Plym Links April/May issue 2022

WALKS | ARTS | EVENTS | PEOPLE | HERITAGE | LOCAL FOOD & DRINK | HOMES | BUSINESS

PLYM LINKS Spring

April/May 2022 | Issue 15

Events

Men’s Day Out Open Gardens Strictly Professionals and lots more...

MEET

the locals

Theatre Royal Plymouth’s new boss is living his best life A Plymouth student is supporting future artists

GARDENING Helpful advice for early Spring

HEALTH

Tips to get a good night’s SLEEP Plymouth charity works around the clock to help people in crisis

CHALLENGE YOURSELF! A walk ‘above and beyond’ at Cadover Bridge

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FROM THE EDITOR

Welcome to the April / May edition of Plym Links.

The deadline date for any inclusions in the June/July issue of Plym Links will be April 29, 2022 For all editorial enquiries please contact Lindsay Turpin via email at: lindsay.turpin@linksmagazines.co.uk THE LINKS TEAM: Publisher: Tim Randell Editor: Lindsay Turpin Design: Julian Rees Advertising: Jane Daniel, Olivia Breyley, Joanne Mallard

To promote your business to 16,100 readers call: ✆ 07450 161929 ON THE COVER: Ponies on Hen Tor © Tom Windsor

Spring is well and truly here! As I write this Editor’s letter the sun is shining (hopefully it doesn’t disappear too often) and the daffodils are in full bloom - a great indicator that winter is over.

Our double page feature in this edition is focussed on a Plymouth charity which is no stranger to helping people in crisis. Provide Devon is a Christian charity that formed seven years ago and works closely with education providers from pre-school through to universities, as well as the NHS, British Red Cross and housing associations. It provides food to people in poverty within Plymouth and the surrounding area and aims to make sure that no family goes hungry.

St Luke’s Hospice is our chosen charity focus. This local charity occupies a special place in the heart of the community - and those involved, from staff to volunteers, are busy getting ready to mark a special milestone. Turn over to pages 24 and 25 to find out more.

Our ‘local people’ section features two locals who have returned to where the passion for their craft first began: First up we have James MackenzieBlackman, Theatre Royal Plymouth’s new CEO. James grew up in Plymouth and cites his time with

Theatre Royal Plymouth’s long-established Young Company as a life-defining experience. Read more on pages 8 and 9. While 19-year-old Martha, from Plympton, is busy helping young people to access weekend art courses at Plymouth College of Art, bringing her full circle in a journey that began when she first started attending Young Arts at 4 years old!

Read more on pages 10 and 11.

In our health section, on page 31, Dr Rachel Tyler from Stirling Road Surgery in St Budeaux asks ‘is there anything better than a good nights sleep?’ She provides some helpful tips and advice to help you wake up refreshed, revived and ready to start the day.

See our bustling What’s On section, starting at page 33, where we have 11 pages of events and listings to keep you busy throughout spring.

And finally - our thoughts are with the people of Ukraine at this terrible time. If you would like to support them by making a donation, there are several appeals, including the Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal at dec.org.uk/appeal/ukraine-humanitarian-appeal and British Red Cross at donate.redcross.org.uk/ appeal/ukraine-crisis-appeal

Lindsay

Lindsay Turpin Editor, Plym Links 07738231933 lindsay.turpin@linksmagazines.co.uk

Contents | April & May 6 Feature 8 Local People 13 Noticeboard 21 Education 22 Naturalist 24 Charity 26 Gardening 31 Health 32 Food & Drink

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33 What’s On 44 Tavistock Festival 46 History 48 Walk 50 Farming 51 Directory 52 Local Services 54 Trade Secrets

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A Plymouth charity with the belief that ‘no family should go hungry’

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rovide Devon is a Christian charity providing food and other community organisations. It continues to to people in poverty within Plymouth and the match the need for food with the surplus food within the surrounding area. community without compromising on quality.

It began in 2015 under the banner ‘Community Food Steve Bailey, manager, said: ‘We only work directly Share’ as a result of surplus food donations made to the with referral agents, offering anonymity to families Soup Run. Headed up by Plymouth woman Maddie and individuals in need of food. We offer a rapid Maddison (pictured below right), she linked the food response as the people we feed will often have been share scheme with local primary schools to see if any experiencing food insecurity for some time.’ families would appreciate the Within just 13 days in food - it quickly became clear February this year the charity how great the need was. had given out 160 parcels.

A few years later, in Requests can be made due December 2018, after to financial poverty, mental hundreds of food hampers health matters, bereavement had been supplied across or a sudden change in the city, the charity Provide circumstances including Devon was born, with the being discharged from aim of giving individuals hospital. immediate relief from food The crisis food packages insecurity while they explored typically includes milk, butter, longer term support through eggs, cheese, bread, fruit, appropriate channels. vegetables and long life items Using a combination of fresh such as rice, soup and cereals. produce and donated surplus When possible the charity A dedicated team from food from retailers, a requested will also add a selection of Provide Devon work around the food parcel is usually provided donated toiletries. clock to help people in crisis to the charity’s referral agents ‘The situation is hard as the within 24 hours. scales of people in need in Provide Devon works closely with education providers Plymouth is huge,’ added Steve. from pre-schools through to universities, as well as the ‘We want to provide meaningful, nutritious meals NHS, British Red Cross, churches, charities, housing with a positive outcome. Within the parcels we also associations, Plymouth City Council, debt relief agencies include recipes so that people have the opportunity

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FEATURE to make their own meals. We hope that these recipes might help people try something different with ingredients they may be unfamiliar with.’

The charity may only be three years old officially but it has been established for seven years thanks to Maddie’s passion to make sure no one in Plymouth goes hungry.

Maddie has been team leader for Plymouth City Soup Run for several years. Alongside her passion for supporting the homeless, she also saw the great need in Plymouth of families struggling to feed their children.

‘I was involved in the soup run in Plymouth and I found that a lot of families were coming in in times

the women they support.

Aerron Sargent, a Pause Practitioner, said: ‘Using Provide Devon is a lifeline for the vulnerable women we support. Our women often must choose between paying their bills or putting food on the table. Provide gives them the opportunity to ease the worries around those decisions. The Pause team and the women we support are very grateful to have a service like Provide Devon.’

Social worker Alice Royal added: ‘The cost of living has shot up dramatically and it has made it really challenging for lots of people in society and there are an increasing number of individuals and

Within the parcels we also include recipes “ so that people have the opportunity to make their own meals. We hope that these recipes might help people try something different with ingredients they may be unfamiliar with.

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of difficulty and that really concerned me,’ said Maddie. ‘I approached my church, Hope Baptist Church, as I saw there was a need and I started Community Food Share with just one shelf in the larder for food donations. We have grown from there due to the size of Plymouth and the people that need us - and in 2018 the charity Provide Devon was formed and we moved from the church into our unit at Burrington Way.’ Funding for the vital work that the charity provides is through donations, fundraising and applying for grants. It takes between £30-35,000 each year to keep its work going - but food donations are dwindling due to the economic climate. People who may have been able to donate food or money have found themselves needing to save pennies to feed their own families.

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families who do not get the luxury of having good meals or buying things they need and are regularly going hungry because they do not have the finances to buy the bare essentials. These cases used to be in the minority but nearly every case I see is facing hardship. It is very sad to see cases where people have to choose between putting gas on their meter or having dinner.

‘Provide Devon has been an amazing resource for people who are facing hardship, for whatever reason, with a reliable service in place where food can be accessed for people who need it.’. n Lindsay Turpin For more information visit: www.providedevon.org.uk Visit our community website www.dartmoorlinks.co.uk 7

A dream come true for James ‘I told my careers advisor at 15 years old that one day I wanted to run the Theatre Royal - 26 years later that ambition has become a reality’

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heatre Royal Plymouth’s new chief executive James Mackenzie-Blackman said it’s an honour to be at the helm guiding a new chapter for the organisation.

James took over as CEO in January this year from Adrian Vinken but his connection to the city didn’t begin when he took up this new role. James grew up in Plymouth and cites his time with Theatre Royal Plymouth’s long-established Young Company as a lifedefining experience.

‘The Theatre Royal changed my life when I was a teenager,’ said James. ‘I was enjoying school but hadn’t quite found the tribe of people that were my very special best of friends. I discovered the Theatre Royal Plymouth Young Company when I was in my teens and this organisation transformed my life and proved to me that I had potential and opportunities to achieve.

‘So it feels a really important moment for me to have returned home to this incredible city, to help lead your Theatre Royal. I say “your” Theatre Royal because I really do mean that, this organisation, our incredible building at the bottom of Royal Parade, and TR2, belong to you, the people of this city. During my time here in this organisation, which I hope will be as long, perhaps as long as my predecessor’s Adrian, I’ll be working incredibly hard to bring the very best shows and the very best projects to all of you, who know and love the Theatre Royal.’

Before he came back to Plymouth, James was CEO of Eden Court Highlands, Scotland’s largest single-site performing arts venue. James’s previous roles include executive director of Matthew Bourne’s award-winning dance company New Adventures, executive director of the National Youth Theatre of Great Britain and six years in a variety of roles at the Lyric Theatre Hammersmith.

Under James’s leadership, Eden Court was internationally recognised for its industry leading response to the global pandemic. The organisation was a 8

winner of the inaugural Calouste Gulbenkian 2021 Civic Arts Award.

In 2020 James entered The Stage 100, an annual list of the most influential people in the UK theatre industry.

James said: ‘It is the honour of my career to take on the leadership of the organisation that defined the path my life would take. I told my careers advisor at 15 years old that one day I wanted to run the Theatre Royal - 26 years later that ambition has become a reality.

Throughout the recruitment process I was deeply impressed by the continued ambition for the city of Plymouth, the role that the theatre plays in the cultural life of the region and equally the recognition of the work still to do in the years to come. It will be a great privilege to build on all that Adrian and his colleagues have achieved.’

As part of TRP’s new chapter, James has launched a year-long series of conversations under the banner ‘Your Voice Matters’ that will help steer the organisation’s future development for artists, audiences and communities.

The first set of conversations for the consultation were for people working in the performing arts sector with a call-out for individuals to join one of a series of workshops that will consider what creative and artistic leadership of TRP could look like in the 21st Century.

‘As we embark on a new chapter for our organisation, we are committed to our sector friends and colleagues having a voice in shaping our future priorities,’ said James. ‘That’s why we are hosting these conversations.

Our organisation is in a period of transition, our industry is in a period of recovery from the pandemic and we want to ensure that how we operate in the future is relevant and responsive to the needs of artists, audiences and communities.

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LOCAL PEOPLE ‘In short, we want to matter more to more people. To watched with pleasure his rapid career development achieve it we need to further embed creativity at the heart over the years and couldn’t be happier than to be of all we do and we need the insights, perspectives and handing over the reins of the theatre to him. James honest opinions of the sector to help us develop the right is a shining example of TRP’s talent development in model to make sure we deliver.’ action so he already has the During his time off James Theatre Royal’s DNA in his James has launched a yearlikes to take his two sons onto blood.’ long series of conversations under the Hoe with their scooters or Nick Buckland OBE, chair bikes with their puppy. of Theatre Royal Plymouth the banner ‘Your Voice Matters’ ‘I grew up in Plymouth and said: ‘Finding a new chief that will help steer the in South Devon, left when I executive for the iconic organisation’s future development was 20, and have been away Theatre Royal Plymouth for over 20 years but I am to follow Adrian Vinken’s for artists, audiences and completely delighted to be outstanding tenure was communities. back. I am living in the city centre, never going to be easy. His [James’s] which is really important to me. I have extensive experience in the sector got two little boys and I am really means the organisation can continue excited to be building a new life back to develop its preeminent role in home, here in Plymouth,’ said James. the city, the region, and nationally, Handing over the reins offering the broadest programme Adrian Vinken OBE, who led of stage work, and one of the Theatre Royal Plymouth for over 30 years, said: ‘I biggest engagement, learning and talent development remember James from my early days at TRP when he programmes. As James developed his love of theatre was a member of our Young Company and particularly in his youth here at TRP, it’s particularly gratifying to an unforgettable trip to Poland to perform our welcome him back to his home city.’ n production of Korczak in Warsaw and Gdynia. I have Lindsay Turpin

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Martha Pengelly comes full circle helping young people to access the arts

Image © Georgia Eason

Student from Plympton returns to support the course she first attended aged 4

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9-year-old BA (Hons) Illustration student Martha Pengelly, from Plympton, supports young people to access weekend art courses at Plymouth College of Art, bringing her full circle in a journey that began when she first started attending Young Arts clubs on Saturdays at the college at the age of four.

Alongside the first year of her undergraduate studies at Plymouth College of Art, Martha, acts as a paid Student Ambassador, helping out at events at the university-sector art school. One of the roles that she fulfils as a Student Ambassador is to support the Young

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Arts programme, which was established in 1988 to bridge the gap in arts provision for young people whose creative education might be limited by curriculum changes or limited access to resources and equipment in schools.

Martha said: ‘I’ve been coming to Plymouth College of Art for as long as I can remember, since I was old enough to attend the Young Arts clubs that were running at the time. Coming here gave me opportunities to try things that I wouldn’t have done at home, from printmaking and ceramics to things like photography. I was drawing regularly, but there were resources and equipment in Plymouth College of Art that I had no access to at home. Here I could practice and learn new skills. I attended Young Arts and Saturday Arts activities off and on until I was 15.

‘When I was old enough, I chose to come to Plymouth College of Art to study a UAL Level 3 Extended Diploma in Graphics, Illustration and Game Arts instead of staying at school for A-Levels. Studying in Palace Court was great, I absolutely loved it. It was such a big change from school, I cared about working hard a lot more than I had done and really enjoyed every day. It was such a good experience that staying here for my BA (Hons) Illustration degree was a natural decision.

‘I’m in the first year of my degree now and since I secured a role as a Student Ambassador, I get a chance to help the Saturday Arts sessions, which is weird but amazing. Every now and then it hits me that I was attending these sessions when I was their age and now I get to help run them. Knowing how happy it made me

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LOCAL PEOPLE when I was their age and knowing that attending Young Arts might help them to discover what they want to do when they’re older, I love being able to support that.’

From 2018 to 2020 Martha studied a UAL Level 3 Extended Diploma in Creative Practice: Graphics, Illustration & Game Arts at Plymouth College of Art, earning a Distinction, which is equivalent to 3 A*s at A-level (or 168 UCAS points for a university application).

After initially thinking she might specialise in digital art for games, Martha has spent more time painting recently and is looking into options for illustrating children’s books, but wants to keep her options open as she experiments with new styles for future modules of her degree.

Plymouth College of Art is a specialist independent Higher Education Institution (HEI) run by artists and designers for artists and designers. Founded in 1856, the College, a Founding Associate of Tate Exchange, offers a range of Undergraduate, Postgraduate and Pre-Degree study across Art, Design and Digital Media – combining over 160 years of history with up-to-theminute thinking and cutting-edge facilities. Its two city centre campuses are home to MIRROR and Fab Lab Plymouth and offers a range of short courses,

masterclasses, and a programme of Young Arts activities including the College’s decades-old Saturday Arts Club and strong affiliation with the National Saturday Club. n

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BUSINESS

Be More Curious:

Questions are powerful because they create change Whether it’s your first foray into investing or you’re exploring your options for the future, curiosity through questioning gives rise to understanding and confidence. The Plymouth branch of Charles Stanley Wealth Managers are here to encourage more questions, so we can provide more answers.

When our curiosity is triggered, we think more deeply and rationally and come up with solutions that are more creative.

Questions are powerful because they empower someone to create real change. Taking an active interest in planning your finances – from ensuring you are up to date with tax exemptions and allowances to planning for retirement – can maximise your income and boost your overall wealth. This is one are that using your innate curiosity really can transform your life.

How much do you really save each year?

Where are you spending too much?

Am I borrowing money in the most efficient manner? Do you know what your maximum ISA allowances is this year? What about Junior ISAs – or JISAs – for your children or grandchildren?

Will this be a tax efficient way to help future generations? How much will good financial planning save from the taxman when my inheritance is eventually distributed to those I love?

You should be confident asking questions – even if you think you are at risk of being seen as lacking knowledge.

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who asks a question remains a fool for five minutes. He who does not ask, remains a fool forever.”

Sometimes, we ask questions simply to start a conversation – it is the endpoint of these conversations that produce a transformative course of action. Never be afraid to ask questions – however basic – as these will add fuel to your curiosity.

The more you question, the more your knowledge and understanding grows.

This means you are better prepared for the future to delve into your future planning more deeply. Columbia University in the US cited four basic rules of questioning in its journalism course.

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• Establish a relationship with the source conducive to obtaining information.

• Ask questions that are relevant to the source and that induce the source to talk.

• Listen and watch attentively.

Being curious about your financial future today can help you feel confident about tomorrow, by giving you the peace of mind that your finances will be robust and secure.

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Love Moor Life

Protect wildlife and animals With March marking the start of spring, dog owners are being urged to protect new-born livestock and breeding birds by keeping their dogs on leads while out walking.

With miles of footpaths, bridleways and open access land, Dartmoor is the perfect place for people to enjoy with their canine pets. But livestock worrying is a major concern; already there has been an unusually high number of dog attacks for this time of year.

During the breeding season (March 1 to July 31) Dartmoor is a particularly busy place. Ground nesting birds such as meadow pipits, skylarks and snipe love Dartmoor’s vegetation and blend in so well you wouldn’t know they were there. Here, they sit on their eggs and rear their chicks but can be disturbed or hurt easily by roaming dogs.

Pregnant ewes, cows and ponies are grazing the land too. New-born lambs are particularly vulnerable to harm from dogs off leads. Dogs don’t need to chase animals for them to become scared or stressed; their presence can still cause a frightened animal to abort or abandon its young – a tragedy for the animal and a financial an an emotional loss to the farmer.

Keeping your dog on a lead is a simple thing to do, but helps farmers keep animals safe and healthy. Signs are posted around Dartmoor to serve as useful reminders.

Ranger team manager Simon Lee said: ‘Dartmoor has always been a place where dogs and their owners can enjoy walking from challenging hikes up tors to easy strolls along riverside valleys.

‘It’s a fantastic time to visit Dartmoor; everything is bursting into life and the weather is generally milder, but it’s also a busy time for the animals and birds which call Dartmoor home too. Wherever you want to go,

NOTICEBOARD it’s a really good idea to keep your dog on a short lead, especially around livestock.

‘We highly recommend people follow our Love Moor Life Ranger Code when out and about. If we all do our bit, we can keep the National Park special.’

The Dartmoor Livestock Protection Society, jointly with the Dartmoor Commoners’ Council, funds the work of Livestock Protection Officer, Karla McKechnie, who is on call to deal with incidents of sheep worrying, dog attacks, casualties from road traffic accidents and livestock in distress on Dartmoor.

Livestock worrying is a crime. According to the society’s figures, there have already been 17 livestock worrying incidents this year so far. In 2021, there was a total of 108 – the highest since 2018.

‘It’s so important that people keep dogs on leads around livestock,’ said Karla: ‘There’s no excuse for dogs not being under control and it’s not OK to leave animals suffering. If anyone sees a dog worrying animals, we’d encourage them to report it straight away.’

Call 07873 587 561 to report an incident, or phone police on 101.

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Incredible archaeological finds discovered in Devon A major discovery of national significance and a once in a lifetime experience for those involved A mammoth, rhino and wolf are among the amazing artefacts uncovered at Sherford.

Archaeologists made a number of rare and nationally significant discoveries during investigations at the new town of Sherford, offering a unique glimpse of Ice Age Britain.

The artefacts have been painstakingly recovered by a specialist and highly skilled team from across the UK, and are now being analysed. Initial reports confirm that the well-preserved remains of several species of animals have been found, including woolly mammoth, woolly rhinoceros, wolf, hyena, horse, reindeer, mountain hare and red fox.

The ‘megafauna’ – large animals now extinct – that have been found are estimated to be from the last Ice Age, around 30,000 to 60,000 years ago in the Middle Devensian period. An era of great change, this is when dramatic climate change prompted mass extinctions and when ancient creatures roamed the UK. It is hoped the Sherford discoveries will provide new insights into early Britain and enrich what is already known.

Sherford is a new 5,500-home community under development on the edge of Plymouth, already home to over 1,500 people. The Sherford Consortium - a partnership of Taylor Wimpey and Vistry Partnerships - instigated archaeological work at the start of construction in 2015 and have remained committed to funding an ongoing programme of archaeological investigation ever since. Excavation during infrastructure work led to the discovery of these animal remains, in an area near old lime kilns and Sherford Quarry.

Over recent months, the archaeological team has conducted a detailed scientific sampling exercise to obtain as much information about the findings as possible. The work has been led by an expert team that includes Orion Heritage, Exeter-based AC Archaeology,

and multiple expert academics. The project has involved working in close partnership with Devon County Council and Historic England throughout.

The animal bones and environmental samples have been carefully recorded and removed from the ground and passed on for academic analysis and preservation.

It is expected that the full archive of artefacts will return to Devon, into the care of The Box. Victoria Pomery, CEO at The Box, said: ‘What an amazing discovery this is. We already have some fascinating items in the collections at The Box from this era, some of which provided the inspiration for the hugely popular woolly mammoth and cave lion skeleton we have on display in our natural history gallery. Once all the analysis work is completed it will be a huge honour to care for and display these newly discovered finds, and to play an ongoing part in the public’s understanding of Plymouth and the animals that were here during the Ice Age.’ The Sherford Consortium will preserve the area where the artefacts have been found, to retain this piece of local history for future generations.

The underground space will be conserved, and no construction will take place on top of it. However, the entrance will be closed to both protect the historic site and ensure public welfare. It is not, nor will be, possible for the public to safely access the area in which the discoveries have been made.

Rob Bourn, Managing Director of Orion Heritage and lead archaeologist on the project for the Sherford Consortium, said: ‘This is a major discovery of national significance – a once in a lifetime experience for those involved. Construction happening at Sherford is the sole reason these findings have been discovered and it is remarkable that they have laid undisturbed until now. To find such an array of artefacts untouched for so long is a rare and special occurrence. Equally rare is the presence of complete or semi-complete individual animals. We look forward to reaching the stage where the discoveries can be shared and displayed, so that everyone can find out more about our distant past.’

The Sherford Consortium “ will preserve the area where the artefacts have been found, to retain this piece of local history for future generations.

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The findings

Above: Wolf skull, Woolly Rhinoceros jawbone.

Below: Woolly Mammoth pelvic bone and tusk

NOTICEBOARD were unable to escape, and carnivorous scavengers followed and met a similar fate – or the animals died elsewhere and the bones washed into the area over a period of time.

Mr Bourn added: ‘The South West would have been very different back then; it was an area where mammoths and other creatures thrived, roaming great distances across a landscape that looked very different to today. With glaciers not far away in South Wales, and a volatile climate prone to huge floods, what we have found at Sherford may well have died somewhere nearby and were washed up here to create this unique collection of historic relics.

The investigation The significance of the recovered relics lies in their likely age and potential to provide clues about life in Britain in the last Ice Age. What has especially intrigued experts is the array of bones from different animals, which is a rare occurrence in fossil sites.

The detailed samples taken from the site have so far uncovered: • Partial remains of a woolly mammoth, including a tusk, molar tooth and other bones • Partial remains of a woolly rhinoceros, including an incomplete skull and lower jaw • A virtually complete wolf skeleton • Partial remains of hyena, horse, reindeer, mountain hare and red fox • Bones of various small mammals such as bats and shrews. It is anticipated that further bones of small mammals will be identified during post-excavation laboratory analysis.

Whether all of the creatures uncovered at Sherford coexisted in a similar time period, or existed at different points over a much longer time span is uncertain. One theory is that some of the creatures fell into a pit and

The archaeological excavation of the Ice Age animal remains has just been completed, but work continues offsite, where the bones are now being cleaned, treated and studied in detail. A technically challenging site investigation, it has taken the dedicated team time to carefully explore and extract the findings, with sediment samples and an array of artefacts removed for testing and preservation.

‘This investigation has been in exceptionally safe hands with the best professional archaeological team we could put together, uniting a group of specialist academics from across the UK with experts that have worked closely together over a long time,’ said Mr Bourn: ‘It has also involved a team working under the ground for weeks on end to recover the artefacts and take samples with the utmost care. We have worked with passion and professionalism to carry out thorough and diligent investigations.’

Please note: While all parties involved in these exciting discoveries recognise there will be public interest, people are asked not to visit the site. This area of Sherford is not suitable or safe to visit, and access is highly restricted in the interests of health and safety.

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Ivybridge Ring and Ride to benefit from new funding Mid Devon Mobility is to receive more than £500,000 in order to develop its ‘Stronger Together’ Project.

A social transport / employment hybrid project, led by the Mid Devon Mobility VCS, working in collaboration with TRIP CTA, Dawlish CTA and Ivybridge Ring & Ride, to support individuals from harder to reach backgrounds in rural areas to access employment opportunities.

The project will provide a new Give Back Scheme enabling both long-term and short-term volunteering opportunities upskilling/accredited training and improve connectivity focusing on re-employability across Devon, whilst establishing and running a Community Together Support Service to help people re-engage within their communities.

Faye Ashton, CEO of Mid Devon Mobility said: ‘We are really looking forward to working in collaboration with the three other Community Transport Associations across Devon (TRIP, Dawlish CT and Ivybridge Ring and Ride) to deliver this project. The project will bring a huge amount of opportunities through training, upskilling and

support services to people throughout the whole of Devon.

Our charities are known for helping their older, disabled communities – however this project encompasses a new set of beneficiaries and is for the whole community to benefit, both younger and older. We believe the project and the collaboration partnership will build for a better future for the communities we strive to serve - as we will be stronger together.’

The money has been awarded thanks to Devon County Council’s successful bid on behalf of the Team Devon partnership to the Community Renewal Fund. It was announced DCC would receive £9.3-million funding which will support 13 innovative projects, including Mid Devon Mobility.

Councillor Bob Deed, chair of the Devon Districts Forum, said: ‘The support this programme will benefit so many people across the county. It’s great that so many diverse projects and businesses from all over Devon are being supported. The positive impact from this scheme will hopefully benefit many of our local communities and businesses. I would like to personally thank Team Devon who have done a stellar job in bringing this all together.’

For more information or to get involvedin the project by volunteering, email ivybridgestvc@gmail.com or call 07881308734.

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NOTICEBOARD

Fire Fogger for Shaugh Prior Common A crucial piece of fire fighting equipment has been purchased for Shaugh Prior Common should a wildfire break out.

As part of ongoing work promoted by the Dartmoor Fires Partnership to develop a Dartmoor wide Fire Plan, Shaugh Prior Commoners with full support from Shaugh Prior Parish Council and local police have been able to purchase a fire fogging unit.

The fire fogger will not only benefit the Shaugh Common but also the villages within Shaugh Prior Parish in the event of a wildfire breaking out on the moor.

Following work from Shaugh Prior Commoners’ Association and the local police, Aggregates Industries at Lee Moor agreed to secure a fire fogger for the use of trained farmers (commoners).

Rob Steemson, community and landscape management ranger with Dartmoor National Park Authority, has provided advice throughout as part of his work within the Dartmoor Fires Partnership and as emergency officer. He said: ‘The natural hazards of the moor make it difficult to fight wildfires. The fire service has purchased smaller equipment themselves and now Shaugh Prior Commoners having a highly effective high pressured water vehicle.

The unit can be mobilised quickly on a quadbike or small terrain vehicle to provide invaluable help to put out a fire before it takes a hold. The purchase compliments what other local Commoners Associations have nearby and will help protect a busy part of Dartmoor.’

Instrumental in sourcing the fogger was Julia Sanders, secretary of Shaugh Prior Commoners’ Association.

She said: ‘We would like to extend our sincere thanks to Adam Bromley for pursuing this with Aggregates and being able to give this very generous and kind gesture to

Pictured above, left to right: Rob Steemson, emergency officer, Dartmoor National Park; Nick Wassell, chairman, Shaugh Prior Parish Council and commoner; Keith Stone, chairman, Shaugh Prior Commoners’ Association and vice chairman Shaugh Prior Parish Council; Adam Bromley, quarries manager, Aggregate Industries; Julia Sanders, secretary, Shaugh Prior Commoners Association; and James Brothwood, quarries manager, Aggregate Industries.

our commons and parish. We now have a crucial piece of equipment should a wildfire break out on our common, especially as the industries are on the moor and some properties in the villages are so close.’

• The Dartmoor Fires Partnership involves Devon and Somerset Fire & Rescue Service, Natural England, Dartmoor Commoners Council, Dartmoor National Park Authority, Duchy of Cornwall, Common Landowners, Police, Forest of Dartmoor Commoners Association, Ministry of Defence, and other agencies.

Its aim is to get an all-embracing fire plan for all commons and access land with ongoing agency and individuals support working alongside work already in progress by DNPA, DSFRS and within the current Forest of Dartmoor Fire Management Plan.

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Citizens Advice is here to help during the cost of living crisis Research from National Citizens Advice has shown that around three-million households are facing a cost of living crisis this winter, unable to afford basics like food or heating.

Citizens Advice South Hams are urging anyone who is currently struggling to get in touch. They have a team of advisers and specialists who can help with benefits and income maximisation, to debt and energy advice and more.

Debt advice Debt can have a crippling effect on your ability to manage and can considerably affect your mental health. It is important to seek help. Citizens Advice South Hams have two fully qualified debt relief intermediaries who can offer free, confidential, and impartial advice. They can support you in creating an action plan to help you prioritise your debts, work out how much you can pay, and make sure you’re getting all the help you are entitled to. They can also support you if you cannot pay your debts.

Call the designated debt adviceline on 01803 659 734 and leave a message, or email debt.advice@

southhamscab.org.uk Energy Advice The specialist energy team at Citizens Advice South Hams offers a full energy assessment to each client including looking at tariffs, energy discounts and assisting with energy billing and account issues. They also offer practical energy efficiency advice and can liaise with landlords regarding property issues and improvements.

Call the energy adviceline on 01803 659 733 and leave a message, or email energy.advice@southhamscab.org.uk Further support Citizens Advice can also help you to access charitable support including food banks. The adviceline 0808 278 7948 is open Monday to Friday, 10am to 4pm. They can also be contacted by video call using the link on the website southhamscab.org.uk In person support is available for vulnerable clients at the Citizens Advice office, Follaton House, Plymouth Road, Totnes, TQ9 5NE - they are open Monday to Friday 10am to 4pm.

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Try a shelter first when looking for your forever pet At Woodside, placing a dog in the best possible - and forever - home is vital, even if the charity promises to take its pets back if necessary, even years later.

Woodside Founder Carole Bowles MBE said: ‘We take animals in for all sorts of reasons. Some are simply due to lack of research before buying, some are found to take up too much time, while others develop expensive to treat breed faults, such as those frequently seen with the flat faced varieties. The most heart-breaking intakes are due to owner death, care home entry or the need to move into a no-pet rental. This is when our staff pull out all the stops to provide comfort to those handing over a much-loved companion.’

There’s no doubt that pandemic purchases, easy internet sales and the growing number of foreign imports, has increased Woodside’s workload when things don’t turn out well. Carole also expressed her worry for the future of the more mature dogs advertised online: ‘If a dog is being sold on due to undisclosed training or health issues, the chances are high that it will either be sold again or end up in a shelter. We know from experience that multiple homes do not bode well for canine mental health. So much so that we have had to devise a programme to deal with the issues that arise. It has proven highly successful - but like all our work, needs funding.’

Woodside advises the following for anyone considering getting a dog: • Try a shelter first, ours leave us neutered, vaccinated,chipped, wormed, flea treated and with a returns policy.

• Google your chosen breed. It may need far more exercise and care than you can provide.

• Be aware that there are over 400 genetic faults in pedigree dogs and their crosses. Speak to your vet first.

• Talk to your pet insurer. High health risk breeds have high premiums.

NOTICEBOARD • Imported rescues are often street pack dogs that may struggle to cope in a home environment.

• And if the price sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Animals from Woodside currently looking for a forever home: Loki - Eight year old Loki is a typical Malamute, likes a bit of human attention but will also happily lay outside by himself. He does like the sound of his own voice and suffers from separation anxiety so he will need a rural home, where he cannot upset any neighbours, which is the reason he came into Woodside.

Baygle - is a 3 year old male Beagle.

He came in to Woodside due to owners circumstances changing. Baygle is good with other dogs and able to live with them, but he isn’t able to live with cats.

He cannot live with children under twelve years of age. He is looking for an experienced home, someone who has had an active or challenging breed before. Baygle is a very sweet boy but has a lot of energy and needs mental as well as physical stimulation.

Duke - is a 16 year old neutered male DSH black and white. He came in to Woodside due to owners passing away. He is a very friendly boy who is looking for his forever retirement home. He does suffer from Irritable Bowel Disease and is on life long medication to help keep this under control. Being older he is looking for a home in the Plymouth area so that the Trust can help support his care.

Thank you!

A huge thank you to Stephen and Dawn, owners at Honicknowle News, and their customers who generously donated a huge van full of food to Woodside Animal Welfare Trust! There was something for all the charity’s animals - the cats, dogs, rabbits and the livestock and even the staff!

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Visit our community website www.dartmoorlinks.co.uk 19

Dartmoor Zoo shares success story Since Dartmoor Zoological Society opened its Hedgehog Rescue, also known as ‘Prickly Hedge Lodge’, a dedicated team of staff and volunteers at Dartmoor Zoo have worked tirelessly to care for multiple hedgehogs and nursed them back to health.

Each hedgehog has its own story to tell and everyone at the zoo is pleased to share a wonderful success story.

Dasher (the zoo’s Christmas baby) was found wandering at a school in the middle of the day.

On arrival to the zoo, she was treated for parasites but it was soon clear that more was going on and she had an underlying injury which began to show itself.

Dasher quickly deteriorated over the first week and her ear and nose turned into a large abscess. After antibiotics

Sparkwell Parish Council wildlife initiatives story At the end of February, the ‘State of Britain’s Hedgehogs 2022’ report was published by the British Hedgehog Preservation Society (BHPS) giving an insight into the status of hedgehogs in the UK. Hedgehogs in Britain have undergone a historic decline in recent years and the differences between urban and rural populations are becoming increasingly apparent. In urban areas, the picture is of a stable population showing signs of recovery. This highlights the importance of gardens and green spaces and local action by Hedgehog Champions all over the country. Unfortunately, rural hedgehog populations remain low and in the last 20 years, numbers have

and careful treatment from the team, it finally healed and her health started to improve.

With just a little scar on her nose to show the injury, she has quickly become a firm favourite. She is extremely inquisitive, always watching what the staff are doing and has the best manners during treatment.

At nearly 700g, everyone is looking forward to releasing her back into the wild during the spring.

There are many costs associated with running a rehabilitation facility if you would like to donate, visit bit. ly/DZSHedgehogRescue continued to decline nationally.

The loss of hedgerows seem to be partially responsible and encouraging farmers and land owners to restore and extend them will help. Research funded by the BHPS and others have found that hedgehogs prefer villages to open farmland as they travel about following hedgerows and field margins in search of food. They can travel about 1.5 miles each night so understanding how they move through the landscape is important, especially if their travels take them across roads where many mortalities occur. In our efforts to help prevent hedgehog deaths in our parish, you will have noticed the road signs reminding motorists to slow down and look out for our nocturnal visitors. Unfortunately, hedgehogs freeze when they encounter a vehicle on the roads so if you do see one at night, please stop and move it to a place of safety.

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Revealing Plymouth’s shipwrecked histories with 3D scanning

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rchaeological artefacts recovered from shipwrecks in Plymouth Sound that reveal Plymouth’s links to empire, slavery and indenture have been brought to life through 3D scanning at Fab Lab Plymouth, in a collaboration between Plymouth College of Art’s Smart Citizens Programme, local archaeological team the SHIPS Project and internationally-renowned artist and photographer, Dr Mohini Chandra.

Using 3D scanning technology important maritime

EDUCATION objects discovered by the SHIPS team were digitally recorded in intricate detail and reproduced through 3D printing. The objects scanned include a copper manilla an early trade token for the West Africa trade - recovered from a likely slave wreck in Plymouth Sound (c. 15801680) and a copper rag bolt recovered from a Royal Navy ship, HMS Amethyst (1811).

Through the innovative use of digital fabrication processes, the archaeological finds were recorded for future research and had their stories brought to life, creating accurate 3D printed replicas that can be handled without causing damage to the original artefacts.

The SHIPS Project, an independent archaeology research group and community interest company, can now use the 3D prints as an educational tool, allowing the public to physically connect with elements of Plymouth’s maritime histories that were previously hidden on the seabed of Plymouth Sound. n

Moorsway Moorsway Federation Federation WhereWhere learning learning is is an adventure! an adventure!

Stray Finds As part of the collaboration local people were invited to join the Stray Finds event at Plymouth College of Art to view Dr Mohini Chandra’s exhibition Paradise Lost at MIRROR, examine shipwreck artefacts and ‘treasure’ and visit the Fab Lab. Local divers and collectors from the South West were also invited to bring favourite finds along to show and to discuss them with archaeology experts from the SHIPS Project team.

Mallory Haas, Director of the SHIPS Project, said: ‘We started the Stray Finds Project so we could see what the diving community has recovered over the last 50 years. The diving community is very active in Plymouth and in the South West, and because the sports divers hold a great deal of knowledge on the shipwrecks and finds recovered from the coast, it’s important to record this information before we lose the chance. Many of these finds are common things, like Victorian bottles and bass material recovered from metal wrecks. However, in many divers’ collections is a rare item that may be misidentified, as we have

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seen many times before. This is how we discovered the only Roman-Greeco lead ancho core to be found in the UK, or several Bronze age stone anchors, and the most amazing roman pottery and amphoras.

‘The information these artefacts hold tells the story of the earliest trade with Britain, these artefacts are of great significance and are vital to telling the story of Plymouth as a maritime landscape. By holding events like the Stray Finds day at Plymouth College of Art, we are building a relationship with the diving community and locals who have an interest in history.

By holding the event at the College we are expanding the reach events like this can have beyond the diving and maritime community, and involving students and academics that usually may not know this type of culture exists.’

This activity has been supported by The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, who fund the Cultural Development Fund, which is administered by Arts Council England.

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• Residential opportunities in years 4, 5 & 6 • Outdoor adventurous activity opportunities

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Visit our community website www.dartmoorlinks.co.uk 21

Brimstone The original ‘butter-coloured fly’ - first to emerge for spring

W

e can now look forward to brighter, warmer days, heralded by the early ‘yellow’ flowers such as daffodils, celandines, and primroses that precede the ‘red, white and blue’ of the late spring hedgerows.

Continuing the yellow theme, one of the earliest butterflies usually first seen in February or March in gardens or hedgerows is the unmistakable sulphur-yellow Brimstone - the original ‘butter-coloured fly’.

As soon as they emerge, male Brimstones, which are much brighter yellow than the females, are on the hunt for females to mate. Mating occurs only in spring and the bottle-shaped eggs are laid in May or June on the underside of the food plant, alder buckthorn (widespread in Devon), or buckthorn. Larvae are found in June and July and the adults emerge in August and start preparing for hibernation. In summer and autumn the adults take nectar from thistles, knapweeds and buddleia, and in gardens they feed on the flowers of runner beans and

22

sweet peas. At night the butterfly rests under a leaf, with its wings together, looking just like a yellowing leaf. Brimstones are probably the UK’s longest-living butterfly, living for 10 or 11 months. They overwinter as adults in dense clumps of ivy, holly or bramble and emerge in early spring. Their distribution continues to expand northwards to the Pennines and North East England, probably driven by climate change.

The results of last year’s ‘Big Butterfly Count’, run

by Butterfly Conservation, revealed further declines in Peacock and Small Tortoiseshell, but increases for Marbled White and Ringlet. They also showed the lowest-ever number of butterflies since the survey began.

Does this serious decline worry you? If not, it should.

Just like the canary down the coal mine, if it dies we know that something is wrong. Declining numbers of butterflies and other insects should ring alarm bells, not least because many of them are pollinators. Could the

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NATURALIST

recent decline in swifts, which feed exclusively on aerial insects, perhaps be due to fewer insects?

Over 50 moths have colonised Britain this century, mainly European species moving north, but some have arrived through the importation of exotic plants from abroad. A report by Butterfly Conservation on ‘The state of Britain’s larger moths 2021’ revealed that the abundance of moths decreased by a third over the last 50 years, and that this was greater in the southern half of Britain than in the northern half. We are all familiar with moths being drawn to light, including coming into houses

in the summer. They are also attracted to streetlights which are found nearly everywhere in urban and suburban Britain. However, a study last year in southern England on the effects of streetlights on moths, found that areas with streetlights reduce the abundance of moth caterpillars in grass verges by a third, and in hedgerows by a half, compared with similar nearby unlit habitat. n Anthony John

For more information and ways you can help save butterflies and moths: Visit butterfly-conservation.org

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A local charity occupying a special place in the heart of the community is getting ready to mark a special milestone this year.

Commander Crowley and Dr Sheila Cassidy

2

022 marks 40 years since St Luke’s Hospice today, the main provider of end of life care for the city Plymouth welcomed its first patients. St Luke’s heralded the arrival of a completely new concept for the and its surroundings areas, looking after around 300 city - specialist care for terminally ill people as in-patients patients on any one day.

‘Quite simply though, we would never have come into in a home-from-home environment, rather than in existence – let alone still be helping local families four hospital, to ensure their comfort and dignity at the end decades on – without the unstinting support we receive of their lives. from the community around us.

From this, grew the St Luke’s of today, looking after ‘All who give to the hospice, whether as volunteers the majority of its patients at home and at University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust, with only those with the or through donations and fundraising, do so in the knowledge that they are most complex symptoms needing something of admission to Turnchapel.

‘Quite simply though, we would supporting priceless value, the highly skilled, What has not changed since its never have come into existence – compassionate care people need beginnings though, is the charity’s at the end of their lives so that need to rely on support from let alone still be helping local can feel as at ease as possible individuals and businesses in the families four decades on – without they and make precious memories community to keep providing its the unstinting support we receive with loved ones. specialist services at no cost to ‘A huge thank-you to all our patients or their families. That’s from the community around us. supporters. Please keep doing why, as well as reflecting on what you do because we are four decades of compassionate going to need you more than ever as we strive to meet the care that has touched the lives of so many, St Luke’s is increasing demand on our services.’ using its 40th anniversary to express heartfelt thanks to all its supporters for their ceaseless volunteering and fundraising, plus the legacies that play such an important Key statistics National: It is predicted that the number of people part in helping the charity plan for its future. requiring palliative care will increase by 42% by 2040.

From participating in its weekly lottery to donating to Local: We are an ageing population. The number its charity shops and taking on sponsored challenges like of people aged over 85 years in Devon will Midnight Walk and Men’s Day Out, such commitment increase by 29% by 2025. from the community has enabled St Luke’s to survive In the last six years demand for St Luke’s care has despite the ever-increasing costs of running its 24-hour increased by 37%. service 365 days a year.

In addition to expert, hands-on medical care, its teams Over 50% of hospice care is delivered at home with the provide not only practical advice to patients and their remaining in hospital. Only 5% of care is delivered in a families but vital emotional support, too - warmth, traditional hospice building. sensitivity and kindness that make an important difference to them at the most difficult time of their lives. From its humble beginnings in a converted suburban Chief Executive of St Luke’s Steve Statham said: ‘What house to the widely known and greatly respected service it provides today, it is hard to imagine our community started in the early 1980s as the idea of a small group of parishioners led by the Rev John Watson of St Andrew’s without St Luke’s. One of the innovators from its early days, who was central to shaping the high-calibre local Church in Plymouth grew to become what St Luke’s is

“

”

24

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CHARITY

hospice care we have forty years on, shares her reflections.

Dr Sheila Cassidy, Medical Director from 1981-1991: For many, Dr Sheila Cassidy is the name most synonymous with the history of St Luke’s. A trained doctor with experience in looking after people with cancer, she was appointed its first Medical Director in 1981, spending the next ten years leading the small team devoted to looking after local people with terminal illness as inpatients at Syrena House in Plymstock. This was the large house that – thanks to huge community spirit – had been purchased and converted to enable the new concept of specialised, 24-hour care for patients in a safe yet homely environment.

Building on her medical knowledge, and learning as she went, Sheila observed the marked difference bespoke, holistic care made to the quality of these patients’ lives. Inspired to advocate for the hospice movement, she gave lectures to fellow healthcare professionals locally and nationally as well as overseas, combining long shifts at the hospice with tireless campaigning so that organisations far and wide got to hear about the pioneering work of St Luke’s and were motivated to follow its example.

Sheila worked with St Luke’s for ten years before moving to Derriford Hospital, joining the radiotherapy department and setting up the Mustard Tree drop-in centre for people receiving cancer treatment.

She said: ‘As a young doctor based at the radiotherapy department at Freedom Fields Hospital in Plymouth, I came to realise dying people need more than just treatment for their physical symptoms. Since I lived at the hospital and had free time in the evenings, I’d sit and hold their hands, just listening and asking questions. I saw the difference it made to them to be accepted how they were, whatever they were feeling.

‘Our work at Syrena House was palliative care plus psychotherapy. It was highly skilled as well as different.

Whereas, traditionally, hospital doctors had shielded terminally ill people from the reality of their prognosis, Please mention PLYM LINKS when responding to adverts

our approach was to work with the truth, coupled with kindness. Once we established that they really were in the last stages of their life, we helped them understand what was happening to them and gradually come to a place of acceptance.

‘Families saw what we were doing and word spread, driving up support for all the fundraising needed to keep the hospice going.

‘All of us working there were like a family. I was close to everyone, from the nurses to the office and kitchen staff.

We were a community, putting patients and their families at ease, despite our very cramped quarters.

‘The move to the purpose-built unit at Turnchapel doubled our beds to 20. We had loads more space and extra nurses, too, but though it was larger, it was no less loving. I feel very proud to have been part of the hospice.

Being Medical Director was something I just got on with because that was my work, but I do realise what a great privilege that was.’ n

Visit our community website www.dartmoorlinks.co.uk 25

Marsh Marigold

Gardening for early Spring

M

ark the momentous occasion of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee with a garden or landscape project that will be enjoyed and benefit the environment for many years to come.

The Queen’s Green Canopy is a marvellous initiative that encourages everyone to become involved to ‘plant a tree for the Jubilee’, although do bear in mind that any planted this spring or summer must be kept watered during any dry spells so if this is in doubt, wait until this coming autumn.

Creating a pond, however, is a marvellous project that can be done at any time of year. Water is vital to life and a pond is a lifeline to a multitude of creatures, from birds and mammals to amphibians and the wealth of smaller creatures that live in the water.

You’ll be making a valuable habitat for wildlife too: during the 20th century, half the ponds in the UK were lost and of those that remain, 80% are in poor condition, yet twothirds of all freshwater species are supported by ponds.

The Freshwater Habitats Trusts’ ‘Million Ponds’ project, which began in 2012, aims to encourage gardeners, schools and landowners to create new ponds for people and wildlife. Their website includes an excellent ‘pond creation toolkit’ with a range of free

26

downloadable factsheets and advice.

The easiest material for making a pond is a flexible liner as it moulds to fit whatever shape of hole you make – and do buy the best you can afford. Site a pond in a fair amount of sun and away from overhanging trees. Slopes can be tackled by banking up soil or using stone or sleepers on the lower section. Shape the hole to give a variety of depths, from around 45cm deep to gently shelving, with plenty of shallow water for easy access by visiting wildlife and where amphibians (frogs, toads and newts) can get in and out. If you have very young children or grandchildren, site your pond where it can be fenced off, because toddlers can drown in even a few inches of water.

Ponds with steep sides and stone edges are death traps for wildlife as hedgehogs can fall in and drown, and even amphibians (frogs, toads, newts) need to get in and out. An existing pond in this style can be made more wildlife friendly by replacing some of the stone with plants, grass, or rounded pebbles, and with marginal plants in the shallow water so the wildlife has ‘green corridors’. Near your pond, make a seating spot or a decking platform to sit in comfort and watch the fascinating world within the water.

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GARDENING

Plants for ponds

Marsh Marigold

Ponds need plants: not only to look fabulous from spring to autumn and to entice and support wildlife, but also to maintain healthy water without chemicals or filters.

Choose plants to suit the different water depths. Water lilies with sumptuous, aristocratic flowers, and whiteflowered water hawthorn that blooms for many months, need water over 30cm deep. So-called ‘marginal’ plants need shallow water or permanently boggy soil around pond edges, and here there’s a fabulous choice of flowers, form, and attractive foliage, including irises, flowering rush, water mint, and kingcup or marsh marigold. We’re lucky to have the wonderful pond plant specialist Tor Garden Plants nearby at Brentor: www.torgardenplants.co.uk A balance of planting maintains a healthy pond and avoids common problems such as green water and blanketweed, caused by different types of algae. Don’t

be tempted to empty out and refill your pond, which is damaging to wildlife and should only be done as a last resort. Use water lilies to shade about a third of the surface and put in oxygenating plants that absorb nutrients and starve out algae. Do make sure to avoid invasive pond plants (see ‘further information’: while these should no longer be on sale, you may be offered some by a well-meaning friend or neighbour.

For further information www.queensgreencanopy.org www.freshwaterhabitats.org.uk www.wildlifetrusts.org/habitats/freshwater/ponds

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GARDENING GARDEN DESIGNER & HORTICULTURAL SPECIALIST Inspirational ideas to transform your garden Sue continues to be available for garden advisory visits and design work, operating according to Covid-19 social distancing guidelines. Gift vouchers available for garden advisory visits.

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Seasonal gardening jobs an

d tips

Prune hydrangeas. On matur e plants, take out several of the thickest, oldest stems, at or near to ground level. Lightly prune the whole plant, taking off last year’s dead flower heads and cutting stems back to a fat pai r of buds.

Sow annual climbers: their speedy growth quickly clam bers up supports and through oth er plants. As well as ever-po pular sweet peas, try morning glor y (Ipomoea tricolor), quamo clit (I. lobata) and cup-and-sauce r plant (Cobaea).

In a greenhouse or on a sun ny windowsill indoors, pot up dahlia tubers to get a flying start on the year and enjoy an early display of sumptuous summe r flowers. Take care not to ove rwater as dahlias are prone to rot.

Feed spring bulbs after they’ve flowered but before the leaves die back. A natural sea weed-based liquid fertiliser is my preference, but any high-pota sh fertiliser will do. Now’s the ideal time to divide and transplant crowded clumps of snowdrops , too.

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HEALTH & BEAUTY

Sweet Dreams…

I

s there anything better than a good nights sleep?

Waking up refreshed, revived and ready to start the day. I’m guessing there are many of you reading this who would love nothing more, but are finding the Land of Nod an elusive destination. It is estimated that more than a third of us struggle with sleep and since the pandemic this has escalated, leading to what has been dubbed ‘Coronasomnia’. Anxiety, uncertainty, loneliness and working from home have all contributed to this deterioration in our sleeping patterns.

Apart from the obvious effects of sleeplessness – daytime tiredness, irritability and lethargy, poor sleep is also linked to weight gain, diabetes, high blood pressure and even dementia.

GP’s frequently see patients suffering with insomnia, who are often seeking sleeping tablets to solve the problem.

Sadly this is not the quick fix many hope it would be.

Sleeping tablets are rarely prescribed these days as they can be highly addictive and can have serious side effects including making your sleep much worse in the long term.

So what can we do?

Make your bedroom a haven – avoid using your bedroom for anything other than sleep. Keep the temperature around 18 degrees. Ensure you have a comfy mattress and pillows. Keep the light and sound out with black out blinds and ear plugs if needed.

Ditch the tech – aim to have an hour of screen free wind down time leading up to bedtime. As well as the blue light that is emitted from screen disrupting our circadian rhythms , engaging with social media or online activity can greatly increase our stress level. Get an old fashioned alarm clock and leave the phone plugged in downstairs.

Cut out the caffeine – caffeine lasts for many hours in your body and a cup of coffee early afternoon can significantly affect your ability to sleep later that night.

Avoid any caffeine after midday and remember that

decaffeinated drinks may still contain some caffeine.

Alcohol – alcohol seriously disrupts our ability to sleep well. While dropping off may be easier after a few drinks, waking up in the early hours and a poorer quality sleep is more likely. Try and limit alcohol to just a few nights a week and try to finish drinking 2-4 hours before turning in.

Exercise – keeping active in the day is vital to ensure we are tired and ready for sleep come evening ,but try and avoid vigorous activity just before bed .Outdoor time every day is also crucial as exposure to sunlight regulates production of the hormone melatonin which in turn helps control our sleep.

Routine – going to sleep and getting up at the same time every day ensures our internal body clock is set to the right time. Don’t be tempted to lie in or nap in the day if you’ve had a bad night.

Turn off your worries – keeping a diary or just writing down your worries can be a good way of clearing your head before bed. Meditation and is another great way of winding down.

Stop ‘trying’ – you cant go to sleep - sleep must come to you. In other words create the environment you are likely to fall asleep in, but if it doesn’t happen don’t lie there tossing and turning worrying about it. After twenty or thirty minutes get up, and do something relaxing or boring until you start to feel sleepy again. I often suggest to patients they count backwards from 1,000 very slowly, gently bringing themselves back to the counting if their thoughts wander off.

Get help – there are some fantastic online sleep supports available now. Sleepio, Sleep station and the Sleep School app are all worth checking out. Your pharmacy may also be able to offer some herbal remedies and your GP is a good port of call especially if you are also struggling with symptoms of depression or anxiety. n

Dr Rachel Tyler is a doctor at Stirling Road Surgery, St Budeaux

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FOOD & DRINK

How to pair your wine and chocolate this Easter!

This year I’m looking at what we eat most at Easter.

It’s not roast lamb. Nope, not hot cross buns. Chocolate!

It’s shocking how easy it is to take two such delicious things and end up going ‘Yuck!’ - so here’s a guide to which wines to enjoy with your chocolate, be it pudding, brownie or Easter egg!

Texture is important. Most chocolate is silky smooth, so soft, velvety wines are your friends! Also, there’s a ‘rule’ that wines should be sweeter than desserts, and so it is (mostly!) with chocolate. Ripe, full and fruity wine often gets described as sweet even when it’s not - we just perceive it that way. Real or perceived, sweetness offsets natural bitterness in chocolate.

Chocolate and wine need to be equal in terms of intensity.

If you were doing a tasting with just chocolates and wines, you would start with light (white) chocolate, before milk chocolate and finally dark, bitter, high-cocoa-content stuff.

White chocolate is usually not ‘real’ chocolate as it doesn’t normally contain cocoa. Matches here are wines that are light in body and sweet - sweet Riesling for example.

Slightly sweet Rose d’Anjou will work, as would White Zinfandel (it’s pink!) and notably sweeter. Fizz lovers will enjoy sparkling Moscato d’Asti. These work because sweet wines are balanced with acidity, which keeps your mouth fresh, cleaning away the sticky chocolate (as do bubbles).

Milk chocolate is creamier, with more mellow flavours.

Proportionately, chocolate and cream are roughly 50/50, so

15%

a medium bodied wine Dave Anning with some ripe fruit character will balance this out. Ruby port is a favourite, but some Pinot Noir and lighter Merlot can be great. The adventurous amongst you might try a Gewurztraminer from Alsace or Chile!

Dark chocolate merits flavoursome, full-bodied wine - big Zinfandels (Primitivo in Italian), fruity Cabernet Sauvignon and the weightier Merlots. Choose wines with plenty of fruit though - very tannic wine will emphasise the bitterness in the cocoa and feel ‘hard’ in the mouth.

Intensely sweet ‘PX’ (Pedro Ximinez), and Rutherglen Muscat - from Spain and Australia respectively - are some of the sweetest wines in the world, and bring nuttiness, rich fruit, caramel and coffee notes that complement the chocolate’s dark notes and offset the bitterness beautifully.

These are wines for sipping!

Two last thoughts. If you’re a real fan of white chocolate, try it with a good Pinot Noir. It’s such an unexpected match it’ll make you look confused for a moment - but it’s worth it! The fat in the ‘chocolate’ does what the fat in rich meats does, releasing the wine’s intense fruitiness. Finally no, I can’t really help you with After Eights - you’re on your own! Happy Easter from all of us at SW Bottleshop! n Dave Anning

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x WHAT’S ON

Saturday 23 April

The power of hundreds of local men on the move A much-loved charity in Plymouth has launched one of its flagship fundraising events, inviting men to gather together outdoors and go the extra mile to do good for local families going through the toughest of times.

Men’s Day Out in aid of St Luke’s Hospice Plymouth is one of the city’s most iconic annual charity events, raising vital funds to support the compassionate care the hospice provides for terminally ill people 365 days a year at home, in hospital and at its specialist unit at Turnchapel.

Places for Men’s Day Out on Saturday, April 23 are expected to sell out quickly due to the popularity of the event, which sees hundreds of men walking a 12km route that starts and finishes at Plymouth Albion RFC. The sponsored walk through the city’s streets and along the waterfront takes in sights such as Plymouth Hoe and the Barbican, with many of the men walking in memory of loved ones no longer with them, who will never be forgotten.

Sponsored by local company Jem Scaffolding Limited, Men’s Day Out is renowned for being a day of fun and banter, with those taking part enjoying a pasty and a beer as well as a not-to-be-missed clash

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between the home team and Taunton Titans, Registration for the event is £35, covering logistical costs including a t-shirt, pasty, beer and entry to the rugby match.

Nina Wearne, Partnerships Manager at St Luke’s, said: ‘Whether you take part in Men’s Day Out as a personal challenge or to celebrate the life of someone special, and whether you do it for the first time or as an event you enjoy every year, what matters is just that you walk.

‘While St Luke’s gives specialist end of life care, free of charge to patients, this does not come cheap to our charity and we could not do what we do as well as we do it without the support of the big-hearted community around us. Being part of Men’s Day Out is a fantastic way to have loads of fun while making an important difference to local families who would otherwise miss out on the specialist care and support they need.’

Sign up for Men’s Day Out at: www.stlukes-hospice.org.uk/mensdayout

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BUTCHERS HALL THEMED MARKET & EVENTS VENUE Located in the heart of Tavistock, within the market complex, Butchers Hall is home to a fantastic array of vibrant themed markets and events

MARKETS & FAIRS FOR 2022 2 Apr Tavistock Arts Market 14 -16 Apr Spring Fair 7 May Tavistock Arts Market 26 - 28 May Makers Market 16 - 18 Jun Food & Craft Fair 2 - 3 JulySummer Arts Market weekend 21 - 23 July Summer Fair 11 - 13 Aug Food & Craft Fair 3 Sept Tavistock Arts Market 15 - 16 Sept Makers Market

1 Oct Tavistock Arts Market 12 Oct Goose Fair Artisan Market 20 - 22 Oct Autumn Fair 5 Nov Tavistock arts Market 10 - 11 Nov Makers Market 2 Dec Magic of Christmas Market 3 Dec Tavistock arts Market 4 Dec Magic of Christmas Market 14 - 23 Dec Magic of Christmas Market All events are free to enter

All dates correct at time of press, check our website for further events throughout the year

Tavistock Town Council Working for the local community

Visit our website WWW.TAVISTOCK.GOV.UK & follow us at: Butchershalltavistock

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Visit DEVON’S WORLD HERITAGE TOWN

• Historic Stannary & Market Town • A UNESCO World Heritage Site • Gateway to Dartmoor & Cornwall • Home of the Cream Tea • Shop, Eat & Enjoy

The beautifully restored Tavistock Guildhall is now open as a Gateway Centre to the Cornwall & West Devon Mining Landscape World Heritage Site. Entry is free, so do get down there to learn more about Tavistock’s role in a vibrant history.

34

Butchers_Hall

Come and celebrate the Platinum Jubilee with us in 2nd June: Jubilee Gala Day and Pageant 5th June: Steam Fair and Picnic in the Park

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WHAT’S ON

22 May - 11 June

14 - 18. June

Full casting announced for Chicago returns to Plymouth record-breaking tour for one week only!

Cameron Mackintosh has announced the full casting for his acclaimed production of Boublil and Schönberg’s ‘Les Misérables’ as the UK and Ireland tour arrives at Plymouth from May 22 where it will run until June 11.

Les Misérables stars Dean Chisnall as ‘Jean Valjean’, Nic Greenshields as ‘Javert’, Ian Hughes as ‘Thénardier’, Will Callan as ‘Marius’, Nathania Ong as ‘Eponine’, Helen Walsh as ‘Madame Thénardier’, Samuel Wyn-Morris as ‘Enjolras’ and Paige Blankson as ‘Cosette’.

Since Cameron Mackintosh first conceived this acclaimed new production of Les Misérables in 2009 to celebrate the show’s 25th anniversary it has taken the world by storm continuing to enjoy record-breaking runs in countries including North America, Australia, Japan, Korea, France and Spain.

Boublil and Schönberg’s magnificent iconic score of Les Misérables includes the classic songs, I Dreamed a Dream, On My Own, Stars, Bring Him Home, Do You Hear the People Sing?, One Day More, Empty Chairs at Empty Tables, Master Of The House and many more. Several of its songs have become real life anthems of revolution wherever in the world people are fighting for their freedom. Seen by over 120-million people worldwide in 52 countries and in 22 languages, Les Misérables is undisputedly one of the world’s most popular and contemporary musicals.

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Chicago is back in Plymouth for one week only starring Coronation Street’s Faye Brookes (Dancing On Ice, Grease, Legally Blonde) as Roxie Hart and West End star Djalenga Scott (Annie, Chicago, West Side Story) as Velma Kelly.

‘Murder, greed, corruption, exploitation, adultery and treachery…all those things we hold near and dear to our hearts’ So begins the international multi-award-winning musical, Chicago.

Set amidst the razzle-dazzle decadence of the 1920s, Chicago is the story of Roxie Hart, a housewife and nightclub dancer who murders her on-the-side lover after he threatens to walk out on her.

Desperate to avoid conviction, she dupes the public, the media and her rival cellmate, Velma Kelly, by hiring Chicago’s slickest criminal lawyer to transform her malicious crime into a barrage of sensational headlines, the likes of which might just as easily be ripped from today’s tabloids.

Created by the musical theatre talents of John Kander, Fred Ebb and legendary choreographer Bob Fosse, Chicago’s sexy, sassy score with one show-stopping song after another includes Razzle Dazzle, Cell Block Tango, and All That Jazz. With 6 Tony Awards, 2 Olivier Awards, a Grammy® and thousands of standing ovations, Chicago truly is ‘SUPERB’ (Daily Telegraph).

Don’t miss out - it would be criminal to miss it…

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The University of Plymouth Choral Society The University of Plymouth Choral Society, supported by the Arts Institute and Plymouth University, presently has seventy-five singers who rehearse weekly in the Sherwell Centre on Tuesday evenings. Dr Sean Sweeney was appointed as Musical Director in May 2020 to steer the choir through lockdown restrictions but a very successful return Christmas Concert was held at St Andrew’s Minster in December 2021. The choir enjoys excellent accompaniment support from pianist Mary Mazur-Park and the Divertimento Ensemble often joins them for concerts.

Future concerts and events: Saturday, May 28 at 7.30pm The Minster Church of St Andrew A celebration of summer music for the Royal Jubilee with music from the Coronation, Summer Madrigals and two movements from The Mayflower Pilgrims by local composer Clive Jenkins.

Saturday, July 9 from 10am to 4pm St Paul’s Church, Yelverton

36

Director: Helen Porter, renowned singing coach, composer and musical director. All voices welcome. See website for details.

Membership: New members with a passion for singing is a prerequisite but extensive choral experience is not necessary. For more information, contact membership secretary PennieB54@aol.com All ticket enquiries should be directed to the Box Office on 01752 585050 or e-mail theartsinstitute@plymouth.ac.uk.

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WHAT’S ON

From 1 May

Celebrating 70 years of opening for charity The garden at Mothecombe House, Holbeton, is celebrating opening for 70 years for the National Garden Scheme, raising money for nursing and caring charities.

Successive generations have continued opening since the first opening all those years ago.

This year the garden opens on Sunday, May 1 from 11am to 5pm. This beautiful and extensive garden is set in a private estate and hamlet, with walled pleasure gardens, borders and a Lutyens courtyard surrounding a Queen Anne house (not open) with Lutyens additions and terraces.

There is much to see including an orchard with spring bulbs, unusual shrubs and trees, a camellia walk, streams, bog garden and pond plus bluebell woods. Don’t miss the unusual shaped large tulip tree, the new walled garden planting of lavenders and the bee friendly plants and the sandy beach at the bottom of garden.

Admission is £6 and children are £3. Dogs on short leads are welcome and there are home-made teas.

The garden is opening for the National Garden Scheme which raises money to support Macmillan Cancer Support, Marie Curie Cancer Care, Hospices UK, Carers Trust and other nursing and caring charities.

Further gardens open for the National Garden Scheme The Haven, Hollacombe, Wembury, and Derrydown, Sparkwell are all open for the NGS. Both these gardens are open by arrangement for small groups. This means that the garden welcomes visitors on pre-agreed dates. Please contact the garden owner to arrange a date.

The Haven is a half-acre sloping plantsman’s garden with two ponds, a substantial collection of magnolias and camellias and rare dwarf, weeping and slow growing conifers. Also daphnes, early azaleas and rhododendrons, spring bulbs and hellebores.

The garden opens by arrangement only from March to May for groups of between 5 and 20. Admission is £4.50 and children are free. Please contact Mrs S Norton & Mr J Norton, suenorton1@hotmail.co.uk, 01752 862149 to arrange visiting.

Derrydown is a 2017 new half-acre garden with raised beds, a quirky fish pond, pagoda with kiwi, grape vines and in 2020 a new plot with a 50ft circular lawn, frog pond, berry hedge, wild meadows, flowers, moon gates and double glazed greenhouses. Also rain water harvesting and up cycling and a rill. Children’s quiz. Dogs on leads. Admission is £5 and children are free. The garden opens by arrangement only from April to September for groups of between 4 and 25. Please contact Peter & Ann Tremain anntremain1942@gmail.com 07940 543707 to arrange visiting..

For more information: Pick up a Devon gardens open for charity 2022 yellow booklet at your local garden centre or website www.ngs.org.uk.

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3 April

A much-loved performance by

Plymouth Philharmonic Choir

This is music that will reach to your very core with its power and intensity whilst in the next moment tug at your heart strings because of its sublime beauty.

With over 130 singers being supported by a 50 piece orchestra, together with four first-class soloists: Catherine Hamilton (Soprano), Alison Kettlewell (Mezzo-Soprano), Robin Lyn Evans (Tenor) and Darren Jeffery (Bass-Baritone) at the disposal of Christopher Fletcher, Plymouth Philharmonic choir’s Director of Music, this surely is the concert of the year being held on your doorstep.

For more information: Ticket prices and availability, can be found on the choir’s website: www.plymouthphilchoir.org.uk

Verdi’s Requiem, a much-loved favourite of singers, orchestral players and audiences alike, is being performed by Plymouth Philharmonic Choir on Sunday, April 3 at Plymouth Guildhall.

It is a work with the greatest of contrasts, both in terms of volume and emotion. At one end of the spectrum the second movement, Dies irae, a depiction of the day of judgement, requires the brass players, making up almost a quarter of the orchestra, to play fortissimo-issimo-issimo.

Following four striking G minor chords the wall of sound is unleashed in a wildly swirling chromatic theme conveying anger and terror. By complete contrast in the final movement one of the quietest musical markings, pppp, is found in the Requiem aeternam (Rest and peace eternal) which has the soprano soloist soaring to a top B flat.

In a later section of the Dies irae there are dramatic shifts in tension and urgency as the choir and soloists join to make the impassioned plea of Salva me (Save me).

Stay and play children’s group

Cornwood Stay and Play group is a friendly, welcoming group for children from birth to school age, offering a fun, relaxed atmosphere both for the children and parents/carers.

The group has been running for two years, organised by Luci Atkins, one of Cornwood Primary Schools teaching assistants from Class 1.

The group runs term time only every Monday from 9.15am to 10.45am within Cornwood Primary School’s hall offering a great space for the children to play, but also allows the group access during the summer months to the beautiful outdoor space the school has to offer, including a field, tennis court, vegetable garden and forest school area.

A volunteer from the group said: ‘We encourage free play with a variety of activities from soft play to kitchen, building blocks to drawing. We are starting to introduce a treasure MEET MIKE MOSS AT WILDWOOD SATURDAY 2ND APRIL 11AM-4PM basket each week for the children to explore with a different theme each week. Children get a healthy snack and adults get tea or coffee and chocolate Dartmoor’s biscuits or cookies.’

Art Gallery Only £2 per family, come along and join in the fun! There is a small car park a Representing the region’s finest artists short walk from the school entrance or plenty of street parking. For more Chapel Lane, Horrabridge, Yelverton PL20 7SP • info@wildwoodartsdartmoor.co.uk • 01822 258529 information phone the school office on Traditional, investment & contemporary fine art . prints . ceramics . jewellery . glass . textiles 01752 837375.

Featured artist: Mike Moss

www.wildwoodartsdartmoor.co.uk

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WHAT’S ON

19 - 20 May

Don’t miss the dance extravaganza

The official Strictly Come Dancing - The Professionals UK Tour is back and will delight Plymouth fans for three shows in May. Directed by Strictly’s Creative Director of Choreography Jason Gilkison, the tour will feature an exciting line-up of 10 magnificent dancers and Strictly TV favourites: Australian Open Champion and 2018 finalist Dianne Buswell; two-time Ballroom and Latin World Champion Nadiya Bychkova; Italian Latin Champion Graziano Di Prima; Professional World Mambo Champion and 2020 Strictly finalist Karen Hauer; 2017 Strictly Champion Katya Jones; undefeated four-time British National Champion Neil Jones; current South African Latin Champion Cameron Lombard; 2017 & 2020 Strictly finalist Gorka Marquez; four-time Italian Dance Championship winner Luba Mushtuk and 2021 Strictly finalist Kai Widdrington.

Jason Gilkison said: ‘We are delighted to announce this incredible line-up of Strictly dancers for this year’s official Strictly Professionals tour. These much loved pros are set to dazzle audiences across the country this spring, with two hours of the finest choreography and dancing. Watching them perform at such an incredible standard is an experience not to be missed.’

Audiences will enjoy the inspiring talent of the multi award-winning world-class dancers as they perform stunningly choreographed Ballroom and Latin routines in exquisite costumes, with all the glitz, glamour, sequins and sparkle of the smash hit BBC One TV show live on stage!

Tickets: On sale now from StrictlyTheProfessionals.com Please mention PLYM LINKS when responding to adverts

2-4 June

1 BIG SUMMER 2022

have teamed up with Plymouth Argyle!

1 Big Summer Festival and Plymouth Argyle have announced how they will team up to bring several events activations to the city between now and June, as well offering Plymouth Argyle fans exclusive offers for this year’s festival.

The event which takes place on the Jubilee Bank Holiday weekend between Thursday, June 2 and Saturday, June 4, will see one of the biggest line ups ever assembled descend on to Plymouth Hoe for three jam packed days!

Thursday, June 2, will be one for the dance music lovers featuring a full live 30-piece orchestra and a soundtrack that will transport listeners through three decades of iconic white isle classics, as well as special guests Basement Jaxx.

On Friday, June 3, the ‘1 Big Summer’ day festival and main event follows with one of the biggest events ever held on the Hoe. The Friday will feature one of the Biggest artists in the World right now - Years and Years.

Saturday, June 4 will see two of the biggest bands come together for ultimate finale of 1 Big Summer weekend! The Libertines and Supergrass!

Saturday is one for the whole family - ‘The Great British Sausage and Cider Festival’ will offer an unprecedented array of craft cider, sausage flavours, street food and entertainment, including stage games, and competitions throughout the day. This is set to be the perfect bank holiday Saturday.

Argyle’s head of marketing and communications Jamie Yabsley, said: ‘1 Big Summer gives us a great opportunity to provide extra value to existing supporters in the form of exclusive offers, while also placing Argyle at the centre of an event attended by young people, which is crucial in helping us to build our fanbase for the future. It’s the perfect fit.’

With demand across all three days being very high, tickets have been limited to 4 per person. Day tickets for 1 Big Summer will start at just £35. Weekend tickets will start from just £79.

For more information: See www.1bigsummer.com or like the 1bigsummer Facebook page.

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WHAT’S ON

Plymouth Ice Rink works with Plymouth Together Fund This Easter holiday Plymouth Ice Rink, based at Plymouth Pavilions, will be hosting a fundraising event called ‘Skate Together’ on Friday, April 22. Proceeds from the event will be donated to local charity Plymouth Together Fund.

The Plymouth Together Fund is a local charity founded to support Keyham, and surrounding communities, in the wake of the tragic shooting that took place on August 12, 2021.

40

Since being founded, The Plymouth Together fund has collected £92,333.

This charity is not government funded in anyway, so relies on the donations from the generous individuals, groups and organisations, who have been busy raising money for the funds appeal.

Fundraisers will be hitting the ice for an amazing four-hour skate!

The rink will also be open to the public for skating, so even if you’ve not got 4 hours in you, come along and join Percy our trusty penguin pal in supporting our skating heroes!

To bag a place fundraisers will need to head over to www. plymouthice.co.uk and secure their spot with a £15 registration fee, skaters will be tasked with raising their own sponsorship money, through the Ice Rink’s JustGiving group.

To say thank you for their incredible efforts skaters will get a goodie bag, drinks and snacks on the day and Plymouth Ice Rink have teamed up with some of our friends across the city to offer an amazing prize for the skater who raises the most money. Included are tickets to the show of their choice at Plymouth Pavilions, and more prizes to be confirmed.

Find out more about Plymouth Together Fund: Head over to www.plymouthtogether.co.uk More information on Plymouth Ice Rink: For upcoming events including the ‘Skate Together’, head to the website www.plymouthice.co.uk

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WHAT’S ON

DIARY DATES April 9 to 23

Easter Trail at The Garden House Buckland Monachorum Our wooden animals are out of hibernation and have popped up around the garden along with lots of other exciting Easter things to find. When you’ve found them all come and collect your prize from Visitor Reception! (Garden admission applies.Trail £3 per child).

More details: www.thegardenhouse.org.uk

Dartmoor Border Morris - Meavy based

With the coming of spring, the group has a full diary to look forward to with local fairs, county shows and many pub visits to accomplish the season. Whilst performing, Dartmoor Border Morris will be collecting for the Dartmoor Search and Rescue group.

April 23 St George’s Day at 1pm, The Dolphin Hotel, Plymouth’s historic barbican for an afternoon of Morris dance with several local Morris sides.

May 1 5.15am for dance while the sun rises. Find the Morris side in the car park below Leedon Tor on the B3232 Yelverton to Princetown road.

The Fox Tor Café will be serving full English from 6am. Come rain or sunshine, they will be there!

May 2 From 10.30am it’s the Black Prince Flower boat festival, held in Cawsands and Kingsands.

May 4 The Royal Oak Inn, Meavy, with guests Lodestone Border Morris.

Starting at 8pm, this is the first of many Wednesday nights dancing outside a pub, as tradition would have it!

May 7 Tamerton Foliot May Fair, starting at 12noon with a procession down the high street and much ‘fun of the fair’ in the field below the church. Dartmoor Border Morris will be dancing throughout the afternoon.

May 11 7.30pm, Dartmoor Border Morris have been invited to perform with The Plymouth Morris, who are a ‘Cotswold side’ and dance with hankies as opposed to sticks. This time we are at the Dolphin Hotel again on Plymouth’s historic barbican.

May 18 8pm, Dartmoor Border Morris will be at the White Thorn Inn, Shaugh Prior, with guests Beltane Border Morris.

May 25 8pm, Dartmoor Border Morris will be at the Leaping Salmon in Horrabridge, with guests Wreckers Morris from Cornwall.

Please check www.dartmoorbordermorris.com to see if there have been any last minute changes or additions to their diary.

Moor’s Edge U3A Are you retired or semi-retired and wondering what the future holds? Why not think about joining your local U3A? To see the full range of groups and future events visit https:// u3asites.org.uk/moorsedge/events and to see more photographs of past events visit the group’s Facebook page.

For meetings, meet at 2.30pm at the Woolwell Centre the second Tuesday of the month.

April 12 Ashley Jones, Regional Fraud Protect Advisor from SW Regional Organised Crime Unit, talk: Fraud Protection. Ashley will discuss the most common fraud types with tips for spotting scams and frauds in our daily lives.

May 10 Brian Freeland: Women of the Raj. We look forward to Brian

just the ticket for a great day out

Come and visit the South Devon Railway for a 14-mile round trip steam train ride along the beautiful valley of the River Dart.

southdevonrailway.co.uk

Buckfastleigh • Staverton • Totnes Riverside

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We’d love to see you!

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returning having enjoyed a previous talk from him. This time he will give a dramatised account of what it was like for women married to a soldier or civil servant being uprooted and moving to India during British Colonial Rule.

May 23

Willow Weaving Workshop at The Garden House, Buckland Monachorum 10am to 3pm Join Lynn, and learn the art of willow weaving whilst creating beautiful willow structures for your garden such as bird feeders, small garden sculptures and more! Coffee and light lunch provided. Also a unique ‘closed’ access opportunity to stroll around the garden during your lunch break. £60 per person. Visit website to book: www.thegardenhouse.org.uk

April 8 - 7.30pm

Alistair McGowan - The Piano Show Following the surprise success of his Sony album, which reached No 1 in the UK Classical Album charts, comes Alistair McGowan’s new show, combining his talents as master impressionist and comedian with his new-found talent as a classical pianist! Tickets £22.50.

April 23 - 8.00pm

Riviera Dogs Back to the 80’s

Regulars REGULARS

Riviera Dogs are a five-piece 80s party band from the South West of England. No lycra, wigs or make up just faithful, respectful renditions of songs from the best decade in music. Tickets: £14.50 (advanced price).

Quiz night at The Woolwell Centre

John Lennon Tribute Lennon Retrospective

From 7pm to 9pm on the first Friday of the month. £1 per person, maximum team size is 6.

John Lennon Tribute UK’s show ‘Lennon Retrospective’ aims to take the audience on a journey through John Lennon’s best loved songs starting with his solo work and culminating in the early Beatles classics. JLUK put on a two-hour, fully-costumed show ‘Lennon Retrospective’ covering Lennon’s best known solo work as well as classic Lennon-penned Beatles songs. Tickets: £19/£17.

May 7 - 8.00pm

Plymouth Sound Choir A new and fun evening to brighten up your Mondays in Woolwell - people are invited to sing your favourite rock, pop and musical numbers in beautiful harmonies. Plymouth Sound Choir is an informal and fun group just singing for joy. Held within the Bickleigh Suite at Woolwell Community Centre from 7pm to 9pm.

May 24 - 2.00pm

Neil Sands - Happy and Glorious

Five popular acts are descending onto The Watermark, at Erme Court, which is owned and run by Ivybridge Town Council. To book for any show, call Box Office on 01752 892220 or book online at www.ivybridgewatermark.co.uk

Come and enjoy a regal and patriotic afternoon, as we celebrate in style Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

Neil Sands and his wonderful West End cast are back to celebrate the 70 glorious years of Her Majesty’s record breaking rein. Tickets: £15.50/£13.50.

May 26 - 8.00pm

Albert Lee Twice Grammy Winner revered by both professional musicians and

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WHAT’S ON fans alike as one of the finest guitarists the world has ever seen. Ranging from soulful ballads to Rock n Roll, complimented by his great band this is a show not to be missed.

Tickets: £26.50.

Live Event Cinema at The Watermark: ROH Live: La Traviata April; 13 - 6.45pm. Tickets: £16.50/£15.50/£10.50.

NT Live: Henry V [15] April 21 - 7pm. Tickets: £13.50/£12.50/£11.50.

ROH Live: Swan Lake May 19 - 7.15pm. Tickets: £16.50/£15.50/£11.50.

Plus lots of great films, check website for full details

Hive (tbc) April 2 to April 7 (check website for timings)

Dir. Blerta Basholli, Kosovo/Switzerland, 2021, 84 mins, subtitled.

Cast. Labinot Lajci, Yll Uka, Valon Bajgora, Agon Uka.

Europa (tbc) April 2 to April 7 (check website for timings) Dir. Haider Rashid, Iraq/Kuwait/Italy, 2021, 80 mins.

La Mif (15) April 8 to April 14 (check website for timings)

Dir. Fred Baillif, Switzerland, 2021, 110 mins, subtitledEscape From

Mogadishu (tbc) April 8 to April 14 (check website for timings)

Dir. Ryoo Seung-Wang, 2021, South Korea, 121 mins, subtitled.

Exhibition on Screen: Easter in Art April 12 - 6pm.

Dir. Phil Grabsky, 85 mins.

Master Cheng (tbc) April 15 to April 20 (check website for timings) Dir. Mika Kaurismaki, Finland/UK/China, 2020, 114 mins Plymouth College of Art, Tavistock Place, Plymouth PL4 8AT Opening Times and How to Book: The Box Office and Café-bar open Tuesday, Thursday and Friday: 5-8.30pm; Wednesday: 1-8.30pm; Saturday: 1-8pm). You can call Box Office during these times: 01752 206114.

For much more detailed, up to date information, visit: www. plymouthartscinema.org/reopening

Boris Karloff Double Bill The Mummy (PG) April 1 - 6pm

Dir. Karl Freund, 1932, 73 mins

The Old Dark House (PG) April 1 - 8.30pm

Dir. James Whale, 1932, 72 mins.

The Real Charlie Chaplin April 2 - 2.30pm / April 6 - 6pm

Dir. James Spinney, US, 2021, 114 mins.

The Phantom of the Open (tbc) April 15 to April 21.Book Early Dir. Craig Roberts, UK, 2021, 102 mins.

Jules Et Jim (12A) April 20 - 2.30pm and April 21 - 6pm.

Dir. Francois Truffaut, France, 1962, 106mins, subtitled.

Compartment No.6 (tbc) April 22 to April 28. (check website for timings) Dir. Juho Kuosmanen, Finland/Estonia, 2021, 107 mins

The Worst Person in the World (tbc) April 22 to April 28. (check website for timings) Dir. Joachim Trier, Norway/France, 2021, 128 mins

Plymouth After Dark: Bowie Double Bill The Man Who Fell to Earth (18) Saturday, April 30 - 4.45pm

Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (12A) Saturday, April 30 at 8pm

For an extensive range of beds, mattresses and frames.

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Tavistock

FESTIVAL2022 30TH APRIL - 21ST MAY 2022

21 DAYS OF MUSIC AND ARTS EVENTS IN OUR BEAUTIFUL MARKET TOWN Welcome to another Tavistock Festival of Music and Arts. You will see that we have planned a fabulous programme and we hope we have provided a range of events to capture the interest of all. We are extremely grateful to our sponsors and our hosts for making the Festival possible and we are indebted to those who have given freely of their time in the preparation that has been necessary over the past two years. We are so glad to be back!

Additional information for each event will be published on our website as it becomes available. In the meantime, do not hesitate to contact me.

A display of work by twelve local artists with free workshops for adults on Tuesdays and Thursdays Further details at www.drawntothevalley.com Tuesday 3rd May - 1.00pm Tavistock Parish Church

Dr Sean Sweeney (Organ) Music by Bach, Dupré, Elgar, Franck and Guilmant Tickets £5 Sponsored by Alistair Kinsey Thursday 5th May 2022 Tavistock Parish Church 1.00pm

Mary, Kamila and Leslie Mazur- Park Music for Oboe, Piano and Piano duet Tickets £5

Dr Sean Sweeney Chairman

Sponsored by Alistair Kinsey

07732 586 978 admin@tavistockfestival.org

Friday 6th May - 7.00pm Our Lady of the Assumption RC Church, Tavistock

FESTIVAL EVENT DATES & TIMES

Mount Kelly Chamber Choir and Levowan XII Retiring collection

Saturday 30th April • 7.30pm Tavistock Parish Church

Mount Kelly Choral Society Pergolesi Stabat Mater, Vaughan Williams Five Mystical Songs and Fantasia on Greensleeves Tickets £10, available online from: www.ticketsource.co.uk/mount-kelly-choral-society Monday 2nd May - Saturday 21st May

Drawn to the Library Art Exhibition

IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE FRIENDS OF THE TAVISTOCK FESTIVAL TAVISTOCK & DISTRICT CHAMBER OF COMMERCE • HANSFORD BELL FINANCIAL PLANNERS ALISTAIR KINSEY HEARING & MOBILITY • MILLER TOWN & COUNTRY ESTATE AGENTS • LINKS MAGAZINES 44

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Saturday 7th May - 10.00am Tavistock Library

Beethoven, Debussy and Liszt Tickets £5

Creative Writing Workshop with local authors Roz Levens and Myfanwy Cook Tickets £16 or £9 half day

Sponsored by Alistair Kinsey

Tavistock Parish Church 7.30pm

Further details at www.librariesunlimited.org.uk

Tavistock Library - 7.00pm

The Wheelhouse Folk Choir Admission free

Stannary Brass Band Further details at www.stannarybrassbandtavistock.co.uk Tickets £8 Sunday 8th May - 2.30pm Tavistock Parish Church

Choral Workshop A fun and informative session for singers of all abilities Tickets £5

Sunday 15th May - 3.30-5.30pm Bedford Hotel

Afternoon tea with entertainment from Fine Whines Featuring early jazz and swing classics from the 1930s Tickets £8 Tuesday 17th May - 1.00pm Tavistock Parish Church

Monday 9th May - 7.30pm Tavistock Guildhall

Stella Searson/Sarah Rowe Piano A popular duet recital by these local performers Music by Dvořák, Kreisler, Debussy, Scott Joplin, Moskovski and Seiber, all inspired by dance Tickets £5

Haizea Wind Quintet Tickets £8 Tuesday 10th May - 1.00pm Tavistock Methodist Church

Children’s Concert An exciting concert for children given by talented young musicians preceded by a flag-making workshop at Tavistock Library Admission free

Sponsored by Alistair Kinsey Thursday 19th May - 7.15 pm

Live broadcast of the Royal Ballet’s performance of Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake Further details at www.tavistockwharf.com

Sponsored by Alistair Kinsey Saturday 21st May - 7.30pm Tavistock Parish Church

Wednesday 11th May - 7.30pm Tavistock Parish Church

North Devon Sinfonia Sibelius Finlandia, Tchaikovsky Symphony 2, Rimsky-Korsakov Scheherazade Tickets £10

Helen Porter - Unexpected Song A new solo show from this popular singer and songwriter Tickets £6

Sponsored by Miller Town and Country Saturday 28th May - 7.30pm St Andrew’s Minster, Plymouth

Friday 13th May - 1.00pm Tavistock Parish Church

Nina Savicevic (Piano) A young national prize winner. Music by

University of Plymouth Choral Society Summer Concert Mary Mazur-Park – Piano/Organ Dr Sean Sweeney - Organ/Piano

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Above and beyond at Cadover Bridge

The view from Hen Tor across the china clay works to the sea

You have probably taken your children to Cadover Bridge in summer to paddle and picnic. Why not park half a mile further on and walk on up to inspect a Bronze Age settlement; late medieval pillow mounds built as rabbit warrens to feed tinners; the interesting stones left by 19th century quarry men, and a leat still actively carrying water for the clay pits at Lee Moor?

D

artmoor is emptier now than it ever was in the old days. I must hire a Tardis from the BBC one day to go back and see exactly what was going on then.

Immediately on the Plymouth side of Cadover Bridge, a tarmac road leads off paralleling the river. When it veers off up the hill, take the very bumpy track on the left, and park after 200 meters in the last small parking area by the river on the left. GR 563644.

Walk on up the track, swinging widely round Trowlesworthy Warren Farm to avoid the muddy area.

The long mounds you pass are pillow mounds. Beyond the farm, take the track leading uphill. Soon you will cross the leat.

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Now keep 100m or so above the leat to find numerous traces of Bronze Age settlements. From these you must head up hill again to Lesser Trowlesworthy Tor and directly on towards Greater Trowlesworthy Tor. What a fantastic view in all directions! North you see the claypits and beyond them Plymouth Sound gleams in the sunshine if you are lucky. Between the two tors note the partially prepared pieces of reddish granite. The big round slice was supposedly to have been the base of a flagpole in Devonport.

This alone may satisfy you. If you feel emboldened and it is a lovely day, do go on to Hen Tor and the hidden gem of Shavercombe Waterfall. This is crossmoor with few if any signs of actual paths. I have done the route several times with various happy groups, always finding a different set of tussocks and bogs to negotiate! I suppose I must recommend staying a little below the direct line to Hen Tor looking to find a path going diagonally up right to swing behind the Tor. The view from the top is stunning, across swathes of Moor past Ditsworthy Warren Farm on the other side of the Plym. Stephen Spielberg used this farm as a major location in his film War Horse.

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WALK There is a path the other side of the Tor. Though is seems to lead too far left, apparently missing Shavercombe, it is wise to follow it down before swinging back right to the narrow cleft carrying the stream and then going upstream to the waterfall. A direct line crosses interesting tussocks with bogholes between.

The return is slightly shorter. Stay at the current height above the Plym, losing height gradually across rough ground. You will intersect the Lee Moor China

Clay leat as it zig-zags to cross a stream amusing called Spanish Lake. A very rough path on its lower side leads back to above Trowlesworthy Warren Farm.

Warning! If there is any likelihood of mist, do carry a compass, especially to get you back down in the right direction. Do join in with longer walks with either the Dartmoor Rambling Club (DRC) or Plymouth Ramblers. We know the Moor, the coast and all parts in between. Phone Ron Smith on 07780913546 for DRC, or Google ‘Plymouth Ramblers’.n

Walk start: SX 55446 64499 expectant.broken.drones

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History behind the tors of the Moors

By Paul Rendell

D

rive across the Moors from Plymouth and you will see many hills with granite rocks on the top, known as tors. Tor is Celtic meaning ‘tower’ and there are over 700 granite towers on Dartmoor.

Many of these tors are easy to reach from the road, while others need a bit more effort to reach and climb.

One of easier rocks to visit is Whitehill Tor just outside of the village of Lee Moor. You can park right beside the tor which is also known as Torrycombe Tor as it is above the Torrycombe Brook. While here you have extensive views of the China Clay Works, the modern solar farm and wooded valley below.

Hawks Tor above Beatland Corner near Wottor there are two main granite outcrops, one which has an interesting slab providing a shelter possibly used by a shepherd in the early 1800s while looking after his sheep.

Below the tor is the remains of a former World War Two radar station.

Near Cadover Bridge and above Trowlesworthy Farm are two outcrops, Great Trowlesworthy and Little Trowlesworthy tors. Great is a large outcrop with a lot of cut stone nearby as well as remains of a rabbit warren. The granite in this area is red in colour, not common on Dartmoor. Between Great and Little you will find a very large curious rounded stone made by man. It is believed to have been cut to provide a base for

a flagpole at Devonport Dockyard. The stone masons discovered it was too large to be transported off the moors in the 1800s, even today it would not be an easy task. Just below the ridge there are remains of a Bronze Age village and a number of stone bridges across the leat. These bridges were built so the rabbits could get across the water safely. This area also great views towards Plymouth and Tavistock.

Up stream from Cadover Bridge is Legis Tor and once again the rocks are red in colour. The pink granite is due to the black tourmaline which has a high iron content and it stained the granite when it was formed many, many years ago. Close to the tor there is vermin trap which was built by the rabbit warrener of Legis Warren to catch weasels and stoats which preyed on the rabbits.

Gutter Tor - this large granite tor has three outcrops.

With views towards War Horse country and looking across the Plym Valley. At one time this tor was called Goat Tor. A little further away is Eastern Tor just above Ditsworthy Warren House. This tor is very small but views are great looking across the Plym Valley to Hentor and a bit closer are the magnificent Drizzlecombe ceremonial complex, including stone rows, two large cairns one of which is the Giant’s Basin, four barrows, two kistvaens, a kerb retaining circle around an internment pit, and a number of round houses.

Tor - this large granite tor has “threeGutter outcrop. With views towards War Horse cousntry and looking across the Plym Valley.

”

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HISTORY Further up the valley there are two more tors - Lower Hart Tor with good views up and the Plym Valley and across the River Plym to Claverslake Tor. Lower Hart Tor stands proud on the hillside above the tin stream and above a mire known as Evil Combe, where you could sink up to your chest if you are not careful. Higher up the hill side is Higher Hart Tor, if you’re approaching from the north-east, you will come across a few boulders before reaching the main outcrop and a big drop.

Claverslake Tor, is a humble tor which boasts some interesting features, including a small logan stone (rocking stone) lots of tin streaming working below the tor. The area around the tor is very bleak and we are only a few miles from the source of the River Plym, which is about 22 miles long and to which Plymouth takes its name from.

There are a number of tors to explore near Shaugh Bridge including the Dewerstone, which is a popular place climbers and many of the rock outcrops have been named to distinguish the climbs including Raven Buttress, The Devil’s Rock, The Tower, Needle Buttress to name just a few. The devil is reported to live and haunt this area so be aware if walking nearby!

On Widford Down you can found Oxen Tor, also known as Cadworthy Tor. Here there are two outcrops, Walks with Paul Rendell All walks are bookable, please book by 6pm the day before and pay £11 per walk in advance. No dogs allowed on Dartmoor walks unless otherwise stated. For more information email Paul.dartmoor@gmail. com or call 01837 54727.

April 2 Across the mire and into a pool Start time 10am at Peat Cott Quarry (SX604 708). Duration is 11 miles, taking approximately 6 hours. The route will take in Fox Tor Mire, Fox Tor, Caters Beam (Q10), Blacklane Brook, Ducks Pool and Gnats Head. A chance to visit a number of 365 squares. This walk is to mark ten years since Moorland Guides was formed.

April 24 Brown’s House and Crow Tor Start time 10am, meeting at Holming Beam, near Princetown – parking at end of road. The walk is 11 miles long, taking approximately 6 hours. The route will take in Broad Hole, Beardown Man (J8), Rough Tor, Brown’s House (J9), Lower White Tor, Higher White Tor (K10), Crown Tor (K9) and Beardown Tors. A chance to visit a number of 365 squares.

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the eastern one is essentially a compact block of three split rocks that are about 7 feet on the north side.

There are lots of tors to explore within the Plym Valley and here we have just visited a few of them. The sport of visiting these tors is known as tor bagging and you can soon get hooked on trying to ‘bag’ as many as you can.

Further reading about Dartmoor tors: Dartmoor’s Tors and Rocks by Ken Ringwood, 2013 www.torsofdartmoor.co.uk The author is leading a guided walk to visit some of the tors mentioned in this article as well as looking at where War Horse was filmed on Wednesday, May 11 at 10am from the car park below Gutter Tor grid ref SX579 673. Further details can be found on www. paulrendelldartmoor.co.uk or telephone 01837 54727. n

May 7 Exploring the Higher Walkham Valley Start time 10am, meeting at Smeardown quarry, Peter Tavy, (SX 522 729). The walk is 12 miles long and will take in Stephan Grave, River Walkham, Spriddle Lake (J7),Walkham Head (I7), Tavy Hole (I8), Lynch Tor, and Langstone Moor (K5) A chance to visit a number of 365 squares.

May 22 Exploring Bodmin Moor Start time 10am, meeting at Westmoor Gate.

As there is only space for two cars near the gate, please on the edge of the road on track leading to Westmoor Gate on Trewint Downs approx SX 206 804. Trewint is near Five Lanes just off the A30.

The walk is 9 miles long and will take in Black Rock, Hendra Downs, Leskernick Hill and West Moor.

May 28 Old Clay Works Start time 10am, meeting at Shipley Bridge (SX 680 629) parking fee payable. The walk is 11 miles long and the route takes in Zeal Tor Tramway, Red Brook, Three Barrows (U12) Left Lake, (T11), Quickbeam Hill, Petre’s Pits (T12), Zeal Tor Tramway (T12). A chance to visit a number of 365 squares.

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FARMING

Iconic stone hedge banks are a necessity A

pril is always a blur on the farm with so much to be dealt with - so much new life everywhere with lambing outside in full swing and calving well underway.

The challenge is always finding feed for them as once they have given birth their only mission is to eat like crazy to feed themselves up after a long pregnancy and produce lots of milk to help their babies thrive. Once again, weather is key - lots of spring sunshine with just enough rain to keep the grass growing. At this time of year, the farm is full of sheep and there are always some escapologists! Some of which I am sure you have met crawling through our Devon banks to get to the succulent buds on the hedges and young trees, or the abundant grass in your garden maybe?

For this reason, most livestock farmers in this part of the world have to have good boundary defences in the form of our iconic stone-faced Devon hedge banks. We tend to fence our hedges to keep the animals where we put them, and this winter we have been replacing some of our fences, maintaining the banks, coppicing the woody growth on top and giving them a general tidy up. We were lucky with the weather after Christmas and got quite a lot done, but a wet mushy February stopped us in our tracks.

But mud or no mud I am going to have them completed and job done by lambing, or as I have explained, I will have sheep roaming everywhere they shouldn’t be! So hopefully by the time you read this I will have completed several hundred meters of fencing and bank maintenance, and you won’t meet my sheep in your garden.

Often hedge banks are taken for granted, but they are

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pretty unique to this part of the world with thousands of miles of them making up the patchwork of small sheltered fields, creating some spectacular landscapes. Although I have heard visitors driving in the area say they wish farmers would take the banks down as they can’t see the view! Hedges also offer, if managed well, fantastic wildlife corridors and habitat to all manner of beasts and creepy crawlies. It is not until you actually get up close to one and have to repair it that you realise the effort that must have been involved in creating these large functional boundaries.

There must have been an army of workers on the land using the stone and soil at hand to sculpt them. Very often you will find an antique bottle in the middle of a bank, probably discarded by a thirsty farm-hand working to create it. My late dad used to say that you can tell how many stones are in the field by looking at the hedge banks.

Obvious really, but these armies of workers used whatever materials were to hand to build these boundaries. So smaller fields with lots of stone in the banks generally means there is lots of stone in the land around them. Bigger fields with more soil in the banks suggest much richer and deeper soil.

The old boys weren’t fools, they didn’t carry stones far and they would build the banks around the biggest stones in the landscape. Which explains why some fields in the stonier parts of Dartmoor have very wobbly hedge banks. A local field is called Fiddle Field for this precise reason, with some car-sized granite boulders in its hedges.

I still love the satisfaction of repairing a gap in a hedge bank by hand, but nowadays it is mostly done by machine as time is too precious. My grandfather would say that ‘every stone has a face’ and when you picked up a stone you weren’t to put it down again until you found its place in the wall. I suppose every region has its own type of boundary, favouring its stone, soil and the type of farming suited to that land. And as long as sheep and cattle are still welcome in this landscape, these iconic structures will still have a very useful function. n Mat Cole, Greenwell Farm

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TRADE SECRETS

Green Scheme solutions How did Green Scheme Ltd start out in the industry?

Green Scheme has been supplying low maintenance, durable products for the outdoors since 2009, primarily for schools, councils and leisure parks. Gardens are glorious, however we often heard people say ‘I love my lawn, but not the work!’ For many people, life was too busy to fit in the hours necessary to keep their garden looking great and for others, whilst passionate about gardening, they were finding that operating the lawn mower was getting too much as they got older. We had always used commercial grade artificial grass for sports pitches so we started offering a range of landscaping grasses specially designed for domestic gardens.

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We are based in Yelverton, just north of Plymouth and we supply and install low maintenance gardens in both Devon and Cornwall. Our commercial projects take the team across the whole of the south coast to London and as far north as Manchester.

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As gardens burst into life this spring we specialise in creating a low maintenance outdoor space which can be enjoyed all year round. Our two most popular products are artificial grass which maintains the natural beauty of a lawn but banishes the mowing headaches, plus anti-slip composite decking, which complements the artificial grass to create the ideal social space. Artificial grass is both pet and child-friendly. Our premium decking range is really popular as it looks exactly like wood but does not have the maintenance draw backs and will outlast wood by many years.

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Just as householders have been spending as much time as possible in their outdoor spaces during the pandemic, schools and councils have also developed their outdoor spaces. Artificial grass provides an excellent all weather surface for schools and composite decking coupled with our eco-friendly picnic tables made from recycled plastics have been used in local schools to provide a sleek modern outdoor dining area for pupils. As well as banishing mud, busy schools are pleased to get rid of the maintenance headaches associated with traditional wooden furniture.

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DIRECTORY

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Architects & Architectural Designers Morris Architectural Design Ltd 13 Arts, Galleries & Museums The Box 36 Wildwood Arts 38 Auctioneers & Valuers Drake’s Auctions 29 Bathroom & Tile Retailers Tavistock Bathrooms & Tiles 56 Bed Retailers Tavistock Beds 43 Beer & Wine Retailers SW Bottle Shop 32 Bridal Retailers Two for Joy Bridal 35 Building, Construction & Maintenance Marcus Allen Groundworks 28 Business Services Tavistock BID 34 Care Services & Care Homes Home Instead Senior Care 18 Carpet Retailers Tavistock Carpets 42 Cleaning & Domestic Services Majestic Cleaning 51 Days Out South Devon Railway Trust 41 The Butchers Hall 34 Estate Agents & Property Lawson Estate Agency 3

Financial Advisors Charles Stanley Wealth Management 12 Funeral Directors Southwest Funeral Care 9 Garage Door Sales & Service Dartmoor Garage Doors 53 Garden Centres & Retailers Endsleigh Gardens Nursery 28 Garden Services Dartmoor Pond Services 28 Green Scheme Solutions Ltd 54 Hartland Landscaping 27 J A Francis Stone Walling & Patios 28 Men for All Seasons 28 Hair, Health, Beauty & Fitness A E Aesthetics 30 Lisa’s Mobile Hairdressing 30 Tara’s Treatments 30 Hearing & Mobility Alistair Kinsey Hearing and Mobility 30 Home Improvements & Interiors Realistic Home Improvements 23 Kitchen & Bathroom Fitters Charles Gray Kitchens 2 Plumbing & Heating Services Chamings Heating and Plumbing 15,52 DB Heating 4 Pre-Schools & Nurseries Bambinos Ltd 20

Private Water Engineers AquaTech Water Services GWT Ltd Recycling & Recycled Products Devon Contract Waste Residential Parks Berkeley Parks Schools, Colleges and Educators Shaugh Prior Primary School Sports & Leisure Yelverton Bowling Club Will Writing Will Writers Services Window, Repairs & Glazing Beacon Glass & Glazing Orchard Timber Windows Orchard Conservatories, Windows & Doors Sash Windows Renovated Sunrise Windows of Plympton

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