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The Wotter community defi brillator has been successfully relocated to a former phone box on the main road. The life-saving equipment, which could increase the survival chances of people having a cardiac arrest, was moved from its previous location at Wotter Surgery in order to make it more accessible. Shaugh Prior parish councillor Colin Taff urelli spearheaded a campaign for funding to purchase the defi brillator and convert the phone box. Colin said: ‘I’d like to thank everyone who contributed money, time or both towards getting the phone box ready. The equipment has yet to be used in an emergency, but it is reassuring to know it’s there should anyone need it. ‘I’m really delighted that the old phone box, which was due to be removed by BT, now has an important purpose. It’s visibility and location in the heart of the village make it the perfect home for the defi b – not bad,

Village hall news

We’re very happy to confi rm that Shaugh Prior Village Hall is starting to emerge (albeit slowly) from lockdown! The good news is that the hall is now back in limited use (subject to adherence to COVID restrictions) for regular bookings such as the parish council meeting and the regular dance classes. We’re very much looking forward to being able to start taking a lot more bookings after July 19th following the next government announcement. In the meantime, we’re starting to plan the ‘Offi cial’ Village Hall Re-Opening Celebration for the autumn so we can coincide this with the Apple Day, which was brilliant fun last time. Bookings Secretary Cathie Boulting can provide more information about hiring the hall. Rental is just £10 per hour or £75 for the whole day (over 8 hours). Use of the recently installed kitchen is an additional £15. For ad hoc bookings, we charge a small refundable deposit for damage/breakages and a small cleaning charge after the event if required. Don’t delay getting in touch if you’re interested in fi nding out more about making a booking. We’re really excited about getting a wide range of classes and events established for the village. Contact Cathie at catherineboulting@hotmail.co.uk or on 07478 519491. considering we paid just £1 to take over its ownership for the local community!’ The relocation required a mains electricity supply to be reconnected and the installation of a new light source, which was funded by Shaugh Prior Parish Council and Western Power Distribution. Defi brillators are also located in cabinets outside Lee Moor Hall and Shaugh Prior Village Hall. The access codes and instructions to all the machines are now available on the defi brillator units to enable quick and easy access in an emergency.

Cllr Taffurelli at the phone box, which doubles as a mini-library for residents.

Don’t get caught out!

Devon, Plymouth, Somerset and Torbay Trading Standards Service has launched a new campaign to help prevent renters in the region being caught out by fees that have now been banned. The law on what landlords and letting agents can charge tenants when beginning, ending or changing their contracts has changed. It means renters can no longer be asked to pay extra for things like professional cleaning and having pets, or charged for references and credit checks. The changes mean that there is only a limited number of fees which are still allowed by law. These include: • Rent. • A refundable tenancy deposit. • A refundable holding deposit of no more than one week’s rent. • A reasonable payment in the event of the tenant’s default (such as a lost key or a failure to pay rent on time). • Payments to change the tenancy (capped at £50 or the reasonable costs of the landlord or letting agent). • Payments on termination of a tenancy. • Payments relating to council tax, utilities, TV licence and bills such as telephone, internet, TV services. For more information go to www. devonsomersettradingstandards.gov.uk/consumer/ dont-get-caught-out-by-banned-tenancy-fees/

In Spring this year, determined to reduce the number of vehicle collisions with sheep, lambs and cattle, we undertook a fencing project on a blind sweeping bend coming out of Shaugh Prior onto the moorland road. By building up 60 metres of the worn and broken down banks, and purchasing specialised chestnut fencing, we have created a safer passage for both vehicles and animals, which looks very in-keeping. Animals now cross further along, allowing drivers to have sight of them and giving them time to take avoiding action. The chestnut fencing is long lasting, sympathetic to the environs of Dartmoor and was erected with the help of farmers from Shaugh Prior Commoners Association. The project was funded by Dartmoor Speedwatch Forum from grants awarded by Devon County Council, Shaugh Prior Parish Council, Cllr Barrie Spencer and Dartmoor Livestock Protection Society. Our special thanks go to those organisations who have helped, along with the kind permission from the landowner. After periods of constant rain and cold, we were fi nally able to complete this important project in late spring when lambs and livestock were starting to roam on the roads. We would also like to appeal to anyone who is able to make some new warning road signs. Our ones have surrendered to weather damage, vandalism, and theft! We would love to hear from anyone who can make us new ones at reasonable cost to replace those lost. Anyone who can help should call 01752 729989.

Dartmoor Speed Watch Forum

Rain stops play... Torrential rain that saw some parts of Plymouth fl ooded on July 4th meant that the popular ‘Party on the Park’ at Glenholt Park had to be postponed. The event, which sees residents from all over the park come together to enjoy an afternoon of food, music and fun, plus a big prize draw, is organised the Up Your Alley Skittles Club. The club’s Tom Bunker said: ‘The gods conspired against us and we spent most of the day fi ghting against the weather and limiting the damage. ‘The weather won and by 12.30 we had to cancel, as we could not set up electrics or the tables etc. We had to give away the food we had defrosted.’ Tom said people rallied around to help despite the awful conditions. As Plym Links went to press, plans were being made to re-schedule the party.

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Can you help Smashed Smartie?

A three year old Jack Russell terrier needing major surgery after being hit by a car has been taken in by Plymouth’s Gables Dogs & Cats Home. Smashed Smartie, as the charity aff ectionately named her, suff ered a large facial wound, multiple fractures and a dislocation of her right hip in the collision with the car. The charity were asked to take on her care due to the essential, expensive surgery that she required. Prior to her arrival at Gables, she was taken to the charity’s contracted vets Filham Park Veterinary Clinic for life-saving care. Due to the trauma sustained, she was unable to stand on her hind legs but was able to weight bear on her front legs. A hip replacement was attempted but wasn’t possible due to a suspected hip socket fracture. To enable her to walk pain-free and salvage the function of her limb, she needed a major hip operation to remove the head of the femur within the hip joint. Gables will be providing Smashed Smartie with the best

Smartie suffered a large facial wound and multiple fractures xx

aftercare and hope to be able to aff ord any physiotherapy that she may need to help her recovery. They are optimistic once she is fully recovered she will be able to walk, run and play as she did before the accident and begin the search for her forever home. Ruth Rickard, deputy manager, said: ‘Smashed Smartie is such a sweet, loving girl who really deserves the best chance at a pain-free life. She is only a young dog and we believe she can have a bright future. She is eating well, seems happy in herself and has made lots of friends at Gables already. We are confi dent she will go on to make a lovely companion for someone. We really appreciate any help our amazing supporters can give towards her treatment and care.’ It is estimated it will cost Gables £4,000 for the surgery and aftercare that Smashed Smartie will need. If Gables is lucky enough to raise more money than is needed, it will go towards helping the other animals in their care.

If you can help, please call 01752 331602 or visit www.virginmoneygiving.com/fund/ smsmartie2021 to donate online. You can also donate via text: To donate £1, text GABLESSM to 70201; to donate £3, text GABLESSM to 70331; to donate £5, text GABLESSM to 70970 or to donate £10, text GABLESSM to 70191.

Fundraising, payments and donations will be processed and administered by the National Funding Scheme (Charity No: 1149800), operating as DONATE. Texts will be charged at your standard network rate. For Terms & Conditions, see www.easydonate.org

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Vital life-saving equipment is being installed across the Plymouth Waterfront as part of the city’s commitment to providing safe access to the waters of the National Marine Park. Staff at waterfront businesses as well as wild swimmers have also been trained in how to use this crucial equipment. Five new defi brillators are being installed at • Commercial Wharf, Barbican • Terrace Café, The Hoe • Coff ee Shack, West Hoe • Waterfront Pub, West Hoe • Firestone Bay, at the public toilets There are already four other public defi brillators at Yacht Haven, Mount Batten Watersports Centre, Liner Lookout (The Hoe) and at Royal William Yard. Three of the new defi brillators have been bought by Plymouth City Council, one by Plymouth Waterfront Partnership for Commercial Wharf and one by Wave After Wave for Firestone Bay. Free training courses on CPR (Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation) and how to use the new lifesaving automated external defi brillator equipment (AED) were held in June.

Cllr Maddi Bridgeman with one of the new defi brilators Cllr Maddi Bridgeman, cabinet member for environment and street scene, said: ‘Nothing is more important than making sure people are as safe as possible when they go into the sea. While we hope the defi brillators will not have to be used, they are available should they be needed.’ More physical improvements will be appearing over the coming months, including two eagerly awaited swimming platforms as well as repairs to the shoreline.

South West Independent Publishers’ Alliance

launched After 18 months of uncertainty within our communities, the pandemic has shown the importance of coming together and supporting the local independent businesses that take centre stage within our small towns. Tavy Links, Moor Links, Oke Links and Plym Links magazines have joined forces with neighbouring magazines including Launceston Life, Bude Life, English Riviera magazine (Torbay) and By the Dart (Dartmouth) to form the South West Independent Publishers’ Alliance. The Alliance will work to ensure that quality, reliable publications will continue to serve their communities, promoting a range of fantastic independent businesses, reporting on local news and supporting businesses, organisations and groups within their communities. The Alliance will cover Bude, Launceston, Tavistock, Okehampton, Yelverton, North Plymouth, and the South Hams including Dartmouth and Torbay. Tim Randell from Links Magazines said: ‘This is a great opportunity for local businesses to use neighbouring magazines and be guaranteed that the quality of publishing is of the highest level.’ In total the Alliance will cover 60,000 homes and businesses across North Cornwall and West and South Devon. Tim added: ‘I am really excited to have helped create the formation of this Alliance, which is the fi rst established independent publishing alliance spanning the Cornwall-Devon border. The Alliance is all about local people publishing local community magazines for local people.’ For more information contact Tim Randell on tim. randell@linksmagazines.co.uk

PLYM LINKS June/July 2021 | Issue 10 WALKS | ARTS | EVENTS | PEOPLE | HERITAGE | LOCAL FOOD & DRINK | HOMES | BUSINESS Beryl & Brian spearhead a rewilding project Gr n Minds SAILGP comes to Plymouth

10 YEARS PUBLISHING LOCAL MAGAZINE S

NATURE The wonder of warblers GARDENING Plants to soothe and stimulate HEALTH

It’s hay fever time

MEET the locals

A Glenholt couple loving life on the park A Plympton nurse and talented artist

Fundraising in memory of Ayla

Heart in their Hand keychains. Kate said: ‘The keychain is really special as it provides us with a tangible connection with Ayla. We were able to take her picture whilst she was holding the heart, then keep the heart to remember her by. You have to make your memories in those moments you have together, and this is something that helps.’ Their fundraising eff orts are not over yet and they are determined to keep supporting those that helped them. Kate and Paul have shared their fundraising journey through their Facebook page: www.facebook.com/ aylarevevincent and Just Giving page: www.justgiving. com/crowdfunding/aylarevevincent

After the loss of their daughter Ayla, Kate and Paul Vincent have dedicated themselves to some truly fantastic fundraising for Derriford Hospital’s Snowdrop Suite, the special area of the Maternity Department set aside for bereaved parents. Kate, who is also a nurse at Derriford, said: ‘We received so much fantastic help, we wanted to give something back to somebody else in a similar situation.We worked out how much we needed to raise, but then it just exploded. People were so generous.’ Kate and Paul have raised £6,849.88. So far, they have donated to organisations including Aching Arms, Remember My Baby and Plymouth-based charities Pregnancy Crisis Care, Luna’s Fund and Little things & Co, as well as to the Snowdrop Suite. The Suite has received, amongst other things, a new sofa bed for partners to stay over, a coff ee machine and new television. The new sofa bed will allow partners to be able to sleep more comfortably for the length of their stay in hospital. Care packages were also donated which included toiletries for partners and activity packs for siblings. The coff ee machine will allow parents to have a hot drink without having to cross the maternity department and encounter new parents and babies, something both Kate and Paul found upsetting during their diffi cult time. Another important part of the donation has been the

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An investment in a new fl eet of specialist seating systems is not only benefi tting patients recovering from Covid-19 at Derriford Hospital, but also helped to support a local business. Last year, at the start of the initial Covid-19 crisis, the Multidisciplinary Rehabilitation Team at University Hospitals Plymouth invested in 40 HydroTilt chairs, produced by CareFlex, in order to aid patients in their recovery from the illness. Jude Fewings, therapy lead for the Covid-19 Respiratory and Rehabilitation Team, said: ‘These chairs can assist patients with their respiratory function, essential in their recovery, as well as having the added benefi ts of pressure relief, postural management and helping with independence. ‘A lot of patients recovering from COVID-19 struggle with weakened muscles and fatigue, so being able to adjust the chair to meet their needs greatly aids their care.’ Stuart Hussey, a patient recovering from Covid, said: ‘It’s a really long recovery process. I lost 2-3 stone thanks to this disease and have lots of muscle I need to rebuild, so having something comfy to sit in makes the world of diff erence. ‘They start you doing your exercises by simply standing up, and this chair helps you to do just that as it’s got supportive arms and bits of it tilt to help you – plus it’s nice and cushioned too!’ The Rehabilitation Team also purchased static bikes to use with the chairs. The chairs are now in many wards at Derriford Hospital, and will continue to benefi t patients recovering from a wide range of illness, including Covid.

New funding for land managers

Farmers and land managers on Dartmoor and in Devon’s Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs) could benefi t from a new Defra-funded grant programme announced recently. Defra’s ‘Farming in Protected Landscapes’ programme opened on July 1, with potential applicants encouraged to register their interest now with their local protected landscape. It closes on January 31, 2022. The programme will provide funding for one-off projects which allow farmers and land managers in protected landscapes to: • support nature recovery – such as increasing habitats to improve biodiversity or greater connectivity between habitats • mitigate the impacts of climate change – such as reducing fl ood risk or storing more carbon • provide opportunities for people to discover, enjoy and understand the landscape and its cultural heritage • support nature-friendly and sustainable farm businesses. Projects could include creating wetlands or wildfl ower meadows to support a variety of wildlife, providing new or easier public access, reducing fl ood risk, providing interpretation of farming, nature and heritage, parking improvements at key sites to provide safe access and reduce congestion, restoring drystone walls or hedges, conserving historic features such as lime kilns or mining heritage, or action to reduce carbon emissions or use of plastics on farms. The Farming in Protected Landscapes Programme is open to all farmers and land managers (including from the private, public and charity sector) in a National Park or AONB in England – or where activity on the ground can bring benefi t to one or more of those areas. It is a programme of funding for one-off projects rather than an agri-environment scheme, as part of the next step in the government’s plans for a renewed agriculture sector. Farmers and land managers can fi nd out more and register their interest by visiting www. dartmoor.gov.uk/living-and-working/farming/ farming-in-protected-landscapes

Tackling the climate emergency

South Hams District Council is joining forces with Crowdfunder to encourage and support projects and ideas to help the district to tackle the climate emergency. The South Hams Climate Action and Biodiversity Fund is off ering match funding of up to £10,000 for projects within the district that align with the council’s Climate Change and Biodiversity Strategy. It’s hoped the matchfunding will provide crucial revenue to environmental projects helping make the South Hams become carbon neutral, improve its biodiversity and create climate resilient communities. Cllr Tom Holway, South Hams executive member for climate change, said: ‘We know the residents of the South Hams are passionate about the natural beauty of our area and many are working hard to protect our planet; we hope this funding can be of some use to those in the community working hard on environmental projects.’ To apply for funding, you need a crowdfunding project. You must fi rst demonstrate strong local support by getting to 25% of your crowdfunding target from a minimum of 25 unique supporters before being considered. If you receive a match-funding pledge from the South Hams Climate Action and Biodiversity Fund, but the amount does not take you to your crowdfunding target, you must continue crowdfunding until you hit the target. Projects must support South Hams District Council’s Climate Change and Biodiversity Strategy to be considered. To fi nd out more visit: www.crowdfunder. co.uk/funds/south-hams-climate-fund

NOTICEBOARD Plot to create new businesses and jobs

An empty patch of land in Derriford looks set to become a hotbed of industry and enterprise with the creation of ten new high quality and sustainable commercial units. Brady Construction Services have been awarded the contract by Plymouth City Council to design and build the units at the Plymouth International Medical and Technology Park in Derriford. Work should start this summer in creating around 1,745 square metres of high quality and fl exible offi ce accommodation and light industrial space. Incorporated in the project are sustainable features including solar photovoltaic panels, increased levels of insulation, LED lighting, natural ventilation, electric vehicle charging pods and highly effi cient heating systems. The offi ces and industrial work spaces are expected to support between 70 and 90 full time jobs and be attractive to a range of diff erent types of business. Plymouth City Council leader Nick Kelly said: ‘We are focussed on the task of creating jobs and opportunities - Plymouth needs employment space for businesses to fl ourish and thanks to help from the Heart of the South West’s LEP’s Getting Building Fund, we are able to get cracking on this and get spades into the ground.’ The funding is part of a package worth almost £7m allocated by the Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership from the government’s Getting Building Fund, to invest in major infrastructure projects to support economic growth across the city. Around £2 million is being shared between this project and a redevelopment of City Business Park.

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