Noticeboard

Bus shelters have always been a means to an end; often a dreary place to count down the minutes whilst browsing your phone and waiting for your turn to hop on the next available bus. The bus shelter at Sparkwell was no diff erent, until it was in need of repairs. During a discussion with the Sparkwell Parish Council, Cllr Gill McEwing suggested the bus shelter have a fl oral make over. A nod to the importance of rewilding and protecting our green spaces, while also providing parishioners with the calmness nature brings. The outside of the shelter has been painted in bursts of yellow sunfl owers and a scattering of small poppies, daisies and cornfl owers; with a few surprise bugs and beasties to entertain the children. Cllr McEwing, a retired lecturer in nursing, has dabbled in painting for a few years but found the project challenging at times. The size of the bus shelter and its irregular surface wasn’t the easiest of tasks! Nevertheless,

Village hall open for business

August saw a fabulous start to the opening of Shaugh Prior Village Hall with a well attended complimentary coff ee morning. The hard work of David and Kay and the hours spent baking beautiful cakes were very much appreciated. It was an absolute pleasure to see so many villagers get together - the laughter and smiles around the hall were heartwarming after the year or so we’ve had. The 100 club draw took place at the event by our lovely Hanna which produced 3 lucky winners. On September 16th the much loved Shaugh Prior Food Lovers Club returned. It is held the third Thursday of each month and new members are very welcome. Margaret Morris Movement, an old favourite run by our lovely Denise is back up and running on Mondays at 7.30pm. Bookings are coming in so please contact booking secretary Cathie Boulting on 07478 519491 if you wish to hire the hall for your event, hire for a regular booking, or just wish to discuss what the hall off ers. We have had a fabulous new sign made which has been erected by Andy Boulting. This comes come with notice boards for events so please check it out. the support from the local community and passers-by spurred her on and gave her the confi dence to continue. Cllr McEwing also invited local children to get involved, encouraging them all to paint their own sunfl ower. Twenty-two children came along, and they each have their name signed on their work of art. Adults within the community were also invited to contribute with a few adding their designs. If you fi nd yourself sat at the Sparkwell Parish Bus shelter, then maybe you will take a moment to pause and refl ect whilst admiring the fl owers and hidden beasties.

Social life on the park

Everyone is enjoying the return to some sort of normality despite still being wary of Covid numbers, and residents at Glenholt Park are no exception. Tom Bunker, of the Up Your Alley Skittles Club, organises many social events for residents. He said: ‘We have managed four all day coach trips which have included lunch at some good venues. We also went back to one for an evening meal for 50 of us. ‘Our bingo nights are well attended and we have managed to get back to our roots for a skittles evening. ‘Our Party on the Park has resulted in more new people starting to join in and our coach trips now have waiting lists.’ Tom said he and his wife are already preparing for their Xmas lighting up on December 1st and also for their Xmas party on December 17th.

Can you help? Gables Dogs and Cats Home staff were recently called to help with yet another suspected puppy farm, located in a seemingly typical family home in the centre of Plymouth. After accessing the house, two female adult dogs were found crammed into tiny cages in a dark, fi lthy room. Both dogs had no food or water and were left sitting in months’ worth of their own waste. Their claws were overgrown, the pads on their paws were burnt from standing on the urine-soaked fl oor. They were both severely underweight and nursing litters of very young puppies. Another eight severely underweight dogs were found running loose in another fi lthy, rubbish strewn room. They also had no food or water and had no access to the outside world. This room had been used as their toilet - all eight dogs’ long hair being heavily matted with their own waste. All 19 dogs and puppies were signed over to Gables so they could receive the urgent attention they desperately needed to save their lives. All ten adult dogs began to gain weight in a matter of days. The adults had their severely matted coats shaved off and they were bathed, clipped and groomed by Dee from Designer Pets and her daughter, who removed an incredible 5kg of urine-soaked, muckcovered hair from all the dogs. All the dogs and puppies will need to be neutered or spayed before looking for their forever homes. Some will need dental work, ear treatments and hernia repairs; they will all require medical baths. Ruth Rickard, deputy manager, said: ‘I have attended several rescues throughout my career and no matter how many times you do it, that smell is indescribable. ‘It really brought home how these poor dogs had needlessly suff ered every day. As well as the obvious physical neglect, they had never been socialised so were extremely nervous and scared. Our priority is to give them all the love, attention and support they need to go on to have much happier futures. It is estimated it will cost Gables an additional £5,000 for the essential treatment and ongoing care these 19 dogs and puppies need. If Gables is lucky enough to raise more money than needed it will go towards helping the other animals in their care.

If you can make a contribution to ‘Shih Tzu Shambles Vet Appeal’, please call 01752 331602 or visit www. virginmoneygiving.com/fund/shihtzushambles to donate online. You can also donate via text: To donate £1, text GABLESSH to 70201; to donate £3, text GABLESSH to 70331; to donate £5, text GABLESSH to 70970; to donate £10, text GABLESSH 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.

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Gems to support sanctuary work

Moors Edge U3A

If Lucky looks surprised at all his mini-me’s, he may just be wondering if he slipped through Woodside’s strict neuter programme! No real pups here though, just sweet ‘Gems’ plushies, designed in the image of two of the 49 animals Elfordleigh-based Woodside Sanctuary is caring for permanently. The other is of a black and white cat called April, who has toileting problems after arriving with a litter of kittens. Although others like them have issues preventing adoption into normal domestic homes, they can still enjoy a rewarding and affection filled life at the countryside sanctuary. Lucky is just one of 187 animals on-site needing your support today as Woodside struggles to recover from a Covid decimated income. Gems are available in Woodside charity shops now costing £25 each. Included is a photo and biography of the real resident, plus a newsletter and adoption certificate. For adoptable pets (there are up to 18 different varieties on occasion) and other methods of supporting Woodside, please contact the sanctuary on 01752 347503, visit www.woodsidesanctuary.org.uk or find them on Facebook.

Moor’s Edge U3A held their first face-to-face members’ meeting since March 12th, 2020 on September 14th, when the speaker was Pamela Magill on the subject of ‘Curiosities of the West Country. During the last 18 months, contact with members has been through emailed newsletters and the committee has met on zoom, as have some of the groups. History was one of the groups which maintained a full programme of monthly zoom meetings with presentations and discussion of a wide variety of topics from the Corn Laws to Breton attacks on Plymouth with a sprinkling of information on previous pandemics! Photography for Fun have also managed to share and discuss a selection of their photos on Skype. The Science and Technology members have used Zoom to present and discuss topics including ‘Volcanic Eruptions on Iceland’, and ‘The Mayflower Autonomous Ship’. Since the easing of lockdown restrictions, other groups have started activities. The Garden Visits members met, in groups of six, visiting quite a few gardens. Future visits include South Hill near Callington and Tamar Nurseries, Saltash. The walkers met in May for rambles across Roborough Down, through Longtimber Wood along the west bank of the River Erme and to Bovey Tracey. The Weekenders Group have also enjoyed some delicious meals out. Other groups are preparing to get together again including Singing for Fun, which will meet at Roborough Methodist Church. In future, meetings will be on the second Tuesday of the month in the Woolwell Centre, with the annual meeting taking place on October 12th, when Steve Bailey will be talking about the charity ‘Provide Devon’.

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The day of judgement!

July 14th arrived bright, sunny and thankfully DRY! The day had fi nally come for the Woolwell Bloom group to be assessed as part of the South West region of Britain in Bloom. A sea of Bloomers in blue T-shirts gathered in the Woolwell Centre car park, in a large social distanced circle for our fi nal briefi ng before Ian, the judge arrived. Carol from the Woolwell Centre and her team had laid on a marvellous room for us, with Jane’s two fabulous displays of fl owers from our gardens. Everything looked amazing for Ian’s arrival. In the category of ‘It’s Your Neighbourhood’, it meant we would be assessed not judged. Ian spoke to every Bloomer on the route around Woolwell. He took loads of photos of our displays, including the deer poo on the pavements and in the gardens! Part way around we stopped and returned to the centre for a delicious cream tea, a short speech by Ian and myself, then a small presentation to Carol and her team. Then it was back out to fi nish the route. Ian and myself returned to the Centre for a formal chat, I showed him the photographs we had put together since

The Plymouth area’s local nature reserves are to get dedicated urban rangers as part of a new project. The Plymouth Natural Grid will support the ongoing Green Minds project in helping to make nature more accessible to residents. It will create 22 new jobs, including fi ve urban rangers, who will work across and care for council and National Trust sites. The rangers will also deliver skills, training and learning opportunities for young people, with Kickstart placements (for people not in employment, education or training) and short-term accredited learning programmes. Nature conservation will be at the forefront, with improvements across 13 protected sites that focus on day one. He seemed very happy with everything, but of course he couldn’t say how we’d done. We have to wait until after October 5th for that. It was an amazing experience, we all had a great time - it was defi nitely worth the hard work. Roll on October, hopefully we can have a big celebration then!

Soraya Lewis-Coleman Woolwell in Bloom

Urban rangers making nature accessible

rewilding and nature restoration. There will also be a programme of community engagement to ensure more deprived urban areas are connected to their local nature reserve. The scheme is part of an 18-month partnership project between the Plymouth City Council, the National Trust and Real Ideas Organisation. It’s funded by a £1.2m grant from the Green Recovery Challenge Fund. The money will not only support the new jobs but restore and connect wildlife sites, opening up opportunities for local communities to get engaged and become nature advocates. Jez McDermott, general manager for the National Trust at Saltram, said: ‘Our joint urban ranger team will engage communities and young people whilst delivering a range of exciting and innovative nature based solutions, including at Saltram and Plymbridge woods.’ Plymouth Natural Grid is one of 90 nature projects across England to be backed by the Government’s £80 million Green Recovery Challenge Fund.

More information:

www.plymouth.gov.uk/parksnatureandgreenspaces/ plymouth’snaturalgrid

The Business & IP Centre Devon (BIPC) is excited to announce the Bedroom to Business programme. Do you want to make your business idea a reality? Not sure where to start? The Bedroom to Business programme includes a growth accelerator course with sales trainer James White. In addition, their team of 30 experts will provide supplementary workshops covering topics including: mindset, visioning, profit/loss forecasting and writing a business plan. All the webinars are delivered online and all are FREE to access! The 13-week programme includes all the steps and tools you need to make your dream a reality. For more details including the full programme see the BIPC Devon website: Business & IP Centre Devon (librariesunlimited.org.uk) BIPC has also partnered with NatWest to provide start-up grants and support for female founders. BIPC Devon is to deliver flexible small-scale consultancy and business support packages to over 200 new start businesses across Devon, using a grant donated by NatWest.

Foster for Plymouth – Plymouth City Council’s foster carer recruitment service – has launched a new campaign to

More information:

For more details on how to apply for a ‘She Started It’ grant check out the Startup Grant for Female Founders - Business & IP Centre Devon (librariesunlimited.org.uk)

Could you be a foster carer?

encourage local people to be foster carers, in particular to foster older children and teenagers. Foster for Plymouth want to highlight the positive benefits of caring for older children and aims to encourage those interested in fostering, to specifically consider this age group. Pam and Glynn have been fostering for 14 years and particularly enjoy caring for teenagers. They have looked after many teenagers and helped them overcome difficulties in their young lives. Pam said: ‘Fostering teenagers is challenging but extremely rewarding. Building a relationship is the key to managing difficult situations. They need to know that you have got their backs and will fight their corner.’ Jacob (not his real name) is 16 years old and has been with Pam and Glynn for three years. He said: ‘I don’t know where I would be without Pam and Glynn. They have stuck by me through everything. They involve me just the same as if I was one of their birth children. I love living with them and I am confident I can manage independence with all I have learned from them.’ Foster carers can be single or couples; with or without children, retired, unemployed or working. What matters most is that potential carers have time, space, commitment, patience, a caring nature and skills to work with children and their families. Fostering can be for as little as a few weeks or a few months until a child is able to return home to their family or longer term until a child grows up and is able to move on to independence. Full training and support is given to foster carers, who are matched to one or more of the different foster care schemes, depending on their lifestyles and commitments. Carers are paid an allowance reflecting the real cost of looking after a child.

More information:

Call 01752 304067, email fostering@plymouth.gov.uk or visit www.fosterforplymouth.co.uk

Enjoy a venue with a di erence!

With the completion of our new Barn and e Ark, we are open and available for events that t into the calm, beautiful, wildness of Dartmoor. Day or residential events to suit your every need, whether they are educational, charitable, family celebrations or business. Delicious home grown and cooked food with an opportunity to help share in the daily tasks of the farm, with the animals as the highlight of your event on the Moors.

Call us directly for a discussion on how we can help?

Two miles from Widecombe in the Moor 01364 621392 / info@shallowfordfarm.co.uk

Centre shortlisted for award

The National Park Visitor Centre at Postbridge has been nominated for a prestigious building award. The centre was transformed following an extensive modernisation project and has now been shortlisted in leisure and tourism project of the year category at Michelmores Property Awards 2021. Michelmores Property Awards celebrate the best construction and real estate projects in the South West, from the most prestigious and exciting, to the innovative and daring. Winners are due to be announced at a ceremony on Thursday, November 4th at Sandy Park Conference Centre, Exeter. The visitor centre benefi ted from a major refi t which helped it to share and celebrate Dartmoor’s Bronze Age history, plus more besides. The incredible stories are told through interactive displays, exhibitions and artefacts showing how people lived on the moor thousands of years ago. The design refl ects the local vernacular agricultural buildings and accommodates events, activities and school visits; encouraging people to stay longer and visit local shops, cafes and pubs, supporting the local economy. Sam Hill, Dartmoor National Park Authority’s head of communications and fundraising said: ‘We’re thrilled to be nominated. The standard of competition is really high; we face stiff competition from other nominees all of which deserve recognition for their innovation too. ‘We’re so proud of our visitor centre. It is now fully accessible, energy effi cient and features the latest technology to bring history to life in amazing detail, giving people a unique and special experience.’ NPS South West project managed the scheme. CAD Architects designed the centre and Exeter-based Fifi eld Construction carried out the work. Dartmoor National Park Authority secured £500,000 from the Rural Development Programme for England to fund the building works. Earlier this year the centre was awarded a Building Excellence Certifi cate of Recognition by Devon Building Control Partnership for its high standards of design and workmanship.

Volunteering

Your help really matters • Are you looking after a young family or relative? • Between jobs or thinking about returning to work? • Can you spare one day per week? • Have dealt with challenges yourself and want to help others? Citizens Advice South Hams is currently wanting to train people to carry out assessment interviews to identify a particular course of action for clients by gently exploring and discovering how urgent the problem is and helping the client to manage it. Volunteering with Citizens Advice is a great way of not only helping to change people’s lives but possibly changing your own life as well. You can learn lots of new skills for free that might lead to a new job, higher education, and all sorts of other opportunities. IT skills are an advantage, but full training is provided. • Do you want to gain new skills or improve your own? • Gain more confi dence? • Be part of an enthusiastic team? • Help people living in your community and nationally? For more information, please email training@southhamscab.org.uk or visit www.southhamscab.org.uk

Could you join the care army?

Devon County Council and the NHS has issued 23,000 ‘thank you’s - one to every care worker working in the county council area – for going above and beyond to keep vulnerable people safe and well throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. But with the entire health and care system at full stretch the county says the situation is becoming unsustainable, and is calling for over 1,000 more people to join the care workforce, and for families and communities to do all they can help ease the pressure. Cllr James McInnes, the county’s cabinet member responsible for adult health and social care, said: ‘Everyone – care and support workers, doctors, nurses, our hospitals and voluntary and community groups – have all done a fabulous job to keep us safe and well throughout the coronavirus pandemic. ‘Devon has an army of unsung and often forgotten care workers in care homes, the homes of vulnerable people, and other settings up and down the county every day, helping and supporting those that cannot look after themselves. ‘I want to thank every care worker in the county, working all hours and putting their own safety second to the needs of the people they support, keeping our most vulnerable residents safe, well and cared for. And I want to thank the thousands of unpaid carers providing huge amounts of support to their families and friends. ‘But the sustained pressure on them, and all staff in the health and care system, is beginning to tell, and they are also now struggling to cope. We quite simply do not have enough care workers in Devon right now.’ Thousands of care job vacancies are being advertised in Devon and with care staff off work - self-isolating because of coronavirus, or because they’re otherwise unwell - care companies are struggling. It means vulnerable people are at risk of not receiving the care they need when they need it. Cllr McInnes said: ‘We are asking, if you have worked in care before but left, can you return? If you’re a personal assistant and have capacity to help, can you come forward? ‘If you’ve not worked in care, but want to help, a warm welcome awaits you, regardless of age and experience. We need people who are compassionate, can communicate well and are ready to commit themselves to the rewarding range of roles on off er.’ Contact Devon County Council now and register your interest by visiting www.devon.cc/fi ndyourcalling leaving your name, contact details and a postcode, and the council’s recruitment team will get back to you. Or visit www.devon.cc/socialcarecareers

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