain English along with first class client care, why look anywhere else.

New Services

Welcome to the latest edition of “Puzzles in Association with Chilcotts Law in loving memory of Mollie”. Mollie was Chilcotts much loved Yorkie, who had her own fan club but sadly passed away in November. Many of our clients requested to see her when they called in. We hope that you enjoy the puzzles page, whilst they are challenging, they are not too difficult to solve. You will find the answers in the next edition. At Chilcotts Law- It’s all about You. We offer tailored legal solutions to meet your needs. Our solicitors have outstanding legal knowledge, practical experience and advice that is delivered in plain English along with first class client care, why look anywhere else.

We are delighted to be able to now offer advice on Family law matters.

Welcome to the first edition of “Puzzles in Association with Chilcotts Law in loving memory of Mollie”. Mollie was Chilcotts much loved Yorkie, who had her own fan club but sadly passed away in November. Many of our clients requested to see her when they called in. We hope that you enjoy the puzzles page, whilst they are challenging, they are not too difficult to solve. You will find the answers in the next edition. At Chilcotts Law- It’s all about You. We offer tailored legal solutions to meet your needs. Our solicitors have outstanding legal knowledge, practical experience and advice that is delivered in plain English along with first class client care, why look anywhere else.