Tavy Links June/July 21 issue

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

TAVY LINKS June/July 2021 Issue 48

WHAT’S ON

WHEAL JENNY

FOUR NATIONS CEREMONY

A rare glimpse of this stunning garden

TAVISTOCK CARNIVAL OUTDOOR THEATRE

CHERNOBYL CHILDREN’S LIFELINE

GARDENS TO VISIT

Lifesaving respite for young people

LOCAL PEOPLE Ben Stevens, entrepreneurial chef Chris Bunney’s Dartmoor challenge

COM

UN ITY

BUS I NESS

M

BUY LOCAL & SAVE

10 YEARS

JOBS

Delivered free by your postman to all PL19 0, 8 & 9 postcodes, guaranteed circulation of more than 9000 homes and businesses

FOOD & DRINK

Tamar Valley Vineyard’s first wines

NATURALIST All about birdsong

£3.50 | where sold

GARDENING

Creating a tranquil space

LET BY

01752 7599

05

“THE M&B RESIDENTIAL LETTINGS FULLY-MANAGED

THE M&B RESIDENTIAL LETTINGS FULLY-MANAGED SERVICE WITH RENT GUARANTEE IS ONE OF THE MOST SERVICE IS ONE OFAND THEBEST BEST AVAILABLE COMPREHENSIVE AVAILABLE” In an increasingly complex world, the choice of agent to look after one of our most valuable assets is extremely important. Our aim is to help Landlords, minimise risk and maximise return by providing a professional, stress free, tailor-made approach to property management. Our understanding and knowledge of the residential markets throughout the region enables us to provide the advice our clients are looking for.

4 or or LETLET ONLY SERVICE ✔ FULLY FULLYMANAGED MANAGED ONLY SERVICE 4 ✔ REFERENCING REFERENCING 4 MEMBERS OF OF NAEA, ARLA, APIP,TDS TDS & & PROPERTY OMBUDSMAN ✔ QUALIFIED QUALIFIED MEMBERS NAEA, ARLA, REDRESS SCHEME 4 KNOWLEDGE ✔ LOCAL LOCALAREA AREA KNOWLEDGE 4 FOR A FREE VALUATION ✔ PLEASE PLEASECALL CALL FOR A FREE VALUATION

M&B Residential Lettings, 77 Upland Drive, Derriford, Plymouth, PL6 6BE T: 01752 759905 E: lettings@mblettings.co.uk

www.mblettings.co.uk

Did you know you could have a brand new boiler, supplied and installed

FROM JUST £15 A MONTH?

We offer gas boilers starting from £2,000 Inc VAT & installation, why put up with that old inefficient boiler?

Call us today to book in your free fixed price quotation.

Your local, established & reputable heating & plumbing experts

T

01822 611300

W

Out of All Gas, Oil Hours Engineers & LPG Emergency Fully Trained Commercial Service* & Insured & Domestic

www.dbheating.com Committed to Working Safely

READ OUR REVIEWS



Outdoor life

The deadline date for any inclusions in the August/ September issue of Tavy Links will be 1 July 2021. For all editorial enquiries please contact Rosemary via email: rosemary.best@linksmagazines.co.uk

THE LINKS TEAM: Publisher: Tim Randell Editor: Rosemary Best Writers: Nichola Williams, Kaye Rogers Design: Sara Venner, Julian Rees Advertising: Jane Daniel, Olivia Breyley, Joanne Mallard Tim: 07450 161 929 Jane: 07772 619 808

It seems that outdoor space has never been so important. Back in April and May, we could socialise in our gardens, and restaurants and cafes embraced al fresco eating, making the most of outside spaces, with tables even sanctioned to spill out onto pavements, continental style. The weather hadn’t quite caught up then, so thermals and woolly hats were often essential wear for the evenings, not to mention the rainy days, but there has always been something wonderful about eating outside - from picnics, BBQs and street food to the ‘new normal’ at our local eating venues. Although by the time you read this you’ll be able to eat inside again, it’s possible we may all have developed a lasting taste for al fresco.

Our local people have both recently embarked on outdoor ventures: Ben Stevens has launched a new outside restaurant venue, Enchanted Woods; and Chris Bunney is training for a 14-day expedition across 170 tors and rocks in aid of Dartmoor Search and Rescue Team Tavistock. It doesn’t get more outdoors than our feature article, as John Bailey offers a tantalising glimpse of the gardens of Wheal Jenny in his fascinating account of their transformation. While our charity focus, The Chernobyl Children’s Lifeline, explains the huge benefits a four-week respite break in the UK can bring to child victims of the Chernobyl disaster.

In addition to this our What’s On section is brimming with indoor and outdoor activities: Tavistock Carnival, charity open gardens, outdoor theatre, the Four Nations Ceremony, sporting events, walks, talks, workshops and exhibitions, plus markets, fetes and fairs.

Front cover image by Chris Bunney, bunneyphotography.co.uk – see Local People for Chris’s ‘biggest Dartmoor challenge ever’ in aid of Dartmoor Search & Rescue Team Tavistock

Contents

6

6 Feature

41 What’s On

8 Local People

53 Music & Art

13 Health & Wellbeing

57 Food & Drink

18 Charity

63 Trade Secrets

25 Naturalist

66 O utdoors & Active

26 Law

68 Local Authors

27 Community News

69 Book Review

36 Woodland Trust

74 Business Directory

40 Kids’ What’s On

5 31

70 Tech Help

@tavylinks

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

PLYM LINKS SAILGP

June/July 2021 | Issue 10

P LOC

Gr n Minds

UB

LISHI

10 YEARS

L

A

Beryl & Brian spearhead a rewilding project

NG

comes to Plymouth

MAGAZ

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

COM ITY

JOBS

UN

BUS I NESS

BUY LOCAL & SAVE

M

Delivered by Royal Mail to: Brentor, Grenofen, Gulworthy, Horndon, Horsebridge, Kilworthy, Lamerton, Mary Tavy, Milton Abbot, Moortown, Peter Tavy, Tavistock, Whitchurch.

10

47

64 History

ES

24 Farming News

Editor

photo: Diane Fifield

61 Business

IN

20 Gardening

Rosemary Best

CHERNOBYL CHILDREN’S LIFELINE

Providing vital respite time

Delivered FREE by your postman to PL6 - 7 and PL7 - 5. Guaranteed Circulation of 7,000 homes

£3.50 | WHERE SOLD

Disclaimer: Whilst every reasonable care is taken with all material submitted to Olijam Communications Ltd the publisher cannot accept responsibility for any loss or damage caused by such material. The opinions expressed in articles are strictly those of the authors. All content is fully covered by copyright laws and reproduction in part or whole is strictly forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.

FEATURE

Magnolia ‘Felix Drury’

From the West End to the Wild West: the path to ‘Wheal Jenny’ On a plateau, nestling in the hills, hidden away 500 feet above the River Tamar, stood ‘Wheal Jenny’ - an unusual wooden house surrounded by mature gardens, seemingly planted with a galaxy of desirable trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants. With similarities to JMW Turner’s painting Crossing the Brook, it John Bailey had a commanding view of the river, the old railway viaduct linking Devon and Cornwall and the ancient quays of Calstock.

Plymothian by birth, I’d been living in a place that couldn’t be more different – Soho, in London’s West End. As ‘The Soho Gardener’, I was designing and creating gardens from there; roof gardens, atriums and courtyards for film companies and ad agencies. However, from 2000, due to family responsibilities, I found myself increasingly back in the West Country and had decided to look for a country property. In ‘the smoke’, the constraints of the ‘bijou rectangle’ had long instilled in me the desire to garden on a greater scale, imagining an elysian idyll where plants painted their own pictures within a natural landscape. And, importantly, somewhere I could indulge my passion for bamboos. So, eventually, after many years of searching, in the autumn of 2008 I found myself gazing in disbelief at the very manifestation of my dream.

The moniker ‘Wheal Jenny’, was coined after the Medieval/ Edwardian silver and lead mine nearby. The vendors, Tony and Pam Neave, had been gardening earnestly here since 1982, completely transforming what was once a market garden 6

Blue Borinda bamboo

Restio quadratus by Diane Fifield

site and totally blank canvas, into the opulent garden that now confronted me; a legacy beyond measure. The Neaves’ planting near the house occupied approximately one acre, leaving a further five and a half acres of wild uncultivated countryside; wooded and steeply sloping in parts, with a spring meandering through the foot of the valley. At the front, the aforementioned river view faces north-west - the sun setting full square in front of the house by midsummer. Below the plateau, at the sides, are many acers, magnolias, oaks, birches, a huge Cornus controversa ‘Variegata’ (the wedding cake tree), cherries and mature eucalypts, as the garden unfolds through short wooded walks towards a pergola, greenhouse and vegetable garden before ending, (in this direction at least) at another ridge – a 40 to 50-foot drop, like a giant ha-ha... the old railway cutting!

Leaving the conservatory at the side, and crossing the terrace, a gate leads into an arboretum, now augmented and ameliorated with numerous stands of different bamboos between the trees. Turning right, up towards the top of the ground, a raised bank clothed with ancient oaks and carpeted with ferns, stretches as far as the eye can see. This top run, and much of the valley below, was almost impenetrable.

Massive brambles erupted from the tops of trees - bracken and nettles were everywhere; ash, beech, birch, hazel, holly and oak, jostling as rogue seedlings. To facilitate traversion of the slopes, pathways were needed, cut slalom fashion - across terrain that in places would prove to be deep stratal slate, on very precipitous ground.

When my contractor and I first surveyed the site together, hacking our way through the jungle at the very top, the most breathtaking view imaginable was revealed. Buzzards circled below, their mewing cries punctuating the silence. “Nice

FEATURE

Photo by Diane Fifield

place for a seat,” ventured my companion. “How about a big chestnut deck?” I countered. Pause. In unison: “Wow!” Below the deck, walkways and linking pathways were fashioned with three large staircases built from railway sleepers linking the newly formed ‘tranches’ of land; simple oak topped benches positioned throughout. A most revealing advantage of the steep terrain is the ability to look at plants from different viewpoints and angles whilst travelling through the garden – above, parallel and below.

At the bottom of the valley runs a spring risen from higher ground - gurgling down in cascades and waterfalls as it runs behind a fascinating tree covered ‘island’ - then downstream, entering a natural bowl-shaped amphitheatre. In spring, thousands of Narcissus princeps carpet the ground here.

Contemplating this ‘Rivendell’ landscape with wonder, I realised that by rerouting the stream slightly, we could make a natural pool.

At the tail, another deck - the overflow from the pool forming an impressive waterfall underneath and behind, as the stream, now a torrent, sped its way through a culvert towards the Tamar below.

Upward again, under the vast canopy of a line of enormous beeches - a ‘kissing gate’ leads directly into the most amazing garden feature - a 40’ deep gorge - the old railway ... a ‘cutting garden’, dear Mr Beeching having decommissioned the line in 1968. Untouched for fifty years, its sheer sides embroidered with native ferns, and massive slabs of exposed slate, dripping with jewel-like droplets of water. The floor, a carpet of ferns, moss and ivy, in a woodland of native trees, self-seeded in the detritus of the years - their monstrous, moss covered, claw-like roots invading the surface of the snaking pathway.

See our community website www.dartmoorlinks.co.uk

Originally, and unbelievably dug by hand by Dartmoor prisoners in the 1880s, here it was now: an emerald, verdant underworld - roamed by deer, badgers, foxes et al, with bats silently negotiating the gloaming.

Twelve years on, after continuous planting and development, with occasional valued help from horticultural students and volunteers, Wheal Jenny has evolved into a very beautiful, naturalistic, wild landscape garden. A recent visitor amusingly described it as ‘The Eden Project, without the bubble wrap’.

The old railway is planted with a luscious cornucopia of tree ferns, bamboos, palms and other exotics. The excavated foundations of an old cattle shed are now transformed into a firepit courtyard, replete with ‘Versailles tubs’ fashioned from old stillages filled with hydrangea ‘Ayesha’. Circular tables made from old cable drums are positioned throughout the walks, with comfortable seating to enable visitors to linger and enjoy the many different vistas. Throughout the garden, hundreds of rhododendrons, camellias, magnolias, hydrangeas and many other rare trees and shrubs luxuriate in the ethos.

Over 550 bamboos - including the new blue caned Borinda species from Tibet, contribute evergreen visual grace and elegance; stirred by the merest kiss of a breeze, their gentle susurrus also enhancing the soundscape of the valley.

John Bailey

WH E A L

J E N N Y

Wheal Jenny Garden, Tuckermarsh is open to garden societies and by appointment. New garden volunteers are always welcome. Please contact John Bailey on 01822 840860 or 07876 41338.

7

LOCAL PEOPLE

My biggest Dartmoor challenge ever

Photo by Chris Bunney

Chris Bunney is planning to hike 400km across the whole Dartmoor Ordinance Survey map, visiting 170 tors and rocks during the 14-day expedition in aid of Dartmoor Search and Rescue Team (Tavistock), starting at Yelverton Rock on 2 August.

Although Chris lives in Plymouth, Tavistock has become almost a second home for his frequent walking expeditions. After 41 years working for a communications company with a fairly sedentary career behind a desk and commuting long distances, he took early retirement at 60; his new-found freedom opened up possibilities with walking trips on Dartmoor coming high

up the list. As a licentiate member of Master Photographers Association, Chris excels in wedding photography, as well as landscapes - in fact, it was photography that first introduced him to moor walking, when he started volunteering to instruct young people in photography as a new skill for The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE). Before long, he had been co-opted onto helping with expeditions, and ended up leading the silver award group. Safety was always a key element to ensure his DofE group knew how to operate in the changing moors environment and Chris spent an increasing amount of time exploring Dartmoor, challenging himself to walk the same three-day routes he expected his group to complete.

FAMILY-RUN BUSINESS • OVER 60 YEARS EXPERIENCE

Find your dream park home in the picturesque countryside of Devon.

From completely bespoke builds to fully-sited, ready to move into homes, our team are here to help make your dream home a reality in Devon.

Glenholt Park

Honicombe Park

New Park

Established and sought after location north of Plymouth city centre.

Set in the Tamar Valley, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Woodland surroundings with views of the rolling hills of Dartmoor.

• • •

Flanked by woodlands.

Pleasant walks.

Close by Park & Ride offers easy travel links.

• • •

Nearby shopping facilities.

Pets considered.

St. Ann’s Chapel has a post office and store.

• • •

Good shopping facilities.

Plenty to explore.

Dartmoor is only a 10 minute drive away.

Book a contactless park viewing or a design appointment today.

Call us on 01935 862079 or visit berkeleyparks.co.uk

8

To promote your business to 20,700* readers - call 07450 161929 advertising@linksmagazines.co.uk

LOCAL PEOPLE

Photo by Chris Bunney

Chris now takes up the story, explaining how he ended up taking on his biggest Dartmoor challenge ever!

What’s the challenge?

It started as a 60-tors-at 60-in-60-hours challenge to celebrate retiring and hitting 60 – that had a certain ring to it. But then Covid put paid to that so I needed another option. Basically, it got out of hand - I told a few people and before I knew it, I had committed myself to a very long walk! It got so difficult to choose, I decided why not just include everything on the Ordinance Survey map - yep, every tor and a few well-known rock stacks.

What inspired me to take the challenge?

Well, a sort of paying it forward. I intend to spend a lot of time on Dartmoor and it’s possible I, like many others, may need help one day. So, when I saw a Facebook post asking for volunteers to join the DS&RT Tavistock team to support fundraising, it was a perfect match. Then the small issue of a Covid pandemic crushed plans for fundraising events and I decided to use the time to plan and train for a charity challenge to help raise funds.

Why? To raise £20,000 to help DS&RT Tavistock achieve £50,000 to replace its failing operations vehicle. So, a

target and a hike on a scale I have never achieved before! DS&RT probably needs little introduction - a team of highly skilled and very professional volunteers who train every week and respond at the drop of a hat to provide emergency help when contacted by the police.

DS&RT is critical in locating, treating and extracting casualties from Dartmoor, as well as supporting urban searches for lost and vulnerable people. It also relies totally on donations.

What’s the plan?

Training – I need lots of that so I started a challenge within a challenge: step-ups with a 65-pound backpack, one hour a night, five nights a week – it’s mentally tough as well as physically. Being in a garage doesn’t help much either!

Staying within a local area during lockdown, I walked the Devon lanes, averaging 15km a day; I couldn’t wait to get back on the open moor and build up to walking with a 65-pound backpack.

Hopefully I’ll be fit enough by the time I start! I also need to complete some ‘test’ walks, and I’ve never been wild camping so that’ll be an experience - plus route planning, de-risking, kit preparation, as well as publicity, giving talks and maybe writing an e-book. The reality of the challenge is starting to hit home!

figure: please scan the QR code and make a donation, or sponsor me (if you already have then a huge thank you), and share my challenge with friends and on social media. It’s a tough ask in the current circumstances, however as we come out of lockdown Dartmoor is set to see a huge influx of visitors and locals, and any of them may need DS&RT. Can you be someone who has helped keep the search teams operational? I’m really excited and maybe a little scared about the challenge, but proud to be part of a team that could be the difference between life and death for someone.

Thank you, Chris

Donations: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/ mybiggestdartmoorchallengeever Blog: www.bunneyphotography.co.uk/ blog Facebook: www.facebook.com/chris. bunney.750 Or scan the QR code below

How can you help?

I need your help to reach the target 9

LOCAL PEOPLE

Alfresco cuisine Lockdown has had its difficulties for all of us, but for Ben Stevens it has been a very eventful year, leading to a brandnew venture - ‘Enchanted Woods’ outdoor dining experience at Horrabridge.

As 2020 got underway, Ben had recently started working at The Green, a luxury wedding venue in Cornwall. With a strong background in hospitality catering and business management, he had been appointed to develop complementary services for the venue, and was just about to launch a new health and wellbeing package when the pandemic struck. Redundancy followed swiftly, and with only five months in his current employment he became one of the people who ‘fell through the cracks’ in the emergency job and income protection schemes, leaving him with no income. Having moved into Tavistock ten days before the first national lockdown, Ben found himself in a new town with no local family or friends and no work. He had never previously been out of work and

couldn’t remember ever really spending time on his own; as his mental health started to suffer, he signed up for online therapy and so began an incredible soul-searching time of self-discovery.

Ben says that out of the many communities he has lived in, the people of Tavistock have proved the most friendly and supportive. One day he posted on a local Facebook group page that he was new to the area and wondered if anybody was interested in talking, making friends or even going for socially distanced walks. Replies flooded in, his Facebook connections grew exponentially overnight, and the wealth of support made a huge difference. Soon after, Ben started sharing pictures of his cooking at home and this Facebook audience suggested he cook for them. While exploring ways he could create his own new job, he was offered an opportunity to take over the Lemon Grove Café in the evenings when it was normally closed.

And so, in the summer of 2020, Ben’s Bystro came into being, graduating from take-away meals to a sit-down evening menu that was fully booked for 11 weeks.

Ben is no stranger to knock-backs, hard work and thinking on his feet. He has worked his way up the hospitality career ladder, ever since he was attracted to its variety and

Thinking of letting your holiday property?

Speak to your local holiday cottage specialist...

Our experienced team of property managers have the knowledge to ensure that your investment fulfils its potential throughout the year. Call us now for free and honest advice.

Call us on: 01548 202020 or visit: www.toadhallcottages.co.uk 10

To promote your business to 20,700* readers - call 07450 161929 advertising@linksmagazines.co.uk

LOCAL PEOPLE

unpredictability during school work experience at a Newquay hotel. After studying hotel management at Cornwall College, Ben spent over ten years working front-of-house, and managing several restaurants for other people, but always aspiring to run his own venue. In a bid to expand his experience, Ben chose to move into the kitchen, managing to get a position with Kevin Viner, recipient of the very first Michelin Star in Cornwall. Over the next few years Ben worked in several other hotel and restaurant kitchens around Cornwall often putting in 80 to 90 hours per week.

Whilst working as an area manager with Chartwells, Ben gained an immense amount of business knowledge, helping the Cornwall school meals contract go from £1 million loss per year to £1 million profit. This enabled him to set up a successful consultancy specialising in marketing, branding and coaching for hospitality SMEs, and motivated him to

launch three restaurants of his own. This led to an amazing first year, followed by an incredibly challenging second year where he was working an unsustainable 120 hours per week to keep the business afloat. In the end he chose to close the businesses. The experience took its toll both physically and mentally, but he slowly picked himself up and took up management positions at Marco Pierre White’s Steakhouse Bar and Grill and then at The Theatre Royal Plymouth, before being sought out for the role at The Green.

Despite the challenges of the last year, Ben has seemingly flourished. As well as settling into his new town and launching a new pop-up restaurant, he has also fallen in love. Introduced through a mutual friend on Facebook, Leanne is a massage therapist studying for a master’s degree in psychology, and together they are launching a brand-new and exciting project, Enchanted Woods.

When I went to meet Ben, we sat and talked in the small meadow which is

now the site for Enchanted Woods, complete with a huge wood-fired oven, a bath-tub barbeque, a hardstanding for a small marquee, a composting toilet, and a firepit surrounded by massive logs to sit on. The idea is that with the ease of lockdowns people will probably want to eat outside in the fresh air, and the concept is already proving popular as three of the first five Sunday lunch feasts are already sold out. Longer term plans for the rustic venue include outdoor weddings, private events, teambuilding and coaching sessions, and even a mini-folk festival when rules allow, but for now you can bring your own wine and enjoy a relaxed Sunday feast in these idyllic surroundings.

Rosemary Best

Sunday lunch costs £20 per person; for more details and to reserve places go to www.enchanted-woods.co.uk You can also try Ben’s street food outside Stannary Brewing Company in Tavistock on Saturdays.

11

Phil, Dave, and the pharmacy team are proud to be celebrating 10 years providing pharmacy services to the people of Tavistock and the surrounding areas, 7 days a week from 7.30am-10.30pm, Monday to Saturday and 9.00am-7.00pm on a Sunday. But what’s next for Tavyside Pharmacy and our patients?

24/7 Prescription Collection

How it works

1

Modern life is busy and we appreciate that you may struggle to get to our pharmacy within normal opening hours or you may have to queue unnecessarily. That’s why we have invested in an innovative machine that will allow you to safely collect your medication any time of the day or night, 365 days of the year!

Anyone can use this service, both new and existing customers who want the convenience and efficiency it offers, whether you are a Tavyside Health Centre, Abbey Surgery or Yelverton Surgery patient.

It’s easy to go online and register for the service via our website www.tavysidepharmacy.co.uk. Complete the online registration. Full details and FAQs are on the website too. Or pick up a leaflet in the pharmacy

2 3 4

Register

Use your details to sign up.

Order

You can order your prescript ion in the usual way.

No waiting

We’ll notify you when your prescription is ready to collect.

Collect

Collect your prescriptions at any time, day or night.

Ask staff for details MedPoint_Posters Print Ready.indd

6

21/07/2020 15:13

Abbey Rise, Tavistock PL19 9FD • 01822 617894 • www.tavysidepharmacy.co.uk

NOT HEARING PROPERLY? You are only a phone call away from changing your life

Private Hearing Aids

Private hearing aids care allows people to get the help they need immediately locally based with no waiting lists or restrictions on the type of hearing aid you are able to receive.

NHS Hearing Aids

Accredited by the NHS. Locally based, no need to go to hospital, ask your GP to be referred.

Ear Wax Removal

Instant effect, your hearing will be clearer and brighter.

No mess procedure and no need to pre-oil your ears.

ALISTAIR KINSEY Hearing • Mobility The help you need straight away – no waiting!

Find us on Facebook for the latest news and products

1a Pym Street Tavistock PL19 0AW info@hearingmobility.co.uk www.hearingmobility.co.uk

Book Your Appointment Now

01822 617883

12

To promote your business to 20,700* readers - call 07450 161929 advertising@linksmagazines.co.uk

HEALTH & WELLBEING

Dr Jo Coldron Tavyside Health Centre, Tavistock

Blood pressure Jo Coldron explains why it is important to have your blood pressure checked regularly to avoid long-term problems.

As a GP I must send out so many messages to patients to update their blood pressure (BP) – some days I feel like I’m obsessed with it, but that’s because it’s both very important for our long-term health, and usually causes no early identifying symptoms - so unless you’re looking for it a high blood pressure can go unnoticed for many years. The reason it’s important is that a high blood pressure, ongoing for months or years, puts extra strain on the body’s systems and is a risk factor for heart attacks, strokes, dementia and kidney disease among other things. Because high blood pressure can exist for many years without causing any symptoms, even though it’s gradually causing problems in the background, we are asked to try and make sure we take a blood pressure reading every 5 years or so for all our patients who are over 40. So, if we send you a message asking you to ‘update your BP’, that may be the only reason.

For many patients we strive to have much more regular BP checks. Patients who have illnesses that already put them at a higher risk of heart attacks, strokes and kidney disease, for example diabetes, schizophrenia, previous mini-stroke, rheumatoid arthritis and many others. Patients who are on certain medications, for example the combined contraceptive pill or HRT, and of course anyone who has already been identified as having high or borderline blood pressure, whether or not they are on blood pressure medication should have their BP monitored at least yearly.

What we do with the BP results depends on two things – the result AND the patient. There is no one number that is a definite threshold for saying below this your BP is fine and above this your BP is high and you need medicines. Blood pressure is part of the complex story for each individual patient and only one of the risk factors impacting our long-term health.

So we would be much more likely to want to treat BP with medications in a young diabetic, than we would in a fit and healthy 92-year-old – even though the numbers may be the same. However, there are some useful guidelines for when to

prompt a review by your GP if you are checking your own blood pressure at home but are otherwise well: •

If your BP is over 180/120 on repeated testing you should make contact with your GP that day to assess you.

•

If your BP is between 140-180/90-120 you might have high blood pressure and you should alert your GP so that over a few weeks they can assess you and arrange appropriate blood pressure and blood tests to be able to advise you appropriately.

•

If your BP is between 120-140/80-90 you may be at higher risk of developing high blood pressure.

These people especially, but also everyone can do lots of things to reduce blood pressure and long-term risk of disease: •

Decrease the salt in your diet and increase the fibre

•

Limit your alcohol to the recommended 14 units per week

•

Lose weight if you are overweight

•

Increase activity in any way you can, but 150 minutes of moderate activity per week like brisk walking is ideal

•

Decrease caffeine if your intake is high

And to complete this classic list of things your GP will tell you is important whatever you go to them about – stop smoking.

Smoking doesn’t actually cause high blood pressure but hugely increases the risk of arterial disease and therefore raises the risk of significant illness associated with high blood pressure There are some great resources on the NHS and the British Heart Foundation websites that contain lots of useful resources and information. www.nhs.uk/conditions/high-blood-pressure-hypertension www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/risk-factors/ high-blood-pressure 13

Help us reach your community!

TAVY LINKS Do you have a story, know someone who is extraordinary, or have a local event to promote?

email rosemary.best@ linksmagazines.co.uk

Registered Osteopath Cranial and Traditional

NOW BACK IN ACTION FOLLOWING HYGIENE/PPE GUIDANCE OF PUBLIC HEALTH ENGLAND/ OSTEOPATHIC INSTITUTE (Appointments spread to avoid overlap)

Gentle treatment for all ages, working with your body’s capacity to get well. Support in the resolution of aches, pains and stiffness. Many other conditions may respond positively.

Please telephone for risk assessment screening before booking: Philip Hartnoll DO FSCCO • 07501 636813 56 Grenville Drive, Tavistock PL19 8DP philiphartnoll@yahoo.co.uk • www.hartnollosteopath.co.uk

Genuine male erectile dysfunction tablets and female libido tablets.

Brand new skincare, supplement & hemp range

FREE discreet p&p All payment methods accepted

Call 07719 546824

www.edmalehealth.co.uk

www.WhatATonic.nutonic.com

Advanced LOWER LIMB Podiatry • Utilising: Gait analysis, postural stability and lower limb pressure assessment.

• Limb length issues relating to long term hip, knee or back pain.

• Improve lower limb stability and function with foot mobilisation and orthotics.

• We evaluate: Lower limb pressure, function, symmetry, timing, balance and stability to reduce pain and increase movement

MOVEMENT IS LIFE!

Specialist MSK Podiatrist dealing in all lower limb conditions including: Heel Pain Plantar Fasciitis Achilles Tendinopathy Osteoarthritis General Foot Care Patients Still Welcome

SWISS DOLORCLAST SHOCKWAVE THERAPY CLINIC

Fast effective clinically proven treatment for chronic tendinopathies and osteoarthritis. Lower Limbs, Knees & Hands treated.

HELPING YOU WALK TOWARDS PAIN FREE

07946 473972 WWW.CANNONBARNPODIATRY.CO.UK 1 CANNON BARN COTTAGES | LEWDOWN | NR OKEHAMPTON EX20 4BT

Experience happiness at home from our carers Or realise a different kind of 24 hour care and support in Or our supported living bungalows in Tavistock and Yelverton

Providing high quality compassionate care for older people in West Devon.

Call 01822 616020 or visit moorcaredevon.co.uk

JOIN

OUR TEAM!

Personal Home Care & Supported Living in West Devon 14

search current vacancies,on our website

To promote your business to 20,700* readers - call 07450 161929 advertising@linksmagazines.co.uk

HEALTH & WELLBEING

A plant that’s been used for thousands of years…

While decades of cannabis prohibition may lead some to assume that the therapeutic benefits of CBD are a recent discovery, that’s far from the truth. The first documented use of cannabis-derived medicine dates back to 2737 BC, when Chinese Emperor Sheng Nung used a cannabis-infused tea to aid various ailments, including memory, malaria, rheumatism, and gout. Throughout history, cannabis served as a valuable therapeutic resource; however, it was not recognized by most of the medical community during the rise of modern medicine due to a lack of scientific evidence. Interest in the therapeutic applications of cannabinoids has revealed additional cannabinoids, further understanding of cannabinoid structure, and the amazing breakthrough of our body’s endocannabinoid system (ECS) — a network of receptors that interact with receptors found in cannabinoids.

Milagro is passionate about the power of CBD products, and its primary goal is to research and create innovative products. Milagro CBD Oil is a distilled CBD oil created from high quality hemp organically grown in Europe, extracted with the cold-pressed method to maximize the phytocannabinoids’ potency - CBD, CBG, and CBN. The oil is then distilled, winterized, and separated to create a smooth CBD oil, which can be taken as a dietary supplement. Milagro CBD Oil is well tolerated with few reported side effects. CBD may have benefits for pets also, and Milagro offers a pet CBD oil with excellent reviews.

Some benefits of CBD oil may be: prevention of seizures in rare forms of epilepsy; reduction of inflammation and pain; potential to help auto-immune and neurological disorders; potential to help some mental illness; reduction of nausea and increase in appetite. There are many possible benefits currently under investigation.

A new Milagro store is opening soon in Brook Street, Tavistock, offering the full range of CBD products. For more information and to buy online visit www.milagrosouthwest. com We are also seeking sellers - please call Matt on 07539203911.

15

H me is where the heart is Let’s keep it there

‘‘

They are like my other family

’’

Enjoy ‘Outstanding’ live-in care with our services in Okehampton, Tavistock, and across West Devon Continuity and everyday routine in your most familiar environment – your own home

01822 678111

westdevon@bluebluebirdcare.co.uk bluebirdcare.co.uk/newdevon

20 20

TOP

20

AWARD

16 bluebirdA5.indd 1

To promote your business to 20,700* readers - call 07450 161929 advertising@linksmagazines.co.uk 29/03/2021 13:37

HEALTH & WELLBEING

‘I aim to look for ways that I can support the person to be who they were before old age and frailty made life a bit more challenging.’

Vitamin Sea Devon care worker prescribes vitamin ‘sea’ for dementia Bluebird Care’s Frances Lewis regales an account of her journey on the Exe Estuary with her customer Jim who has dementia.

doing for a hobby? What do they value at a deep level? What were their main interests in life? Then I aim to look for ways that I can support the person to be who they were before old age and frailty made life a bit more challenging.”

Frances joined Bluebird Care as a live-in carer after being a dedicated yoga teacher for twenty years. She cares for customer Jim in his home as a live-in carer, and after discovering his love for sailing, she decided to help him relive his life on the sea by organising a boat trip on the Exe Estuary.

Frances, who isolated with Jim during the lockdown, has been doing what she can to help him reconnect with his love of the sea. Jim, who has a deep love of the ocean and was - in his youth - a passionate sailor, has dementia.

Frances says: “One of the things that gives me a great deal of fulfilment in my role as a live-in carer is discovering what the person I am caring for was like before the crippling stroke or dementia diagnosis. What did the person enjoy

Frances explains: “Jim enjoyed taking family members sailing to France, travelling in and out of Exmouth estuary regularly. He has many friends who enjoy sailing, and he is familiar with the whole world of navigation, boatyards, the ways of the open sea, and the rules and regulations of harbours. He seems to enjoy nothing better than sitting by the side of the ocean or the estuary, watching the waves, the tides coming and going, the clouds and the birds.

Sometimes we chat about what we can see, and sometimes we just sit and enjoy the view together in silence.”

Sadly, due to suffering from occasional moments of confusion and disorientation - which is why he has a live-in carer to support him - Jim is unable to own a boat of his own. However, he is still just as passionate as he ever was about the sea and sailing, which is why Frances has been doing everything that she can to help him to feel closer to the sea.

Wanting to help Jim reconnect with his love of the ocean on a more personal

level, Frances recently organised to take him on a boat trip on the Exmouth to Starcross ferry. Jim thoroughly enjoyed being out at sea again, and Frances loved being able to help him relieve his time sailing, allowing him to reconnect with many of his old memories and experiences. When providing care to customers like Jim, Frances finds that outings linked to an interest or passion can be a fantastic way of stimulating happy memories and boosting mental wellbeing.

She explains: “All of these trips and all of the times by the water’s edge stimulate memories for Jim of his time with his boat; he seems to become more confident and sure of his place in the world. Being near the water seems to bring a sense of calm and an expansion of possibilities for him.”

17

CHARITY FOCUS

Chernobyl Children’s Lifeline Providing life-saving respite for young people Who are we and why we do what we do?

Thirty-five years ago, on April 26th 1986 at 1.23am, Reactor 4 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Station exploded.

As a consequence of the explosion, radioactive elements fell across Belarus and the Ukraine with the fallout continuing to affect the people of these countries for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. Our charity, the Chernobyl Children’s Lifeline, was established and registered in 1992 by the late Victor Mizzi OBE to support children and their families from Belarus and Ukraine, forever affected by the world’s worst

nuclear disaster. The radioactive fallout from the Chernobyl nuclear explosion has caused numerous and varying health issues for the population which will last through generations to come. As well as thyroid cancer, bone cancer, leukaemia, and other non-oncological conditions, many people continue to experience severe psychological distress directly linked to the effects of Chernobyl. This in turn often causes medical conditions which can then develop to become serious and even life threatening.

The main aims of our charity are: To bring child victims of the Chernobyl disaster to the UK for recuperative breaks of up to four weeks - close to 50,000 children and young adults have benefitted from staying with host families since our inception in 1992.

To provide on-going supplies of multivitamins and basic healthcare products, school uniforms, stationery, learning aids, special needs items, clothing, shoes and toiletries to the children on their return.

Dental Practice We We are are proud proud to to support support the the B4 B4 Project Project through through our our 1% for for the the planet planet membership. membership. Learn Learn more more at: at: onepercentfortheplanet.org onepercentfortheplanet.org 1%

Friendly Friendly and and gentle gentle approach approach to to professional professional fully fully private dental work private dental work 3x x Dental Dental Hygienists Hygienists 3 Payment Payment plans plans available available for for the the whole whole family family Under 4’s treated for free Under 4’s treated for free 0% 0% Finance Finance options options available available Weekend appointments Weekend appointments available available Book Book On-Line On-Line for for appointments appointments Private car park Private car park available available 9 9 Plymouth Plymouth Road, Road, Tavistock Tavistock PL19 PL19 8AU 8AU 01822 617788 01822 617788 www.andrewbrowndental.co.uk www.andrewbrowndental.co.uk info@andrewbrowndental.co.uk info@andrewbrowndental.co.uk

Andrew Andrew Brown Brown BDS BDS Thomas Brew Brew BDS BDS Thomas Carys Carys Lock Lock BDS BDS

CHARITY FOCUS

To work with our Belarusian and Ukrainian partners to locate children who will benefit from a recuperative care break.

To help children too sick to travel by providing chemotherapy medicines to Children’s Cancer Hospitals in Minsk, Gomel, Mogilov and Brest regions, support with medicines and equipment for Baby Home No 1 in Minsk, assist numerous social centres (temporary foster care facilities), individual foster families, and centres for children with special needs as well as several orphanages.

The Chernobyl Children’s Lifeline’s reason for being is not for the relief of poverty or to provide holidays for poor children. It exists because of the difference we can make to the lives of children growing up with the longterm health effects of the Chernobyl disaster, which no amount of money can correct. Only time will see the end of the contamination and this is time these children do not have. All these children are affected regardless of whether they have satellite TV and a flushing toilet or a cow in the back garden and an earth closet. During a recent visit to the cancer hospital for children in Minsk, a psychologist told us: “ALL children, regardless of race, social background or education, that live in contaminated areas, deserve the opportunity for a respite break. You would not believe the difference when they return home.

Their health is so much improved; it is wonderful to see.”

While the children live at home, they are constantly eating contaminated food - and caesium or other radioactive elements may be building up in their bodies. They are all at high risk of developing cancer, heart disease, or serious respiratory or digestive problems. The time they spend with a host family in the UK may help to

prevent this by boosting their immune system and reducing the levels of contaminates in their system. They are not infectious in any way and no child is allowed to travel without a certificate of good health.

How can you get involved?

So, do you think you could join us? There are so many ways to become involved with Chernobyl Children’s Lifeline - you could offer to be a host family (if you have a spare room) or to support us with our fundraising efforts, so we can offer this opportunity to as many children as possible. It’s a great thing to do and extremely rewarding; you will join a fabulous group of like-minded people.

We have a number of Lifeline links (local groups) within the Westcountry, including mid-Devon. If you are

considering getting involved, there are many opportunities:

• Become a host family, hosting a child for two to four weeks in 2022 • Make items we can sell or help on our stalls at events (when safe to do this again) • Help fundraise: take part in a sponsored run, walk or swim • Take part in New Year’s Day dips, virtual balloon races and pet competitions Please contact us by email at Belarusness@hotmail.co.uk or call Vanessa on 07706 972906 – she will be only too happy to explain in more detail what we do and what you can expect.

We look forward to meeting you! www.ccll.org.uk

Transforming wet into wonderful...

Specialist nursery for pond, marginal and moisture loving plants

Open by appointment Online webshop and mail order available Garden consultation and site visits available Free planting design service for nursery supplied plants

07718224641 www.torgardenplants.co.uk 19

GARDENING

Your own bit of peace and quiet Our gardens continue to provide wonderful socialising places even as lockdown restrictions ease and hospitality venues reopen, as having somewhere quiet to relax and de-stress is equally, if not more, important. The benefits of the outdoors and reconnecting with nature have proved hugely beneficial to well-being and mental health through the stresses of the past year, so have a look at your garden and see how best to create your own quiet and tranquil space.

Plants that soothe the senses never fail to delight and relax.

Listen to rustling stems of bamboos or tall miscanthus grasses that move in the slightest breeze, or bring in the sound of moving water with a little feature like a self-contained fountain. Grow your own aromatherapy, with fragrant flowers such as roses, lavender, jasmine, honeysuckle, lilies, and chocolate cosmos, as well as plants with aromatic foliage that are deliciously scented when crushed. Herbs like camomile and lemon balm can be made into calming herbal teas, too.

Watching wildlife provides relaxation and fascination, and you can easily entice bees and butterflies with their favourite plants like cosmos, verbascum, hebe, hyssop and butterfly

bush (Buddleja). This latter plant is renowned for growing large, but newer varieties like the ‘Buzz’ series are compact in habit and suit even the smallest of gardens. Add a comfy seat or two for relaxation and wildlife-watching and you’ll have a perfect wind-down spot right on your doorstep.

A great way to save work and encourage wildlife is to have what’s become known as a ‘lazy lawn’. If you have a lot of grass and don’t need it all regularly cropped, simply go easy with the mower, and this year you could be listening to the buzz of bees and chirping of grasshoppers rather than the humming of mowers. A real win-win route to relaxation in the garden.

Gardens to visit One of the big post-lockdown joys is being able to visit gardens again. Some have restricted hours, or require visitors to pre-book, so always check websites or phone before you travel. As well as our local favourites such as The Garden House, Buckland Abbey, Cotehele, and Keith Wiley’s plant paradise at Wildside, there are private gardens opening

ALL ASPECTS OF LANDSCAPING AND PROPERTY MAINTENANCE • Decking & Fencing • Dry Stone Walling • Patios & Pathways • Timber Structures • Groundworks

• Sheds • Turf Laying • House Painting • Hedge Trimming • Garden Clearance

FULLY INSURED - LOCAL REFERENCES AVAILABLE

Hartland, Milton Combe, Yelverton, Devon PL20 6HP

T: 01822 852792 M: 07765 674627 Email: steptoe841@gmail.com 20

To promote your business to 20,700* readers - call 07450 161929 advertising@linksmagazines.co.uk

GARDENING

Buddleja Buzz 3-in-1 courtesy of Suttons

for charity under the auspices of the National Gardens Scheme: www.ngs. org.uk and St Lukes: www.stlukeshospice.org.uk/opengardens. (See What’s On) The pent-up demand for getting out and about means that gardens are likely to be bustling, so a recent project to create quiet spaces will be of particular interest to those seeking peace and quiet. The Silent Space project (silentspace.org. uk) encourages open gardens to offer an area that is quiet and technologyfree for peace and reflection. So far there are three Devon gardens offering ‘silent spaces’: RHS Rosemoor at Great Torrington, Dartington Hall, and Stone Lane Gardens near Chagford.

Sue Fisher GARDEN DESIGNER & HORTICULTURAL SPECIALIST

Inspirational ideas to transform your garden Advisory visits • Planting plans Complete designs tel: 01822 841895 • email: suefisher@talktalk.net www.suefishergardens.co.uk

ENDSLEIGH GARDENS NURSERY  Thurs 15 July & Fri 16 Book Online @

July 

www.sterts.co.uk

Milton Abbot Tavistock PL19 0PG

Tel: 01822 870235

www.endsleighgardens.co.uk

Open 8am-5pm Monday-Saturday, 10am-4pm Sunday Follow brown signs to Endsleigh House and Gardens from Milton Abbot

See our community website www.dartmoorlinks.co.uk

VISIT SAFELY with our great range of

Roses, Shrubs, Climbers, Perennials & Trees COVID19 UPDATE • Safe shopping experience

• 2m social distancing on site

Keeping you and us safe

OPEN EVERY DAY!

Well worth a visit !

21

Dartmoor

Professional, hardworking and safe Our services include: • Tree felling & dismantling • Crown thinning, lifting & reduction • Tree pest & disease identification • Woodland management • Hedge cutting & laying • Seasoned logs FULLY INSURED

Pond Services

www.countrywisetreecare.co.uk

JonLindsay@countrywisetreecare.co.uk

T: 01822 854 972 M: 07977 558 371

Area covered includes: Yelverton • Horrabridge • Tavistock • Roborough • Princetown • Gunnislake Callington • Bere peninsula • Buckland Monachorum • Lydford • Lifton • Okehampton

Design & Installation Waterfalls & Streams Ponds & Lakes • Water Features Renovation • Leak Repair Ellis Taylor

07836 576722

IN FU SU LL RE Y D

www.dartmoorpondservices.co.uk

A friendly, family run company providing a range of high quality arboricultural services

TREE SURGERY • HEDGE TRIMMING • STUMP GRINDING SITE CLEARANCE • AND MUCH MORE...

CALL NOW for professional advice and to arrange a no obligation quote

07398 268877

adamofedentrees@gmail.com

Check us out at:

cf

@adamofedentrees

T r e eRe mov a l-Pr uni ng He dg eCu�ng S e a s one dF i r e wood-Home ma deCha r c oa l

SOUTHWEST GARDEN MACHINERY The Garden Machinery Professionals since 1935 • The areas widest range of new machines • Main dealers for most leading brands • Wide range of used machinery • Servicing & repairs by factory trained engineers

Expert advice and old-fashioned service from a local family-owned business

SCARNE BUSINESS PARK, LAUNCESTON TELEPHONE 01566 772706

www.southwestgardenmachinery.co.uk 22

To promote your business to 20,700* readers - call 07450 161929 advertising@linksmagazines.co.uk

GARDENING

Seasonal jobs Start taking cuttings of this year’s young growth from plants such as tender perennials. Also, look for rooted shoots on woody-based perennials like penstemon and anthemis, which can be detached and potted up.

Lavender should be lightly trimmed after flowering to remove dead flower stems and shoot tips.

Finish planting up containers of summer flowers and water regularly during dry spells.

Focus watering on any border plants that are newly planted, and ensure fruiting plants have an even supply to give a good crop.

Sow biennial plants now to flower next year, like foxglove, forget-me-not, sweet rocket and wallflower.

Put out fresh water for wildlife in shallow dishes, bowls or bird baths, and refresh regularly. Continue to provide food for birds, but do use the correct feeders as young fledglings can choke on large items such as peanuts.

Sue Fisher

Sue continues to be available for garden advisory visits and design work, operating according to Covid-19 social distancing guidelines. Contact Sue on 01822 841895 or email at suefisher@ talktalk.net. suefishergardens.co.uk

C

D D ice RVE V I r v OB SE COe STeANCE f S SaIAL DI

SO

Fencing • Paving • Decking Brickwork • Stone Walling Turf Laying • Tree Felling Weed Spraying • Hedge Reshaping Garden Clearance • Lawn Mowing Soft Landscaping and more...

Quality Assured

Established for over15 years Call: 01822 860675 / 07977 272170

www.menforallseasons.co.uk

See our community website www.dartmoorlinks.co.uk

23

FARMING NEWS

Better times ahead I always look forward to the onset of spring as it signals the end of a long Dartmoor winter and holds so much promise of new life and a potential window into how our sheep, cows and calves will do going forward. But the farm at this time of year does put you through the wringer and by the end of May I am worn out, and can’t wait to get off the farm for a few days and have a break. Our first outing is usually to Devon County Show with the kids and our team of Whiteface Dartmoor sheep, to do battle in the show ring. It’s great to see the other exhibitors and friends, and always a good release after a long winter. You share war stories from your winter campaigns on the farm, celebrate victories and losses alike. Then you come home after three days, tired, a little bit hung over, but revitalised as you realise this lonely existence isn’t so bad after all – it’s a great chance to bring the farming community together.

Sadly, it won’t be happening at the usual time at the end of May due to Covid; it has been moved to July with a different format, breaking the showing down into three individual days, so the stock don’t need to stay on site and to allow social distancing. However, it’s great it can go ahead, and I won’t be taking sheep myself this year as I have been asked to judge the Scotch Blackface breed

CAFE LIAISON

Situated in the heart of Tavistock, Café Liaison is a warm, friendly café serving breakfast, lunch, cream teas, excellent coffee and homemade cakes. As well as a full menu, there is a daily specials board.

Open: Mon-Sat 9am-5pm, Sun 10am-3.30pm - WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU 3 Church Lane Tavistock PL19 8AA 01822 612225 c 24

at the show. All I have to do is turn up looking presentable, be treated to a lovely lunch and judge the sheep. I just hope I can persuade Gem to drive as the Scotch boys like to have a celebratory whisky after the judging and if I have done my job right, I may get invited to join them! We will also get away on a short non-agricultural related break at some point before the summer holidays.

Gemma and the boys appreciate Devon County Show, but a proper get away with no farming distractions will hit the spot - probably meeting up with friends in a camp site somewhere on the coast, hopefully in good weather!

This spring’s long, dry, cold spell was getting a bit concerning back in April.

It was great for lambing sheep as the lambs were born dry and clean with the sun on their backs which helps so much.

The trouble is the ground dried right out and we were short of grass, it was cold with almost daily frosts through April, holding back any growth in our fields as

well as your gardens. The ewes were hungry once they had lambs at foot and although we were taking out extra feed, it wasn’t until May that we had any significant rain so the ewes could start to gain some weight. We were glad of it when it came as we were pretty desperate, but let’s just hope that now the rain has come, it knows when to stop!

Usually, early summer is a time when we can take things a bit easier - we are literally waiting for the grass to grow before we have to start harvesting our hay and silage. We have our sheep to shear and everything has to be seen and tended to, but as everything thrives in the early summer sun, the moor comes to life. As all the ewes and cows disappear in the vast Dartmoor landscape, those short, wet winter days and the cold dry spring seem a long way off.

Mat Cole, Greenwell Farm

Shrubbery Jubbery

Garden Design & Landscaping Patios & Driveways Tracy: 07395 110936

design@shrubberyjubbery.co.uk To promote your business to 20,700* readers - call 07450 161929 advertising@linksmagazines.co.uk

NATURALIST

Birdsong - with a focus on warblers The chiffchaff started calling in our garden on March 28th and a couple of days later one settled in the uppermost branches of a nearby hawthorn. Silhouetted against the sky we were able to watch the whole of its body pulsate with each pulse of its two-note serenade or in other words ‘singing its heart out’. Although we may tend to think of the romance of a cock bird attracting his mate with his song, remember there is also a lot of macho posturing, territorial disputes and naked aggression towards rivals! The demands of flight require a rigid fuselage for wings and their powerful muscles to operate so you may not know that the ribs of birds cannot move up and down to pump air in and out of the lungs as they do in mammals. (Anyone who has carved a chicken or turkey at the dinner table will have been cutting these muscles (breast meat) away from the breast bone of the rib cage.) Instead, birds have a series of air-sacs, like bellows that pump the air through the lungs, and the two largest are located under the wings so the movement of the wings also facilitates breathing and thereby song production too.

Chiffchaffs are among the earliest singers from a large family of birds known as the warblers, small birds noted for the variety of their repertoire. The latest Collins guide lists 63 species, of which 14 breed in the UK and are the most likely to be encountered. They are all small birds (11-15 cm long) mainly feeding on insects, and with milder winters they may be extending their range from the European mainland. With a few notable exceptions most are either brown, yellow or green in colour and they are difficult to distinguish visually. As they frequent dense vegetation, with only fleeting excursions into the open, we have to rely on their songs for identification.

Warblers are very good value in terms of decibels produced per gram of weight! The next warbler to listen out for will be the blackcap whose song is introduced by a series of churring notes preceding a remarkably musical warble. Cetti’s warbler, a relatively new arrival to this country, has an even louder version though I am not sure whether I am confident enough to identify its song. However the plaintive descending melody of the willow warbler is distinctive, as is the mid volume song of the whitethroat, a species that will sing from an open position. Both were relatively common but no longer appear in our garden.

I must also mention the even smaller wren (not a warbler) which can still surprise me as it rattles off its rasping staccato from somewhere nearby. Astonishingly, if a recording of this is played at a slower speed (as is often done to make the ultrasonic calls of bats audible to our ears) it is heard to compose of a ‘whoop whoop whoop’ ululation reminiscent of gibbons in a tropical environment!

Pete Mayston

25

LAW

legally speaking...

my previous articles, planning ahead is absolutely key to ensuring your wishes are not only detailed but, that you have assurances they will be put into action.

A recent case involved a client who had visited and planned with me exactly how he wished to be cared for in his home setting. From my respective getting to know the person whilst they are in good health is always a tremendous advantage when being asked to act as a Professional Attorney. Understanding the person’s life, preferences and health issues are paramount to be able to make decisions as and when the time comes to do so.

Our regular law column with

services – grocery shopping and dealing with household bills were all part of the service I was able to provide.

Within just a few weeks and with the utmost dignity, my client passed away in the comfort of his home surrounded with the love and care of some incredibly special carers together with his family.

I always consider my role as an Attorney a privileged position – entrusting someone’s life is not only brave but especially fulfilling – my job satisfaction is second to none!

My word of caution – don’t leave it until you become too ill to think about

Need aa fast Want toto leave Require aa Need fast Want leave Require and effective your affairs inin prompt and and effective your affairs prompt and solution to buying order but not efficient service solution to buying order but not efficient service Need a fast Want to leave Require a or selling your sure where to to deal with your or selling youryour affairssure to deal with your and effective in where toprompt and commercial home? start? commercial solution tohome? buying order butstart? not efficient service transactions? transactions? or selling your sure where to to deal with your home? start? commercial transactions?

Appointing an Attorney for health, welfare and finance I

t is at last possible to not only see your My client was suddenly taken ill and the “what if” scenarios. Call me to chat loved one in a care home, but they are found to have an inoperable condition and through the options and ensure your future also allowed to enjoy some fresh air face just weeks to live. As his Health and is protected.

Offering tailored, individual legal solutions in the areas of:of: Offering tailored, individual legal solutions the areas outside, as of the revised guidance on 4th Welfare and Financial Attorney I was able inShould you think this service may be Need a fast Want to leave to respond Require aDoctors call from the May 2021. to the something you Judicial would like to plan, then

Residential Conveyancing

Human Rights and Review Residential Conveyancing Human Rights and Judicial Review affairs in hospital For and many,effective this has beentailored, anyour incredibly toprompt confisolutions rmand his wish to die at areas home. please do get in contact me on 01822 612535 Offering individual legal in the of: solution to buying – not order but or not Dealing efficient service

Commercial Property Mental Law

Commercial Property

Mental Health Law harrowing experience seeing with hospital discharge, setting orHealth annereed@chilcottslaw.com selling your on your nearest sure where to deal with your beingorable to check andto Commercial

up the home with the NHS equipment Company

N

HS Continuing Healthcare Company Commercial N

HS Continuing Healthcare Residentialstart?

Conveyancing Human Rights and Judicial Review home? commercial dearest has not only resulted in distress of a hospital bed, hoist, commode Assessments and

transactions?

Litigation and Appeals Litigation Assessments and Appeals but Commercial Property arrangements to employ Mental Health Law for the resident also for the families. a 24 hour live

Wills, Estate Planning and Probate

Social Care Assessments and Wills, Estate Probate Social Care Assessments and When finally being able toCommercial physically Company

Nwith HS Continuing Healthcare in Planning carer wereand actioned immediate

Lasting Attorney visit, the impact upon both has beenPowers Lasting Powers representation effectof–of 6Attorney days following that phone representation call Litigation Assessments and Appeals extremely emotional. my client returned to the comfort ofAccess his

Deputyship applications toto Medical Deputyship applications Access Medical Records Wills, Estate Planning Probate Social Care Assessments and Records individual legal solutions in the areas of: NoneOffering of this tailored, could have been foreseen or and home with everything to hand to support

Professional appointment of

Arrangement of Care Provision Professional appointment of

Arrangement of Care Provision Lasting Attorney representation anticipated and whilst the Powers respectiveofcare the transition.

Residential Conveyancing Human Rights and Judicial Review Attorneys and Deputies

Health and Welfare Advocacy Attorneys and Deputies

Health and Welfare Advocacy homes worked hard to minimise such have Commercial Property Mental Health Law Deputyship Ongoing dialogues with theto health applications Access Medical Records Company Commercial

NHS Continuing Healthcare effects, it will have taken its tollappointment in ways professionals, guidance and support with Professional of Arrangement of Care Provision andcare Appeals Litigation which could have repercussions for many Assessments the live-in agency were all handled Anne Reed Wills, Estate Planning and Probate Social Care Assessments and and Deputies Health and Welfare Advocacy months to come. Attorneys on a daily basis.

Contacting family Solicitor Director Lasting Powers of Attorney representation For those that may have read any of members, arranging payments for the Chilcotts Law Deputyship applications Access to Medical Records

Anne

you forforallallyour expert you your expertand and appointment “Thank of “Thank

Arrangement of Care Provision Attorneys and Deputies timely

Health and Welfare Advocacyand The support timelyadvice. advice.

The support and

Professional

kindness kindnessshown shownthroughout throughoutsuch such We can deliver prompt and effective “Thank youafor all yourperiod expert and astressful stressful periodwas wasinvaluable. invaluable. solutions to all your legal requirements timely advice.

The support and come Your Yourfirm firmwill willcertainly certainly comewith with “Thank youkindness for all your expert and throughout PRINT shown such the highest recommendation toto our the highest recommendation our timely advice. The support and a stressful period was invaluable. kindness shown throughout such contacts.” contacts.” n Assessments and Appeals n Wills, Estate Planning and Probate a stressful Your period firm wasindividual invaluable.

Offering tailored, will certainly come with n Social Care Assessments and n Lasting Powers of Attorney Your firm will certainly come with legal solutions in the areas of: highest recommendation to our applications representation n Deputyship the highestthe recommendation to our n Access to Medical Records n Professional appointment of ncontacts.”

Residential Conveyancing contacts.” n n

Client

Chilcotts Law

Artworker

-

Creative Director

Mike Lane

Modification Date

06/10/16 9:45AM

8100 Chilcotts Law Magazine Advert Amend

File Name

Proof Stage

Commercial Property Litigation

10-12 Plymouth Road, Tavistock, Devon, PL19 8AY

n

Finished Size

157x226.5mm

Artwork %

100%

Bleed

3mm

Attorneys and Deputies NHS Continuing Healthcare

10-12 Plymouth Road, 10-12 Plymouth Road, Tavistock, Devon, PL19 8AY Tavistock, Devon, PL19 8AY Get in touch today:

n n

Get in in touch today: Get touch today:

¨ ¨01822 01822612535 612535 01822 612535 Get in touch today:

info@chilcottslaw.com info@chilcottslaw.com

info@chilcottslaw.com ¨ 10-12 Plymouth Road, chilcottslaw.com chilcottslaw.com chilcottslaw.com

Tavistock, Devon, PL19 8AY

¨ 01822 612535

info@chilcottslaw.com chilcottslaw.com Client

Chilcotts Law

Artworker

-

File Name

8100 Chilcotts Law Magazine Advert Amend Finished Size

157x226.5mm

Arrangement of Care Provision Health and Welfare Advocacy

COMMUNITY NEWS

Go-ahead for £3.2 million Tamara Landscape Partnership A National Lottery Heritage Fund grant of £2.3 million has been awarded to the Tamar Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, for a project that aims to provide a brighter future for the valley and its communities, by making the landscape more robust and less susceptible to a range of pressures. Thanks to the contribution of National Lottery players, it will be possible for the Tamara Landscape Partnership Scheme to work with farmers, landowners and communities over the next five years to manage and enhance landscapes rich in wildlife, as well as cultural and historic heritage; to help improve access to special places and promote ways for people to enjoy the landscape whilst improving their health and wellbeing. With match-funding commitments from other partners, the total to be invested across the Tamar Valley landscape over the next five years will be £3.2 million. Through 10 specific projects, at least 250 activity sessions will take place to improve mental and physical health & wellbeing; 50 hectares of woodland will be restored; 10 hectares of trees will be planted and 5 new orchards will be created.

Key details of the project include: •

Apprenticeships and internships to improve job prospects and to provide support for local businesses

•

Advice and grants for farmers to reinstate landscapes and maintain traditional skills

Photo: Tobi O’Neill, TON Drone Service

•

Community allotments with training opportunities and reintroduction of heritage varieties

•

Social prescribing, including walking, running, art and bush craft

•

Opportunities and support for local businesses as the Tamar Valley strives to become the destination for a lowcarbon, sustainable holiday

•

Benefits for walkers as the Tamar Valley Discovery Trail will be extended to reach the coast

This exciting venture, that has been three years in the planning, has been made possible through a strong partnership between the Tamar Valley AONB and 19 organisations. Key funders are the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Cornwall Council, Devon County Council, Environment Agency, Historic England, the AONB itself and the Woodland Trust.

You can follow the Tamara Landscape Partnership Scheme’s progress @TVAONB Facebook and Twitter, tamar_valley_aonb Instagram, or email tamara@tamarvalley.org.uk. We look forward to sharing more news and providing plenty of opportunities for you to get involved very soon.

You don’t need to leave your home to move in with your family, go into residential care or lose your independence. Santé Care at Home live-in carers will provide companionship, personal care and housekeeping to allow you to carry on living the life you want.

l g al in w rv orn y Se , C rre n u vo S De &

Are you finding it difficult to manage on your own at home?

Our Live-In Carer Service is the real alternative to residential care

Santé Care at Home

live-in care service is designed for home-loving and independent-minded people like you...

To find how we can help you stay at home, call us today

01822 855590 / 07413 531000 www.santecareathome.co.uk • info@santecareathome.co.uk • Located in Yelverton See our community website www.dartmoorlinks.co.uk

27

COMMUNITY NEWS

Dartmoor Border Morris Meavy-based Dartmoor Border Morris has been in lockdown, like the rest of the country, since March last year, and although we have kept in contact and played tunes at home, I think to be honest we may have forgotten half our dance moves. So, when we are released from lockdown in mid-June, we will have to assess how ‘rusty’ our dancing is before doing public performances.

However, once social distancing has been lifted, we intend to practise until it hurts! We have missed our Morris dancing, as well as playing our music.

We couldn’t even dance at the waking of the season as the sun rises over Dartmoor on May Day. Dartmoor Rescue

Lodestone Border Morris Group has missed us too, as we should have been collecting for the group all of last year! At the time of writing, we currently haven’t any summer bookings because of Covid, but all is not lost as we have bookings for the autumn for the postponed Royal Cornwall Show and Widecombe Fair. If you want to check on our progress during the summer, have a look at our Facebook page or dartmoorbordermorris.com to see where we might turn up next.

Help local charity get on the road

Lodestone Border Morris need you!!!

We are Tavistock’s very own Morris dancing side, and we dance in the border style with sticks, bells, top hats and tatter coats. We love to laugh and have fun when we’re together, plus it’s a good work out! We haven’t been able to get together and dance for a year and a half, so now is the perfect time for anyone wishing to give it a try to join us. We are waiting to welcome new dancers or musicians. No experience of Morris dancing is necessary; there will be plenty of rusty participants dusting off their sticks and we will be teaching the routines again from scratch. If you have Thursday evenings free and you would like to give something new and a little bit quirky a try, contact Squire Sam either by email: sam.sidbotham@ btinterent.com or on 01822611259.

A Devon charity supporting vulnerable women in is in urgent need of donations towards the cost of buying a vehicle. Gilead Foundations in Okehampton provides supported living accommodation on a farm for vulnerable women, who have experienced domestic violence, addiction and homelessness.

They need a vehicle, so that residents can reach appointments and work placements more easily. Marketing manager Jo Drew explained: “Our aim is to not only provide safe housing, but also to support the women through the therapy and skills training required leading to future employment and

ultimately change their lives for the better. We are raising funds for the purchase of a used vehicle to help transport our women to appointments, work placements, education and training. It will help to achieve the aim of getting people who are socially disadvantaged into work and training to help them reach their full potential. We are so grateful for donations sent to us so far, but still have just over £5000 to go to reach our target.”

28

To promote your business to 20,700* readers - call 07450 161929 advertising@linksmagazines.co.uk

If you could help Gilead Foundations, by making a donation towards the cost of a vehicle to help women in crisis, please visit www.gilead.org.uk.

Unlocking people... releasing potential

UNLOCKING PEOPLE RELEASING POTENTIAL Supported living for women who have experienced addictions, homelessness, domestic abuse

01837 851240 admin@gilead.org.uk

www.gilead.org.uk

COMMUNITY NEWS

Tavistock RDA Carriage Driving Group At the 1952 Olympic Games, polio sufferer Lis Hartel, won silver in the dressage. Her victory snowballed therapeutic horseback riding across Europe. In under 15 years, 23 groups existed in the UK alone, from which emerged the Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA). Today the RDA president is Princess Anne, daughter of such a great exponent of carriage driving, the late HRH Prince Philip.

The Tavistock RDA carriage driving group provides adults and young people with the opportunity to learn the skill of carriage driving, instilling a sense of

self-worth and achievement, satisfaction and fun. To enable the sessions to run we are looking for a band of volunteers to support our group, whether it be to work with the pony or our participants.

To get an instant feel, a quick internet search of RDA photos will leave you in no doubt of what we share and enjoy... the many smiles tell it all. Whatever your skills, you will have something to offer us - please join us and make a difference. Our motto is ‘it’s what you do that counts’. To learn more, do please give me, Janet, a call on 01822 834115.

From the Lions’ Den Last Christmas, the Lions Club of Tavistock had a very successful street collection in Bedford Square with Father Christmas on his sleigh. The donations received are traditionally used for children and young people’s benefit and last year some of the money was used to buy Christmas hampers which were distributed to families in particular need. The rest of the money has been used to buy laptops for students at Tavistock College and there was enough to buy three brand-new ones;

thanks to the generosity of individual Lion members, another four were also purchased. With another donation since Christmas, a total of eight laptops have been given to make students’ education more accessible in these difficult times.

Despite the fact that school pupils are now back on site, it does not in any way lessen the need.

The photo shows a delighted post-16 student, Maisie David, receiving one of the Lions Club laptops from Tavistock

Whoever you are, wherever you are on your journey, you are welcome here!

College principal Sarah Jones. Sarah said: “We have been so grateful to people across our community for the support they and the Lions have offered to young people.”

The Lions are planning a two-day carnival this year over the weekend of 17th & 18th July - further details can be found in our What’s On section.

Worship at 10.00am every Sunday Halls available for hire Russell Street Tavistock PL19 8BD tavistockurc.org.uk 07982 622949

Minister: Revd Robert Weston tavistockurcminister@gmail.com

See our community website www.dartmoorlinks.co.uk

29

FOLLOW US ONLINE FOR MORE NEWS AND UPDATES!

Incorporating Ann Pointer Solicitors

OUR PARTNERS HAVE THE SPECIALIST KNOWLEDGE TO HELP DOMESTIC CONVEYANCING

COMMERCIAL CONVEYANCING

LASTING POWERS OF ATTORNEY

LEGAL SERVICES FOR THE ELDERLY WILLS . PROBATE

Ridge Grove . Russell St . Tavistock . PL19 8BD TAVISTOCK 01822 617666

www.cwcsolicitors.co.uk

tavistock@cwcsolicitors.co.uk

Morris Bros (Tavistock) Ltd Your Local Independent Funeral Director

Arranging any funeral can be distressing, which is why choosing the right funeral director to ease you through the process can make all the difference.

At Morris Bros, we understand the pain of loss and open our doors to you, offering both practical guidance & personal comfort. Simon & Lucie Luke live at the Foundry & are available to you 24 hours a day. Your loved one will stay with us; their care, attention and preparation only provided by us.

Telephone 01822 612023 (24hrs) The Old Bedford Foundry Lakeside Tavistock PL19 0AZ

www.morrisbros.co.uk

30

A pre-paid funeral plan with Golden Charter gives you and your family peace of mind with a range of plans to suit all budgets from just £1950. Your plan will be allocated to Morris Bros here in Tavistock.

We also offer bespoke plans to suit specific requests. Contact us for further details or to make an appointment.

To promote your business to 20,700* readers - call 07450 161929 advertising@linksmagazines.co.uk

COMMUNITY NEWS

Tamar & Tavy Gig Club excited to be rowing again!

After a year without rowing due to Covid restrictions, members of Tamar & Tavy Gig Club were eagerly looking forward to getting back on the water as soon as outdoor sport returned at Easter. The club put robust Covid-secure procedures in place following national guidelines for a safe return to sport, but decided to start slowly with a small number of crews and build up gradually. For once, there was no shortage of volunteers to clean boats and equipment, check safety gear and generally tidy up a boat shed which had been gathering cobwebs for the last year. Although many club members had found different ways to keep up their fitness, others had been wondering whether their rowing kit would still fit, so there were slightly mixed feelings in the run up to the first row! Ladies’ captain, Denise Nixon, took part in the first rowing session on a lovely sunny evening and said: “It was fantastic to be back in the boat with my crew mates, although I know I’m going to ache tomorrow!”

The club had to postpone a planned rowing expedition to the Caledonian Canal in Scotland last summer and missed out on two Scillies World Gig Championships, and many other events which are a big part of the rowing calendar. Club chair, David Egerton, said: “We have worked hard to maintain a sense of club identity over this challenging last year, and it’s great to see crews back together again. Our traditional wooden gigs

See our community website www.dartmoorlinks.co.uk

belong in the water, not in a dusty boat shed, and we’re hoping that racing regattas may eventually return later this summer.

Meanwhile, we’re just happy to be back out on the beautiful River Tamar.”

Gig rowing is a team sport, rowing traditional Cornish pilot gigs, and our family-friendly club caters for members from all walks of life, from 12-year-olds to 80 plus - no experience is necessary, just enthusiasm. We have weekly rowing sessions for ladies, men, and juniors with organised social rows and excursions further afield. Now more than ever, the benefits to both physical and mental wellbeing of healthy outdoor exercise and a closer connection to nature are really important, so if you are looking for a new challenge, a new way to keep fit, or just want to enjoy the tranquillity and wildlife on the river, why not give gig rowing a try?

Tamar & Tavy Gig Club would love to welcome new members to our purpose built facilities at Weir Quay, and are running free taster sessions this summer where you can just come and have a go. For more information, please see www.tamarandtavygigclub.co.uk or email: info@ tamarandtavygigclub.co.uk.

31

COMMUNITY NEWS

Do you have any Wrens in your family?

I’m not referring to the tiny, feathered variety in the garden but the indomitable ladies who joined the Women’s Royal Naval Service. Specifically, ladies who joined up between 1946 and 1981 and did their basic training at Training Depot Burghfield/HMTE Burghfield/HMTE Dauntless/HMS Dauntless/Reading.

Dauntless Divisional Photos is a nationwide project, in collaboration with the Association of Wrens, to gather divisional photographs and memories from those training days but also to reunite ladies with old friends, share anecdotes and relive exciting moments.

So if you, your mum, granny, aunt, donned a blue suit and aimed for a life on the ocean wave, please get in touch on either ddpwrens@gmail.com or 07765 435295/0771 990 9844.

A thousand acres of wildflowers Moor Meadows was co-founded in 2015

by Donna Cox of Buckfastleigh along with a small group of local people living on Dartmoor. After five years of sharing advice, equipment and wildflower seeds and with support provided through expert talks and practical workshops, the number of meadow-makers involved in the Moor Meadows group has grown to more than 800. In total 1,088 acres of wildflower-rich meadows have been restored or created by the group’s members in and around Dartmoor.

Traditional wildflower meadows have disappeared from most of the English countryside. Nationwide, a staggering 97% of flower-rich grasslands have been lost since the 1930s. With the loss of diverse flowering plants came an

associated decline in bees, butterflies and other insects that depended on those plants as food and nectar sources.

And impacted by that disappearance of insects, many birds, bats and small mammals were also lost from the countryside.

More Meadows has created a new online forum as a resource for budding meadow-makers with advice on managing a meadow as well as opportunities to join or start up local groups of meadow makers. For details see forum.moremeadows.org.uk

Mandy Powell & Janette Crisp, Project Coordinators

Step into Learning www.steplearning.org.uk

Never too late to learn!

www.steplearning.org.uk

32

To promote your business to 20,700* readers - call 07450 161929 advertising@linksmagazines.co.uk

COMMUNITY NEWS

Tavistock is open for you!

Let’s ‘Be Safe’ whilst we ‘Escape’ to Tavistock and truly enjoy ‘Exploring’ the town once more.

It has been wonderful to see people out enjoying the town. You can be assured of a safe visit, with open spaces to escape to and explore, plus plenty of ways to be Covid-secure.

Our businesses are thrilled to have you back! Along with some new businesses joining the bustling high street and beautiful planters along the pavements, some of our empty properties have had a makeover and the shopping streets have never looked better. Colourful window vinyls adorn shop windows, reassuring visitors with safety messages and celebrating what is special about the town. Encouraging safe adventures in town or further afield and great shopping opportunities, they

also showcase artwork from talented local students – a wall of art well worth a visit alone!

You can now pick up a Tavistock Gift Card from any participating business and add funds to it yourself in your own time. Our new initiative ‘Load this card’ makes it even easier to give the gift of Tavistock. With over 50 places where you can spend it, this makes a great gift for any occasion throughout the year. To find out more see www. tavistockgiftcard.co.uk Tavistock BID is now in the final year of its second term, which ends on 31st

See our community website www.dartmoorlinks.co.uk

August 2021. We are busy preparing for a renewal ballot which will be held in June and end on July 15th. Our new business plan for the next five years has been circulated to all levy-paying businesses and can be viewed at www. visit-tavistock.co.uk/bid. Since the BID began in 2011, we have delivered a wide range of projects and services to make Tavistock more attractive and better promoted, as well as hosting events attracting thousands of visitors.

More recently, due to the pandemic, we have been at the heart of coordinating business support and helping businesses access grants.

33

34

To promote your business to 20,700* readers - call 07450 161929 advertising@linksmagazines.co.uk

COMMUNITY NEWS

Recycle more of your waste ‘Recycling for Charity’ We can recycle much of our waste through kerbside collections, but there are still some items which the council cannot collect. TerraCycle is a global leader in recycling typically hard-to-recycle waste, with some recycling programmes funded by manufacturers. South Hill Association for Renewable Energy (SHARE) supports sustainability and renewable energy in South Hill parish and beyond, and has set up ‘Recycling for Charity’ through Terracycle, to divert more waste from being incinerated and raise money for charities.

By collecting qualifying waste dictated by the manufacturers, SHARE earns points through the scheme which are redeemed to benefit charities. In the last two years SHARE has raised £3280 for KicksCount, which helps reduce UK stillbirths.

The ‘Recycling for Charity’ trailer will be parked at Tavistock Morrisons on Thursday June 10th from 10:30 until 11:15am and the following household waste items can be accepted for recycling:

Visit south-hill.co.uk/charity-recycling for a full list of accepted items, collection points/dates and regular Facebook updates.

Thank you for your support, Ali

SHARE@south-hill.co.uk; 07305 044049 Recycling at Tavistock stores You can also recycle some non-kerbside-recyclable food packaging at Tesco stores in the South West, as in-store plastic collection has been increased to include many more ‘soft’ plastics. At Tavistock Tesco there is now an in-store collection cage for soft plastics beyond the tills where, in addition to carrier bags, you can also recycle any plastic bag, crisp packets, food & pet food pouches, plastic wrappers, and any plastic film – so items such as: •

bags from fruit, veg and salad items eg peppers, spinach, apples

•

plastic bags from cereals, dried fruit, sugar, frozen fruit and veg

•

packaging for bread, rolls, crumpets, naans

•

film covering on fruit punnets and veg and meat trays (trays can go in kerbside recycling)

•

film lids on yoghurt pots (pots can go in kerbside recycling)

•

medicine blister packs

•

bread loaf bags (stretchy)

•

cheese packets and Baby Bel nets and wax

•

crisp and all snack packets

•

baby food and washed pet food pouches

•

biscuit, cracker, cake, sweets and chocolate wrappers

•

packets from sauces, coffee, tea, noodles, rice and pasta

•

toothbrushes, toothpaste tubes, soft tubes and pots of creams, gels, ointments

•

shrink wrap from cans, bubble-wrap, postal bags

•

t rigger sprays, hand pumps, roll on deodorants, latex style gloves

•

nets from fruit and garlic

•

•

c leaning wipes and dishwasher tablet packets and tubs, plastic air fresheners

Ink cartridges can also be recycled in a separate container behind the tills.

•

u sed pens, felt tips, inkjet cartridges, mobile phones and plastic cases, cameras

BEAUTIFUL BESPOKE HOME FURNISHINGS

Beautify Your Home Garden TAVISTOCK 01822& 611140

YEARS EXPERIENCE

ISE

Ask Melissa

25 EXPERT

Local highly-skilled Seamstresses

CHIC INTERIORS

E

...........................

H A N D - TA I L O R E D H O M E F U R N I S H I N G S

LEDG

HOME CONSULTATION, MEASURING & FITTING SERVICE AVAILABLE

Bespoke

KNOW

THE SOUTH WEST’S LEADING SPECIALIST IN

At Tavistock Morrisons there is a collection point near the exit where you can recycle all plastic carrier bags, bread bags, produce bags, magazine wrap, and batteries.

B L I N D S •C U R TA I N S •C U S H I O N S •F O A M U N I T S •L A M P S H A D E S •O I L C L O T H S •T R A C K S & P O L E S •FA B R I C S I N S T O C K

3 PEPPER STRE E T TAVI STOC K 01822 611140

See our community website www.dartmoorlinks.co.uk

chicinteriorstavi@gmail.com www.chicinteriorstavistock.co.uk

35

CHARITY FOCUS

Woodland Trust Like many good ideas, the Woodland Trust came into being around a kitchen table, when a group of like-minded friends banded together to save a local woodland.

The kitchen table in question belonged to Kenneth Watkins, who was so concerned at the loss of an ancient site in Devon, he decided to do something about it. Now, nearly 50 years later, the Woodland Trust is the UK’s largest woodland conservation charity, with half a million members, a national network of volunteers and more than 1,000 sites of its own, ranging from short lengths of hedgerow, to a mountain in Scotland.

It has a head office in Grantham plus a network of regional offices - quite a journey from the kitchen table!

Essentially, the Woodland Trust stands up for trees. It aims to see a UK rich in native woods and trees, for wildlife and for people. Its workers create, restore and protect these vital natural resources. The Woodland Trust creates havens for wildlife by planting millions of trees every year, also helping to combat climate change. The UK’s woodland cover currently stands at just 13%, but the charity is aiming to bring this figure closer to the EU average of

37%. Since 1972 the trust has planted an incredible 47 million new trees - and planting new trees is one of the most effective ways of combating climate change. Trees are the ultimate carbon capture and storage machines. Woods and forests absorb atmospheric carbon and lock it up for centuries. They do this through photosynthesis. In fact, the entire woodland ecosystem plays a huge role in locking up carbon, including the living wood, roots, leaves, deadwood, surrounding soils and its associated vegetation. And trees do more than just capture carbon. They also fight the cruel effects of a changing climate. They can help prevent flooding; reduce city temperatures; reduce pollution and keep soil nutrient-rich.

The trust also campaigns for new laws to protect ancient woodland. A vocal opponent of the HS2 project, the charity believes more than 100 ancient woodland sites are under threat from the proposed rail link - there are also

many smaller developments which impact woodlands throughout the country which the trust is actively fighting to protect. A proposed motorway service station at Smithy Wood will now not go ahead after a six-year battle, saving an 850-year-old woodland site, and an ancient woodland near Pontypool has been saved, following another successful campaign by the charity.

A large part of the trust’s work concerns the restoration of ancient woodlands.

This type of cover, developed over hundreds of years and supporting rare wildlife, makes up just 2.4% of the woodlands in the UK. Many ancient woodland sites were planted over with non-native trees, damaging their unique biodiversity by throwing deep shade onto the woodland floor.

Non-native plants like rhododendron, Himalayan balsam and snowberry are also encroaching into woodlands, competing with native plants.

Let your holiday home With the West Country holiday cottage specialists.

01647 433593 (select option 2) - Owners help@helpfulholidays.co.uk helpfulholidays.co.uk

36

To promote your business to 20,700* readers - call 07450 161929 advertising@linksmagazines.co.uk

CHARITY FOCUS

Restoration is the careful process of removing these threats. This enables natural regeneration of native trees and plants, and helps wildlife to thrive.

Managed well, restoration can bring ancient woodland back from the brink and provide other benefits, such as income from timber. The trust not only carries out this work in its own sites, but works with landowners and managers of privately owned woodland, to date committing more than 34,000 hectares of damaged woodlands back into a process of recovery.

Fingle Woods, on the northern fringes of Dartmoor in the steep Teign Valley, is one of the largest woodland restoration projects the charity has ever taken on.

The site is made up of eight different woods, which the charity jointly owns and manages with the National Trust.

Carefully reclaiming the ancient site for nature, it’s a treasure for people to enjoy too, with 28 miles of new trails with stunning views and wonderful wildflowers. Wildlife is making a comeback at Fingle Woods. Some 36 species of breeding birds have been recorded there, including red-listed rarities. There are otters along the river, 12 bat species and threatened butterflies, including dingy skippers

and pearl-bordered fritillaries. You may be lucky enough to spot fallow deer or kingfishers - and the protected hazel dormouse is also to be found in this wonderful woodland.

And to ensure everyone in the UK has the chance to plant a tree for the environment, the Woodland Trust is giving away hundreds of thousands of trees to schools and communities. There are a variety of different packs that can be applied for, from a hedge or copse pack to a wild harvest or year-round colour pack. For more information about how to apply for an autumn 2021 delivery, go to /www.woodlandtrust. org.uk/plant-trees/schools-andcommunities. For more information about the Woodland Trust and ways you can support it see www.woodlandtrust. org.uk Jane Honey

Farm Shop & Restaurant Butchery - Delicatessen - Gifts Breakfast - Lunch - Pizza - Cream Teas 01566 706527 www.trepolandpen.co.uk See our community website www.dartmoorlinks.co.uk

Lezant, Launceston PL15 9NN 37

Respect, Protect & Shop from 12 April

RESPECT West Devon Borough Council is asking shoppers to show RESPECT, give each other space, PROTECT each other by wearing a face covering and to SHOP local. There is so much on offer locally, why go anywhere else?

The high streets in the Borough’s main towns of Chagford, Hatherleigh, North Tawton, Okehampton and Tavistock are now open for business.

Protect

Shop

Respect  Give each other space to shop and please stick to the social distance rules  Respect the people and the town you are shopping in. Let’s make this summer enjoyable for everyone

With so much on offer locally and so many businesses desperate to throw open their doors and welcome visitors back – the overriding message is let’s all be sensible, respect and protect each other and enjoy the shopping experience.

Protect

Environmental Health Specialists for West Devon Borough Council have said: “The lockdown has been a long and painful experience for many of our businesses who would have desperately loved to have served their customers over the last 12 months, but due to the COVID 19 restrictions, have had to be closed.

 Look after our beautiful area and do the right thing with your litter

“We are all very much looking forward to kick starting the recovery of our towns and our high streets. But there is a slight word of caution, we still need to be careful. If we all show respect and protect each other, we can all have a lovely, safe shopping experience.”

 There is so much on offer – please support our high streets

West Devon is so very fortunate to have beautiful countryside that we all enjoy. Let’s keep it that way - please respect and protect it for everyone to enjoy this spring and summer.

 Protect everyone around you and yourself by wearing a face covering

Shop

 Follow these rules and we can all ENJOY shopping safely

RESPECT

T

SHOP LOCAL

Respect, Protect & Shop

tavistock

What can you expect when you return to the town?

Working in partnership, Tavistock Town Council and Tavistock BID are delighted to see the return of locals and visitors alike. Together, if we respect and protect each other, we can enjoy our town’s vibrant atmosphere again and help our brilliant local businesses to thrive.

How is Tavistock going to respect and protect the local community and welcome visitors safely?

Tavistock has always offered something a bit different that keeps people coming back. And now, as restrictions lift, we have some practical solutions to help everyone to Be Safe. Escape. Explore. That means you can shop, eat and enjoy time in the town with confidence.

For example, there are new signs and colourful window vinyls to help remind people of the rules about social distancing – we know how easy it is for us all to forget what we’re supposed to do when we start to relax and enjoy ourselves. There are additional sanitiser stations at strategic locations throughout the town and our brilliant local traders are continuing to keep you safe by providing plenty of hand sanitiser, one-way systems and a limit on the number of customers at one time.

What about food and drink?

We know that our excellent local food and drink is part of what makes any visit to Tavistock so special. From your favourite flat white and flapjack to pizza and panini, there’s something fresh and delicious to suit every taste. Whether you’re popping in to town to meet friends for lunch or you need a quick break as you shop, you have plenty of options. It’s the tasty way to do your bit to help your local community – so go on, treat yourself!

Last summer, we embraced the al fresco experience in the town and we know that many of you will want to be able to eat outside again. We have many outdoor spaces where you can enjoy a takeaway and we will be adding extra seating so that you can feel safe and relaxed al fresco.

Any final words for local people and visitors?

We can’t wait to see everyone again and our local businesses really need your support, but we ask people to remember to respect and protect others too.

Please also remember to respect and protect others too, so everyone can relax and enjoy themselves in our very special town.

RESPECT

RESPECT

Protect

Protect

Shop

Give each other space to shop and Shopstick to the social distance rules please

Protect

Everyone around you and yourself by wearing a face covering

Shop

Tavistock’s

Tavistock needs your help more than ever

So go on – treat yourself to a coffee or more and do your bit to help your local community!

KIDS WHAT’S ON

DARTMOOR NATIONAL PARK TIME FOR NATURE CHALLENGE Until March 2022 Celebrating DNPA’s 70th anniversary, Time for Nature encourages people to discover, enjoy and protect landscapes. Download an activity sheet or pick one up at a DNPA visitor centre, and choose your activities.

For more information go to www.dartmoor. gov.uk.

MOOR OTTERS ARTS TRAIL Summer 2021 ‘Otter spotters’ can find 81 sculptures of otters with cubs by following trails in Okehampton, Lydford & Tavistock; Ashburton, Buckfastleigh & Princetown; Bovey Tracey, Haytor, Moretonhampstead & Chagford; the Yelverton area; Plymouth’s Mayflower Trail. For more information visit www.dartmoor.gov.uk/moorotters or join the Moor Otters Facebook group.

LEAF OPEN FARM SUNDAY 27 June Visit a farm and find out the story behind our food and how farming affects our everyday lives. Activities can range from machinery displays, tractor and trailer rides, to demonstrations, nature walks and much more! Visit www.farmsunday. org to find a farm to visit. There will also be a LEAF Online Farm Sunday on 26 September, and a Facebook live farm tour on the first Sunday of every month.

RHS ROSEMOOR HALF-TERM FAMILY FUN

29 May to 13 June ‘Get Up and Grow’ is a chance for families to have fun together outside exploring the gardens, finding wonderful flowers and spotting the abundance of wildlife. Solve the clues on the brand-new family trail and discover the importance for our gardens of a whole array of pollinators, not just bees and butterflies, but night-time moths, beetles and other insects. On completion each family will receive a goody bag including activity sheets, seeds to grow at home as well as a booklet to help you garden for wildlife.

THE FURTHER ADVENTURES OF DOCTOR DOLITTLE Sunday 20 June, 5pm See ‘Music & Art’ for details SUMMER HOLIDAYS FAMILY FUN 3 July to 5 September Bring your family along for a full day out including a garden trail and sculptures to discover the wonderland at Rosemoor, inspired by the original works of Lewis Carroll and re-imagined by Chris Riddell.

Activities vary daily so please visit website for details. www.rhs.org.uk/rosemoor

Park, Plymouth. Suitable for: under 8s and their big people! (children under 1 free). Runtime: approx. 45 minutes + time after the show for children to meet the characters. For details see stiltskin.org.uk

STERTS THE LITTLE MERMAID 2,3,4 June 7pm & 5 June, 2pm This classic Disney story takes you to a magical kingdom under the sea and contains all of the songs from the Academy Award® winning animated feature film as well as three new songs from the Broadway show, brought to you by our talented Sterts Youth Juniors.

SHREK THE MUSICAL 15 -17, 30-31 July, 7.30pm ‘Once upon a time, there was a little ogre named Shrek…’ And thus begins the tale of an unlikely hero who finds himself on a life-changing journey alongside a wisecracking donkey and a feisty princess who resists her rescue. ​ALICE IN WONDERLAND 27 July, 5pm See ‘Music & Art’ for details LITTLE RED AND THE BIG BAD WOLF 5 August, 2pm

ALICE IN WONDERLAND 24 July, 6pm See ‘Music & Art’ for details

SOAPBOX THEATRE COBWEB’S MAGICAL GARDEN 10 to 26 June Come and find out who lives at the bottom of the garden - an outdoor theatre show at Soapbox Theatre, Devonport

Little Red sets off through the forest to visit Grandma but the journey won’t be easy.

The three pigs are building their homes, Goldilocks is on the run from some bears and to top it all, the Big Bad Wolf is out on the hunt for dinner! Filled with live music, puppetry and audience interaction. (www.sterts.co.uk or 01579 362382 Mon-Fri 10am - 1pm)

Outstanding Childcare in Tavistock 15 Hours or 30 Hours FREE Childcare for eligible 2, 3 & 4 Year Olds Available Now! 54 Plymouth Road, Tavistock, PL19 8BU

01822 613416 tavistock@bambinosdaynursery.co.uk www.bambinosdaynursery.co.uk 40

Outstanding Childcare and Natural Environments Outstanding and Caring Staff for Your Child To promote your business to 20,700* readers - call 07450 161929 advertising@linksmagazines.co.uk

WHAT’S ON

July, August & September

Dartmoor Fell Race Series Wednesday 28 July: Neolith Start at Dartmoor Inn, Merrivale; for details see runventureonline. com or tavistockathletics.co.uk - website bookings live 1 June Friday 30 July: Yartor Start at Dartmeet; For details see wildrunning.co.uk Wednesday 25 August:Tavy Trio of Tors Start at Dartmoor Inn, Merrivale; for details see runventureonline. com or tavistockathletics.co.uk - website bookings live 1 July Wednesday 8 September: Sourton For details see okehamptonrunningclub.com Wednesday 22 September: Great Links Tor Flyer Start at Fox & Hounds, Bridestowe; for details see runventureonline.com or tavistockathletics.co.uk - website bookings live 1 Aug

19 & 20 June

‘Rainbow Run Your Way’ Photo courtesy of Plymouth Sports Gazette

Six race organisers have collaborated to bring you this series of ten great races, with junior races also featuring at eight of the events. Enter each race via the organiser’s website and enjoy great open moorland running on Dartmoor with brilliant camaraderie. Results will be collated using your best seven race scores out of the ten, and prizes will be awarded to series category winners. So how many can you do?

Saturday 12 June: Marilyn’s Meldon Madness Start at Meldon Reservoir; for details see okehamptonrunningclub. com Wednesday 23 June: Solstice Start at Dartmoor Inn, Merrivale; for details see runventureonline. com Saturday 26 June: Burrator Horseshoe Start at Meavy; for details see entrycentral.com/ burratorhorseshoe2021 Saturday 3 July: Cosdon For details see okehamptonrunningclub.com Saturday 17 July: Haytor Heller Already fully booked; for details see teignbridgetrotters.co.uk

See our community website www.dartmoorlinks.co.uk

Last year, due to the pandemic, the event went virtual, and around 2,000 people raised an incredible £100,000 for Children’s Hospice South West (CHSW). This year, the event is again open to anyone who wants to get involved; it’s a chance to don a bright outfit, pick a distance and complete it by running, skipping, walking, skating or riding and have fun along the way. We hope to raise £30,000 for each of the charity’s three children’s hospices: Little Bridge House in North Devon, Charlton Farm in Somerset and Little Harbour in Cornwall - a poignant target for the charity’s 30th anniversary year. It’s free to take part but CHSW encourages everyone to register at www.chsw.org.uk/rainbow for access to event information and free resources.

41

WHAT’S ON

Summer Fetes Saturday 26 June

St Eustachius’ Summer Fete 11th annual fete, 10:30am to 3:30pm on the church green with stalls for plants, books, pre-loved clothing, vintage green, white elephant and a bouncy castle, plus hot dogs and burgers & other delicious refreshments. All monies raised by The Friends of St Eustachius’ help enhance and maintain the church.

Saturday 17 July

Brentor Produce Show Classes 1. Lemon drizzle cake

13. Courgette x 3

2. Cheese scone x 3

14. Roses x 3 mixed

3. Sausage roll x 3 (men’s)

15. 5 stems of mixed flowers

4. Jar of jam

16. Flower arrangement in a boot

Brentor Fete and Produce Show

5. Jar of marmalade

The Fete and Produce Show will take place in Brentor Village Hall from 12:00 to 3:00pm.

6. Jar of chutney

The traditional village fete will have craft stalls, games, tombola, a grand draw, lunches and cream teas. Produce entries should be brought to Brentor Village Hall between 10:00 and 10:30am on 17 July. There is a 20p entry per class and only one entry is allowed per class. For more details, please contact Sheryl on 01822 870554. More details will also be published nearer the date at www.brentorvillage.org and Facebook: Brentor, Lydford & Mary Tavy Hub.

8. Eggs x 3

(up to age 11), free entry

9. Soft fruit x 5 (on a plate)

18. Funny veg

10. Potatoes x 3

19. Painted pebble

11. Broad bean x 3

20. Photography – ‘My favourite animal’

7. Vase of 5 mixed herbs

Children’s classes

in the E w ou su nj o al r n y le b e sh d a in ga ut e rd ifu en l !

12. Plate of up to 5 salad items (tomato, cucumber, lettuce, etc)

17. Photography – ‘Two of a kind’

The West Devon Club

An ideal venue for celebrations, parties and special events such as weddings and wakes.

Our friendly, welcoming club has a light and airy lounge, dance floor, good food with separate dining area.

Two bars, cosy cellar bar with great function area, meeting rooms, and large screen TVs. We have two Snooker tables, pool room, darts room and a wonderful walled beer garden.

Interested in becoming a member? we welcome new members - please pop in and see our friendly bar staff.

FORTHCOMING EVENTS FOR MEMBERS AND THEIR GUESTS ONLY 12 June Dockneys • 2 July Paul Eastwood, Comedian • 31 July Lineup • Other events such as Hog Roast, Tribute Acts, Steak Nights and themed nights - dates to be confirmed.

Get online and checkout the website and facebook, look at the notice boards to see the latest events at the club.

3 Abbey Place, Tavistock, PL19 0AB • 01822 613025

thewestdevonclub.com

42

To promote your business to 20,700* readers - call 07450 161929 advertising@linksmagazines.co.uk

WHAT’S ON

12 June

Upcycled & Eco Market Re-use not refuse - it’s the way forward!

This trailblazing event showcasing a myriad of innovative recycling ideas will be staged in Tavistock’s historic Butcher’s Hall, also focusing on ecofriendly shopping locally. 25 exhibitors will demonstrate how you can create clothes, furniture, homewares, jewellery, glass and wooden objects through imaginative recycling. Entry is free, 10:00am to 3:30pm.

19 June, 10 July

Love Local Gift Market An array of local gift exhibitors at Butcher’s Hall, Tavistock offer the perfect chance to seek out that special gift! So look no further than this market for a collective of the finest traders specialising in gifts to treasure. Entry is free, 10:00am to 3:30pm.

27 June to 26 September

Brentor Car Boot Sales 2021 dates: 27 June, 25 July, 29 Aug, 26 Sep

available. Please call 07706 972906 or email belarusness@hotmail.co.uk to book a space.

9 July

Upcycled, Eco & Gift Market This new market is being held on a Friday throughout the summer in Butcher’s Hall, promoting the ethos of re-use, not refuse, as well as focusing on eco-friendly and local artisan businesses. 25 exhibitors will demonstrate how you can create clothes, furniture, homewares, jewellery, glass and wooden objects through imaginative recycling, plus artisan gift stalls. Entry is free, 10:00am to 3:30pm.

From 19 July

Tavy Turners and Carvers Club From July, Tavy Turners and Carvers Club will resume its regular meetings on the 3rd Monday of the month, 7.30 to 9.30pm at the Scout Den, Pixon Lane, Tavistock. New members are always most welcome. See www. tavistockwoodturners.co.uk for further information.

Sellers: cars £5, vans £10; Buyers: free entry!

25 July

The car boot sales are held in aid of village funds on Brentor Playing Field, Burn Lane, Brentor, PL19 0ND. Sellers to arrive from 8:30am, buyers are welcome from 10:00am. We will be adhering to Covid-19 rules and a oneway system will be in place to ensure social distancing. Refreshments will be

Redeemer Church and Abbey Chapel invite you to take part in an informal and family-friendly open-air service at the bandstand, Tavistock Meadows at 10:30am, with games for the kids and face painting afterwards. All are welcome!

Upholstery Service

(From Tavistock Pannier Market)

Custom Made Footstools Collection & Delivery Service Available

Church in the Park

Celebrating 30 Years providing for families in and around Tavistock · High Quality Childcare & Education for children aged 0-8 years · Free Funded Preschool Places and Funded Daycare Places Available · Accepts Government Funding for eligible 2, 3 & 4-year-olds · OFSTED Rated Good 2017

Check out our website: www.the-old-school.org.uk Or call to discuss your family’s requirements: 01822 612362 See our community website www.dartmoorlinks.co.uk

Please look at our website:

www.fabricandfurniture.co.uk

µ ²

@fabricandfurniture.co.uk fabricandfurniture

 Linda 07484 093494  sales@fabricandfurniture.co.uk 43

WHAT’S ON

Talks & heritage walks Friends of the Wharf Lunchtime Lectures Organised by Dr Ann Pulsford, the Friends of the Wharf Lunchtime Lecture series resumes at Tavistock Wharf on the first Monday of August 2-3pm,

Chartered Accountants

Helping your business to fly...

Andrew & Katherine Wing offer a flexible approach to:     

Bookkeeping VAT Accounts Tax Returns Business support, including start ups.

Traditional values with modern technology

Andrew & Katherine Wing

running monthly until December - cost £5.00 including tea and cakes afterwards (FOTW £4.00). The Wharf will be closed to other visitors during talks and strict Covid hygiene, mask wearing and social distancing measures will be followed.

2 August: Ian Gasper An illustrated talk on birds and their behaviour

This talk will cover many aspects of how birds live: their physiology (what makes them different), their movement, their feeding methods and abilities, their breeding methods and intelligence, plus migration and navigation strategies.

Ian will use mainly his own wonderful photos from travels across the globe.

The talk should be of interest to those with an awareness of birds to those with a keen interest.

6 September: Simon Dell Tavistock’s Policing Past

Simon Dell’s new talk ties in to his two recent books: Tavistock’s Policing Past and Tavistock Guildhall - A Story of Policing, written to celebrate the

restoration and opening of Tavistock Guildhall as a ‘gateway’ centre for the Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape World Heritage Site, and commemorating over two centuries of policing in Tavistock and West Devon.

His talk charts the life of this unique building which housed the magistrates’ court and police station from 1848 until 2012.

13 September: Richard Thomas A Day in the Life of a Thames Tug

A close look at the work done by the Cory tug General VIII, which was one of a fleet of five vessels engaged in the movement of refuse lighters on the Thames. The talk features a voyage from Wandsworth to the aptly named Mucking in Essex. It gives an insight to one of the remaining commercial operations on the tidal Thames and how this has changed since the closure of the dumping site at Mucking

WE ARE HIRING! WE ARE HIRING! WE ARE HIRING!

01822 669001/07849 747703

WE ARE LOOKING FOR A FULL-TIME SHOWROOM SALES CONSULTANT

Visit our website:

Do you have experience in Customer Service, Designing, Sales or maybe you have other skills that you could offer to our business?

www.wingsaccountants.co.uk

or email: admin@wingsaccountants.co.uk

f @wingsaccountants t @wingsaccounts

FOR FURTHER DETAILS PLEASE CALL JAMES OR AMANDA ON 01822 618619

Tavistock Bathrooms & Tiles

Unit 8 Plymouth Road Industrial Estate, Tavistock PL19 9QN

01822 618 619 info@tavistockbathrooms-tiles.co.uk

www.tavistockbathrooms-tiles.co.uk 44

TAVISTOCK

BATHROOMS & TILES By amanda - james

To promote your business to 20,700* readers - call 07450 161929 advertising@linksmagazines.co.uk

WHAT’S ON

the connection between the land and the cultivation of identity by looking at the art of both cultures from 50,000 BC to the mid-19th century.

Aboriginal rock art

Tavistock Local History Society 8 June, 7pm (virtual walk by zoom) ‘Lydford: Burgh, Mint & Stannary Prison’ with Andrew Thompson 13 July, 7pm (outdoor visit) ‘Powdermills: 19th Century Gunpowder Factory’ with Drew Campbell, author of ‘Powdermills – The story of the Dartmoor gunpowder factory’ (2019) 10 August, 7pm (outdoor visit) ‘Gunnislake Chapels & Church’ with member Stephen Docksey​

Outdoor visits may move to Zoom please see www.tavistockhistory.co.uk for the latest updates.

Tavistock Heritage Trust Heritage walks From June till July, Tavistock Heritage Trust and Tavistock Guildhall will be presenting a programme of town and heritage walks. For £5 per person, you will be taken on a journey through the history of this World Heritage Site in the company of our team of local historians, opening doors to the past and providing an unforgettable experience.

Ideal for new visitors to the area and local residents - we promise you’ll learn

something new. Walk topics include local heritage, railway history, pubs and breweries, canals, curiosities and many more. See www.heritageintavistock.org for full details.

Zoom talks 3 June, 7.00pm: David Rosier - ‘Heaven’s Embroidered Cloth’: The History and Development of Chinese Imperial Silk

Zoom talks cost £5; further information and booking details at heritageintavistock.org/events, richard. rundell@tavistockguildhall.org or 07470 774842.

A U C T I O N E E R S

&

VA L U E R S

To consign items for auction or arrange a home visit, Please telephone (01752) 721199

This talk traces the origins, and myths, that surround Imperial Chinese Silk, an exquisite product that has mesmerised the World and on occasions exceeded the value of gold. Starting in the Neolithic era David will take us on a journey from the early Dynasties of China to the expansion of the silk industry and the role of the Silk Road in bringing this coveted product to the Middle East and on to Europe.

or email images and contact number to

17 June, 7:00pm: Dr Jen Fraser - Down Under: Australian painting from ancient times to European Colonisation

Fine Art & Antiques Silver, Jewellery & Watches

‘The land owns us’ is a statement used

by Aboriginal people to describe their relationship to their ancestrally created land - but that lies in polar opposition to European notions of land ownership.

This Zoom lecture invites you to explore

Ex-display & pre-loved dresses all under £600 tel 07767646337

Edwardian Diamond Tiara £2,000-3,000

Tuesday 15th June Wines & Spirits

Thursday 29th July

19thC Ivory Chess Set £1,500-2,000

APPOINTMENT ONLY Ashleigh Meadow, Tregondale, Menheniot,Liskeard,Cornwall, PL14 3RG

www.twoforjoybridal.co.uk See our community website www.dartmoorlinks.co.uk

info@eldreds.net

Jan van Gool, Pair £10,000-15,000

1 Belliver Way, Roborough, PL6 7BP enquiries@eldreds.net (01752) 721199

45

Part of the Reopening High Street Safely Fund, funded by

shop4plymouth.co.uk

46

Join our city’s amazing cast of characters

To promote your business to 20,700* readers - call 07450 161929 advertising@linksmagazines.co.uk

WHAT’S ON

June & July

The Box Wampum: Stories From The Shells Of Native America The exhibition centres on a wampum belt created for The Box by 100 Wampanoag craftspeople of Massachusetts, displayed alongside seven historic wampum belts on loan from the British Museum and Saffron Walden Museum. Wampum belts use shells to tell stories of communities and culture. The exhibition runs until 11 July.

Mayflower 400: Legend and Legacy The exhibition reopened in May with a large collection of new artefacts from across the globe including the Second

Peirce Patent from Pilgrim Hall Museum.

Signed in 1621, this is the oldest existing state document of New England and gave the Mayflower passengers English permission to settle in America.

Smeaton’s Tower, and Elizabethan House Also part of The Box family are Plymouth’s famous striped red and white lighthouse, Smeaton’s Tower, and Elizabethan House - one of the few remaining buildings from this era in Plymouth. An exceptional example of an Elizabethan boarding house, the Grade II Listed Elizabethan House has been undergoing a six-year restoration and has not been open to the public

since 2015. Visitors will be taken on an immersive, multi-sensory journey through Plymouth’s history by the house and the people who lived there between 1599 and 1926 when the house was saved for the nation. Elizabethan House’s planned public opening is in July 2021. Smeaton’s Tower Lighthouse will open to visitors once social distancing measures are lifted by the UK Government. Both venues are ticketed.

For more details visit www.theboxplymouth.com

Sunday 11 July

Mayflower 400 Four Nations Ceremony

The ceremony is the UK’s flagship Mayflower 400 event and the 70-metre stage will host an epic production, telling the story of the Mayflower Pilgrims’ journey in search of religious freedom and exploring the impact of this on the world. A massive array of singers representing choirs and schools from the region will be accompanied by the full concert orchestra of HM Royal Marines Band Plymouth. Together they will perform brand new music, accompanied by actors on stage and bespoke film footage, all narrated to tell this unique story. The script and lyrics have been written by Nick Stimson, associate director at the

Theatre Royal Plymouth, with music

by Chris Williams. For the first time ever, this commemoration event will include leading representatives of the Native American Wampanoag tribes, who have historically been excluded from the narrative despite having been greatly affected by the Mayflower’s arrival and subsequent European settlement. All four nations involved in the story – the UK, USA, Netherlands and the Wampanoag tribes – will be represented by high-ranking dignitaries.

Gates open at 1pm, with activities on stage from 2pm, and the ceremony taking place from 3pm to approximately 4.30pm. Food, drink and toilets are available; visitors are welcome to bring their own food and drink with them, as well as blankets or camping chairs as seating will not be provided.

Tickets are free but must be booked prior to entry at: visitplymouth.co.uk/ mayflower400ceremony.

See our community website www.dartmoorlinks.co.uk

Saturday 17 & Sunday 18 July

SailGP One of the world’s most impressive sail racing events, SailGP, will stop in Plymouth in 2021, following the season opening events in Bermuda and Taranto, Italy. Known as Britain’s Ocean City, Plymouth has been selected to host the Great Britain Grand Prix, the third event of SailGP Season 2. SailGP features eight national teams made up of the sport’s top athletes, including Britain’s own Sir Ben Ainslie, the world’s most successful Olympic sailor, leading the Great Britain SailGP Team. The highspeed, adrenaline-filled racing will take place on Plymouth Sound each day, alongside onshore activity throughout the afternoon in the race village where you can watch the action ‘close- up’ on big screens whilst looking out over the racecourse from Plymouth’s famous Hoe. 47

WHAT’S ON

Until March 2022

Our Nature Challenge Dartmoor National Park Authority is celebrating its 70th anniversary with a special Time for Nature challenge, encouraging people to discover, enjoy and protect landscapes, and connect with the world around them in new or different ways. To get involved all you need to do is: download an activity sheet or pick one up from a National Park Visitor Centre, choose activities to do, tick them off when done and share your experiences on social media. Points are earned for each activity completed and they can be done on Dartmoor, in other green spaces or at home. If people complete activities adding up to 70 points, they’ll get a gold award and be in with a chance of winning a goodie bag. You can find the full information including all activities at www.dartmoor. gov.uk.

National Parks exist to protect the landscape’s natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage; to promote understanding and enjoyment of its special qualities, and to foster the economic and social wellbeing of local communities. They’re also important for recreation, tourism and wellbeing for millions of people each year. Dartmoor National Park’s official birthday is on 30 October and was one of the first National Parks to be set up alongside the Peak District, Lake District and Snowdonia.

Summer

Moor Otters Arts Trail Eighty-one stunning sculptures of otters with cubs - all designed and decorated by local and national artists – can be found around the national park and places near Dartmoor. There are four trails with prizes and competitions designed for people to explore and learn about Dartmoor on foot, bike, car or public transport, plus another trail in Plymouth. People will have the opportunity to own a sculpture by bidding online anytime up to 1 October. Twenty-five selected ‘Golden Otters’ will also go to a live auction at Bearnes, Hampton and Littlewood on 2 October. Money raised will go

towards Donate for Dartmoor, the authority’s conservation fund. For all the information visit www.dartmoor.gov. uk/moorotters or join the Moor Otters Facebook group. ‘Otter spotters’ can follow trails in: Okehampton, Lydford & Tavistock Ashburton, Buckfastleigh & Princetown Bovey Tracey, Haytor, Moretonhampstead & Chagford The Yelverton area Plymouth’s Mayflower Trail

ur

O omnly sit ro nt o Vi ow intme o Shby app WE SELL, SERVICE AND INSTALL RAYBURN Showroom: Unit 2A Westbridge Ind Est, Tavistock PL19 8DE 01822 610222

48

To promote your business to 20,700* readers - call 07450 161929 advertising@linksmagazines.co.uk

WHAT’S ON

Saturday 17 & Sunday 18 July

Tavistock Carnival Weekend This year’s Tavistock Carnival will be somewhat different from previous years but as the country gradually returns to near normality after the pandemic, the Lions Club decided to organise some form of celebration for the local community. So, for this year only, Carnival will be taking place over just the weekend of 17th/18th July, provided COVID restrictions allow. The club is planning a vehicle cavalcade on Saturday 17 July featuring representatives of key workers, emergency services, support organisations and local traders who have provided a service to the community during lockdowns. This will be a vehicle-only procession starting from Down Road at 6pm to tour various housing estates around the town where a circular in and out route is possible.

Local residents will be notified in advance giving them the opportunity to show appreciation in a similar way to the ‘clap for carers’. Organisations that consider it is appropriate for them to take part and would like to join

Carnival Duck Race

the cavalcade, are asked to contact Lion, John Dawson on jdawson526@ btinternet.com.

On Sunday 18 July from 1pm to 5pm, there will be a celebratory ‘Party in Park’ in The Meadows when local residents are invited to come together for a great afternoon’s entertainment. Stannary Brass Band, Blowzone and the Tavy Tars will be performing in the bandstand whilst at the other end of The Meadows, there will be a disco, and local bands will perform on the sound stage kindly provided by Barry Lowton. Plymouth Pipe Band will also be in attendance so there will be music to suit all tastes!

Other attractions include a dog show, a duck race on the canal, two engines from the Robey Trust and a selection of stalls from local charities. Food and drink will be available, including the Lions’ BBQ and tea & homemade cake stall. Discussions are also in hand with

Join us fEoEr R

the fairground organisers to see if some of their rides could open on the day. The club is very keen to involve as many local organisations as possible and if any others would like to join in, they should contact Lion, John Dawson.

So, all in all, an afternoon of fun and entertainment not to be missed after almost a year and a half of effective hibernation!

In addition to the cavalcade and Party in the Park, the club would also like to encourage people to become involved in their own local celebrations such as street parties and barbecues, all of which could be promoted on social media as a ‘Virtual Carnival’. Please note that the plans for the weekend were correct at the time of going to press but please check the Lions’ Facebook page and www.tavistocklions.org.uk nearer the date for final details.

CRAFT BEER BREWED WITH PASSION IN TAVISTOCK

SH B FREY WEEKEND! EVER

FRIDAY FOOD from

SAT. FOOD from

! @ S TA N N A RY B R E W I N G

•  01822 258130

BREWERY TAPROOM HOURS: FRI 3PM – 10PM • SAT 12 – 7PM UNIT 6, PIXON TRADING CENTRE PIXON LANE, TAVISTOCK PL19 8DH • WWW. STANNARYBREWING.CO.UK

See our community website www.dartmoorlinks.co.uk

49

WHAT’S ON

Charity Open Gardens Sunday 13 June

Lower Birch Farmhouse Lower Birch Farmhouse, Bere Alston, PL20 7BY is perched on a hillside with views across the River Tamar. This gently sloping and nicely maturing garden boasts creative use of vibrant colours in its many diverse borders, while the central feature, a large landscaped pond area, provides a wonderful environment for both flora and fauna and a perfect point to take in the views. Open 11am-1pm & 2 – 4pm; refreshments, free parking, plant sales and crafts; sorry no dogs; wheelchair access limited. Entry: adults £5, children (U16) free entry (plus booking fee) in aid of St Luke’s Hospice – book tickets at www.stlukes-hospice.org.uk

Park House

Saturday 19 June, 11am – 5pm

Park House Open Garden Situated in the beautiful Lyd valley, the attractive 3-acre garden at Park House, Coryton near Okehampton EX20 4AB

Lower Birch Farmhouse

will be open to visitors.

Walk through banks of interesting and unusual planting combinations to a meadow with a stunning view of Dartmoor. Winding, mown paths lead to vibrant, traditional herbaceous borders and running water. There is also a well-stocked greenhouse, and polytunnel. Homemade teas will be available and there will be plants on sale. Admission: adults £5; children under 14 free. Wheelchair access is limited; dogs on leads welcome. In aid of Lamerton Hunt and ‘Send a Cow’ (www.sendacow.org). There will be signs from the Lydford to Tavistock road at Brentor and from 1 mile north of Chillaton on the Lewdown to Tavistock road. Enquiries to 01822 860275.

Sunday 18 July, 11am - 4pm

Hotel Endsleigh Open Day This 200-year-old Repton-designed

Hotel Endsleigh

garden is in three parts: a formal garden around the house, a picturesque dell with pleasure dairy and rockery, and an arboretum. The gardens were laid out in 1814 and have been carefully renovated over the last 14yrs. Bordering the River Tamar, it is a hidden oasis of plants and views. The hotel was built in 1810 by Sir Jeffry Wyattville for the 6th Duchess of Bedford in the romantic cottage Orné style. A plant nursery adjoins the hotel’s 108 acres. Pre-booking is available or you can just turn up and pay on the day.

Admission: adult £8.00; child free entry.

For more National Garden Scheme Open Days see ngs.org.uk.

FE NT SA E ID M V ON O C VIR EN

NOW OFFERING:

AESTHETICS: B12 ANTI WRINKLE INJECTIONS AND LIP ENHANCEMENTS, RELEXOLOGY, MASSAGE AND AROMATHERAPY Sarah and her team have nearly 100 years of hairdressing experience between them and are professionally trained and up to date with the latest cutting styles and colouring techniques.

OPEN MONDAY TO SATURDAY - CLOSED WEDS

LATE APPOINTMENTS AVAILABLE

APPOINTMENTS: 01822 616433 admin@sistershairandbeauty.co.uk 21 Market Street Tavistock PL19 0DE 50

Unisex Hairdressing at it’s very best...

We are proud to say that many of our clients are now our friends!

To promote your business to 20,700* readers - call 07450 161929 advertising@linksmagazines.co.uk

WHAT’S ON

RHS Garden Rosemoor

Saturday 5 June to Sun 18 July

Rose Festival This takes place over six weeks celebrating England’s iconic flower. Come and experience the spectacular fusion of colour and scent from the largest rose gardens in the Southwest with

over 2000 roses. There are two late evening openings (until 9pm) when the rose scent is at its peak, accompanied by live acoustic music on 2 & 16 July.

Friday 25 to Sunday 27 June

Rose Weekend Free guided walks and talks as well as a floral-themed craft market.

Saturday 31 July & Sunday 1 August

Vintage Weekend Join us for RHS Garden Rosemoor’s 1940s themed weekend, including Second World War living history re-enactors, military displays, 1940s music and Lindy Hop dancing. The weekend also includes a Vintage Vehicle Rally, with a magnificent display of vehicles on the Arboretum Lawn and a Vintage & Upcycled Fair including clothes, textiles and other memorabilia.

Festival of roses 5 June –18 July

RHS members go free

Experience the spectacular fusion of colour and scent from over 2,000 roses.

Book online Torrington, Devon, EX38 8PH Your visit supports our work as a charity

See our community website www.dartmoorlinks.co.uk

Supported by

RHS Registered Charity No. 222879/SC038262. © David Austin Roses

The largest rose gardens in the South West are an amazing treat for the senses, whilst the Wildflower Meadows change into a dramatic yellow and purple haze. Then the Fruit and Vegetable Garden matures, and the vibrant colours of the Hot Garden, the Mediterranean and Exotic Gardens start to develop. At the same time the Cool Garden is a calm oasis of running water complemented by white, blue and yellow flowering plants. Get the most from your visit by picking up our self-guided summer seasonal trail. Please book visits online at rosemoorevents@rhs.org.uk, to avoid disappointment, as capacity is still limited.

51

LY NG UD I O RT PR PO P SU

FOR ALL YOUR FLOORING & INTERIOR NEEDS

Be Inspired

Visit our showroom for quality products Carpets • Curtains & Blinds Fabrics • Wall Coverings • Paints Domestic & Commercial Installations WE OFFER A RANGE OF PRODUCTS WHICH ARE

Sustainable • Recycled • Eco-Friendly

Free Design, Consultation & Advice

For all enquiries please call 01822 854363 sales@yelvertoncarpets.co.uk

•

Trimal House | Yelverton Business Park | Crapstone PL20 7PE

Live Well Your Way Home Care Service Your home is where you feel the most comfortable and the happiest. It's the place you know the best.

• Home Help • Personal Care

• Companionship • Dementia Care

Contact us on: 01822 367947 www.homeinstead.co.uk/tavistock-tamar-valley

Home Instead Tavistock and Tamar Valley

Kilworthy Park, Tavistock, Devon, PL19 0BZ

Each Home Instead Senior Care franchise office is independently owned and operated

52

To promote your business to 20,700* readers - call 07450 161929 advertising@linksmagazines.co.uk

MUSIC AND ART

Outdoor theatre The further adventures of Doctor Dolittle Illyria delves back into Hugh Lofting’s amazing stories to bring you a brandnew musical adaptation of the Doctor’s FURTHER adventures with Jip the Dog, Dab Dab the Duck, Gub Gub the Pig, Polynesia the Parrot. Where in the world will they go? Will they even stay on this world? Which new animals will they help along the way? Will the Rats still have pithy observations to make? Is Gub Gub still dreaming about cake? The FURTHER Adventures of Doctor Dolittle features a fully orchestrated score, amazing puppets and a plethora of songs. Perfect summer fun for everyone aged 5+. Running time: 1 hour 40 minutes (including a 20-minute interval) Friday 11th June, 6pm at The Big Sheep (theploughartscentre.org.uk) Sunday 20 June, 5pm at RHS Garden Rosemoor (theploughartscentre.org.uk) Saturday 7th August, 5pm at Sterts, Liskeard (sterts.co.uk)

Alice in Wonderland Follow Boxtree Productions down the rabbit hole into a strange world of caterpillars, cards and tea parties. Join Alice as she tries to navigate this curious world of curious places and curious creatures but don’t lose your head! We promise you a wonderful experience of original toe-tapping

songs, colourful characters, costumes and hilarious comedy. With inventive staging, original songs and magical storytelling we invite audiences to enjoy Lewis Carroll’s classic tale of Alice In Wonderland, in Boxtree Productions’ unique and energetic way!

Saturday 24 July, 6pm at RHS Garden Rosemoor (theploughartscentre.org.uk) Sunday 25 July, 5:30pm at Castle Drogo (tbc) (theploughartscentre.org.uk) Tuesday 27 July, 5pm at Sterts, Liskeard (sterts.co.uk) Wednesday 28 July, 5pm at Ebbingford Manor, Bude (wegottickets.com/ event/514741)

trick may resurrect the innocent dead, restore broken relationships - and even create an unlikely union of Benedick and Beatrice!

Friday 30 July, 5pm at Castle Hill, South Molton (theploughartscentre.org.uk)

Monday 2 August, 7.30pm at Sterts, Liskeard (sterts.co.uk)

2 & 24 August

Tuesday 24 August, 6pm at RHS Garden Rosemoor (theploughartscentre.org.uk)

Much ado about nothing Claudio loves Hero, and Benedick hates Beatrice. This is just as well, because Hero loves Claudio and Beatrice hates Benedick. Everyone laughs when Don Pedro plays a trick on Benedick and Beatrice, letting each think that they are secretly loved by the other. But it is no laughing matter when Don John plays a trick on Claudio and Hero, deceiving Claudio into thinking that Hero is not faithful to him. Murderous rage is unleashed, and death can be the only solution... Or can it? Perhaps one last

See our community website www.dartmoorlinks.co.uk

53

MUSIC AND ART

June to August

Dartmoor’s Disappearing Phone Boxes Helen Northcott’s winter photography exhibition was cancelled due to the pandemic but has now been re-scheduled to appear in Dartmoor libraries this summer.

The iconic red telephone box, designed

by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, first appeared on the streets of Britain back in 1925. However, it is now in danger of vanishing from our streets and Dartmoor’s red telephone boxes are slowly disappearing from our towns and villages. Dartmoor Photographer, Helen Northcott decided to embark on a personal project to record for posterity the remaining red telephone boxes within Dartmoor National Park.

She has spent two years researching and documenting the iconic, red telephone boxes within the boundary of the national park. The resulting exhibition showcases the remaining 70 red telephone boxes. Of those

remaining, just 43 telephone boxes are still operational with working telephones, some of these are under threat of removal due to lack of use, and may even have already been lost since the start of the project. While some of the redundant telephone boxes stand empty awaiting adoption or removal, many have already been adopted by local communities and repurposed so their future is secured.

In Princetown one of two telephone boxes on the main road through the village has been adopted by the parish council and reused as a memorial to commemorate the service personnel who fought during the two world wars.

Other boxes like the ones at Hexworthy and Belstone have been pressed into service to house their community defribrillators. Across the moor redundant telephone boxes are also being used as informal libraries, village

notice boards and even as a cake stall.

Moretonhampstead Library: Tuesday 1st to Tuesday 29th June Princetown Library: Monday 5th to Wednesday 28th July Tavistock Library: Monday 2nd to Saturday 28th August Please check dartmoorphotographer. co.uk for more details about the exhibition, as well as the latest information about dates and opening times.

Thursday 3 to Wednesday 9 June

Mayflower 400 Quilt Exhibition The Minster Church of St Andrew in Plymouth is staging a second exhibition of the beautiful quilts created by schools, voluntary groups and individuals to commemorate the voyage of The Mayflower in 1620, based on the Mayflower 400 themes of Leaving Home, Life at Sea, Journey’s End and

Life in the New Land. On display will also be copies of two of the original drawings of the stunning stained-glass windows used in the rebuilding of the Minster Church of St Andrew following the 1941 Plymouth Blitz.

09.00 – 16.00 at Minster Church of St Andrew, Royal Parade, Plymouth,

weekend opening times may vary. Entry is free but donations welcomed, to be shared between UNICEF and The Alzheimer’s Society. Refreshments available. Covid restrictions will apply. For more information contact quiltingmayflower@gmail.com

DELICIOUS Pop in for a perfect coffee, linger over a lazy lunch, indulge in a classic afternoon tea, or book a table for dinner.

The best local ingredients of the season, and our famously warm welcome.

The Bedford Hotel In the heart of Tavistock

54

www.bedford-hotel.co.uk 01822-613221 1 Plymouth Road | Tavistock PL19 8BB

To promote your business to 20,700* readers - call 07450 161929 advertising@linksmagazines.co.uk

MUSIC AND ART

24th June, 1st & 8th July

Outdoor Art for All course West Devon Art Workshops will be running a 3-week Art for All course in Tavistock on 24th June, 1st July and 8th July, exploring outdoor sketching. The course will be run in outdoor locations, weather permitting, and will look at pencil, pen and wash, colour pencil etc. It will be accompanied by video classes so that participants can practice beforehand, and we will also be using the videos to provide an online course with tutorials over zoom for people who would rather take part that way. The courses are free but donations are very much appreciated.

16 June to end of August

Andy Cairns from West Devon Art Workshops said: “This course will be a change of focus, enabling participants to engage with others and with nature through fun, accessible sketchbook exercises in a relaxed atmosphere.”

The Art for All courses are aimed at building confidence and combating social isolation, something which was already prevalent in rural communities before the pandemic and has grown significantly during the last year. For more details, email westdevonartworkshops@gmail. com or call 07724 153381 (Mon to Thurs 10am-4pm).

Summer Art Exhibition Wildwood Art Gallery in Horrabridge will be hosting its annual summer exhibition which will include works by Allin Braund RA, Richard Slater RI, Arthur Homeshaw RWA, and Eric Waugh RI, covering the period from 1960 to 2000, alongside contemporary fine art from current Wildwood artists. Since Allin Braund’s passing in 2004, over 60 of his paintings were hidden away in a Northumbrian barn, belonging to his family. Wildwood Arts has exclusivity for all this work and a selection of his newly discovered paintings will be exhibited in the summer exhibition. Others will follow

but they are currently being cleaned and framed. In addition, the exhibition will have watercolours and oils by Eric Waugh and Richard Slater who are both members of the Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolours.

Allin Braund

Richard Slater

JO MADGWICK UPHOLSTERY TRADITIONAL & MODERN BESPOKE HAND CRAFTED 01822 852138 /07707475327 Call me to arrange a free estimate info@jomadgwickupholstery.co.uk ! $

www.jomadgwickupholstery.co.uk

Summer Exhibition from June 16th Exclusives from Allin Braund RA, Richard Slater RI, Arthur Homeshaw RWA and Eric Waugh RI

info@wildwoodartsdartmoor.co.uk

www.wildwoodartsdartmoor.co.uk

Chapel Lane, Horrabridge, Yelverton. PL20 7SP • 01822 258529

See our community website www.dartmoorlinks.co.uk

55

Inspiration Consultation Design Installation Luxury Bathrooms | Wet Rooms | Hot Tubs | Bedrooms | Saunas & Steam Rooms | Wall & Floor Coverings Featuring: Artelinea, AXOR, Burlington, Cifial, Duravit, Geberit, Gessi, hansgrohe, Keuco, Matki, Merlyn, Samuel Heath, Smedbo, Toto, V&A, Villeroy & Boch and many more...

Unit 56-60 Christian Mill Business Park, Tamerton Foliot Rd, Plymouth, PL6 5DS website: www.westcountrytileandbathroom.co.uk email: enquiries@westcountrytileandbathroom.co.uk phone: 01752 770077

FINEST CERTIFIED DARTMOOR WOOL

SIZE UP OFFER: Get a FREE size upgrade when you purchase any of our mattresses or mattress and divan sets using this voucher.

• King Size for the price of a Double • Super King for the price of a King

60 DAY TENSION TRIAL - SEE INSTORE FOR DETAILS

HAND CRAFTED TRADITIONALLY MADE

FINEST QUALITY BESPOKE BEDS AND MATTRESSES • HAND CRAFTED & POCKET SPRUNG LUXURY COTTON CHEMICAL FREE FABRIC • MADE TO ORDER ON DARTMOOR • FREE DELIVERY 01392 877321•thedartmoorbedcompany.com•Unit 2 Dart Business Park (opposite Darts Farm), Topsham EX3 0QH

c 56

d

To promote your business to 13,800* readers - call 01822 615627 advertising@linksmagazines.co.uk

FOOD & DRINK

How is rosé made?

It’s as clear as mud, explains wine enthusiast Dave Anning

Actually, it’s the colour of the grape skin that matters. The flesh and juice are almost always pale yellow. Yes, there are grapes with red-tinted flesh, but if you’re going to be pernickety, I could point out that skins are usually green or purple, so let’s not bicker.

Rosé, or ‘blush’, is made using redskinned grapes with white flesh. They get smooshed up into a big pulpy mess, then two important things happen.

Firstly, the grapes are fermented at a cool temperature, just like white wine.

Secondly the red grape skins are only left in contact with the juice briefly typically half a day to three days. Red wine often ferments with the skins for weeks. Only a limited amount of ‘redness’ transfers to the juice, and the result is pink!

One beauty of rosé is that its appearance offers real clues to its style - the darker the colour the more ‘red influence’ there is. Grape variety etc. makes a difference, but as a crude rule of thumb, if you don’t enjoy a rosé, try one that is paler or darker. The difficulties involved in making good rosé mean that a truly cheap bottle is likely to lack balance, so don’t be put off if you’ve only ever tried cheap rosé. The best way to find out what you like is to try a variety, so why not organise a tasting? If you’ve never organised a wine tasting, what could be easier to organise than a tasting of rosés - start with the palest and end with the reddest to fully appreciate them. Cheers!

The process isn’t just about colour though. White wine is revered for delicate flavours, often compared to white fruits such as peaches, apples or pears. These flavours are easily overpowered by stronger dark-fruit flavours, or made bitter by tannins.

Making rosé wine is about infusing enough ‘red flavours’ into the juice, without introducing too much flavour or tannin. Other issues such as aroma and acidity also have to be balanced, so it’s not easy. This is why good rosé wine is nearly always delicate on the nose and in the mouth.

Dave Anning

£ O 10 FF

APPASSIMENTO GRILLO PICPOUL DE PINET

WITH CODE:

BONARDA

BBQ10

PRIMITIVO ROSE

BBQ BOTTLES MIX OF SIX WINES

See our community website www.dartmoorlinks.co.uk

RIOJA

SW

bottle shop tavistock

01822 616272

£48.75

swbottleshop.co.uk

FR D EE EL L IV OC ER A Y L

I once offered a friend some rosé and he replied: “I don’t like any kind of shandy.”

It took me a moment to realise he thought I had mixed red and white wine, but it got me wondering how many people understand what rosé is - so here’s enough detail to impress friends over a chilled glass! You can make white wine from red grapes, but not red wine from white grapes. “Well, thank you,” I hear you mutter, “that’s as clear as mud how helpful.”

57

FOOD & DRINK

Tamar Valley Vineyard’s first wines In 2013 we had the crazy idea of planting a vineyard. Scroll forward 8 years and we are getting very close to not only being able to market our very own wines but also welcome visitors to the vineyard.

Tamar Valley Vineyard is located near Weir Quay on the Bere Peninsula and eight years after we first considered planting a vineyard, we are about to release our first wines. It has been an extremely long journey with thousands of hours of hard work from friends and family, but it has been very rewarding to watch our vineyard develop and flourish since its inception.

Originally, we planned to sell our grapes to a commercial wine producer but it didn’t take long to get caught up in the romantic notion of having our own wine. Research was carried out and a winemaker in Herefordshire contracted.

In 2019 our first harvest was packed up

in a van and carefully driven 200 miles to its temporary home. The variety of grape, madeleine angevine lends itself very well to making crisp, white wines but on this occasion, we decided to throw out the rule book and see how it would develop as a sparkling wine. As I write, this wine is nearing completion, although thanks to Covid we have not yet had the opportunity to finalise exactly how it will taste but this should happen very soon. In 2020 our second harvest was much larger but again it was transported to Herefordshire, this time to be made into the crisp white wine that initially attracted us to madeleine angevine. This wine will be bottled any day now and then we can worry about how to get it all back to Devon!

However, we soon realised that we cannot keep transporting our grapes 200 miles for processing, and as such

building work is underway on our very own winery! We were very lucky to receive some LEADER funding which has helped towards the costs of the build and the equipment. This development is going to allow us to have total control over the winemaking process and will enable us to press the grapes when they are at their freshest. It is also going to help us reduce our carbon footprint, as the grapes will now travel 200 yards instead of 200 miles!

We are very much hoping to have the winery completed in the next couple of months and if everything goes to plan, open up the vineyard for visits and tastings at some point this summer.

In order to keep up to date with our developments, search for ‘Tamar Valley Vineyard’ on social media or go to www. tamarvalleyvineyard.co.uk and sign up to our newsletter.

Marcus Williams

Escape to Lewtrenchard We are delighted to let you know that we have re-opened our doors to guests from the 17th May2021.

We can’t wait to welcome you all back again. One thing that we can assure you of is that the friendly atmosphere and the welcome will be as efficient, warm and personal as it has always been in our long history with our special hotel.

Our Covid Secure Document is available on our website.

A Family Run Hideaway in Devon 58

LEWDOWN, OKEHAMPTON, DEVON EX20 4PN TELEPHONE: +44 (0) 1566 783 222

EMAIL: INFO@LEWTRENCHARD.CO.UK WEB: WWW.LEWTRENCHARD.CO.UK

To promote your business to 20,700* readers - call 07450 161929 advertising@linksmagazines.co.uk

FOOD & DRINK

Goat’s cheese tart With caramelised onions and hazelnut topping Serves 6 - 8

Method Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Roll out the pastry and line a 23cm loosebottomed tart tin. Prick the base with a fork, and line with greaseproof paper and baking beans. Bake blind for 12 mins, remove the beans and paper, then bake for another 5 mins. Reduce oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4.

Heat the oil in a large, deep frying pan over a low heat. Add the onions and cook slowly for 30-40 mins until soft and golden. Stir from time to time and add a little water if they start to stick.

Add the sugar and vinegar and continue cooking for another 5 mins, stirring until the vinegar has reduced and the onions are sticky.

Beat together the eggs, cream, milk, cheese and some seasoning. Cover the base of the pastry case with the caramelised onions, then pour the egg mixture over the top and bake for 25 mins.

Combine all the topping ingredients together. Take the tart out of the oven and spread the topping over the top.

Bake the tart for another 15 mins.

1-2 tbsp soft brown sugar 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar 75ml milk 75ml single cream 3 eggs 50g Goat’s cheese, crumbled

Ingredients

Filling

500g pack shortcrust pastry

50g Goat’s cheese, crumbled 85g breadcrumbs

Filling 2 tbsp olive oil

50g hazelnuts, roughly chopped

3 large red onions, sliced

2 tbsp parsley chopped Recipe supplied by our Links Team

www.thearundell.com

See our community website www.dartmoorlinks.co.uk

Lifton • Devon • PL16 0AA

59

Secure your financial future with Charles Stanley Plymouth Whatever life stage you are in, now is the time to ensure you have the right plans in place to secure your financial future.

With a presence in Plymouth since 1997, our team of highly qualified and experienced investment managers are ready to build you a tailored investment portfolio that continues to work hard as your priorities change.

Find out how we could help you 01752 545 969 | www.charles-stanley.co.uk/plymouth-office The value of investments can fall as well as rise. Investors may get back less than invested.

Charles Stanley & Co. Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

THE local chartered surveyors with a wealth of experience in residential property within Devon and Cornwall

As fully qualified impartial experts we offer: • RICS Homebuyer Surveys • RICS Building Surveys

Extensive, accurate and helpful reports.

Efficient same day feed-back available. Reports e-mailed within 72 hours Vince Keep MRICS 07789 110 360

• Valuations for Probate, Divorce and Tax purposes • Schedules of Condition and Dilapidation reports • Party Wall Act 1996 legislation.

David Balment FRICS 07836 681 703 INDEPENDENT CHARTERED SURVEYORS, TAVISTOCK, DEVON AND CORNWALL.

BUSINESS

Have fun redesigning your home with new doors!

Let us introduce ourselves, we are Jenny and Steve Moore.

Over the last 12 years we have created Moore and Moore Doors, offering a complete service for customers replacing internal doors, to self-builders, through to architects, design and build companies, and interior designers working on commercial projects. Moore and Moore Doors covers the whole of the UK and Ireland. Having worked within the construction and development industries, we understand what makes a good product and have built close relationships with four major Italian manufacturers of door sets, whose passion for design and detailed engineering is obvious in the quality of their interior, exterior and security door ranges.

Customer focus has always been at the heart of our business and we appreciate that everyone’s needs are different, depending on lifestyle, the size of project, budget and the look you want to create. Whether a customer is working on a whole new build, an extension or a simple restyle for their home with replacement doors, we help them explore a huge range of designs from classic to ultra-modern minimalist, with wood, metal and lacquered finishes or glass options. We can even co-ordinate door finishes with flooring, wall cladding and storage solutions.

We believe that doors can offer so much more than mere function and so we have created our showroom where we walk customers ‘through’ our various door options and help them visualise the possibilities for themselves. We can advise on door solutions for tight spaces, such as hinged and folding, or to add architectural interest such as bi-fold doors and stylish room dividers such as the minimalist glass and aluminium G-Like collection.

We can now go one stage further! We are proud to have been the UK agents for the world class, family-owned, Italian

manufacturer Garofoli since 2012. Why not download the ‘MyGarofoli Door’ app which is available free of charge from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app helps you personalise your home in three steps: 1. take a photo of a door position within your home; 2. choose a Garofoli door adding the door handle, wall panelling and any flooring; 3. overlay the door onto your photograph to see what it will look like in your home.

Our pre-hung, no-paint door sets with their innovative installation systems, can be fitted quickly and without the disruption and cost of traditional door-fitting joinery, and we also offer a full fitting service with qualified trades people. If you would like to enhance your living space, visit our websites at www.mooremooredoors.co.uk or www.garofoli.com.

moore & moore

doors ltd

01752 547435

www.mooremooredoors.co.uk unit a1 yelverton business park pl20 7pe

See our community website www.dartmoorlinks.co.uk

door sets for all projects Welcome to our showroom - come and explore the biggest range of designs and finishes in the area skirting • parquet • glass doors • door handles

61

YOUR LOCAL TIMBER, BUILDING & LANDSCAPING MERCHANT o o dland S awmil W k c to is v a T t a OPEN

NEW STG ODREECKING  

l

• IN G T IM B E R PAV F O S E P Y T L L A G • • D S • C L A D D IN F E N C IN • TO P SO IL SH E R E ...

D O O M O W • • G AT E S & M U C H S SL E E P E R S P LY G IN IX F & • A R D WA R E F LO O R IN G H •

Tavistock Woodland Sawmill, Gulworthy, Tavistock PL19 8JE

www.timberstoreuk.co.uk Branches also at Roche & Torquay

Regular Trading Hours: Mon-Fri 8.00-17.00 Sat 8.00-12.00

!

FOLLOW US @timberstoreuk

01822 369889 • sales.tavistock@timberstoreuk.com Tavistock Woodland Sawmill • Tavistock PL19 8JE Your Local, Family Run Garage Door Company Repairs

Replacements

Automation

CALL TODAY FOR A

FREE SURVEY

FREEPHONE:

0800 328 1930

www.alliance-garagedoors.co.uk

Alliance Garage Doors Ltd • Mainbow Meadow • 1 Perry Lane • Forches Cross • Newton Abbot • Devon TQ12 6QA

TRADE SECRETS

Glenn Eastman MD at Timber Store UK Ltd When and how did Timber Store UK start?

The company was started in 2003 as a result of a part buy-out of another Timber merchants, which I had been managing for several years. This original branch is based in Kingskerswell in the Torbay area.

How has the business grown over the years and which areas do you cover?

After a short time owning the Torbay branch, I became involved with importing timber from Eastern Europe through the docks in Par, Cornwall.

While importing timber for us, as well as other merchants in Cornwall and Devon, it made sense to have a timber merchant outlet in Cornwall, and so the second branch was started. Having quickly outgrown two consecutive sites, we moved to our current location at Victoria, near the A30 Cornish services, in 2012. This branch is now managed by my nephew, Adam, and has grown to be the premier branch of the company. The purchase of the site at Tavistock Woodland Sawmill took place in December last year. Taking on a business which had been shut for 9 months, while in a lock-down, may have seemed slightly mad but with existing outlets in Torbay and mid Cornwall the site at Gulworthy is a perfect fit for us geographically, enabling us to service a customer base throughout most of Devon and Cornwall. It also helps that it’s only 10 minutes from my home in the Tamar Valley. There is also a historical

See our community website www.dartmoorlinks.co.uk

connection to the site with four generations of my wife’s family having worked for the old Tavistock Woodlands Estate and sawmill.

Why did you choose this line of work?

I stumbled into the industry after an early career in financial services. Having grown up in West Devon, my wife and I decided to move back to the West Country to start our family, and looking for a change in career, I took a job as a sales administrator with the Duchy of Cornwall at their Lostwithiel sawmill.

Soon after, the sawmill was sold to a private buyer and over time I came to run the business for the owner.

What products and services do you offer your customers?

We offer both DIY and trade customers an extensive range of timber for construction, decking, landscaping and fencing, as well as many related products such as hardware, paving and garden sheds. As well as being well known for friendly and knowledgeable customer service, we are large enough to be very competitive but small enough to remember the importance of the relationship with our customers - we make sure everyone feels welcome when they visit our sites.

What is the best thing about your job?

Working with a fantastic group of people.

63

HISTORY

Railway Boundary Markers

Whitchurch Down boundary markers

Travel just about anywhere in Britain and one will come across a stone or post intended to convey some sort of message to the traveller, such as distance markers to a place or milestones (required along turnpike roads in the 19th century). Some may also be ‘court’ stones, indicating responsibility for the repair of bridges, while others may be boundary markers, usually made of stone, but also from metal. On Whitchurch Down there is both a stone marking the boundary between the parishes of Tavistock and Whitchurch, and a metal post marking the more recent boundary between Tavistock Urban District Council and Tavistock Rural District Council. At least six of these boundary posts still exist.

or where land boundaries extended beyond the fenced railway line, it was inevitable that boundary disputes would sometimes arise. So many railways designed boundary posts or markers which were usually placed in the fence line at the side of the railway, or in adjacent land by bridges, viaducts or crossings. The oldest markers tended to be in stone, but these had to be individually engraved, so lettering was kept to a minimum. From about 1870 onwards, markers were made of cast iron, and could carry more detail because one mould produced hundreds of identical markers. The marker could also be used to embody a sense of pride in the railway by its colour and stylish detail.

(LSWR). The Tavistock section opened in June 1890 and closed in May 1968.

Markers were also used by the railways to mark their boundaries. At their height, the railways were one of the biggest landowners in Britain, after the Crown and the Church. Under the Railway Clauses Consolidation Act 1845, which apparently is still in force, British railway tracks must be fenced throughout their length, unlike mainland European countries or North America.

The requirement was imposed not just to protect the public but also to reduce the risk of trains colliding with farm animals. The latter was a particular risk where a railway had divided an existing farm and animals had to move from one part to the other. Even with fencing,

There are two disused railways in the Tavistock area. The South Devon and Tavistock Railway opened in 1859, linking Plymouth with Tavistock, and was extended by the Launceston and South Devon Railway to Launceston in 1865. The company was amalgamated with the Great Western Railway (GWR) on 1st February 1876. The GWR was nationalised in 1948 and the line was closed to passengers in 1962. The second railway formed part of the Exeter to Plymouth (via Okehampton and Bere Alston) section of the London and South Western Railway

64

To promote your business to 20,700* readers - call 07450 161929 advertising@linksmagazines.co.uk

GWR boundary markers The only surviving stone railway boundary marker in the Tavistock area is for an earlier incarnation of the GWR, the South Devon and Launceston Railway. It appears this stone was moved when the original railway bridge spanning the Tavy was removed and Stannary Bridge was built. It has been relocated to its current position by the A386 beside the steps to a footpath, opposite Celle Gardens.

As for the GWR itself, two boundary markers have been found, both some distance from Tavistock. While the GWR line ran to the southeast of the LSWR line from Plymouth to Tavistock, the LSWR line crossed the GWR line at Wringworthy Farm (about 2½ miles north of Tavistock) and thereafter the two lines ran parallel to Lydford, with the LSWR line to the east of the GWR line. One GWR marker is a little south of the site of Mary Tavy and Blackdown Station and is of particular interest as it stands some way from the GWR line itself and is actually half-way up the embankment on which the LSWR line used to run. The other marker is at North Brentor, near West Blackdown and appears to have been placed there recently and is not fully

HISTORY

buried. In common with other GWR boundary markers, these markers are made of bridge rails, cut into lengths, with an angle iron T-piece on the bottom, and a cast iron top, moulded round the rail. Between 1880 and 1920, the year of manufacture was included on the cast top: the Mary Tavy marker is dated 1899, while the date of the other is obscured.

Launceston New Road Bridge marker SDLR boundary marker

LSWR boundary markers There are a number of LSWR boundary markers still in place in the Tavistock area. These markers are cast iron posts with a graceful curved top and elegant lettering; the bottom half of the marker is like a long fish-tail which makes it extremely hard to remove from the ground once placed in position. The marker in Crease Lane is against a building belonging to Buctor House. It is some way from the LSWR line and, if in its original position, suggests that the railway owned considerable land away from the railway line itself. Possibly, the marker indicates a ‘limit of deviation’ – when the railway company sought powers to construct the railway, a wide swathe of land could have been included to provide some allowance when finally designing the route. The marker would

Courtenay Road marker

GWR marker, Brentor

originally have had the lettering and raised edges picked out in white. As the livery of the LSWR was red, it is likely that the rest of the marker would have been painted bright (signal) red.

The markers on the corner of Glanville Road and Courtenay Road, and on the parapet of Launceston New Road Bridge, both seem to have a hint of red, supporting the opinion that the markers would originally have been painted red.

There is also a marker on the parapet of Launceston Old Road Bridge, though it is so submerged that it is only just visible.

There is a further marker along the fence bordering the LSWR line and a field beside Old Exeter Road, and there are no doubt others to be found.

Chris Bellers Tavistock Local History Society

See What’s On or visit tavistockhistory.co.uk for more details about our events

LOCAL MORTGAGE AND EQUITY RELEASE ADVICE

Dartmoor Financial Mortgage & Insurance Advisors

01822 615 502 Unbe at able HOME support

Dartmoor Financial LLP is an appointed representative of HL Partnership Ltd which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Dartmoor Financial LLP is a company registered in England and Wales with company number OC396191. The information contained within this advert is subject to the UK regulatory regime and is therefore targeted at consumers based in the UK.

See our community website www.dartmoorlinks.co.uk

65

OUTDOORS AND ACTIVE

Out and About with Tavistock Ramblers A lovely walk for an early summer’s day, with John Noblet of Tavistock Ramblers. It is 6 miles but can be reduced to 4½ miles by taking the short-cut.

The lanes and hedgerows are full of flowers at this time of year and, on a clear day, the views are great. There is also the opportunity to visit Buckland Abbey and a couple of pubs along the way.

Park on the roadside near the former Moorland Garden Hotel just off the A386 on Roborough Down. SX509654. Nearest postcode PL20 6BZ 1. Walk down the lane, over the cattle grid, and continue past Broad Oak Farm. Go right at the next junction and just after Coombe Farm turn right

through a metal gate signed as a public footpath.

2. Cross the footbridge and go up the field to a gate. Turn sharp left through a second gate and continue uphill keeping close to the hedge. Ignore a footpath sign and continue to a gate in the field corner. Go straight across the next field to reach a lane.

3. (For the short option turn left, then go right at the crossroads and straight on at the next crossroads to rejoin

the walk at waypoint 6.) Otherwise cross the lane and take the footpath almost opposite, into a field. Keep close to the hedge on the right, go through a gate and bear diagonally left to a small bridge over a stream.

Follow the track uphill through a gateway, and then bear right, away from the track towards a gate in the top corner of the field. Emerge onto a lane and go straight ahead to reach another lane.

BEST Windows , Doors & Conservatories PRICE Quality Products – Always Great Prices PROMISE Exciting local familyrun business supplying quality products and installations to homes in Devon for over 10 years Windows ■ Doors ■ Conservatories ■ Orangeries ■ WarmROOF ■ PVCu ■ Aluminium ■ Timber ■ Composite

✓ Highly recommended ✓ Friendly customer experience ✓ Building works undertaken 66

Call today for your free no-obligation quote:

01752 841008 www.realistic.uk.com To promote your business to 20,700* readers - call 07450 161929 advertising@linksmagazines.co.uk

OUTDOORS AND ACTIVE

4. Cross this and go through a gate onto a farm track.

Pass through two more gates, across a private drive and down towards an old stile close to a stone wall of an old kitchen garden. Continue straight ahead with the wall on the left to reach steps onto a lane.

5. Turn left but keep a look out for traffic. Pass a T-junction to Buckland Monachorum and take the next left signed to Milton Combe. Continue on this lane for about half a mile.

6. Just after North Lodge go right though a gate onto a footpath into the grounds of Buckland Abbey. Cross a driveway into a field to reach a gate beside a second drive which is the main entrance to the abbey, if you wish to visit. Otherwise, continue straight ahead, crossing two fields to reach a road by a bus turning area.

7. Go right, passing the Milton Combe sign and continue for 300m to a footpath sign on the left. Go down this footpath, known as Goosey Lane, high above the village of Milton Combe. Turn right at the bottom and go straight on to the church (unless you want to stop at The Who’d Have Thought It Inn). Go left over the bridge and turn immediately right in front of a row of cottages. The route goes sharp left and up a steep old green lane which can be slippery if wet, so take care.

8. At the top, continue straight ahead, now climbing more gently as far as a gate with a footpath sign on the left.

Take the footpath into the field which has good views across the valley and towards Dartmoor. Go through five metal gates, keeping close to the hedge on the right, to reach a wooden gate and a lane. Turn right and almost immediately left.

After 100m turn right onto a rough track. At the end, continue walking through the trees keeping the wall on the left all the way back to the lane where you parked.

Hopefully by now, lockdown is a thing of the past and Tavistock Ramblers will have their usual programme of walks for the summer months. Visit www.tavistockramblers.org.uk to find out what is on offer.

APPROVED

Tavistock 01822 610222 • Plymouth 01752 869074 • Exeter 01392 401222 We have moved: Unit 2A Westbridge Industrial Estate,Tavistock PL19 8DE

info@chamings.plumbing | www.chamings.plumbing See our community website www.dartmoorlinks.co.uk

67

LOCAL AUTHORS

Tavistock’s Policing Past

By Simon Dell

Weddings flowers for life’s events creating georgously romantic & unique designs.

Tavistock Guildhall and Police Station were built from the ruins and dilapidated fragments of the old abbey of Tavistock which was demolished at the instructions of Henry VIII. In 1848 at the instigation of the Duke of Bedford, and thanks to his generosity, a new Guildhall and adjoining police station were opened. The police station, specially built to house the parish police force, was one of the longest occupied in Great Britain. Simon worked from the Guildhall police station for over 30 years as a police officer and later as a special constable volunteer. The book also describes the many police houses and cottages under the jurisdiction of Tavistock, which will be of interest to students of the history of Tavistock and its surrounding towns and villages. The book contains a rich archive of the lives and experiences of the local police officers.

Of particular local interest is the story of the great flood of 1890. The River Tavy burst its banks and flooded the station, which was below ground level. A prisoner had to be rescued from the cells and the dwellings of the constables and the sergeant had to be evacuated. Today the Guildhall and police station are being redeveloped as a heritage centre, details of which are in the book. This delightful book is a very enjoyable read, full of fascinating stories, facts and details, and I can recommend it to everyone interested in Tavistock and its history.

Dr Ann Pulsford

Tavistock’s Policing Past is priced at £25. Simon has also recently published another book: Tavistock Guildhall - A Story of Policing at £4.99. Both books can be purchased at Book Stop, Tavistock Museum shop, Tavistock Visitor Information Centre and simondell.co.uk/shop.

Workshops & demonstrations by an Academy of Floral Arts Tu t o r w i t h m a n y workshops to choose from

AMANDA RANDELL COX

hello@flowersetal.co.uk www.flowersetal.co.uk

68

RHS Chelsea Gold medalist Master Florist UK & US

This is a beautifully presented and richly illustrated book, which will be the definitive work on the history of policing in Tavistock. It is dedicated to those whose commitment to duty has created one of the finest British Institutions: the office of police constable. Many of the informative images are from Simon Dell’s own personal collection, with others from Tavistock Museum, Tavistock Subscription Library and the Thorington Collection. The pictures alone are a valuable historical record of policing in Tavistock and the surrounding towns and villages. Simon Dell MBE QCB was a policeman in Tavistock for forty years, working first from the Guildhall police station at Bedford Square until 2012 and then at the new station at Abbey Rise. He was awarded the MBE in 1997 for services to community policing and Dartmoor Rescue, and the Queen’s Commendation for Bravery in 2002 when he went into a burning building twice to rescue a child and then his father at Callington, for which he also received the Pride of Britain Award that year. Simon now does much valuable work for local charities including Dartmoor Search & Rescue Team, Devon Air Ambulance and community education; he is a muchloved and respected local character.

07973 226710

To promote your business to 20,700* readers - call 07450 161929 advertising@linksmagazines.co.uk

BOOK REVIEW

Book recommendations for summer

By Katya Church of Book Stop, Tavistock

First Person Singular: Stories

by Haruki Murakami A Town Called Solace by Mary Lawson Solace is a town in Northern Ontario, complete with a handful of houses, one open cafe and an ugly library. It is also the town Clara’s sister, Rose, has run away from. Clara waits at her window every day, willing her sister to return, whilst a strange new man moves into her friend Mrs Orchard’s house next door. Who is Liam, and how does he know Mrs Orchard? Will Clara still be able to feed her neighbour’s cat, Moses, as she always has done? And when will Rose and Mrs Orchard come back? Written from the perspectives of Clara, Liam and Mrs Orchard, A Town Called Solace examines the connections made between adults and children, and is a quietly haunting, tender story of longing and escape. Published by Vintage, £14.99

More recommended reads from Book Stop: The Garden House

by Marcia Willett Just out in paperback- and set in Tavistock! £8.99

Eight thought-provoking tales. £16.99

The Green Grocer

by Richard Walker Guide to corporate activism from Iceland owner. £12.99

One Two Three Four: The Beatles in Time by Craig Brown Prize-winning account of the Beatles and the people in their orbit. £9.99

Nature Trail

by Benjamin Zephaniah An illustrated rhyming celebration of the natural world. £12.99

&

K K TOP TOP

USIC M USIC M OOM R & ROOM

K TOP

&

OO

OO

OO

THE

THE

THE

MUSIC ROOM

ONE OF S TOP 50 BRITISH BOOK SHOPS TWO FLOORS OF NEW BOOKS AND A FURTHER FLOOR OF NEW VINYL and CDs 3 MARKET STREET, TAVISTOCK TELEPHONE 01822 617244 www.bookstoptavistock.co.uk bookstoptavistock@gmail.com @BookStop1

See our community website www.dartmoorlinks.co.uk

69

TECH HELP

Tech tips from Chezvous PC If you scan from your printer using the software that came with your Brother Printer or HP printer and it is a few years old, there is a chance that it no longer works. If you are presented with an ‘f’ when you open the program, this is a clue to the error – Flash Player. Both programs employ this obsolete technology - for Brother software there is a fix, but for HP you will have to use a workaround. I can help you with both.

I regularly see laptops in my office with sticky tape or plasters placed over the webcam, because a few years ago there was a scare about losing control of the camera without knowing.

Whilst there may have been some truth in the statement, a lot would have had to happen for this to take place. Anyway, nowadays, the Anti-virus Norton 360 (which I sell) has an additional element within it that protects your camera from unauthorised use. I suspect other software authors will do so as well, but if you are at all concerned, just ask and then maybe you can remove the tape?

You do NOT need a VPN. Unless of course, you live in the UAE, China or some other restrictive state, or you download questionable content from the internet. Otherwise, I cannot

think of any reason why a run-of-the-mill domestic or business user (UK based) would ever need such a thing. In some cases, it actually restricts certain sites from being visited which can get in the way. So, if Kaspersky or Avast or AVG suggest you download their VPN, then resist the temptation. That goes for a lot of the extras offered by these software houses.

Remember, if you are asked to restart your Windows 10 computer, shutting down and starting is NOT a restart. There is a very real difference and usually a true restart WILL fix things, whereas shutting down and starting again WILL NOT. TIM Lambie, Chez Vous PC

PC, Tablet & Mac Help for home or business - visit or remote Got a computer problem at home or office?

The LOCAL help you have been looking for!

Advice on PCs, laptops, tablets, printers, etc.

New equipment setup – data transfer etc.

Maintenance and help with Macs and iPads.

Networking, cabling, broadband issues, email, etc.

Solid State Drive upgrades Remote Access to system if preferred

COVID friendly with PPE

Call 01822 855822 for help – visit or remote 70

To promote your business to 20,700* readers - call 07450 161929 advertising@linksmagazines.co.uk

in e ck ad to m vis Ta

Hand Made Vegan Dog Treats FREE DELIVERY on all orders

and Re-mortgages, BTL, •Mortgages Mortgages & Re-mortgages Bridging •and Commercial Buy To Let Loans.

Free insurance nd Re-mortgages, BTL, • Bridging Commercial Loans reviews&for personal cover d Commercial Loans.

• Free Insurance Reviews (Life Cover, Critical Illness Cover, Family Income Benefit and for Personal Cover ee insurance

Find us at

Income Protection) and (Life Cover, Critical Illness Cover, for personal cover Home Insurance.

Family Income Benefit , Critical Illness Cover, & Income Protection) Sammy Bluett ncome Benefit and & Home Insurance 07807and 861169 e Protection) sammy@soundmortgages.co.uk me Insurance.

10% OFF FOR READERS

use the code oke10 at checkout

NOW OPEN

Bluett

861169

mortgages.co.uk

Private & Commercial Free Delivery & Collection Book Online

Sammy Bluett

07807 861169

A mortgage is a loan secured against your property.

Your home or property may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage or any other debt secured on it.

Gemma Harvey

D E C OR AT I N G Local female Painter & Decorator gg Competitive rates gg Friendly & reliable service

@aniimaldevon

www.taylaskitchen.co.uk

A mortgage is a loan secured against your property. Your home or property may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage or any other debt secured on it.

a loan secured against your home or property may be f you do not keep up your mortgage or any other sammy@soundmortgages.co.uk n it.

M

www.thelaundrycupboard.com Yelverton Business Park - 01822 859267

o g D W a a l s a i h D We come to your home in our customised heated mobile dog grooming parlour

Ultrasonic Teeth Cleaning • Warm water Hydro-Bath • Shampooing Flea Treatment • Conditioning • Turbo Drying • Deoderizing • ID Microchipping • Clipping & Grooming • Hair De-Shedding • Recommended By Vets

YOUR DOG DESERVES IT!

Call Ian on Tel: 01837 880275 Mobile: 07513 271756 www.dialadogwashdevoncentral.co.uk

CALL NOW FOR YOUR F R E E Q U OTAT ION

07710 255570

See our community website www.dartmoorlinks.co.uk

71

BUCKLAND COMPUTERS 365 Day Support

10am-10pm

Repairs • Sales • Service Problem Solving Network Support Anti-virus • Web Hosting

Boiler repairs and servicing for oil, gas and LPG All general plumbing, including bathrooms and kitchens Gas Safe and Oftec Registered Fully Insured

07980 697004 / 01822 660364

11485

519088

info@clearbrook.biz • www.clearbrook.biz

M.T. ALLEN

01822 855336 01822 855796

www.bucklandcomputers.co.uk sales@bucklandcomputers.co.uk

AGENT

BOILERS BATHROOMS KITCHENS FREE QUOTES

Groundworks & Plant Services

www.mtallengroundworks.co.uk 01822 854959 - 07951 020243

Electrical & mechanical services serving Dartmoor and surrounding areas - Domestic, Industrial, agricultural electrical installations - Fault finding, maintenance and repairs - Mechanical repairs and maintenance - Smart home technology - Solar battery storage and off grid systems - EV charging specialists

01822 859395 07851 711338 griffinelectric.co.uk info@griffinelectric.co.uk

MoorView Glazing

Protecting your outlook Specialists in window, door & conservatory solutions

From glazing and framing to handles and hinges no job too small

• Professional Service • Secondary Glazing Specialists • Dartmoor & Surrounding Areas • Domestic & Commercial • Plastic & Timber Frame Repairs • Conservatory Roof Panels • Energy Efficient Glass • Safety Glass Installations • Misted Units and Lock Repairs

Call: 07579 051517

moorviewglazing@outlook.com

C C

C C

Covering Plymouth, Tavistock & the surrounding areas

G P Service

OOK IT LEAN LEAN OOK IT

PAT Testing • Fire Extinguishers - Service & Maintenance • Appliances - Sales & Service

Quality Oven Oven Quality OvenCleaning Cleaning Quality Cleaning Quality Oven Cleaning forDevon Devon & & Cornwall for Cornwall for Devon & Cornwall for Devon & Cornwall available 7 days a week

available 7 days a week

Contact Ian on Tel: 01409 478648a / 07591 036096 available 7 days week Email: ian@cookitclean.co.uk Contact Ian on Tel: 01409 478648 / 07591 036096 Contact Ian on www.cookitclean.co.uk Email: ian@cookitclean.co.uk

01409 478648 / 07591 036096 www.cookitclean.co.uk Email: ian@cookitclean.co.uk www.cookitclean.co.uk 09/11/2018 Clean B'Cards.indd 1

Senior Citizens Discount

B'Cards.indd 1

REPAIRS AND SERVICING OF: Fire Extinguishers, Washing Machines, Tumble Dryers, and Electric Cookers

Call 01752 696573

11:32

Serving the local community since 2007

09/11/2018 11:32

Local Reliable Service Call Us Today

Your local I.T. Guy, specialising in: • PC and Mac set-up and installation • Virus and spyware removal • Networking and broadband set-up and troubleshooting • Affordable websites for small businesses and the self-employed • CCTV supply and installation Call Tim:01822 600105 or 07768 852555 e-mail:help@berecomputing.co.uk Web: www.berecomputing.co.uk

Bere Computing THE HANDYMEN

VA C C I N AT E D

01837 55700

u r yo you ve d k?

Ha cke tan e l ch oi

Computer Problems?

www.gpservice.co.uk

• Heating Oil • Tractor Diesel • Oil Tank Cleaning • Lubricants • Solid Fuels • Oil Tank Replacement & Installation Moorlands House, North Road, Okehampton EX20 1BQ

Aqua Tech Water Services

www.moorlandfuels.co.uk

Wells • Boreholes Servicing • Breakdowns Control systems pumps • Filtration

• PLUMBING & HEATING PROBLEMS • LEAKING BATHS & SHOWERS RESEALED DECORATING • TILING • AND MORE...

DAMP PROBLEMS MISTY DOUBLE GLAZED UNITS REPLACED SLIDING SASH WINDOWS REPAIRED RENOVATED OR RENEWED

Private Water Engineers www.aquatechwaterservices.co.uk

07307 045603

Tel: 01409 241312 Mob: 07825748720 Email: aquatechwaterservices@gmail.com AERIALS . SKY & FREESAT. INSTALLS . TV SALES .

RENTALS . REPAIRS .

 Thurs 15 July & Fri 16

July 

Book Online @

www.sterts.co.uk

Phone: 07725 553 804 01822 854386

Email: enquiries@yeltv.co.uk

New! Save money on your household bills – ask me how

Over 20 years of experience.

Visit yeltv.co.uk to ‘GET A CLEARER PICTURE.’

See our community website www.dartmoorlinks.co.uk

73

Tavy Links Business Directory

COM BU S I NESS

ITY

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

PLYM LINKS SAILGP

June/July 2021 | Issue 10

LISHI

10 YEARS

ES

P

UB

L

A

Beryl & Brian spearhead a rewilding project

IN

LOC

Gr n Minds

NG

comes to Plymouth

MAGAZ

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

COM

JOBS

ITY

BU S I NESS

BUY LOCAL & SAVE

UN

Delivered by the Royal Mail to more than 32,000 homes and businesses in West Devon, Dartmoor and North Plymouth.

Hair & Beauty Salons Sisters 50 Health, Beauty & Nutrition ED Male Health 14 Milagro South West 15 Nutonic 14 Tavyside Health Centre 12 Hearing & Mobility Alistair Kinsey Hearing & Mobility 12 Holidays & Holiday Lets C.P.C Travel 69 Helpful Holidays 36 Toad Hall Cottages 10 Home Improvements Realistic Home Improvements 66 Hotels, Inns & Clubs Arundell Arms Hotel 59 Bedford Hotel 54 Lewtrenchard Manor 58 West Devon Club 42 Mortgage Brokers Sound Mortgages 71 Osteopaths & Chiropractors Philip Hartnoll Osteopath 14 Pet Supply Retailers Aniimal Industries Ltd 71 Podiatrists Cannon Barn Podiatry 14 Pond Maintenance Dartmoor Pond Services 22 Plumbing & Heating Services Chamings Heating & Plumbing 48,67 Clearbrook Plumbing and Heating 72 DB Heating 3 Private Water Engineers AquaTech Water Services 73 Religious Groups Tavistock United Reformed Church 29 Residential Parks Berkeley Parks 8 Solicitors Chilcotts Law 26 Curtis Whiteford Crocker 30 Tree Surgeons Adam of Eden Tree Care 22 Countrywise Tree Care 22 Red Squirrel Tree Care 22 Windows & Glazing Moorview Glazing 72 Orchard Conservatories, Windows & Doors 34

JOBS

M

Dentists Andrew Brown Dental Practice 18 Dog Groomers Dial a Dog Wash Devon 71 Domestic Appliance Repairs G P Service 73 Door Retailers Moore & Moore Doors Ltd 61 Schools, Colleges & Educators Bambinos Ltd 40 Old School Childrens Centre 43 V Learning Net 32 Electricians Griffin Electrical 72 Estate Agents & Lettings Kirby Estate Agents 75 M&B Lettings 2 Events Devon County Show 4 Farm Shops Tre, Pol and Pen 37 Financial Advisors Charles Stanley Wealth Management 60 Dartmoor Financial 65 Florists Amanda Randell Master Florist 68 Funeral Directors Morris Bros Funeral Directors 30 Furniture Retailers Fabric and Furniture 43 Rhoop Design 71 Garage Doors Alliance Garage Doors 62 Local Authorities Plymouth City Council 46 West Devon Borough Council 38 Garage Services M & C White Motor Engineers 31 Garden Centres & Retailers Endsleigh Gardens Nursery 21 Tor Garden Plants 19 Garden Machinery Retail & Service South West Garden Machinery 22 Garden Services Hartland Landscaping 20 Hedge to Hedge Garden Services 22 Men for All Seasons 23 Shrubbery Jubbery 24 Gardens To Visit RHS Rosemoor 51 Heating Fuel Supplies Moorland Fuels 73

UN

In every issue of Tavy Links we promote local businesses, conversely, these businesses support and enable us to continue writing and publishing your local community magazine. If you are looking for a great local business then please choose from the list below. Next to each business is the page number on which they appear in this issue, please go and look at their advert and, if you call them, mention that you found them in Tavy Links.

Accountants Wings Accountants 44 Aerial Services YelTV 73 Arts, Galleries & Museums Tavistock Picture Framing Gallery 53 The Box 46 Wildwood Arts 55 Auctioneers & Valuers Eldreds Auctioneers 45 Bathroom & Tile Retailers Tavistock Bathrooms & Tiles 44, 76 Westcountry Tile and Bathroom 56 Bed Retailers The Dartmoor Bed Company 56 Beer & Wine Retailers SW Bottle Shop 57 Stannary Brewing Co. 49 Book Retailers Book Stop 69 Bridal Retailers Two for Joy Bridal 45 Building, Maintenance & Repair Marcus Allen Groundworks 72 The Handymen 73 Timber Store Uk Ltd 62 Business Services Tavistock BID 33 Cafés & Restaurants Café Liaison 24 Carers & Care Services Bluebird Care West Devon 16 Home Instead Senior Care 52 Moorcare Devon Ltd 14 Sante Care at Home 27 Charities Gilead Foundation Centre 28 Chartered Surveyors Balment Keep Ltd 60 Cleaning & Domestic Services Cook IT CLean 73 The Laundry Cupboard 71 Computer Maintenance Bere Computing IT Consultant 73 Buckland Computers 72 Chez Vous PC 70 Interior Services Chic Interiors 35 Gemma Harvey Decorating 71 Jo Madgwick Uhpholstery 55 Yelverton Carpet Company 52

M

BUY LOCAL & SAVE

CHERNOBYL CHILDREN’S LIFELINE Providing vital respite time

Delivered FREE by your postman to PL6 - 7 and PL7 - 5. Guaranteed Circulation of 7,000 homes

£3.50 | WHERE SOLD

To make sure your business is featured in the next issue of Tavy Links magazine, call us today on 07450 161 929 or email tim.randell@linksmagazines.co.uk

SOLD

SOLD FOR THE

BEST PRICE

SOLD

It’s a sellers’ market...

With our local expertise, multi-platform marketing and associated office in Park Lane, London, we’ll get the best price for you!

Call today for a FREE valuation 01822 612010 www.kirbyestateagents.co.uk

We have buyers waiting for your property !

• Family run business • Town centre office• Local business with national exposure • Regular updates on progress from our dedicated sales progressor Adherence to Covid-19 health and safety guidelines

Market Road, Tavistock, Devon PL19 0BW • cdl vvvvvvv sales@kirbyestateagents.co.uk • www.kirbyestateagents.co.uk

Tavistock Bathrooms & Tiles

Amanda & James invite you to their showroom OVER 50 BATHROOM SETTINGS TO INSPIRE YOU We would like to thank all our customers past, present and future for their support

BATHROOMS • TILES • SHOWERS • WET ROOMS • BATHROOM FURNITURE MIRRORS & CABINETS • TOWEL RAILS & DESIGNER RADIATORS • ACCESSORIES Unit 8 Plymouth Road Industrial Estate, Tavistock PL19 9QN

01822 618 619 info@tavistockbathrooms-tiles.co.uk

www.tavistockbathrooms-tiles.co.uk

TAVISTOCK

BATHROOMS & TILES By amanda - james

WE ARE HIRING! WE ARE LOOKING FOR A FULL-TIME SHOWROOM SALES CONSULTANT Do you have experience in Customer Service, Designing, Sales or maybe you have other skills that you could offer to our business?

FOR FURTHER DETAILS PLEASE CALL JAMES OR AMANDA ON 01822 618619