Tavy Links April/May 2021 issue by Links Magazines

TAVY LINKS April/May 2021 Issue 47

REBUILDING TAVISTOCK TO OKEHAMPTON RAILWAY Could it happen?

GET CHANGED THEATRE

Life skills for adults with learning disabilities

LOCAL PEOPLE

Former Tavistock policeman, Dave Anning

YEARS

What’s On

Home Instead director, Lynn Roddy

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A way forward

The deadline date for any inclusions in the June/July issue of Tavy Links will be 29th April 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

The Government’s roadmap seems to have inspired a cautious sense of optimism and given us a framework to work towards. As these magazines land on your doorstep, we will all be hoping that the plans for step two on 12 April are able to go ahead, as this major milestone will allow many businesses the welcome opportunity to trade again after months of closure. As you will see in our What’s On section, the possibility of further easing of restrictions on 17 May is encouraging a tentative return for some events, including a new exhibition at The Box, Delamore Arts & Sculpture Exhibition and St Luke’s Open Gardens. With the confirmation of the return of a regular rail service between Okehampton and Exeter, our feature article explores the case for rebuilding the railway connection between Tavistock and Okehampton. While, with the help of Bernard Mills, our history article offers a glimpse back in time to when the railway line was fully operational and Tavistock had two stations. I had the pleasure of meeting two enterprising local people for this issue, albeit via Zoom – what would we have done without Zoom this last year! Dave Anning was a popular Tavistock policeman for many years and is now delving into the fascinating world of wine with his new role. Lynn Roddy was an army officer for 15 years before launching the Tavistock and Tamar Valley branch of Home Instead, rated ‘outstanding’ just 18 months after opening. We also hear how two local charities have been trying to continue their work through the pandemic: The Mary Budding Trust funds resources and equipment for children with special needs while Get Changed Theatre Company helps adults with learning disabilities to build confidence and self-esteem by participating in performing arts.

Rosemary Best

Editor

Contents 6 Feature

43 Music & Art

8 Local People

48 Food & Drink

13 Health & Wellbeing

50 Business

18 Charity

56 History

20 Gardening 24 Farming News

58 O utdoors & Active

25 Naturalist

60 Local authors

27 Education

61 Book Review

28 Community News

62 Tech Help

35 Law

54 Trade Secrets

36 5

66 Business Directory

36 What’s On

Front cover image: Vaxeen Nation by Alli Cragg Alli Cragg is a Devon-based artist with an unmistakable style. Whether you are gazing at one of her seascapes, landscapes or even her abstract work, you know who’s created it. Her striking use of colour and her ability to create movement and texture, make her work breathtaking to say the least. All her paintings convey a sense of strength - whether that’s from her choice of colour, or the subject matter. This comes as no surprise when you learn that Alli is also a full-time nurse who has summoned her own inner strength this last year as she faced the pandemic on the frontline. View the full collection at www.tavistockgalleries.com or at Tavistock Picture Framing Gallery. 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.

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

FEATURE

Photo by the late Ivor Hocking 34066 Spitfire 1115 London WaterlooPadstow/Bude, 2nd part of the Atlantic Coast Express 29 Aug 1964 (the line closed in 1968)

‘Green Main Line’ for whole South West In December 2020, new proposals were announced to rebuild the railway through Dartmoor. One of its creators, Andrew Roden, says the benefits for Devon and the wider South West will be transformative. On January 20, Prime Minister Boris Johnson – prompted by Devon MP Sir Gary Streeter – said that the government’s vaunted ‘levelling up’ agenda also applies to the South West as well as the Midlands and Northern England. Confirmation could not have come soon enough: in large parts of Devon and Cornwall, incomes are low, job opportunities few, access to work and education difficult and local economies dependent on seasonal and part-time jobs. Young people are particularly affected – often unable to afford to buy and run a car, public transport in much of the region is poor, and many journeys for work or education are lengthy if not actually impossible. Better transport is vital, and particularly for an area ranging from Bideford in North Devon down to Launceston, Bude, Wadebridge and Padstow in North Cornwall, and encompassing Okehampton and Tavistock. This is why reinstating the railway from Exeter to Plymouth via Okehampton and Tavistock could be truly transformative for those without cars, for the environment, for tourism, and for freight trains, taking lorries off the roads. It is a topic that has been discussed many times over the years, so far without success, so why is the Tavistock Okehampton Reopening Scheme (TORS) different? Very simply, because it has asked different questions to previous work. Studies have tended to ask whether the route could be justified as a diversion for trains when the coastal main line is closed by bad weather or maintenance – or whether the revenue from a purely local service would justify the costs. The answers to both were, unsurprisingly, negative. Reopening the railway to Okehampton and from Plymouth to Tavistock is also very important, but a through route will amplify the benefits with comparable 6

operating costs. Why can we say that with confidence? Because this time around, a team of experts with experience in consulting and rail operations started with a different question: can the railway be operated in an efficient way likely to generate good revenue? The second question that follows is: how can we maximise the wider benefits? By extending the existing London Waterloo to Exeter service ‘around the top’ to Plymouth, we are confident the answer to the first question is a clear ‘yes’, as journey times will be good and with the ability to get to destinations in London without changing, the revenues will be much higher than a purely local service. The return of a regular service from Okehampton to Exeter has already been confirmed by the government – and an announcement on train times and journey times is expected soon. Under the TORS project, with even faster journey times of around 20 minutes for Exeter-Okehampton and PlymouthTavistock, and about 65 minutes throughout with stops at Okehampton and Tavistock, there is an opportunity to create a truly integrated transport scheme that spreads the benefits over a huge area. How? By express bus links integrated with the railway which can provide faster public transport journey times than ever before, to and from the centre of Exeter to the places mentioned in the first paragraph. Those new links using bus and rail to best effect are true game-changers and the journey time savings, over the best public transport can currently offer, immense. In an extreme case, public transport journeys from Padstow to Exeter will be around three hours faster than at present. The effects for Tavistock and Okehampton will be profound. With extensive development planned in both towns, and

FEATURE

Photo by Andrew Roden - Beautiful but fragile, Meldon Viaduct is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, and restoring it for rail use could damage priceless historic material. A sensitively designed new bridge nearby is likely to be needed to protect this important structure and future-proof the reinstated railway. road congestion and car parking getting worse, rail is the only way of getting large numbers of people to and from them sustainably. Connecting bus links into the heart of Dartmoor would also relieve pressure on our vital national park. Then there’s freight. Currently, the viciously steep nature of the coastal main line limits freight train lengths, while the perceived fragility of the main line deters the likes of supermarkets from sending goods by rail. The ‘Northern Route’ is much gentler and less susceptible to bad weather, and the Rail Freight Group is adamant that Devon and Cornwall could see a rail freight renaissance, taking lorries off our main roads to the benefit of everyone. Our region’s only main line would benefit too. As well as increasing the number of trains running between Exeter and Plymouth, this new railway could act as a diversionary route when the main line is closed. That in turn opens the opportunity to speed up the vital coastal resilience programme by allowing longer closures for the work than could possibly be contemplated at the moment. Emissions will be low: this railway should be electrified from the outset, meaning genuinely zero emission transport, given Network Rail’s aim to power all electric trains with renewable or nuclear energy. There are challenges and there will be concerns about the impact of the railway on the environment and on property; about noise and vibration; and about the impact on priceless treasures such as Meldon Viaduct. It is vital that everyone with a view for or against is treated decently, kindly and with respect, so the process would involve detailed studies to define potential routes before presenting the options at a

See our community website www.dartmoorlinks.co.uk

public consultation, followed by a review period to address concerns, and find solutions for areas of difficulty. If the team of experts behind this proposal are right – and we wouldn’t have given months of our time freely for a flight of fancy – this railway will unlock a major regeneration of a huge part of Devon and Cornwall, improving the environment, access to work and education, reducing road congestion and helping our young people to be able to remain in the area they grew up in. For too long, the South West has been the poorest relation in terms of transport investment. For a tiny fraction of the cost of High Speed 2 or Northern Powerhouse Rail, we believe this railway will make more of a difference than any other comparable scheme. If the Prime Minister truly wants to ‘level up’ the South West, we believe this is by far the best transport intervention to achieve that. Increasingly, the region’s MPs are also coming round to that view, led by Geoffrey Cox, and supported by Mel Stride, Scott Mann, Gary Streeter and Johnny Mercer. In our opinion the TORS project simply has to happen. Andrew Roden, Northern Route Working Group

For more details see northernrouteworkinggroup.wordpress. com or Twitter: @NorthernRouteWG Ivor Hocking’s Spitfire photo appears in the latest book in Bernard Mills’ railway series. See our history section for a glimpse of the Bere Alston to Okehampton line in former times, courtesy of Bernard’s new book.

LOCAL PEOPLE

From thin blue line to wine Retired policeman, Dave Anning has recently started writing for the Links Food & Drink section, sharing some of his passion for the world of wine. Dave grew up in Zimbabwe, or Rhodesia as it was then. He thrived on the outdoor life made possible by the year-round, temperate climate, becoming a keen sportsman and often spending his summers helping out with herding cattle. When he was 15 though, his parents saw signs of the difficult times that lay ahead for the country and decided to return to the UK, where Dave’s father had grown up in Exeter. The family had to leave everything behind, including the contents of their bank account. Once they had access to BBC news reports Dave recalls a dawning realisation about the limitations of the Rhodesian news coverage. Rhodesia had provided him with a good education though, and he went on to study art, while maintaining his interest in sport, running the college hockey team, as well as taking up karate when a broken arm prevented him from playing other sports. Sport has continued to play an important part in his life, both as a member of local teams and also as a karate instructor in Tavistock. Dave has also kept up his artistic skills and has a particular talent for creating entertaining cartoons!

The Rhodesian police or army had always presented a good career opportunity when he was growing up, so on leaving university, he decided to join the police where he discovered an environment he both enjoyed and gave him scope to use his abilities. He worked his probationary period in Plymouth, before moving to East Cornwall and later Tavistock. Attracted by the architecture of Tavistock and its active community, Dave and his wife Angela settled there over 20 years ago, although they have worked their way through a number of house renovations in the process. Dave followed an interesting and varied career in Devon & Cornwall Police, which included working as custody sergeant in one of the busiest custody suites in the country,

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LOCAL PEOPLE

by Dave Anning

On board the Union Castle emigrating to England 1975

at Charles Cross Police Station; a couple of years in the police press office at Middlemoor Exeter, where he met influential journalists and the Crimewatch team; and 14 years as a sergeant in Tavistock. The Crime and Disorder Act of 1998 brought in a more cohesive way of dealing with disorderly neighbourhoods, involving the police and local authorities, social services, housing associations and mental health teams etc. working closely together to deal with the root cause of problems. Dave took on the role of crime reduction sergeant at Tavistock, which was much more about preventing crime rather than investigating it. By building up contacts and forging good relationships he felt it was possible to make a real difference in a town the size of Tavistock. It wasn’t an easy role though as the crime reduction department had an extremely broad remit, including everything that wasn’t covered by CID and the response teams. For a number of years, he was also the neighbourhood team leader overseeing PCSOs and other neighbourhood officers in Tavistock and Okehampton. After 30 years of service with Devon & Cornwall Police, Dave retired in 2017, providing the opportunity for him to follow new avenues. He has always been fascinated by wine and on a visit to Steevenson Wines following his retirement, Dave discovered that two members of its delivery team were out of action so he volunteered to help out – the chance encounter

www.thearundell.com See our community website www.dartmoorlinks.co.uk

self portrait 1981

resulted in a permanent job. Steevenson Wines became Sovereign Wines when Mike McGarry, the former operations manager, purchased the business and there is now a new shop in the warehouse, SW Bottle Shop, which Dave manages. In addition, Dave is studying with the Wine & Spirit Education Trust, and has already taken a number of wine exams. He is finding the hands-on role complemented by his increasing knowledge of the subject, totally engrossing. He thoroughly enjoys the chance to guide customers in their wine choices, assisting with food and wine pairings, as well as helping them explore some of the lesser-known wines which are often equal in quality to premium and much more expensive labels. Rosemary Best

Dave manages SW Bottle Shop, the retail arm of Sovereign Wines www.swbottleshop.co.uk and can be found in the shop most days, surrounded by bottles of his favourite hobby. You are welcome to browse, and he is always happy to talk about anything wine-related. The shop is at the top of the Plymouth Road Industrial Estate in Tavistock (behind Tesco) and is open Monday to Saturday even through lockdown. Trade customers are welcome at Sovereign Wines, the wholesale arm www.sovereignwines.co.uk, and both can be contacted on 01822 616272. You can read Dave’s wine article in Food & Drink

Lifton • Devon • PL16 0AA

LOCAL PEOPLE

Helping to change lives Last year Lynn Roddy was announced as a finalist for a Lifetime Achievement award in the British Ex-forces In Business Awards. Lynn is the director of the Tavistock and Tamar Valley branch of Home Instead which she launched in July 2018, to provide care at home for elderly people living in the local area. Just 18 months after opening, Lynn’s care franchise was rated ‘outstanding’ by the Care Quality Commission – a level it has continued to achieve and which is only awarded to 4% of care providers. The British Ex-forces In Business Awards is the world’s largest celebration of ex-military in second careers and recognises the value veterans add to businesses. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, the award ceremony was postponed and is now due to take place on 19 May 2021. Lynn’s father died when she was young, leaving her mother, Enid, to raise her on her own. Enid was a nurse and at times life was far from straightforward as a single parent. When Lynn left home, she trained at Sandhurst for a year before becoming an officer in the British Army for 15 years, during which time she met her husband Mike who was a Royal Marine. As she came to the end of her time in the army, Mike received a posting to Devon, so the whole family relocated

down here. A few years later though, her mother started to become unwell, suffering forgetful moments and distress, eventually leading to a diagnosis of vascular dementia. The family decided it would be sensible for Enid to move to Devon as well, and so began a demanding journey for both mother and daughter, as Enid battled with dementia and Lynn entered the ‘sandwich generation’, trying to balance the needs of her primary-age children and an aging parent. After a career in healthcare her mother understood the pressures this situation created for her daughter, and although Lynn sought advice,

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LOCAL PEOPLE

Home Instead carer Tracey with a client

the right help didn’t seem to be accessible. Eventually her mother moved into a residential care home where she received excellent care, but communal living was always a challenge for a lady who was fiercely independent and used to her privacy. Just over three years ago Enid passed away. Lynn’s children had moved onto secondary education by this point and she found herself at a crossroads, feeling she had to some extent lost touch with her own identity after so many years of caring for someone else, and she was unsure about what lay next. She came across Home Instead which specialises in providing personalised care packages, enabling elderly people to stay in their own homes. Lynn immediately wished the concept had been available for her mother, but it also prompted an idea – what better use for money her mother had left her, than to invest it in setting up a Home Instead franchise in the Tavistock area. The Tavistock and Tamar Valley Home Instead is proving very successful, with an ever-growing list of clients and it now employs 80 local staff. Lynn has concentrated on creating a culture of enablement, allowing people to continue living their lives as fully as possible in their own home. The staff are a key element in the process and there is much emphasis on training, as well as ensuring carers feel supported in their roles and that they are a valued member of the team. As a result, there seems to be a recurring theme of staff who go above and beyond to brighten their clients’ lives – such as with a 97-year-old gentleman who described his care package as his ‘hotel service’ and developed such a strong bond with his carer that he felt able to open up and talk about the depression he experienced after losing his wife. Since the outbreak of Covid-19, staff have also administered an invaluable role in keeping families connected with their loved ones, by sharing photos, videos and anecdotes, which have been a real lifeline when visiting was impossible.

As I talked to Lynn it was obvious that this is so much more than a business to her, and her host of innovative ideas and attention to detail are exceptional. She believes that maintaining a community base is crucial, so Home Instead has an extremely close connection with Tavistock Memory Café and is heavily involved with the charity Silver Stories, partnering with children from Lamerton and Mount Kelly schools who read stories to Home Instead’s clients. Children from Mount Kelly have also been corresponding with the clients which has proved incredibly rewarding for everyone involved. Last summer, the Home Instead singing group even gave pop-up performances in clients’ gardens; while for Christmas Lynn filmed a tongue-in-cheek video of The Twelve Days of Christmas - which involved her dressing as a milkmaid and her husband posing as a swan in an ice-cold river! This year Home Instead has started working with Memory Matters in Plymouth to set up virtual ‘talking therapy’ groups to encourage cognitive stimulation, and as a trustee of Cycling Without Age, Lynn is also looking forward to some of the clients having a chance to experience a ride on the franchise’s new trio bike. There seems to be no end to Lynn’s energy – she has run the school PA, Yelverton Cricket Club, Tavistock hockey teams and last year she took on the role of chair of Tavistock Dementia Action Alliance. However, in her current role at Home Instead she has found an incredibly rewarding career in a sector which is only going to increase. Even after 16 years in the army, she feels that now more than ever, she has the opportunity to truly change people’s lives. Rosemary Best

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HEALTH & WELLBEING

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Volunteering & helping others Dr Jo Coldron explains how we can help others, and also benefit ourselves in the process. It has been an intense few months for primary care at the forefront of the coronavirus vaccine roll-out. There have been many joyous moments and it’s been so wonderful to see, even briefly, so many of our patients again who have been isolating and shielding. I’m proud of and hugely thankful to all my colleagues, staff, and the band of volunteers, at Tavyside Health Centre stepping up again and again to spend their weekends helping vaccinate our patients; and I know this is replicated in so many GP surgeries, hospitals and vaccination centres around the country. Although these shifts are long and hard work on top of the day job of continuing to provide the same medical care to the community as we always have, they feel invigorating; the communal way of working side by side to attain a clear and important goal allows relationships to flourish in a different way to the more isolated, standard working day. Be certain that every thank you from the patients is keenly felt and hugely appreciated by the whole team. We continue to have many enquiries about how people can help us and the community with the vaccination drive, which although going extremely well, is still only in its early stages – a marathon, not a sprint. This is what we are advising people: If you are a registered health care professional who is currently or was recently involved in vaccinating as part of your job you may be able to help your GP practice directly after a few hours of covid vaccine specific training. If you aren’t an experienced vaccinator but wish to access training the best route at present is to contact Together for Devon who are coordinating the training and registering of volunteers at togetherfordevon.uk/join-the-vaccine-team. Surgeries may also need help with non-medical roles however, and it is worth contacting them if you feel you may have something to offer. Despite the enormity of the task there are only limited ways to help with the vaccination program but there are so many other roles that you can volunteer for to help the NHS and our patients, for example delivering prescriptions, driving people to appointments, talking to people on the phone and checking if they are all right. To find out more about

these roles go to the NHS Volunteer Responders website at nhsvolunteerresponders.org.uk/. You can also register yourself, or someone you know, for support on the same link or by phoning 0808 196 3646. This pandemic and the required lockdowns have hugely impacted many in our wider community and it will require all our combined skills and energy to recover from this. If you want to help but don’t quite know where to start looking, try the West Devon Borough Council or Plymouth City Council websites or the NCVO site at ncvo.org.uk/ ncvo-volunteering/i-want-to-volunteer. This desire to help people isn’t just altruistic - it’s well recognised that acts of kindness and giving are good for us and actually make us healthier. Actively taking a moment to focus on someone else and do something positive for them can decrease our stress, improve our self-esteem and happiness, decrease our isolation, make us more active and improve our physical health. It is absolutely a win-win situation. These acts of kindness can take the form of volunteering time and skills to build back our communities, but they don’t have to be that grand. For those with time constraints or their own health limitations these acts of kindness can be smaller, but no less powerful. Perhaps checking in on an elderly and isolated neighbour, or calling a friend to see how they’re doing. To make these acts of kindness as powerful for your health as possible think about what you enjoy, and try and incorporate that into your deeds. If you love films pick a great DVD and send it to a friend to watch; if you love cycling accompany a neighbour on a ride; if you love cats search for the cutest cat picture to send to your friend to make them smile – the possibilities are endless because they are personal to each of us. There are some really lovely ideas about how to spread kindness at the following website www.mentalhealth.org. uk. Have a look at the pages ‘Acts of kindness during the coronavirus outbreak’ and their ‘Kindness matters guide’. 13

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HEALTH & WELLBEING

Motivate for success! Have you ever dreamed of running a marathon? How about climbing Kilimanjaro or doing the Three Peaks Challenge? Have you set ambitious plans to get fitter and lose a few pounds, then after a few weeks in the gym, felt unrewarded, or unsure if you are making the fitness gains that you wanted? Goals are great, and having something to aim for in life and in fitness can be the motivation that we need to make the changes that we want to see in ourselves. When it comes to fitness, every year people set themselves goals and challenges with the aim of keeping themselves motivated, but unless these are really strong and meaningful, and their training is purposeful and intentional, and they are focused and dedicated in their training, it is highly unlikely they will achieve them. How do we create meaningful goals? And then how do we go about crafting a training programme for them, which limits the risk of dropping out? Try this - ask yourself some questions (and be honest). What do you want? Do you want to look better? Not breathe so hard walking up a hill? Complete a triathlon? Climb a mountain? Or keep just up with the kids? Think about your dreams as a child - what sort of person did you want to be? Answering some of these questions starts to make your goals meaningful. Achieving any goal is about maintaining motivation. So, making your goals strong, committing personally to them and thinking what it means to you to achieve them, will ensure that when things get tough or you feel that you’re not getting close to your goal, you will have the resilience to get through and keep pushing forwards. Once you have a meaningful goal you will need to then break it down into training aims. Don’t go mad and have multiple goals going on at the same time! Pick one as you will never achieve

all of them; like juggling balls, you can only hold so many before you drop them all. Training aims outline the next stage of designing a training programme, based on the real components of your goal, for example there is no point doing lots of heavy weight training if your goal involves running a long distance (you will need to do some, but you mainly need to run!). This is what we mean by purposeful and intentional training, training that is right and incremental, and helps you build gradually to your training goals. The last component of success is down to you - your levels of commitment and dedication to the training, your resilience to keep going (even if your brain is trying to tell you to quit) and your real desire to achieve your goals. So, set yourself strong and meaningful goals, design and undertake training that is purposeful and intentional, and be dedicated and focused to keep with it! James Dyer

With over 20 years’ experience training elite sports performers, polar adventurers, tactical athletes, first time gym goers, young people and adventure sports participants, James offers goal orientated and professional personal fitness coaching in the Tavistock, Plymouth and Dartmoor areas, as well as online programming and coaching options through his Venture Beyond Brand. Visit www.james-dyer.org or contact 07896091723 or info@james-dyer.org

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HEALTH & WELLBEING

Join the PRINCIPLE treatment trial if you have Covid-19 symptoms Adult residents in Devon with typical Covid-19 symptoms are being urged to join the national priority PRINCIPLE trial of treatments for recovery at home. Led by University of Oxford researchers, the Platform Randomised trial of INterventions against Covid-19 In older peoPLE (PRINCIPLE) trial is investigating treatments for early-stage Covid-19 that can reduce overall recovery time and the burden of symptoms - and prevent the need for hospital admission. Previously, only adults aged 50 or over and at most risk of complications from the illness were eligible to join the PRINCIPLE trial. With the nationwide vaccine programme continuing at pace in vulnerable adults, and the remaining urgent need for evidence-based treatments for recovery at home, then expanding parts of the trial to adults aged under 50 will provide new insights into whether treatments can help those at greater risk of severe Covid-19 illness. The trial now includes participants with suspected or confirmed Covid-19 either aged 18-64 with shortness of breath from the illness, or certain underlying health conditions that put them at risk of severe illness, or those aged over 65. Since launching in March 2020, PRINCIPLE has so far recruited more than 4,470 volunteers from across the UK, making it the largest trial of Covid-19 treatments to take place in community settings. This includes almost 200 from across the South West. The PRINCIPLE trial has so far determined that the antibiotics azithromycin and doxycycline are not effective treatments during the early stages of Covid-19. The trial continues to investigate budesonide, an inhaled corticosteroid, in people aged over 50; and it most recently added colchicine for participants aged 18+, an inexpensive anti-inflammatory drug widely used in the UK for many years as a treatment for acute gout.

The research team is appealing for people with suspected or confirmed coronavirus symptoms to join the trial either online, over the telephone or via their GP practice. The trial is entirely remote, meaning face-to-face visits with the trial team in Oxford are not needed. Professor Michael Gibbons, clinical director for the Clinical Research Network South West Peninsula, said: “We are asking for eligible volunteers aged over 18 from all across the South West to join the PRINCIPLE trial when they first experience Covid-19 symptoms, and help in the search for potential treatments. With Covid-19 still circulating in the community, and little known about the effect of new viral variants on younger adults, it is vital that we seize this window of opportunity to generate high-quality evidence to determine which treatments work, and which don’t.” PRINCIPLE is funded by a grant to the University of Oxford from UK Research and Innovation and the Department of Health and Social Care through the National Institute for Health Research as part of the UK Government’s rapid research response fund. To find out more about how to join the study, visit www.principletrial.org or call 0800 138 0880.

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CHARITY FOCUS

The Mary Budding Trust Supporting children with special needs The Mary Budding Trust has been proud to continue its work during the pandemic, helping children with special needs by funding resources and equipment that can help with learning, health and general day-to-day living.

What is the Mary Budding Trust? The Mary Budding Trust supports children with special needs, aged eleven or under, living within the area of Okehampton, Tavistock and surrounding villages, by providing grants and equipment. The trust is a self-funding charity run by unpaid volunteers and was inspired by the vision of the late Dr Mary Budding. In 1984, in association with Mencap, she set up the Mary Budding Centre, then in 1991 the centre moved to a unit in Tavistock Primary School. The Mary Budding Trust was established in 2002 and is organised by a small group of voluntary trustees. All the funds held by the trust go directly to support young children with special needs within the area covered by the trust.

Marina with her new chair

A multi-sensory room provides a special place where a child feels safe and able to learn

How do we work? Trustees meet several times a year to consider applications for young children with special needs, made by their parents, carers, education and healthcare professionals. Many applications are for items and resources not covered by health and education authorities, very often for simple requirements, for example a car seat, a pushchair, a bean bag for a child with learning difficulties, or a weighted blanket to help a child sleep better; an electronic sleep monitor for a child with breathing problems can mean that the whole family then gets a good night’s rest knowing that they don’t have to keep watch in shifts beside the child’s bed. These relatively small items can make the world of difference to the health and wellbeing of a child and also to the whole family. As well as small individual grants, we have also funded larger projects, such as soundfield hearing systems and multisensory rooms in schools. More recently, a multisensory room was built in Lewtrenchard Primary School with funds raised in memory of the late Ann MacDonald OBE, who was the trust’s secretary for many years.

CHARITY FOCUS

As a small, local charity, we have been able to respond to applications extremely quickly and get resources out within just a few days, enabling children to thrive, grow and learn, while providing much needed support for their carers too. This last year, trustees have had Zoom meetings and communicated via our data secure online platform to speed up the application process. Our application forms are very easy to complete and can be done by families or professionals who support a child. (A short supporting statement is required from a professional if a parent or carer is making an application. Forms and further information can be found on our website.)

Our challenges Although life has been difficult for us all this past year, children with special and additional needs are even more vulnerable at the moment and their learning and development have been greatly affected. This need has been particularly great during the lockdowns, while many children have not been able to attend school or other settings, or families have had to shield. As you will have seen in the national press, there has been an urgent need for technology to assist home learning and the Mary Budding Trust has had a significant increase in applications for

laptops since last March. In addition, we have enabled Tavistock Community Primary and Nursery School to access Tavistock Town Council funding of £750 for laptops.

Please help We urgently need your help to continue our work. Like many small charities over the past year our income through donations has dwindled to almost nothing, but we still want to do as much as we can. Each child has only one chance in life so our aim is to give children as full and rich a life as possible. Making just a small donation can make a huge difference. We know that the children who will be helped by your support will be extremely grateful. Thank you for helping to make a difference to their lives and life chances.

• £17 can buy sensory toys • £35 can buy a weighted blanket • £350 can buy a high-quality laptop to aid home learning To find out how you can make a donation or learn more about the work of the Mary Budding Trust please visit www.marybuddingtrust.org.uk or our Facebook page.

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GARDENING

Gardening for spring Early spring is a great time to revitalise garden borders that have become lacklustre, overcrowded, or somehow never quite satisfactory. New plants can be settled in before the growing season really kicks off; mature shrubs may be rejuvenated by hard pruning; herbaceous perennials and ornamental grasses can be divided to turn single plants or small groups into large, eye-catching drifts. It’s easy to overlook how plants grow and change over time and a once-attractive border will have plants that have grown at different speeds to become unbalanced.

of colour through every season will pay dividends. Choose pollinator-friendly plants wherever possible: bees, butterflies and other insects need every bit of help we can give. Go to www.rhs.org.uk for its extensive downloadable list of Plants for Pollinators. Fortunately, garden centres and nurseries have mostly remained open during lockdown (check opening times first though), providing a good opportunity to buy any new plants you need and continuing to support local businesses wherever possible.

Start by looking at the largest plants – usually shrubs, sometimes conifers. Even quite mature plants, particularly evergreens, can be moved to a new site if done with care. It very much depends on the type and the root system, but if a plant is in the wrong place, it’s worth a go. Do check for nesting birds first, though, and delay until autumn if you have any residents. Get the new planting hole prepared first; dig round the plant and slip a piece of tarp underneath to keep as much soil round the roots as possible. The other option is to hard prune: the usual method of rejuvenating a mature plant is to thin out about a third of the oldest stems near the ground, letting light and air through the congested centre and encouraging new growth. However, there are some shrubs such as camellias and laurels that can be taken back almost to the ground, even when mature, and they will regrow really well. Late-summer flowering shrubs such as butterfly bush (Buddleja) can also be hard pruned in total too.

Seed sowing

Introducing just a few new plants to a border can make an astonishing transformation. Think about contrasting shape, foliage, and stem colour as these will impact all year. Flowers are delightful, of course, and choosing blooms for a succession

Growing summer flowers and veggies from seed is one of the delights of the season, and the magic of planting tiny little seeds and seeing them develop into glorious plants is something that I never tire of.

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...

DON’T Get in a rut with what you grow. Plant breeders are constantly introducing new varieties with features such as improved garden performance, disease resistance, ability to withstand weather, and new colour breaks. Sow a whole packet in one go unless there’s very few seeds. Keep some in reserve in case the first sowing fails and seeds often keep for years. Sowing thinly gives healthier seedlings too. Pot on everything if lots of seedlings germinate. No point in potting 20 tomatoes if you only need six.

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GARDENING Wildside, Buckland Monachorum

DO... Have a go. The simplest ones

to start with are hardy annual flowers and veg. Make a wish list from a catalogue or website browsing. Then total up the quantity and cost, look at your available space, and probably cut it drastically! Use a good seed compost, which is finer texture and lower in nutrients than multipurpose compost. Label with plant name and sowing date.

Gardening jobs for the season Plant lily bulbs in tubs or in the ground, into soil or compost with organic matter and good drainage. Not all are scented, so if perfume is your priority, plant regal lily (Lilium regale) and sumptuous Oriental hybrids.

Avoid weedkiller and instead kill weeds the slow and easy way, by covering the ground with light-excluding brown cardboard or landscaping fabric. Plant seed potatoes, onion sets, shallot, and garlic varieties that are suitable for spring planting. Add or expand the water in your garden to benefit wildlife. A pond is fantastic and can be made to any size. Even just a bird bath will be a big attraction: do clean and refresh the water regularly and remember to clean bird feeders too. Sue Fisher

Sue continues to be available for garden advisory visits and design work,

Big clumps of crocus and snowdrops can be transplanted now by lifting the clump, separating into several clusters of bulbs, and replanting.

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GARDENING

Volunteer at one of Devon’s unique garden landscapes Wheal Jenny, a hidden gem at Tuckermarsh, Bere Alston, is a naturalistic, wild landscape garden, planted in the manner of a Himalayan valley. Home to over 500 bamboos and a galaxy of desirable exotic plants, it has many interesting garden features, including an old railway cutting planted with tree ferns, as well as panoramic views down to the Tamar at Calstock and up river to Endsleigh. One visitor described it as ‘the Eden Project,

without the bubble wrap’. Primarily a private garden of six and a half acres, we open for Garden Societies and by appointment. Previous horticultural student volunteers have gone on to forge successful careers in horticulture, such as Sid Hill, who began his own garden design practice specialising in beautiful ecological landscapes and was featured in episode 21 of Gardeners’ World last year; also Chris Hull, who went on to study Garden

Design at Winchester, before launching his own company - The Green Book at Bath. He’s currently working on a new TV series due to air in 2022. Both cite the experience, knowledge, and enthusiasm gained here, as paramount in their early development. If you would like the chance to work amongst rare plants in an idyllic setting within the Tamar Valley, please contact John Bailey on 01822 840860 or 07876 413387.

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FARMING NEWS

It’s all about teamwork Even with the backdrop of a worldwide pandemic, the seasonal wheels on the farm still turn and during April and May spring is truly in the air! The days are pulling out and there is new life everywhere with lambing well on its way and calving due to start in April. Let’s hope the weather behaves as it can make such a difference to this season with so much fragile new life on the farm. But as always with us farming types, we are never happy as we need it dry and warm, but with just enough moisture about to get the grass growing. Although as we all know, living on this wet rock called Dartmoor, moisture isn’t usually a problem! It’s fantastic that the schools are now back. It has been lovely to have the boys around, but home schooling has been a challenge to put it mildly! Gemma has been amazing and coped with the boys really well, with a bit of daddy maths when needed, but we did a massive ‘whoop whoop’ when they returned in March. I think we all appreciate the hard work of our essential workers a bit more given the last 12 months, but to teachers and their teams I would like to say: “I am very happy to see you back and I have so much respect for the efforts you put in for our children - and I am sorry the boys may have a broader vocabulary than when they were last in the classroom!” We had a bit of drama on Dartmoor back in February with a wild fire on the moor near Peter Tavy which made national news. It could be seen for miles with the wind making it quite dangerous. But fires are common on moorlands across the country; as the old moorland vegetation dies off and dries out quickly it burns very easily. Generally, farmers work together to make sure there are fire-breaks and smaller controlled burns which help to protect against larger wild fires like this one. We also have a working relationship with the fire brigade where

the farmers go out and fight wild fires with the brigade; we are trained, and have specialist water pumps and a beater which goes on our quad bikes and helps put out fires, plus we know the ground. It works really well, but given the pressure the emergency services are currently under, farmers haven’t been able to do any controlled burns in 2020 or 2021. Let’s hope there aren’t any more fires and that next year during the swaling (burning) season during winter we can get out and burn some fire-breaks to protect our moorland. For the last eight years, Graham my brother in-law, has been working with me on the farm. He came to the farm from a background of plant hire as well as being a very active young farmer where he grew up in Kent. Finding himself fed up with his current job when I was in need of help, he jumped into the farm team as a temporary stopgap for both of us. Eight years later he has become my right-hand man but is now moving on reluctantly, having secured a position as a depot manager for a national plant hire depot, which is what he did originally. He will be sorely missed and I will struggle to replace him. It is a sad reflection that farming isn’t profitable enough to compete with other industries and all too often our best team members get poached. But I would just like to say thank you to Graham for his valuable contribution to the team at Greenwell and good luck! Mat Cole, Greenwell Farm

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NATURALIST

The joy of lichens s you walk around towns, villages, woodland, moorland or the seashore, you may have noticed A

small greyish-green or orange-yellow plants growing on walls, rocks, roofs, trees, the soil, gravestones, or seashore rocks; many of these are lichens. Lichens are a close association or a ‘symbiosis’ between a fungus and an alga in which both organisms benefit. There are many different types of lichens, including over 1900 in Britain of which around 900 are found in Devon. To fully enjoy them you need to use a magnifying glass, or a jeweller’s loupe (available from opticians), or better still a X10 hand lens. If you look closely at them, you will see that they are truly beautiful. They occur in several forms: crust-like (crustose, tightly attached to trees or rocks), leafy (foliose) or shrubby (fruticose); some even produce tiny ‘pixie-cups’. They are found growing on almost all types of surface, including metal, PVC plastic, and glass; some even grow on my car! Lichens can grow in very harsh environments such as deserts, mountain tops or the high Arctic. In the Himalayas they have been found growing at 7400 metres (over 24,000 feet). Lichens are highly sensitive to atmospheric pollution, particularly sulphur dioxide (SO2). In industrial city centres, there are very few lichens as a result of high concentrations of SO2; but as the air becomes progressively cleaner the variety of lichens increases, until in very clean air, such as we have in many parts of Devon, rare species may be found – such as the ‘string of sausages’ lichen (Usnea articulata) which is fairly common on Dartmoor. As well as being indicators of air quality, the presence of certain species of lichens is a sign of ancient woodland. Whereas on the rocky seashore there are several lichen ‘zones’; the lowest tide-washed zone is black, looking tarlike (this is Verrucaria); above this is an orange zone (with Caloplaca), and higher still is a grey zone with ‘sea ivory’ (Ramalina). In earlier centuries, lichens were used extensively in dyeing woollen clothes, and even today a few people still use small amounts for dyeing; ‘cudbear’ (Ochrolechia) produced a crimson or purple dye (extracted by soaking it in urine!), while ‘crottle’ (or crotal, Parmelia) gave a brown colour. A few lichens are also used to make perfumes with a musk-like fragrance. The Saami people who inhabit Lapland (northern Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia) traditionally have herds of reindeer which they live with all year round. In these Arctic areas lichens such as ‘reindeer moss’ (Cladonia) are an important food source for reindeer and make up 60-70% of their diet in winter. Lichens are very slow growing, some growing less than 1 millimetre (mm) per year, others up to 5 mm or more per year. By studying the growth rate of different lichens, it is possible to estimate the age of a lichen and therefore the age of its ‘host’. For instance, the stone sculptures on Easter Island are estimated to be 400 years old, while the oldest alpine lichens may live up to 1000 years! Lichens, known as dog lichens (Peltigera), also sometimes grow in lawns, as do weeds. Gardeners often worry about ‘weeds’ – but they are basically beautiful wildflowers which appear, according to some gardeners, in the ‘wrong’ place. Many flowers such as dandelions, daisies, self-heal, speedwell, hawkbits, buttercups, primroses, nettles, etc., are foodplants for insects such as hoverflies, bees, butterflies and moths. As gardeners, we can take a positive step towards helping maintain insect populations by allowing just a part of our lawn to become a wildflower meadow, simply by not mowing it for weeks or even months until the wildflowers have finished. Anthony John

If you wish to find out more about lichens, the Field Studies Council publishes fold-out charts (available from local bookshops) showing many of the common lichens; much useful information can also be found on the British Lichen Society website www.britishlichen society.org.uk. 25

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EDUCATION

A laptop lifeline Concern about limited access to IT equipment for local pupils prompted West Devon Borough Council to share £4,000 between two local secondary schools. Tavistock College and Okehampton College received the cash boost to spend on equipment to help children struggling to access online learning at home. The £4,000 donation was funded through the council’s SeaMoor Lotto fund, which is run to support local good causes, with 60% of each £1 lottery ticket purchased, ploughed back into the community to do good. If no specific local community group has been selected by a lotto player, this money goes into a central fund. The council agreed that using this fund would help children in the community who are struggling.

Rotary Round-up The third lockdown has been hard for everyone but especially for families where parents are working from home with children trying to access online learning. Many children were working on mobile phones or did not have access to a laptop during the working day. Tavistock Rotary has been collecting unused laptops and iPads, which are then checked and data cleansed by our IT specialists, Graham and Tony, before being passed on to Tavistock College. We ensure that each laptop is capable of downloading Google Classroom, which is the platform used by the college. We have passed on 25 laptops to the college so far with more in the pipeline, while the iPads have gone to St Peter’s Junior School. If you have an unused laptop or iPad just lying around please consider passing it on to Tavistock Rotary by calling Nigel Ellis on 01822 616507 – it could make a big difference to a child’s life. Usually at this time of year we have planned a lot of activities to engage with the youth of the town. This year has been

difficult as we were not able to work with the schools during lockdown and in addition did not want to apply more pressure to teachers’ workloads. However, we’re pleased to confirm that the English departments of Tavistock College and Mount Kelly are both taking part in the Young Writers competition. Children are asked to write 500 words about ‘My happiest day’, and we look forward to sharing some of their work in the near future.

DMAT receives £220,000 of ‘green’ funding Dartmoor Multi-Academy Trust (DMAT) was recently awarded more than £220,000 worth of ‘green’ Government funding, by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy’s (BEIS) Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS). The money will allow the trust to invest in green technology across the 17 schools, which include Tavistock College, with the trust believing these changes could lead to energy savings of more than 450,000 kWh per year, which in turn could save the schools more than £45,000 per year.

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COMMUNITY NEWS

Welcome back! We would like to welcome locals and visitors alike back into Tavistock as coronavirus restrictions start to ease. We are blessed to have lots of open space to enjoy your visit to the town and you can be assured of your safety – with additional signage, hand sanitiser stations and renewed street graphics among some of the measures in place. Our businesses cannot wait to see you back! We are kicking off spring in Tavistock with the annual ‘Paint the Town’ event beginning on April 10th. This year, with many people having faced extended periods of isolation, the event involves the wider community as well as schools. Working with West Devon Art Workshops, some of the displays will incorporate light – signifying our hope that the worst is over and the town can re-open and thrive once more. We will be relaunching the Tavistock town app ‘Tavistock Local’ in the coming weeks. Along with the Visit Tavistock website, this will be an engaging source of useful information about the town and its businesses. If you haven’t downloaded it already, you can easily do so from Google Play and the Apple App Store. Don’t forget you can continue to support the high street by giving the gift of Tavistock – The Tavistock Gift Card. With over

50 places to spend it, this makes a great gift for any occasion throughout the year. You can purchase a card online at www. tavistockgiftcard.co.uk, or pick one up from Lawsons Tavistock, or load your own from any of the participating businesses.

BID Events 01 April – 17 April TAVISTOCK EASTER EGG HUNT Another egg-citing and free trail brought to you by Tavistock BID. Collect your clue sheet and find all the eggs to earn yourself a prize. Collect your sheets from The Pasty House, Mime Café or download them at www.visit-tavistock.co.uk/ towntrails

From 10 April PAINT THE TOWN WITH LIGHT, TAVISTOCK Local businesses, in conjunction with local primary schools and community groups, will create bright and wonderful window displays throughout town to bring Tavistock alive for spring. A seed swap activity will be taking place on Bedford Square. www.visit-tavistock.co.uk/whats-on

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COMMUNITY NEWS

Buying Local Liz Abell from The Diverse Regeneration Company, explains how money spent locally creates a vital ‘circle of life’ that helps maintain our communities and longer-term local economic stability. A report from data agency Kantar, found that 65 per cent of UK consumers believe that ‘local shops and businesses are important to the community.’ Well certainly in the case of local food and farming, it means fewer carbon emissions from fewer miles travelled, will often be fresher, better quality, will taste better and is more likely to be ‘plastic free’ in terms of packaging. On top of all these benefits money is reinvested back into the local economy, creating more jobs and improving job security. A number of research companies have been taking a closer look at how money flows in and out of areas and have noticed profound economic impacts of keeping money within a community. This flow of money in and out can quite literally make all the difference to a community, town or even village’s survival. Research by The New Economics Foundation, found that twice the money spent in local shops or at a farmers’ market, in comparison to that spent in a supermarket, would stay within the local community. The community can then benefit by spending it on services, support facilities and investment in new businesses and jobs. This in turn also means money spent locally can help save our towns from losing local shops and services. GRAIN FREE MADE IN THE UK

Perhaps more surprisingly, buying local has implications on a global scale. Just a small increase in exchange rates or the rise of oil prices globally could see the cost of many imported products rising. Therefore by supporting our own producers and manufacturers, this gives us more resilience to cope with future global fluctuations. Another perhaps overlooked bonus to buying local, which we’ve particularly seen during the past few months, is its ability to give us a vital source of human contact, helping us all stay mentally and socially healthy. As you can see, buying local products, using local services and supporting our local manufacturers, gives us so much more than just a feel-good factor! As such I would urge you this year to support the amazing local businesses and food producers we have across the region. So please think local and buy local. Liz Abell Managing Director, The Diverse Regeneration Company

The Diverse Regeneration Company, a not for profit CIC, supports rural and coastal businesses and community organisations; it can assist with securing grant funding for projects in sectors such as farming, forestry, tourism and community, and help with many aspects of business from project planning, diversification, bid writing and more.

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COMMUNITY NEWS

Robert Kilby sealing the lane to Ramscliffe © Chris Chapman 2001

2001 - the year of the foot & mouth epidemic While our lives are being turned upside down thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, 20 years ago another virus was wreaking havoc in many countryside communities in the UK and particularly so in West Devon. I remember talking to our next door neighbour, retired farmer Ginger White, in the bar of the Blacksmith’s Arms at Lamerton, the weekend that foot and mouth disease was discovered in Devon. The dread he felt was plain to see. I was working at the Tavistock Times then, the fax machine on the corner of my desk. In the months that followed, curled paper messages from DEFRA spewed out endlessly, recording the relentless march of foot and mouth disease across the countryside. Police kept watch by taped-off farm gates, fields steadily emptied, infected stock was destroyed and even sadder, healthy animals were killed, just for being ‘contiguous’ or next to a farm where the virus had been found. A total of 173 cases were confirmed in the county - some 390,000 animals slaughtered and burned on huge pyres. The effects of the epidemic were felt throughout the area, not just within the farming community. Public footpaths and bridleways were closed, setting foot on farmland, common land and Dartmoor was prohibited, while disinfectant-soaked straw was laid down across car park entrances in an effort to halt the spread of the deadly disease. Sue Wonnacott, whose family farm is just outside South Zeal, remembered: “We used to go up into our fields on the moor in the evening and you could see the smoke and the pyres all around - it was an awful sight. But farmers are very resilient, they are

Preparing the pyre, Ramscliffe Farm, Beaford, North Devon © Chris Chapman 2001

Gathering sheep, Vellake Corner - July, by Mary Heard

very good at bouncing back, they get on with their lives. And the farming community is good at getting stuck in and helping each other out. It’s like now, people have come together and it’s brought out a lot of good in the community.” Christine Marsh of Okehampton was newly elected to Devon County Council at the time of the epidemic and was a member of the authority’s inquiry panel into the crisis. The 90-page report, Crisis and Opportunity, recommended that in future, culling of animals should be limited to those which had proven contact with infected stock, that research into vaccination should be carried out and that the army should co-ordinate the response to any future outbreak from the start - also that a national contingency plan be drawn up. Christine was scathing of the way the epidemic was handled, however she said: “It was a very, very sad time in our history, but we moved on, in the same way we will move on from this Covid pandemic.” Jane Honey

COMMUNITY NEWS

Tavistock Community Fridge Tavy Fridge opened in March in the lobby of Tavistock Library, providing free fruit and veg, bakery items, packaged food and chilled food – it is one of over a hundred community fridges to open across the UK since 2016. The idea of a community fridge originated in Germany as a way of reducing food waste and the carbon footprint that goes with it. The charitable organisation, WRAP (Waste Resources Action Programme) has calculated that a third of all food produced for human consumption is thrown away! In the UK alone, 9.5 million tonnes of food are wasted by households and the retail and hospitality industries, generating 25 million tonnes of greenhouse gasses and costing the nation £19 billion a year. Tavistock librarian Denise Gatley, felt motivated to do something for the community as times grew harder during the first 2020 lockdown. “Tavistock pulled together in an amazing way during lockdown but it was obvious that job losses and reduced incomes were hitting the community hard. Libraries Unlimited fully supported the project, providing the space and covering public liability and insurance. Their backing has made a huge difference,” said Denise. Denise, and Alison Knight from Live West recruited a small group of volunteers; Live West provided funding of £1,300 and Tavy Fridge coordinator Sharon Gedye, started looking for doners. The food retail and hospitality industries dispose of a huge amount of food that is past its best-before date or has damaged outer packaging, but is still perfectly good and edible, in particular, fruit, vegetables and bakery items. All three supermarkets in Tavistock responded to the Tavy Fridge request for help and the hope is eventually for other food businesses, gardening groups and even the public to be able to offer surplus food. Over four million tonnes of edible food are thrown away by UK households every year, costing the average family £700! You can find helpful hints on how to reduce food wastage our Facebook page.

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Denise Gatley (Libraries Unlimited) & Alison Knight (Live West)

Tavy Fridge is available during library opening hours, five days a week – for more details see tavyfridge.org. If you would like to volunteer to help please contact volunteers@tavyfridge. org; for donations email information@tavyfridge.org; business doners please contact foodpartners@tavyfridge.org; To Good to Go and Olio are useful apps for sourcing excess food. Tavy Fridge coordinators would like to say a big thank you to Libraries Unlimited, Live West, Trudy Eperon from The Lemon Grove Café for her support, guidance and donations, Dartprint for the posters and signage, ABC for hosting the Tavy Fridge website, Tesco, the Co-op and Lidl for their donations and Sharon Gedye’s partner Steve for sourcing and building the shelving free of charge! Sarah Cooper

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COMMUNITY NEWS

Hat trick of tourism awards for Devon Yurt

Devon Yurt, established in 2007, was a pioneer in the glamping world. Now entering its 14th year, it remains at the peak of its game and for a third consecutive year, owner Julia Martin has received news that they have reached the finals of the Devon Tourism Awards; last year they received the gold award for glamping and are poised this year for a further top accolade. They were also the silver award winners in the South West Tourism Excellence awards in 2020 and have a gold award from Green Tourism which is only awarded to businesses with a significant investment in green issues and sustainability. A closer look at Julia’s business explains why these awards are flooding in. With just two yurts in their own private paddocks on a beautiful West Devon farm overlooking

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Dartmoor National Park, guests have the benefit of both natural surroundings and luxury. Each yurt has its own firepit and logfired hot tub; the attention to detail is exemplary, with one guest likening it to a hotel, but with more space and privacy. Couple this with a plethora of stunning, rare breed animals to get to know on the farm, great places to visit in the neighbourhood, and a range of local food items that can be delivered to the door - from breakfast baskets, BBQ packs and new for this season, a pizza pack. Always thinking of ways to improve the visitor experience, Julia has even ordered a new barrel sauna, arriving later this season. If you want to sample a touch of glamping luxury without the risk of travelling very far from home this summer, use code LINKS21 to qualify for a free hot tub session during your stay. For further information visit www. devonyurt.co.uk or telephone Julia on 01822 870366.

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COMMUNITY NEWS

Spring symphony As the days get longer, we can start to make the most of the lighter mornings and early evenings. Wildlife is also responding to this increase in natural daylight and warming temperatures, encouraging animals to pair up and prepare a safe space to raise their young. I’m sure many of you wake up to the sound of bird song, maybe a robin or wren is singing in your garden. Our resident birds are the first to start the spring chorus – male birds sing at first sunlight to attract a mate or defend their territory. Migrant birds join the choir later to create a melodious symphony culminating in May. Join others around the world to celebrate ‘International Dawn Chorus Day’ on Sunday 2 May at wildlifetrusts.org/dawn-chorus-day.

Common frog by D. Deveney

Some bird species start to pair up earlier than others, so in February I started to survey the Burrator woodlands for one of Devon’s rarest birds, the Willow tit. It looks virtually identical to a Marsh tit - both are similar in size, have a black cap and favour damp habitats such as wet woodland or scrubby edges of Rhos pasture near streams and ditches, so spotting the difference is virtually impossible. The only reliable way of distinguishing between them is to listen to their song or

Wren in song by E. Scotney

contact calls – so we use a playback song/call and wait for a response. Unfortunately, no willow tits have responded yet but I did see a beautiful pair of Marsh tits, listened to a mistle thrush in song (sounds quite like a blackbird) and heard great spotted woodpeckers drumming to establish their territory. Another creature we associate with spring is the Common frog, when the males croak at night or early morning. I came across frog spawn in most of the wet flushes, and even saw a few worn out frogs enjoying the sun’s rays! The female frog lays thousands of eggs each spring to ensure survival – only 1 in 50 eggs makes it to tadpole stage and the odds are even lower to reach final adult stage. You can attract frogs to your garden by creating a small pond – it’s amazing how quickly they will find it. The pond should have gentle sloping sides to allow the frogs to climb out and a deeper area in the centre so they can hibernate at the bottom in the mud, but don’t introduce fish as they will eat any frog spawn. Freshwater Habitats Trust is collecting spawn data at freshwaterhabitats. org.uk/projects/pondnet/spawnsurvey2021 or for advice on how to create a garden pond visit freshwaterhabitats.org.uk/ pond-clinic/create-pond. I hope you can get into your garden or local green space and appreciate the beauty and sounds of nature in full song. Deborah Deveney Burrator Biodiversity Officer, South West Lakes Trust

We are planning to re-open On the 17th May A Family Run Hideaway in Devon 34

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legally speaking... Our regular law column with

LAW

want to end their days and how they want their finances and care requirements to be arranged. I have had the privilege of working with numerous clients in these given circumstances – It is always advantageous if I can meet my client(s) when they are relatively well and they are able to share what they would like and how they would require such support. Of course, this is not always the case and I am equally able to act at short notice, liaising with hospitals, agencies and ﬁnancial institutions in order to fulﬁl a client’s wish. I receive calls at any point of a client’s life, notably when ill health means one’s independence is limited or in the extreme, completely taken away. Sometimes, it is a

home in preparation for the arrival of your loved one can include arranging provision of necessary equipment such as a hospital bed, hoists, commodes, moving and handling, standing frames, settling in live-in carers, arranging furniture, grocery shopping or setting up internet access. As a financial Attorney I arrange payments of bills, staff and keep account of income and expenditure. Above all, it is about understanding the person’s wishes in the event, I am required to act. Having the combined clinical and legal experience, I am confident to make difficult decisions which balance practicalities and instructions/wishes of my clients – being in a position to transform someone’s life, facilitate

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WHAT’S ON

Join Tavistock Heritage Trust For a comedy night and a fascinating collection of arts and heritage talks - all on Zoom

Thursday 1 April, 7:30pm Cheer Up Tavistock 2: The Return We’re proud (and a little bit amazed) to be able to confirm this fantastic line-up for this online stand-up comedy event, with headline act Patrick Monahan – an Irish Iranian Teesside observational stand-up comedian, who has performed at 16 Edinburgh International festivals as well as on BBC1 & 2, ITV1 & 2, C4, C5 & Sky 1. Also appearing are 3 amazing South West comedians: Firuz Ozari, Danielle Johns…and of course your host Christian Russell-Pollock.

Thursday 8th April, 7.00pm Sophie Matthews Music in Art Sophie will be taking us on a journey across the centuries looking at some of the extraordinary musical instruments that appear in great works of art. The talk will also include live demonstrations of the instruments depicted. Sophie is a musician well-known for her prowess on the English border bagpipes and also plays a variety of early woodwind instruments such as shawm, rauschpfeife, crumhorm recorder and baroque musette.

Thursday 22nd April, 7.00pm Geri Parlby Garbo to Garland: The Magical Art of Hollywood Lights, Camera, Action! – The inside stories of the art and artifice of the early decades of Hollywood, featuring behindthe-scenes stories of photographers, costumiers, make-up artists, designers, technicians and the actors and actresses who created the magic of the silver screen. Geri is a former journalist and head of press for United International Pictures during the 1980s. She has a Masters in History of Art from the Courtauld Institute and has been lecturing for 15 years, in the UK and internationally.

Thursday 6th May, 7.00pm James Wright Historic Graffiti Modern graffiti is often seen as transgressive and moronic. However, the walls of our historic buildings, trees, caves and rockfaces hold a world of graffiti that illuminates the psychology of our ancestors, with images of daisywheels, ships, knights, demons and every animal imaginable… James Wright FSA is a buildings archaeologist from Triskele Heritage. With over twenty years of professional experience, he has published a number of books and articles concentrating on mediaeval and early modern architecture. 36

Thursday 20th May, 7.00pm Nicholas Henderson Whatever happened after Henry VIII The forgotten tumultuous years following the death of Henry VIII, ending in the final demise of the Tudor dynasty. Three queens and two kings, murder and plot, the strange precursors to the growth and development of Empire and the Modern World. A graduate of Selwyn College, Cambridge, Nicholas was formerly Bishop-elect for the Diocese of Lake Malawi in Central Africa (2005-2009). He has a particular interest in the period of the English Reformation and the associated cultural, architectural and social changes it has produced.

Thursday 3rd June, 7.00pm David Rosier ‘Heaven’s Embroidered Cloth’: The History and Development of Chinese Imperial Silk 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. 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. David has lived and worked in Asia for 25 years and whilst living in Hong Kong he assembled a collection of approximately 700, predominately Qing Dynasty (16441911), Imperial and related textiles/costume accessories. He is a regular lecturer for the Arts Society. Zoom talks cost £5 and support the work of the Tavistock Heritage Trust. Further information and booking details on all talks are available at heritageintavistock.org/events and from Richard Rundell at richard.rundell@tavistockguildhall.org or 07470 774842.

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WHAT’S ON

Thursday 8th April, 7pm

A Virtual Guided Tour of Higher Uppacott Medieval yeoman farmers on Dartmoor lived in longhouses alongside their animals. Some of these longhouses can still be seen across the moor today but over time many of them have been converted and made more comfortable; losing some of their historic features. Higher Uppacott is a wonderful example of a traditional Dartmoor longhouse which still has its living quarters at one end and the shippon for cattle at the other. Join national park guide Ian Johnstone, for a guided tour of this fascinating building looking at the clues that tell us how people lived in it for hundreds of years. This is a story of how each generation tried to make the building more comfortable, making small improvements over time which can be seen in the fabric of the walls, windows and even the thatch. This online talk is organised by Dartmoor National Park as part of a programme of monthly talks bringing Dartmoor’s incredible heritage to you in the comfort of your own home.

image © DNPA

Register for a ticket to watch this talk at trybooking.com/uk/ book/sessions?eid=16843&embed=true The talk will take place on YouTube. If you have a YouTube account, you can ask questions throughout the chat or you can email in advance and during the talk at education@dartmoor. gov.uk, and Ian will do his best to answer. You will get full joining instructions once you have booked your ticket.

Tavistock Local History Society Tuesday 13th April, 7.30pm Zoom meeting: Dartmoor National Park Authority archaeologist Dr Lee Bray presents ‘White Horse Hill’ and the discovery of a Bronze Age granite cist, or grave, in 2011.

Tuesday 11th May, 7.00pm

Outdoor visit: ‘The Merrivale Landscape – 5,000 years of human activity’ with Andrew Thompson – heritage consultant, archaeologist and historian. If restrictions do not permit an outdoor meeting, Andrew will present via Zoom instead.

See our community website www.dartmoorlinks.co.uk

Merrivale stone rows

All meetings via Zoom are free (just send a request via our website). Other meetings are open to non-members for £3. All meetings are subject to change depending on how the situation with the pandemic develops. For latest updates see www.tavistockhistory.co.uk or contact the secretary.

Join our city’s amazing cast of characters

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WHAT’S ON

From 18 May

Wampum: Stories from the Shells of Native America This new touring exhibition is presented by The Box, Plymouth in partnership with the Wampanoag cultural advisors SmokeSygnals, as part of Mayflower 400 - the international commemoration programme of events and exhibitions in 2020 and 2021 to mark the voyage, and impact, of the Mayflower and its passengers. The exhibition unites contemporary indigenous artists and educators in the USA with museums and

historic collections in the UK, as well as featuring the first artistic commission from the UK to acknowledge our cultural connection to the Wampanoag Native American nation - a new wampum belt. Told by Wampanoag voices throughout, the exhibition is the story of Wampanoag Native America, whose people have lived in north eastern America for 12,000 years; their nation extended beyond Boston, into Central Massachusetts and south to Rhode Island. Funded by Arts Council England the exhibition explores the history, art

and culture of the Native Americans who met the passengers of the Mayflower in 1620 and ensured their survival. Yet for almost 400 years, the impact of the Mayflower’s arrival on the Wampanoag Nation has been widely marginalised in the telling of Mayflower history. Wampum belts are a tapestry of art and tribal history. Wampum, translates literally as ‘bead’. Made from the purple and white shells of the whelk and quahog, wampum beads embody the Wampanoag connection to the sea and to life itself. Wampum belts are of cultural, sacred and symbolic significance to the Wampanoag nation. Through wampum belts, the Wampanoag share stories of their communities and culture. The newly crafted wampum belt has been created by more than 100 artisans from the Wampanoag nation and consists of 5,000 handcrafted beads. It will tour with historic wampum belts from the British Museum collection. On completion of the tour, the new wampum belt will be returned to the Wampanoag Nation. It is hoped that through this touring exhibition a lost Native American treasure may be uncovered – the wampum belt of the Wampanoag chief Metacom, which has not been seen since it was sent

Danielle Hill & new wampum belt

to England in 1677 following King Philip’s War. An intensive international search for it began in late 1970 and still continues. Paula Peters, of Native American creative agency SmokeSygnals and the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Nation comments: “The Mayflower story cannot honestly be told without including the Wampanoag nation and the devastating impact of colonization on indigenous people. We are grateful to have been invited to contribute our historical and cultural knowledge to the Mayflower 400 commemoration unencumbered by centuries of marginalization and uncensored by contemporary event planners.” (Opening dates are subject to government restrictions at the time please check updates at theboxplymouth.com before visiting)

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WHAT’S ON

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 exhibited in September 2020, providing another opportunity to see these creative displays. Schools, voluntary groups and individuals were encouraged to design and create beautiful works of art to commemorate the voyage of The Mayflower in 1620. The exhibition considers the themes of freedom, faith and personal liberty that informed the original journey and also addresses themes of migration both in 1620 and today. Contributors could choose any of the four Mayflower 400 themes for inspiration for their designs: Leaving Home, Life at Sea, Journey’s End and Life in the New Land. They were then free to interpret them in any way they chose, resulting in a wonderful collection of multimedia textile art work from across the community. The exhibition of 24 quilts and beautiful calligraphy designs is drawn from as far afield as London and Massachusetts, as well as from two Plymouth schools, and voluntary groups in Devon and Cornwall. Many groups encountered difficulties in working on their quilts as social distancing and shielding took effect, but all found ways to ensure that the work was ready in time.

In addition to the quilts, for one week only, we have secured copies of two of the original drawings of the stunning stained-glass windows designed by John Piper and created by Patrick Reyntiens. The six windows were designed as part of the rebuilding of the Minster Church of St Andrew following the damage sustained by the aerial bombing during the Plymouth Blitz of 1941. Visitors will be able to compare the original drawings with the finished windows in the church. Joe Dent, Rector of the Minster Church of St Andrew said: “I am so pleased to be able to welcome people in to our church again and hope that the event is well supported to recognise the efforts of everyone involved in putting on this exhibition.” The exhibition is at the Minster Church of St Andrew, Royal Parade, Plymouth from 09.00 – 16.00, weekend opening times may vary. Entry is free but donations to be shared between UNICEF and The Alzheimer’s Society will be welcomed. Teas and coffees will be available. Due to social distancing, it will be necessary to limit the number of people in the church at any one time, so there may be a short wait. Visitors will be asked to wear a face covering while inside the church. For more information, please contact Janet Greaves-Stocker at quiltingmayflower@gmail.com

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WHAT’S ON

St Luke’s Open Garden Scheme 2021 With last year’s Open Garden events for St Luke’s Hospice being cancelled we all missed getting together to enjoy the beautiful gardens in our communities. I would like to thank all those who made voluntary donations to the work of St Luke’s in lieu of the gardens being cancelled. For 2021 we have organised a varied schedule for this summer season which currently includes 16 garden dates between April and September. We will endeavour to open this year’s gardens wherever possible but only if it is deemed safe and legal to do so. On occasions, there may be opportunities to view a virtual tour of some of our gardens. Although, not quite the same as the real thing, I hope you will enjoy these and continue to support the work of your local hospice. This season you will need to visit the St Luke’s Hospice website and select the garden you plan to visit, then book and pay for your allocated day and time slot. You will also find a link with a chance to win an original Brian Pollard canvas generously painted and donated to St Luke’s Open Garden scheme by Brian, one of our hospice patrons. Before visiting any of the open gardens, you must check the Government website for national and local Covid-19 guidelines. The clinical team at St Luke’s has been extremely busy throughout 2020 and 2021, with a greatly increased workload

due to the impact of the pandemic. Our charity shops have had to close for prolonged periods and many fundraising events were cancelled which had a serious effect on income. Over two thirds of St Luke’s running costs are funded by charitable giving, so any donations you can spare will really help to make a difference. Thank you for your help and I look forward to seeing you at our open gardens this season. Wayne Marshall Community Fundraiser and Open Garden Coordinator

For up-to-date details about participating open gardens and to book a time slot please visit www.stlukes-hospice.org.uk/ opengardens

From Friday 28 May

Moor Otters Arts Trail Dartmoor National Park is excited to announce that its Moor Otters Arts Trail will go live on Friday 28 May, helping people explore, discover and learn more about the beautiful and wild landscape of Dartmoor, while raising money for its ongoing conservation and supporting the local economy. The decision has been taken after careful consideration of the Government’s roadmap, and the need to move carefully to support local communities. Eighty-one stunning sculptures of otters with cubs - all designed and decorated by local and national artists – will be placed around the national park and places near Dartmoor. Trails are designed so people can safely explore Dartmoor on foot, bike, car or public transport and learn about the national park as they go, with prizes and competitions too. There will be four trails on Dartmoor and one in Plymouth, the Mayflower Trail, which commemorates the historic journey of the Mayflower in 1620. Otters can also be spotted in towns and villages on the outskirts of the national park. People will have the opportunity to own a sculpture when the public trail ends by bidding for one through an online auction which also goes

See our community website www.dartmoorlinks.co.uk

image © DNPA

live on May 28. Moor Otters Arts Trail aims to raise £60,000 for Donate for Dartmoor, which helps look after the moor’s cultural heritage, habitats and wildlife. Dartmoor National Park Authority is committed to bringing people a fun, informative trail that can be done alone or with family, and friends in a safe and sustainable way. The launch date remains subject to the government’s four-step roadmap out of lockdown. Stay up to date at www.dartmoor.gov.uk/ moorotters or join the Moor Otters Facebook group. 41

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MUSIC AND ART

17 May to 21 June

Delamore Arts and Sculpture Exhibition The Delamore exhibition takes place during the summer at the beautiful Delamore House and gardens at Cornwood near Ivybridge on the edge of Dartmoor. The exhibition, which is the largest of its kind in the South West, boasts over 150 artists and specialises in showing sculpture in a natural outdoor setting. The gardens are rarely open to the public, and can be seen at their best during May and June. In addition to the main exhibition, the South West Academy of Fine and Applied Arts (SWAc) will be holding its Summer Exhibition in our Stables Gallery. Now in its 19th successful year, the exhibition has raised over £120,000 for local charities and this year it is supporting Starlight Children’s Foundation.

ongoing Covid restrictions, numbers of visitors may have to be limited in the gallery, and you should check our website for current information at www. Delamoreart.co.uk or telephone 01752 837663 before travelling.

Shirley Fleming

Jamie Boots

Open daily including weekends and bank holidays from 10.30am to 4.30pm. Admission is £8 and includes an exhibition catalogue; free admission for under 16s. Disabled access to the main gallery is provided via a ramp at the front door to the house; access to the gardens is possible but not always easy, particularly for wheelchairs during and after wet weather. Dogs are allowed in the outer field only. Due to Karen Farrington

See our community website www.dartmoorlinks.co.uk

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MUSIC AND ART David Skrpyczak

Get Changed Theatre Company Building skills, confidence and self esteem through performance

Digital Tales was our performance with a difference; it was the result of eight months of virtual weekly workshops. Thanks to The Big Lottery Coronavirus Support Fund, Jules, our creative director and her incredible team, pulled

it all together, but it wouldn’t have been possible without the amazing practical support of carers and family members who turned their hand to connecting to us virtually, filming and recording. For those of you who have seen Get Changed performances before Digital Tales, this would have been immediately recognizable - it had Robin Hood, fun, variety, songs, dance and even an Agony Uncle podcast! Get Changed Theatre Company was founded in 1995. It was set up to offer adults with learning disabilities the opportunity to build life skills, confidence and self-esteem by developing and participating in performing arts. We wanted to raise the profile of the disability community and change public attitudes towards those with disabilities by creating and performing high quality arts projects that left something striking and of lasting value within the community. We’ve certainly achieved that! Over

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the last ten years we’ve held full performances at Castle Drogo, Bratton Clovelly Village Hall, The Plough in Torrington, The Barnfield Theatre in Exeter and the Ockment Centre. We’ve also performed at festivals including Okehampton ‘Battle of the Bands’, Exeter Respect, Funky Llama in Plymouth and the inclusive D’ArtsFest in Ide. In 2020 our aim was for a full production in Okehampton, and before Covid struck we were in conversations with the Charter Hall for our autumn 2020 performance - we’re now aiming to perform there later in 2021. Get Changed isn’t only a Theatre Company, it’s a social and community network, a place where friends meet and share experiences, combating loneliness and isolation and connecting people with a shared interest. Before March 2020 we met each week in the Ockment Centre in Okehampton, RHS Chelsea Gold medalist Master Florist UK & US

The end of 2020 was a real high for all of us involved with Get Changed Theatre Company. After such a difficult and challenging year, audience members came to our performance from all over the country – Okehampton, Cornwall, the South East and beyond, and it was all Covid secure! This was our very first virtual show.

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MUSIC AND ART

sharing, laughing and plotting our next performances, but after March 2020 we were worried. We knew our participants with a learning disability were well cared for and safe, and that lots of them understood why it was necessary for us to be locked down, but many, because of their learning disability, struggled to understand why they couldn’t go out, go to Get Changed, see their friends and be part of the community. Although much of the world was closed to us all we wanted to maintain our responsibility to our participants and support them. So we set in motion our weekly virtual workshops and the plan for Digital Tales. We want to be able to bring more opportunities to the people we support and more amazing performances to our audiences. Our trustee board allows the organization to be successful and the board’s knowledge, expertise and enthusiasm helps support our development. Over the next six months we need to introduce a small number of new trustees with such skills as community work and experience of vulnerable people. If you think you can enable us to grow, develop and move forward to the next stage, please get in touch and we would love to have a chat. We also can’t forget the importance of fundraising - the money we raise from grants, sponsorships and donations is crucial; without this we can’t

offer our participants these amazing opportunities. Get Changed is one big family of participants, volunteers, trustees, workers and audience members, and sadly early in 2021 we lost one of our most charismatic characters. David Skrpyczak was a founding member of Get Changed back in 1995 and stayed with us until recently. Many local people knew David in Okehampton and South Zeal. He loved to perform, and often took on the lead role. He was always happiest when it was show day - he loved singing, dancing and interacting with the audience and they loved him in return. A true performer through and through. When we return to our weekly workshops at the Ockment Centre we will all miss his infectious smile and laughter.

If you would like updates about our shows, or you know someone who would like to attend Get Changed, become a trustee or make a donation please email Rob on rob@getchanged.com

Rob Wynne Get Changed Theatre Company

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

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

MUSIC AND ART

Tavy Links team Our designer Sara , Nichola one of our writers, and Jane from our sales team have been very creative during the last year and I wanted to take the opportunity to share what they have been doing.

in my work, particularly on a larger scale.

Sara Venner – artist I love colour and deeply enjoy the process of creating, which is when I feel most at peace and can escape into a timeless world. I have always loved to make and draw, and always approached life in an openly creative way. After A-levels at Tavistock College, I did a one-year foundation course at Plymouth College of Art and Design. I followed this with a BA Hons Degree in Graphic Design at Bournemouth Art College and qualified as a member of the International Society of Typographic Designers. I enjoy drawing, painting and collage, as well as working with papier maché and textiles, often taking inspiration from the materials I choose to work with. A creative journey has infinite possibilities and I think that is what makes it fun and exciting. I thrive on learning and try to challenge myself with new courses, so I am presently taking an illustration course. I would also like to continue developing my observation skills and incorporate them 46

I get great pleasure in sharing my passions with others and seeing how other people approach their art work. Being a social creature, I can’t wait until we can come together again to create; I love the idea of working with groups outside, enjoying our natural environment and creating nature inspired art. I would like to open my home studio at some point this summer, if possible. Meanwhile I do have some of my framed paintings and collage work for sale via my website www. kimonodesign.co.uk.

Nichola Williams - lino artist I have been interested in creativity for as long as I can remember. I took A-level art and always included additional artistic modules when studying for my

degree. As a primary school teacher, I took responsibility for art throughout the whole school as well as continuing to explore art through ceramic evening classes. Ten years ago, I joined Mary Gillet’s printing classes and thoroughly

enjoyed learning about the range of printing techniques, especially lino. When my husband bought me a secondhand printing press for my birthday, I decided to invest in high quality paper

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MUSIC AND ART

and inks. I began printing small square cards for family and friends and was encouraged to produce them to sell at Homeframe Gallery & Pictureframing in Plymouth.

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Lockdown gave me the time to expand my collection, and with the help of Solly Kurzman we produced a website which now works as a gallery space for people to view and buy my designs. I am a keen gardener so many of my designs are inspired by plants in bloom and whatever is looking good in the garden, although I have also broadened the range to include colourful designs that suit all occasions. I love the creative process from inception, draft, mixing inks to final print and hope that my unique designs create special cards that will make someone smile. For more details and to purchase Nicola’s cards

Pebble art started as my lockdown project. My passion has always been for the coast and the ocean, with my eyes often drawn to pebbles, shells and unusual pieces of seaglass. It has been lovely painting pebbles to mark special occasions for friends and family. Calligraphy is something else I thoroughly enjoy and so for a summer get-together I personalised a pebble-gift for each of the guests using their initials. Through the summer, I enjoyed creating designs using flowers and the natural world. I also took on a commission to create a set of 20 vegetable planting markers– each

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pebble had a painting of the vegetable together with its name. When I delivered them in a garden box the recipient was thrilled! Remembrance Day was a wonderful opportunity to paint poppy designs, then for Christmas I painted holly and Noel pebbles. Over the last year, I think my designs have improved; I have invested in paints designed for stone, as well as clear lacquer to seal the paint. I’d also like to use more seaglass as each piece is so unique, and recently I bought a lapidary tumbler for polishing. The restrictions of the last year have inspired me to take more notice of our natural surroundings. I also think spending time absorbed in art has been very therapeutic through the lockdowns.Jane can be contacted for stone art commissions on 07772 619808.

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FOOD & DRINK

Raspberry loaf with streusel topping Ingredients 175g butter 175g light brown muscovado sugar 250g self-raising flour ½ tsp mixed spice 2 tbsp demerara sugar 2 large eggs 1 orange 100g grated apple 1 tsp baking powder 225g raspberries

Method Preheat the oven to 180C/gas 4/fan oven 160C. Grease and line a 1kg/2lb loaf tin. Rub the butter, muscovado sugar and flour together until the mixture forms fine crumbs. Take out 5 tbsp and add them to the mixed spice and demerara sugar in another bowl, mixing them together to use later for the streusel topping. Finely grate the zest of the orange, beat the eggs and mix them both with the grated apple. Mix the baking powder into the crumbed mixture you made in step 1, then gently stir in the egg mixture.

Spread one-third of the cake mixture in the tin, then scatter over 75g of the raspberries. Repeat the process two more times, gently levelling the final layer of mixture, before scattering the remaining 75g of fruit over the top. Sprinkle over the topping. Bake the cake for 1 hour 15 minutes, covering it loosely with foil after 50 minutes. When an inserted skewer comes out clean it is cooked. Leave it in the tin for 20 minutes before cooling on a wire rack.

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FOOD & DRINK

What to drink with a roast

Vegan and vegetarian roasts offer enormously varied flavours so I’m going to consider a nut-based roast. Rare but worth seeking out are appassimento white wines from Italy. Some of the grapes are dried to intensify the flavours, and the result is rich, nutty and complex. Red wine fans could consider Côtes du Rhone, with its spicy and herbaceous notes, and robust character. Beef is expensive, so do it proud! Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and claret blends are favourites, but can be dear. Fortunately, there are tremendous examples being grown in the New World e.g. South America, South Africa and the USA. Chile is an excellent choice, producing sophisticated and weighty Cabernet Sauvignons that are superb value.

the skin and gravy. Generally white wine goes well, but light reds like Pinot Noir and Gamay (aka Beaujolais) can also please. Burgundy-style Chardonnay is the classic pairing but good Chardonnay grows worldwide - again look for a little oak to add texture and body. Viognier is also a good option, being full-bodied with distinctive notes of peach and honeysuckle. The key to roast pork is crackling, which of course is highly flavoursome fat! You can go red or white here, robust rosé will work too. But I’d like to finish by encouraging you to try something different - Nerello Mascalese is littleknown, but could have been made for pork. Hailing from the slopes of Mount Etna, this has the best qualities of Pinot Noir and Sangiovese - enough acid to cope with crackling and bags of fruit to envelop the meat. Plus of course I always like to review something that nobody can spell! Dave Anning

Chicken is the most common roast as it’s least expensive, and much flavour is in

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Rich, succulent lamb is the Easter favourite. A crispy outer coating, garlic and rosemary - this needs a robust bottle. Classics like Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah (Shiraz if you’re an Aussie) won’t let you down, but I’m going to suggest a Crianza or Reserva Rioja. These wines spend 6 months or a year respectively in oak barrels, adding spicy flavours to the natural, dark

fruit flavours. Don’t get confused with Gran Reserva, which is very complex and better suited to seriously hearty foods such as game.

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For food and wine to enhance one another they should match in terms of weight and flavour, so consider the strongest flavour on the plate. If it’s a sauce, match the wine with the sauce. Consider two plates of chicken and pasta. One has a rich tomato and garlic sauce, the other has a creamy cheese sauce - match the wine to the sauce not the chicken! Traditional wine pairings for roasts are solid choices, but times and fashions change, the ‘rules’ about red meat/red wine and white meat/ white wine have blurred, and vegetarian and vegan meals have introduced new flavours. So here are some suggestions for five common roasts - all in 500 words!

BUSINESS

The Chic Eco Boutique The Chic Eco Boutique is a new online platform for people who care about the environment, as well as quality and style. With an array of ladies’ jewellery, underwear, scarves, soaps, beauty products and other eco wares, the boutique provides easy access to an extensive selection of products for people who are passionate about purchasing sustainable and eco-friendly goods. All the accessories are made by local businesses and are produced sustainably - from nuno felt scarves and Stripe & Stare knickers, to upcycled jewellery and organic soaps. In addition all the packaging is totally eco-friendly too. The founder, Jo Macaskie, has always been very passionate about advocating for sustainability and supporting local business. For years, she has been creating platforms to help promote South West based entrepreneurs through Miss Ivy Events, however lockdown has prevented Jo from being able to continue running her normal, wide range of events. This

year has given many of us the time to rethink our priorities, and particularly for Jo, she felt an increased desire to encourage environmental consciousness. This combined with her continued dedication to aiding local businesses led to the creation of The Chic Eco Boutique. The Chic Eco Boutique website www.thechicecoboutique.co.uk will be launched in April. Local businesses from the Chic Eco Boutique will also be exhibiting in Butchers’ Hall, Tavistock at the Upcycled Market on 17 April, and Love Local Gift & Food Market on 25 April. If your business makes or sells eco-friendly or up-cycled products and you would like to be involved with this project, please email hello@thechicecoboutique.co.uk.

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BUSINESS

Why should I consider purchasing a pre-paid funeral plan? You wouldn’t buy a holiday from a man in the street. And you certainly wouldn’t buy a car from someone who knocks on your door. So why buy a funeral plan from anyone other than the experts in their industry - local independent funeral directors? Funeral plans allow holders to pay at today’s prices for a funeral that may not take place for decades, without ever having to pay more for a funeral director’s services. A funeral plan is also not considered as a financial asset when seeking financial assistance for care costs from the local authority. If an individual were to invest the cost of a funeral plan, e.g. £3,500, in a savings account, the interest returned would be far less and would certainly be unable to keep up with the rising costs of funerals, which have soared by more than 90 per cent since 2004. However, by taking out a funeral plan with a trusted funeral plan provider, regulated by the Funeral Planning Authority, this £3,500 is pooled together

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with millions of pounds from other plan holders to provide the opportunity to gain a much greater return on investment. What this essentially means is that a funeral, which may cost £3,500 today but £7,000 in five years, is covered no matter how much the national average cost of a funeral rises. When comparing local independent funeral directors with larger, national corporations, it can be much better value to look local for a funeral plan too. National direct sellers have enormous overheads and marketing budgets to pay, whereas local funeral directors can afford to sell local funeral plans at local prices. The Walter C. Parson Group has offices at Crownhill, St. Judes, Plympton, Ivybridge, Tavistock, Callington, Saltash, Torpoint, Newton Abbot, Torquay and Exeter. To discuss the benefits of purchasing a pre-paid funeral plan, with no obligation on your part, or to request a brochure, please telephone 01822 617 300 or visit www.wcpltd.com for further details.

BUSINESS

New Start Devon Enterprise Coaching Delivered by Devon Communities Together What’s the offer? Fully funded one-to-one coaching to cultivate interest in and development of enterprise opportunities What does it aim to achieve? To increase enterprise in Devon and amongst underrepresented groups through coaching and referral to mainstream business support services. Who’s eligible? Those eligible for Enterprise Coaching are: •

People who are under-represented in enterprise, people who may have a great idea and are struggling to get it off the ground, people who are currently economically inactive and who reside outside of large towns and cities

•

Founders and entrepreneurs with new or existing micro businesses to grow

For details visit devoncommunities.org.uk/projects or contact Matthew Porter at matthew.porter@devoncommunities.org.uk

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TRADE SECRETS

Alun Griffiths Director of Griffin Electric How did you start Griffin Electric? After working for more than 10 years in various roles within the food manufacturing industry with employers such as Ginsters, Mars and Wrigley, I decided to start up my own business in 2009 and haven’t looked back. It’s taken a great deal of hard work and I wouldn’t have been able to do it without the full support of my incredible wife and family. Which electrical services do you offer? We are a NICEIC approved contractor and offer electrical works across all sectors including: •

Domestic - including EICRs (Electrical installation condition reports)

•

Agricultural - farms and smallholdings

•

Commercial - breweries and hotels

•

EV charging and renewables

Which areas do you cover? Griffin Electric works mainly across West Devon and Dartmoor but has customers in Bodmin, Exeter and Newton Abbot.

How do you spend most of your time? I have recently been working on installing EV charge points for customers in and around Dartmoor. The UK government announced it will ban sales of new petrol and diesel cars and vans by 2030, which is a major win for the environment, and a chance to reinvent our traffic-jammed streets with cleaner more efficient electric cars. So with fewer petrol and diesel cars being registered in the UK, most EV owners will want some sort of charge point installed in their home. We are currently accredited installers for My Energi, Rolec, EO Project EV and Andersen EV (You can claim £350 off the cost of purchasing and installing a qualifying home-charging point via the government funded home charge scheme.) How do new regulations affect your work? New regulations came in to force on 1st June 2020, requiring landlords to have the electrical installations in their properties inspected and tested by a person who is qualified and competent, for the Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR). Landlords have to provide

a copy of the electrical safety report to their tenants and to their local authority if requested so there have been a lot of people requiring electricians to carry out inspections. (This was applicable to new tenancies from 1 July 2020 and existing tenancies from 1 April 2021.) What would you say to someone thinking of this as a career? The electrical industry is always evolving so we are constantly having to update our knowledge and skills. This is a great career to be involved in for the organised, hardworking committed individual. What is the best thing about your job? I enjoy the variety the career brings, being out and about, and am lucky to work in our beautiful Dartmoor countryside.

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 54

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HISTORY

The days of rail travel from Okehampton to Bere Alston Although you can still travel from Plymouth to Gunnislake by rail, the last Plymouthto-Exeter trains travelled the route via Bere Alston and Okehampton on 5 May 1968. The latest book in the series by Bernard Mills about the railways serving Plymouth, takes the reader on a nostalgic journey of the former railway’s history, and the route as it looks today. The London and South Western Railway (LSWR) line from North Tawton reached Okehampton on 8 January 1867, and then Lydford in 1874. By then the Great Western Railway from Plymouth to Launceston via Tavistock (South) and Lydford, was already in service. However the Okehampton to Plymouth route wasn’t fully completed until 1891, after the Plymouth Devonport & South

The last T9 at Meldon 27 April 1963, Bernard Mills collection

Western Junction Railway (PDSWJR) developed an independent route from Lydford to Tavistock, and then via Bere Alston to the LSWR terminal in Plymouth - in 1923 LSWR and PDSWJR were absorbed into Southern Railways (SR). Bernard’s comprehensive history of the route covers a wealth of detail, such as Bridestowe Station’s importance in transporting products from the Rattlebrook Peat Tramway and the Sourton Ice Factory, started by James Henderson in 1875 in pre-refrigeration days; while sidings were installed at Lydford in 1943 to store ammunition trains – as a damage limitation scheme in case they were bombed. From the 1950s, Bernard Mills worked at the stations in both Bere Alston and Tavistock and his book includes invaluable insights into station life such as the following section: As at Bere Alston, the Tavistock booking clerk was required to collect tickets from those leaving the station on

the down side. There were two middle-aged ladies who travelled almost daily from Bere Alston and always had a bag of sweets to share with the station staff. Then there were enjoyable duties like lighting the coal fire in the waiting room, cleaning out the grate. Each platform had a canopy… supported by cast-iron columns cast in M/S Matthews & Co Tavistock Foundry. Truly this was an elegant railway station of the late Victorian era. As you would expect Bernard also relates a number of anecdotes about his experiences over the years, such as the Soho stripper who arrived on the 01:10 from Waterloo to visit her husband at Princetown prison – you can read the full story in Bernard’s book! He also describes how conveyance of all manner of livestock on passenger trains was commonplace until the mid-80s. On one occasion a North Brentor farmer arrived with a live pig in a crate just as the train was pulling into the station. The pig was quickly transferred to the guard’s van and the train left on time. A few days later the station staff received a letter of complaint from a lady passenger stating: As I left my compartment to be ready to light from the train as it approached Okehampton, I was rather alarmed to see a pig walking in the corridor.

1624 to Bere Alston at Tavistock North May 1968, B.Mills

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HISTORY

0857 London Waterloo-Plymouth at Wortha Mill Aug 1962, Bernard Mills collection

Wortha Mill in February 2020, B.Mills

Clearing snow for 34063 at Tavistock North 30 Dec 1962, Bernard Mills collection

1030 Brighton-Plymouth at Meldon Viaduct Aug 1963, Keith Holt

relief stationmaster had to use some initiative and calmly, in front of the prisoners, he picked the lock… One of the prisoners commented, “You are in the wrong job mate; you should be coming with us!”

to travel the same route as the former trains. However, the Dartmoor Railway introduced the Okehampton to Meldon shuttle in April 2000, and a new station was built at the former Meldon Quarry Halt site in 2002. With the government’s confirmation of the re-introduction of the regular service from Okehampton to Exeter which was withdrawn in 1972, and feasibility work on proposals for new lines and stations, it is possible that many other routes may yet see a new lease of life.

There were also tough times such as the blizzard of 29th December 1962:Conditions were still best described as atrocious as both railway men and volunteers, mostly made up from those stranded overnight at Tavistock South, continued to clear snow up the tracks and then unblock the frozen points… The SR route was badly affected by the blizzard with disruption lasting for about six weeks. The following incident took place before Bernard started working at Tavistock. Prisoners for HMP Dartmoor Prison used to come to Tavistock by rail where they were escorted to a padlocked gate in the station coal yard and then to Princetown in the prison van. One time, Mr Quest the long-standing stationmaster was on holiday and had taken the coal yard gate key with him. The

On 1 January 1963 Dr Richard Beeching became chairman of the British Railways Board and train services from London to the South West and throughout the region started to be reduced. As services became less frequent and rail travel less convenient, passengers drifted away, sealing the fate of many lines. Although Dr Beeching left British Rail in 1965, the rot had set in and the closure of the service between Okehampton and Bere Alston, as well as many other lines, was approved. Nowadays the Granite Way is mostly built along the course of the former Southern Region railway line between Okehampton and Lydford, allowing cyclists and walkers

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This article has been compiled from ‘Backtracking Around Plymouth, Callington, Tavistock North and the Southern Region Main Line to Okehampton’ by Bernard Mills, available at most local bookshops, or at www. chrisrobinson.co.uk/shop/books where you can also find details about Bernard’s other books.

OUTDOORS AND ACTIVE

Out and About with Tavistock Ramblers An easy 4½-mile walk with John Noblet of Tavistock Ramblers. There are spectacular views which are at their best in early spring. From the edge of Yennadon Down the walk goes through woodland before emerging onto open moorland above Burrator reservoir. Passing Lowery Tor, Peek Hill and Sharpitor before dropping down to the old Yelverton to Princetown railway track. The line was closed in 1956 and now provides an easy way to enjoy the wide open spaces of Dartmoor. This walk has woodland, open moorland, grassy paths and old railway with two stiles. Start from the parking area known as Lowery Cross, just off the Princetown road a quarter of a mile beyond

Dousland at SX547692. Nearest postcode is PL20 6PD 1. Turn right out of the parking area and then fork left down the lane. After 100m the lane crosses the line of the old railway. This was known as Lowery Crossing and there was a level crossing and a cottage here. Almost immediately, at the corner of the conifer plantation, go left over the stile beside a gate. Take the path up through the trees.

Go left at a path junction and continue up the gentle slope, bearing left near the top before going over the ladder stile onto open moorland. This stile may be challenging for some dogs or young children. 2. Go half right to walk away from the wall with the summit of Peek Hill on the left. There are superb views of Burrator Reservoir and Sheeps Tor on the right. The flattish profile of Leather Tor soon appears ahead.

See the spectacular sight of cherry trees and fruit trees clothed in pink and white blossom. Members go free Your visit supports our work as a charity

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Book online: rhs.org.uk/bookrosemoor

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OUTDOORS AND ACTIVE

Pass the small outcrop of Lowery Tor above a quarry that produced granite setts of the type still to be seen in Plymouth’s back streets. Continue ahead on the grassy path keeping left of several hawthorn trees, passing within sight of the top of Peek Hill. Until 1970 this was the site of RAF Sharpitor. The large radio transmitter aerial was a landmark for years. Keep straight towards the left side of Leather Tor, with Sharpitor on the left. There are more great views deep into the moor. Pass close to a lone hawthorn to reach the loose rocks at the base of Leather Tor. 3. Turn sharp left towards a single conifer tree. Almost immediately the two car parks below Leedon Tor appear ahead. Make for these, passing though the remains of an ancient settlement with round houses (hut circles) and enclosures. Cross the road with care and bear half left towards Brent Tor on the horizon, across open grassy moorland. There is no obvious track but the moorland soon becomes a wide path as it drops down towards Routrundle and the old railway. Enjoy the views across part of Tavistock towards the hills of Bodmin Moor. 4. Turn sharp left onto the track bed of the Princetown branch. The views here are spectacular with many of the tors of western Dartmoor visible. It is easy walking now (but beware of cyclists).Cross a small bridge with two gates as the track leaves the open moorland and passes through fields enclosed with dry stone walling. Look for the tower of Walkhampton Church peeping over the tops of trees to the west. Pass through several more gates before arriving at

a modern bridge erected in 2015, crossing the Princetown road. 5. After more gates the track reaches the lane at Lowery Crossing. Turn right and back to the car parking area. Tavistock Ramblers normally walk on Saturdays, Sundays and some Wednesdays. By the time you are reading this, it is to be hoped that Covid restrictions will mean we will be able to walk as a group but please be aware of current Government guidance. Visit the Tavistock Ramblers website www.tavistockramblers. org.uk for the latest situation. However, if Covid restrictions apply you will still find a selection of self-guided walks to enjoy.

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LOCAL AUTHORS

Meavy – A Walker’s Guide to a Beautiful Dartmoor Valley by Peter Swaine Dartmoor Search and Rescue Team (Tavistock) is pleased to announce the spring 2021 publication of this companion book to team member Peter’s popular first volume about the Walkham Valley, with all proceeds going to support the valuable work done by the volunteers of the rescue team. The A4-size hard cover book contains over 200 photographs and detailed route descriptions of walks exploring every part of the Meavy and its catchment area. From the source near Princetown to its confluence with the Plym at Shaugh Bridge, the Meavy passes through an astonishing variety of landscape. From the mire at Meavy head, through wild open moorland and the beautiful reservoir at Burrator, past impressive rocky tors and dense

ancient woodland, the walks reveal the landscape and history of this wonderful valley. The remains of Neolithic burial chambers, stone rows and circles, Bronze Age settlements, abandoned farms, quarrying and mining are all contained within the 41 square kilometres of the Meavy Valley, and this book shows where to find them. Copies of the first edition of ‘Meavy’ are limited to 750, so members of the public are invited to reserve a copy by visiting www.dsrt-tavistock.org.uk and completing the form on the news page. The cost of the book will be £20 + p&p, but no payment is required at this time.

Black as Ink by Petrus Ursem Mine captain’s mystery unfolds in gripping trilogy Calstock based writer Petrus Ursem has recently published ‘Black as Ink’, the final instalment of a thriller which started with ‘The Fortune of the Seventh Stone’ and ‘The Truth Teller’. The central character is thirteen-year-old Steven Honest. In the first book Steven follows a trail to the fortune of a mysterious mine captain. But soon the hunter becomes hunted. The mystery, that Steven and his friend Isabella are so keen to solve, weaves a net of illusions around them. In his search for the words of truth, Steven ultimately faces his most dangerous opponent at a remote Dartmoor location. The story is largely set in the Tamar Valley — local readers will, no doubt, recognise (fictionalised) landmarks. Petrus Ursem has cleverly forged links between past and present, between the mining history and the drive of a teenage boy to find his place in a world at risk of mindgames and betrayal. Ursem says: “Arriving in the Tamar Valley 10 years ago I was immediately struck by the spirit of the place. This landscape is a treasure box for stories and imagination. I’ve had so much fun shaping Steven’s adventure against the intriguing background of the mines, Drakewalls, Cotehele, Buckland, Dartmoor.” The rich layering of mystery and meanings, and the challenge to find answers and truths make these books a real treat for grown-ups, too. A reader commented: “You won’t want to put it down! Ursem’s quirky style consistently heads into 60

philosophical reflection and reveals itself ultimately as a truly touching ‘coming of age’ tale. A great read for teens to adults.” All books can be ordered from Book Stop, Tavistock, or from www.petrus-ursem.co.uk, and are also available from libraries in Plymouth, Tavistock and Okehampton: The Fortune of the Seventh Stone (Part I, £8.99); The Truth Teller’ (Part II, £8.99); Black as Ink (Part III, £9.99); Complete trilogy: £24. Petrus Ursem is available for talks in schools or village halls, either online or in person, email peter@peterursem.co.uk

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BOOK REVIEW

Book recommendations for spring By Simon Church of Book Stop, Tavistock

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig Nora Seed is in a dark place, and it’s getting darker by the hour. Job, friends, family, pet, all slipping away. And it could have been so different. If only she’d pursued her talents - swimming, music, science. If only she’d stuck with the band. If only she’d persisted with Dan. So much to regret, so little light, so... what’s the point in going on? With his customary wit, Matt Haig’s wonderful new novel addresses the heaviest and deepest of issues with the lightest of touches, and asks is it really the choices we make and the twists and turns of fate that determine our happiness, and

how might it be if we respond to these highs and lows with greater acceptance and less attachment? If ever there was a book about depression to brighten up your day then this is it! Just out in paperback, we still have signed copies in stock at the time of writing. Published by Canongate: £8.99 More recommended reads from Book Stop:

Olive Again by Elizabeth Strout

One of our books of 2020, now out in paperback; £8.99

Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro

Brand new literary fiction from this multi-award-winning author; £20

The Louder I Will Sing by Lee Lawrence

Winner of the Costa Biography Award; £8.99

A Poem for Every Day of Spring by Allie Esiri Beautifully illustrated

children’s poetry collection; £14.99

Fing by David Walliams Latest Walliams caper, just out in paperback; £6.99 Guidelines permitting, we will maintain our ‘click and collect’ and mail order service throughout lockdown periods. Call us on 01822 617244, email bookstoptavistock@gmail.com or order online at uk.bookshop.org/shop/ bookstoptavistock

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TECH HELP

Tech tips from Chezvous PC When Windows 10 starts up, for the vast majority of us the picture is blurred before you get to the desktop. To remove the blurry image and see one of Microsoft’s lovely pictures, go to settings, type ‘transparency’ and choose ‘show transparency in windows’ in the search box. This will take you to the correct section in Settings, where you can turn off ‘transparency effects’ - et voila!

I’ve long been a fan of the ‘Snipping Tool’ in Windows. It is changing to ‘Snip & Sketch’ which means it will be removed at some stage. The simple change means if you want to take a screenshot you start the process by pressing the Windows logo key + shift + S. This starts the app and from there you have a few more options than before, but basically it’s a new look in line with Windows 10 rather than 7. I find it very useful.

Watch out for websites that seem to do the job you want, but for a price, where you can actually do it for yourself at no cost. I am thinking of two specific examples, but I am sure there are more. I found myself wanting to SORN my wife’s car and quickly searched for the service on Google only to find they wanted £37.50 to do it in 7 days or £27.50 in 30 days. I abandoned it, thought about it and went to the DVLA site where I did it myself for free. The same is true of EHIC cards: there is a site that charges for it or you can do it for free on the correct site. These are not scams, but they are certainly not the genuine article. (www.cyberaware.gov.uk)

If you live rurally and your internet is not very good then there are some options such as satellite broadband, Airband or 4/5G mobile broadband or you wait for BT to roll out an upgrade. I am of the opinion that conventional broadband and mobile broadband will be the way things will be going and Airband and satellite will be things of the past. Recent experience leads me to suggest South West Mobile Broadband, installers based in Axminster. There are other local communications installers and suppliers of course, but it is worth getting a site survey first to see if it is at least possible. The change in speed can be incredible. TIM Lambie Chez Vous PC

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01752 841008 www.realistic.uk.com

THE HANDYMEN

VA C C I N AT E D

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

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

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

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

07307 045603

Call 01752 696573 Serving the local community since 2007

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

01837 55700

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

Phone: 07725 553 804 01822 854386

Email: enquiries@yeltv.co.uk

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

D E C OR AT I N G

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

07710 255570

www.moorlandfuels.co.uk

AERIALS . SKY & FREESAT. INSTALLS . TV SALES . RENTALS . REPAIRS .

Gemma Harvey

Local female Painter & Decorator gg Competitive rates gg Friendly & reliable service

www.gpservice.co.uk u r yo you ve d k? Ha cke tan e l ch oi

Computer Problems?

Bere Computing

Covering Plymouth, Tavistock & the surrounding areas

G P Service

Over 20 years of experience. Visit yeltv.co.uk to ‘GET A CLEARER PICTURE.’

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

See our community website www.dartmoorlinks.co.uk

65 46 43 38 47 33 53 48 50 49 32 65 42 28 12 18 10 17 39 42 55 63 64 62 38 65 14 65

Domestic Appliance Repairs G P Service 65 Electricians Grifﬁn Electrical 54 Estate Agents & Property Search John Colton Estate Agents 55 Kirby Estate Agents 67 Farming & Agriculture The Hen House Farm 32 Financial Advisors Dartmoor Financial 24 Charles Stanley Wealth Management 68 Florists Amanda Randell Master Florist 44 Food & Drink Retailers Dartmoor Ice Cream Company 40 Funeral Directors Morris Bros Funeral Directors 30 Walter C. Parson 51 Funeral Services Bellacouche 63 Furniture Retailers Sussex Seating (RHOOP Design) 63 Garage Services M & C White Motor Engineers 37 Garden Centres Endsleigh Gardens Nursery 21 Garden Machinery Sales & Service South West Garden Machinery 22 Garden Services Hartland Landscaping 20 Hedge to Hedge Garden Services 22 Men for All Seasons 22 Shrubbery Jubbery 23 Tavy Turf 21 Gardens To Visit RHS Rosemoor 58 Hairdressers Sisters 12 Heating Oil Supplies Moorland Fuels 64 Groundworkers Marcus Allen Groundworks 23 Health Clinics Fourward Health 12 Healthcare NHS COVID Trial 16 Hearing Care Alistair Kinsey Hearing & Mobility 14

Delivered by the Royal Mail to more than 32,000 homes and businesses in West Devon, Dartmoor and North Plymouth. 66

BU S I NESS

ITY

Aerial Services YelTV Arts, Galleries & Museums Kigbeare Studios and Gallery Tavistock Picture Framing Gallery The Box Wildwood Arts Auctioneers & Valuers Eldreds Auctioneers Bathroom Retailers Tavistock Bathrooms & Tiles Westcountry Tile and Bathroom Bed Retailers The Dartmoor Bed Company Beer & Wine Retailers SW Bottle Shop Bridal Retailers Two for Joy Bridal Building, Maintenance & Repair The Handymen Timber Store Uk Ltd Business Services Tavistock BID Care Homes Moorcare Devon Ltd Carers / Home Helps Day & Nightcare Assistance Home Instead Senior Care Sante Care at Home Carpentry & Joinery Bespoke Wood Creations Carpet & Flooring Retailers Yelverton Carpet Company Chartered Surveyors Balment Keep Ltd Cleaning Services The Laundry Cupboard Computer Maintenance Bere Computing IT Consultant Chez Vous PC Local Authorities Plymouth City Council Decorators Gemma Harvey Decorating Dental Practice Andrew Brown Dental Practice Dog Groomers Dial a Dog Wash Devon

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.

Tavy Links Business Directory

COM

BUY LOCAL & SAVE JOBS

Holiday & Travel CPC Travel 39 Devon Yurts 33 Helpful Holidays 15 Toad Hall Cottages 8 Home Furnishings Jo Madgwick Uhpholstery 47 Home Improvements Realistic Home Improvements 64 Hotels & Inns Lewtrenchard Manor 34 The Arundell Arms Hotel 9 Letting Agents M&B Lettings 2 Schools & Education Bambinos Ltd 27 Mount Kelly Foundation 26 V Learning Net 26 Osteopaths Philip Hartnoll Osteopath 12 Oven Cleaners Cook IT CLean 64 Pet Supplies Ron’s Pet Supplies 29 Plumbing & Heating Services Chamings Heating & Plumbing 19,59 Clearbrook Plumbing & Heating 65 DB Heating 3 Pond Maintenance Dartmoor Pond Services 22 Private Water Engineers AquaTech Water Services 63 Religious Groups Tavistock United Reformed Church 45 Residential Parks & Developments Berkeley Parks 61 Churchill 4 Solicitors Chilcotts Law 35 Curtis Whiteford Crocker 30 Tree Surgeons Adam of Eden Tree Care 22 Countrywise Tree Care 22 Red Squirrel Tree Care 23 Windows & Glazing Moorview Glazing 64 Orchard Conservatories, Windows & Doors Ltd 52

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

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

ome Yo ur H

state Kirby E

Agents

Will your home be our next video star? Our quality video tours are selling houses /KIRBYESTATEAGENTS

Call us now for a FREE valuation 01822 612010 alternatively visit the website for an instant valuation www.kirbyestateagents.co.uk • Family run business • Town centre office • Drone photography • Local business with national exposure • Regular updates on progress from our dedicated sales progressor Adherence to Covid-19 Health & Safety Guidelines on all Viewings & Valuations

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

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ur Y g o AR atin RS ebr IVE Cel NN A TH 10

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

Tavy Links April/May 2021 issue

Articles inside

History

Outdoors & Active

Business

Community

Health & Wellbeing

Law

Naturalist

Farming News

Education

Charity

Feature