Tavy Links June/July Issue 2018

TAVY LINKS June / July 2018

Issue 31

TAVISTOCK • MARY TAVY • KILWORTHY • MOORTOWN • WHITCHURCH • HORNDON • LAMERTON • GRENOFEN • BRENTOR GULWORTHY • PETER TAVY • HORSEBRIDGE • MILTON ABBOT

d n a l e Trav … e r u t n adve

LOCAL EXPLORERS, TREKKING THE GLOBE BOTH NEAR AND FAR INSIDE THIS ISSUE: VILLAGE NEWS •• GARDENING •• EDUCATION •• FOOD •• HEALTH •• HISTORY •• WHAT’S ON FEATURE Ice Warrior expeditions and the new BASECAMP in Princetown

HISTORY The Fishing Feast, one of the oldest ceremonies in the United Kingdom

WHAT’S ON Tavistock Carnival, summer music, fairs, festivals and activities for all the family

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WELCOME

The world’s your oyster…

As summer approaches, I’m sure I’m not alone in letting my mind wander to the far-flung and exotic destinations which are promoted with increasing frequency at this time of year.

Whether you have pleasant memories of previous holidays, or your travel plans are ‘in the bag’ for this year, or you just like to dream of a ‘what if’ scenario, then simply the thought of foreign adventures, breathtaking vistas and new cultural experiences can be incredibly uplifting. However, living in the South West means we benefit from the best of both worlds, as we can also make the most of an incredibly beautiful part of the country which is a sought-after destination for travellers from other parts of the UK and the rest of the world.

In this issue we bring you some of the remote places our local people have experienced, as Nichola meets the man behind Ice Warrior, which trains ordinary people for expeditions to the Arctic, as well as David Lemon who chose to walk the length of the Zambezi River to celebrate his 70th birthday, and Mark Davison who reveals what it takes to be a tour operator specialising in South America, Africa and India, in our trade secrets slot. Nearer to home we find out how the owners of Tavistock House Hotel were recently voted second in the world in the ‘Best Small Hotel’ category of the TripAdvisor 2018 Traveller’s Choice Awards. Sue Fisher has some global gardening inspiration from Chelsea Flower Show and plants from around the world, while Tony John shares some remarkable facts about travellers in the bird world. Whether your thoughts are turning to exotic travel or trips nearer to home this year, this issue is full of ideas for the summer months.

Rosemary Rosemary Best - Editor editorial@@tavylinks.co.uk 01822 853110 The deadline date for any inclusions in the August/September issue of Moor/Tavy Links will be 27th June 2018. For all editorial enquiries please contact Rosemary via email: editorial@tavylinks.co.uk or rosemary.best@linksmagazines.co.uk

Some useful information about our magazines: • We now publish three magazine titles: Moor Links, Tavy Links and Oke Links • They are all FREE bi-monthly magazines (Feb/March, April/May etc) • Just under 25,000 copies are distributed by the Royal Mail within our three areas, to every house and business address.

• All our magazines are written by local people, for local people. If you’d like to be a contributor, please get in touch, we’d love to hear from you!

• A minimum of 60% editorial content – always ensuring a ‘really good local read’.

• Several 1000s of copies are also placed within local Doctors, Dentists, Libraries, Pubs and Supermarkets etc.

– for general pick up.

• Our community website - dartmoorlinks.co.uk. See all our magazine stories, local news, blogs, weather and a fully comprehensive What’s On listing. Our handy Business Directory lists all our local businesses and services.

Updated daily!

If you would like to ADVERTISE your business - contact Tim, Jane or Victoria on 01822 615627 or 07450 161 929 Email: advertising@tavylinks.co.uk Website: www.dartmoorlinks.co.uk Please note that the opinions expressed in this magazine do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the editorial team. We have done our utmost to ensure that all the content is correct and accurate at the time of print, but we emphasise that Moor Links or Olijam Communications Ltd accepts no responsibility for any mistakes or omissions. All data contained in advertisements are subject to the Advertising Standards Authority guidelines and are accepted by us in good faith at the time of going to press. Reproduction of editorial is strictly prohibited without prior permission from the publisher. All rights reserved copyright © 2018

THE LINKS TEAM: Editorial Director: Lizzie Watt Publisher: Tim Randell Editor: Rosemary Best Deputy Editor: Nichola Williams Design: Sara Venner, Terri Reeves, Julian Rees Advertising: Jane Daniel, Victoria Smith

Harry Otter is out and about and we’ve spotted him 7 times throughout the magazine.

Can you spot him too?

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WELCOME

CONTENTS

28

Rose Festival at RHS Garden Rosemoor

THE TRAVEL AND ADVENTURE ISSUE

12 18 27 58 68

6

25

12

27

Art for orphans in India

Getting active outdoors

16

28

Education

Gardening

17

31

Kids’ What’s On

Gardening What’s On

Community News

18

Health & Wellbeing

35

Local People Naturalist

22

37

Charity

Farming Diary

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

38

What’s On

49 What’s On Extra

62

Outdoors & Active

64 Food & Wine

54

66

National Trust

IT FAQs

57 Music & Art

58 Dartmoor Resonance Music Festival

67 Bookshelf

68 History

74 Trade Secrets

60 Feature – Ice Warrior

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COMMUNITY NEWS

New life for Tavistock Guildhall A walk from Mount Kelly to Drake’s statue on Plymouth Road can take you from the Iron Age via the Middle Ages and the remains of a prominent abbey church through to the industrial revolution with its gritty history of mining on a world-class scale. Thanks to its hugely successful 19th century industrial expansion, including Tavistock Canal, Tavistock now enjoys world heritage site status alongside the Taj Mahal, Stonehenge and more than 1,000 sites across the world.

Recent investment in the Butcher’s Hall, Pannier Market and No.1 Church Lane (Foulston’s House), is reinvigorating our much-admired legacy buildings.

Tavistock Heritage Trust is working in partnership with the town council to breathe new life into the remaining key buildings in the Duke of Bedford’s 19th century rebuilding of Tavistock town centre: The Guildhall, formerly the magistrate’s court, and the old police station. Both buildings will be fully refurbished in an ambitious £1.6 million project that will see the Grade II listed buildings conserved and, in some parts, remodelled to provide an interpretation centre for the eastern gateway to the Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape World Heritage Site. The plans also include an education resource room and flexible use of the magistrates’ courtroom

Photo: Michael Leek

for art performance, debates and other community use. The trust is also working to reopen the Court Gate visitor centre to provide information to visitors on the town’s heritage and attractions.

Both ventures will rely on the enthusiasm of volunteers to help the trust bring Tavistock’s heritage to life. Volunteers are being recruited now to help in the information centre, as well as shape and run a programme of events and, in the future, support activities for local schools and organisations. Skills in retail, administration, marketing, research, writing, guided walks and public engagement are particularly valuable, though all enthusiastic volunteers with a few hours to spare are welcome. To find out more visit www.heritageintavistock.org

Volunteers for Brentor & Moor Compassionate Neighbours Brentor & Moor Compassionate Neighbours helps to support individuals living with a long-term condition, suffering from a life-limiting illness, or approaching the end of life, enabling them if at all possible to remain at home during this difficult time. The BMCN scheme was launched in partnership with St Luke’s Hospice last year, originally serving the area to the north of Tavistock. Due to demand it has expanded to cover Tavistock, Yelverton and the surrounding district and more

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volunteers are now required. If you have two or three hours a week to spare, have some experience in health or social care or have looked after a loved one, or simply have a genuine interest in helping this vulnerable group of people, please get in touch. Full training, DBS checks etc are provided. For further information visit: www.bmcneighbours.org or for an informal chat with no obligation, please call the BMCN co-ordinator, Mark Alderson, on 01822 860799.

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COMMUNITY NEWS

MP presses to keep Dartmoor prison open Torridge and West Devon MP, Geoffrey Cox QC, has made strong representations to the Prisons Minister, Rory Stewart MP, to keep HMP Dartmoor open. The prison has been under threat of closure since 2013 when the Government issued a 10-year notice that it would vacate the site to the prison’s landlord, the Duchy of Cornwall.

Mr Cox was impressed to see the high standards maintained in the prison during a recent visit and has formed a parliamentary group of south west MPs, whose constituents will be affected by the decision to close the prison, to open discussions with the Government over its future. Mr Cox said: “The prison has continued to improve in recent years under robust leadership and I was impressed by the dedication of officers and staff to the wellbeing of the prisoners. As the HMIP report noted, the prison provides excellent and innovative mental health support and high quality palliative care.

“In my meeting with the Prisons Minister I emphasised not only how important the prison is to the local economy on and around Dartmoor but how well run the prison regime is.

Against the backdrop of the pressures facing our prisons up and down the country, I believe that the most sensible option is to keep the prison open. The Duchy of Cornwall is also keen to see the prison remain in being.

“I am pleased that the Minister recognised that there is a powerful case for keeping the prison open and, although he pointed out that the buildings are in need of radical renovation, I am confident that if we can address this important question, there is a real possibility of maintaining Dartmoor prison for many years to come.”

International tourism boost for local businesses Tourism providers in and around Dartmoor and Exmoor are benefitting from a £1.4 million project to develop new products and experiences that will attract more overseas visitors to England’s national parks. Dartmoor and Exmoor have worked with other English national parks to secure the funding from Visit England’s ‘Discover England Fund’. Whilst initially the project will be targeting German and Australian visitors, the products will be available to all markets.

The most compelling experiences available in each national park have been identified, reflecting the local character and

distinctiveness of these areas including wildlife encounters, opportunities to discover England’s great history, as well as meet with local farmers and producers within national parks.

Businesses are being recruited for a support programme to help develop their products and engage with the travel trade.

The aim is to produce a suite of over 50 top experiences – the English National Park Experience Collection. Visit Dartmoor, Visit Exmoor, Inspire Hospitality and Jo Butler Consulting are facilitating the business engagement. For more information visit www.nationalparks.gov.uk/experiencecollection or email jenny@visitdartmoor.co.uk.

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COMMUNITY NEWS

Tavistock Rotary Round-up Tavistock Rotary’s biggest fundraiser is our Charity Golf Day on June 14th at Tavistock Golf Club, which regularly raises £4,000 for local charities. Last year’s winners, the Whitchurch Inn, will be defending their title, helping to raise funds for two vital local charities. The first, PDLF, is dedicated to supporting the haematology wards at Derriford Hospital where hundreds of local people been treated for blood cancers, and other ailments such as the after-effects of strokes. We have pledged to buy five state-ofthe-art chemotherapy pumps, each costing around £2,000 and our target now is to raise enough for the final one. The second

charity, the Tavistock Triangle Centre, is our main charity for the coming year. The centre’s experienced professional team helps cancer patients with treatment and recovery. Patients, carers and family members can find counselling and support in a friendly local environment.

I’ll be handing over to Norrie Philip as president of the club in July, but in the meantime I’m very excited about the Tavistock Schools Art Exhibition in June. All four Tavistock Primary Schools are taking part and, under the guidance of Whitchurch artist and teacher Annette Sharpe, over thirty year 5 pupils are producing brilliant work on the theme ‘Dartmoor’.

If you would like to get involved in any of Tavistock Rotary’s activities, or help with any of the fundraising activities, please contact Graham Parker on 07545 075942 or email grahamparker1@me.com Graham Parker

Tavistock Probus Club Probus clubs were formed about a century ago for retired PROfessional and BUSiness people. Most clubs are for men, but an increasing number accept both men and women. All Probus clubs are non-sectarian, non-political and provide regular social opportunities, inviting speakers to talk on community issues and events, together with other fascinating subjects of local, national and international importance.

Some men welcome retirement while others dread the day. Leaving your working life behind can be a shock and frequently, people discover they miss the comradeship and camaraderie. Keeping minds alive with imaginative and challenging thoughts, can benefit well-being and physical health; Tavistock Probus Club offers the opportunity to meet

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like-minded individuals in a convivial environment. Our members include retired gentlemen from many backgrounds including farmers, doctors, clerics, lawyers, the armed forces, engineers, managers, builders, artists, diplomats, journalists and many more.

Club meetings are held in The Bedford Hotel at 10:00am on the second Tuesday of every month and include a talk by an invited speaker; new members who are retired or semi-retired are always welcome. Each year two members’ luncheons are held in The Bedford Hotel (next on 10th July) and two ladies’ luncheons (October and December). For more information visit www.tavistockprobusclub.co.uk or for membership details contact the Hon. Secretary, David Rippon on 01822 615669.

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COMMUNITY NEWS

I am over 25 and entitled to the National Living Wage, but I suspect I am being underpaid. How can I find out if I’m being paid the right amount, and claim what I am owed from my employer?

If you think you’ve been underpaid, you should act quickly, as it’s harder to get your money back more than three months after the problem has arisen. Check your payslip to see if there’s been a mistake. You will be able to see the number of hours you’ve worked, the rate you’ve been paid at and if there have been any deductions. Ask your employer to explain anything you don’t understand on your payslip and tell them why you think you have been underpaid. If there has been a genuine mistake, ask your employer to pay you straight away as you shouldn’t have to wait until the next payday.

If your employer refuses to pay back your wages you can formally raise a grievance, either by writing a letter to your

employer or following your company’s grievance procedure.

Explain that you haven’t been paid enough and you want them to pay the difference. If this still doesn’t work, you can take your employer to a tribunal. Contact the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas), who will see if your employer will agree to a conciliation process, rather than go to court.

Otherwise you can take your employer to a tribunal, but think carefully before starting a tribunal claim as it can be expensive and stressful. If you need any advice or guidance through this process, contact your nearest Citizens Advice.

For the most up-to-date advice, please visit www.citizensadvice.org.uk pop into your local office or call Adviceline on 03444 111 444.

Tavistock Citizens Advice (Kingdon House) Mon, Weds, Fri 10am – 2pm www.ruraldevoncab.org.uk

Morris Bros (Tavistock) Ltd Your Local Independent Funeral Director

Death alters the course of daily life for all those closest to the person who has died. Arranging any funeral can be distressing, which is why choosing the right funeral director to ease you through the process can make all the difference. At Morris Bros, we understand the pain of loss and open our doors to you, offering both practical guidance and personal comfort.

Simon and Lucie Luke live on the premises and are available to you 24 hours a day. Simon has over 20 years experience as the fifth generation of Morris Bros (established in 1870) and holds the Certificate In Funeral Practice. Lucie is a member of the British Institute of Embalmers.

Telephone 01822 612023 for a 24hr personal service The Old Bedford Foundry Lakeside Tavistock PL19 0AZ www.morrisbros.co.uk

Golden Charter is the UK’s leading provider with a wide range of plans to suit all budgets from just £2895.

Your plan will be allocated to Morris Bros here in Tavistock.

We also offer bespoke plans to suit specific requests.

Telephone Simon or Lucie on 01822 612023 to request an introductory brochure pack or to request a confidential appointment at home or in the office.

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COMMUNITY NEWS

Inspiring Women, Inspiring Women Conference 2018 Taking place on 22 June at Tavistock’s beautiful and historic Bedford Hotel - ‘Inspiring Women, Inspiring Women’ will bring together women of all backgrounds and lifestyles for inspiration, support and friendship in business, campaigning activities, and family life.

Speakers include Jodine Boothby of Gummee Glove, sharing her story of building a business while battling depression, facing bankruptcy and raising a family, and Faye Gould of Restore, a local project that exists to help survivors of human trafficking by guiding them through a process of rehabilitation to a normal, steady life.

There will be four hour-long group discussions, and attendees

are encouraged to take an active part in these.

The topics are ‘women and politics’, ‘employing more empowering language’, and ‘imposter syndrome’, with the fourth topic yet to be decided - visit the website to make your suggestion.

Attendees will also be encouraged to take part in the ‘Share Your Story’ room, telling others about their own journeys through life and the women they find inspirational.

For more information, including sponsorship opportunities and booking tickets, visit www.taviwomen.co.uk/2018conference

Tavistock BID Did you know Tavistock is ‘coach friendly’? Tavistock BID in partnership with the Town Council and Market Reeve, recently made a presentation to the Coach Friendly Association and demonstrated that Tavistock meets all the requirements to achieve this coveted status. We are delighted with this result as it places a seal of approval on Tavistock as a great destination for coach visitor and group tour organisations. We are already advertising our success further afield and hope to see an increasing number of visitors in Tavistock this year.

calendar generated lots of positive feedback, so this year we are planning to do it all again!

Keep a look out for the Town Guide arriving on your doormat; this will be delivered to local households at the beginning of June and is produced in collaboration with the Town Council. It contains important dates for your diary and plenty of information about how the BID, Council and local interest groups are working together in 2018.

With children in mind, we will be offering various activities throughout the summer holidays. Based around Bedford Square, these will include ‘Time Travellers’ and ‘Be a Superhero day’. We will publicise this from late June onwards, so make sure to check our website visit-tavistock. co.uk or like our Facebook page @visittavistock to keep up-todate with all our latest news and events.

We are already working with The Edge and Simon Dell, to plan ‘Tavistock Alive’, a series of tours around the town with local historical characters and fascinating Tavistock facts. We are developing a Tree Trail of special interest trees and a Heritage Trail, and when complete these will become permanent offerings available throughout the year.

Last year the BID developed and organised a Summer Festival for the town. This well-attended addition to our events

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COMMUNITY NEWS

40th anniversary for Tavistock RSPCA The RSPCA shop was one of the first charity shops to be established in Tavistock and is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. Although it has been in its current location in King Street for 25 years, manager Karen Norwood says customers are still delighted to discover it tucked away there and often say: “I didn’t know there was an RSPCA shop in Tavistock – how long have you been here?”

Another surprising fact is that all staff in the Tavistock and Plymouth area are volunteers, including the managers, which means that even more of the income raised in the shops is used to support RSPCA work. RSPCA inspectors with the Plymouth & South West Devon branch are responsible for rescuing stray and injured animals. Once the animals have received appropriate care at veterinary surgeries they are transferred to shelters such as the RSPCA Little Valley Animal Shelter in Exeter or looked after locally ready for rehoming. In addition, the charity campaigns nationally to raise standards of animal welfare, including prosecuting those responsible for animal abuse.

Karen and her close-knit team of volunteers thoroughly enjoy working in the Tavistock branch which has become a small community in its own right, with a regular and loyal following of customers. As you might imagine the shop is extremely dog-friendly and there is always a tin of dog biscuits in the drawer for canine visitors. The retail unit’s compact space requires painstaking stock control, but the result is a carefully organised and eclectic mix of treasures for all tastes.

All donations of goods are gratefully received and the shop welcomes new volunteers. If you are interested in volunteering please call into the shop and pick up a form.

If anyone is interested in adopting an animal please check www.rspca.org.uk for details.

The West Devon Club

An ideal venue for celebrations, parties and special events such as weddings and wakes Wenewly welcome new members - for more information, pop in andaspeak our good friendly Our refurbished club has a warm and welcoming lounge, danceto floor, foodstaff. with ENJOY THE SUNSHINE IN OUR BEAUTIFUL WALLED GARDEN AND LOOK FORWARD TO separate dining area, 2 bars, cosy cellar bar with great function area. large screen TVs for THE BBQS, HOG ROAST AND BEER FESTIVAL THIS SUMMER. sporting events plus snooker tables, pool room and a wonderful beer garden.

FORTHCOMING EVENTS: 26 Jun Quiz • 31 Jul Quiz • 11 Aug Hog Roast • Bingo Every Wednesday Evening • More events to follow...

Get online and check out the website to see the latest events at the club.

3 Abbey Place, Tavistock, PL19 0AB • 01822 613025 westdevonclub@yahoo.com • thewestdevonclub.com See our new community website www.dartmoorlinks.co.uk

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COMMUNITY NEWS

Raise the roof for Tavistock Parish Church been leaking for some time and after a very wet winter, restoration work is urgently needed.

Individuals, families and community groups are being invited to take part in Tavistock Parish Church’s new fundraising campaign to ‘Sponsor a Slate’ for the vestry roof. The roof has

Donors are being invited to sponsor a slate and inscribe it with their name, or those of family members or loved ones, as well as personal messages and designs. The campaign aims to raise £28,000 towards the total estimated cost of £84,000; part of the cost will also be funded by The Friends of St Eustachius’. Over 1,000 new slates will be required to match the existing roof of the Grade Two* Listed building.

or simply, ‘just because’, this newly launched campaign offers a chance to make your mark on history whilst also supporting this essential fund-raising.”

A whole slate can be sponsored for £25, or a small section for just £5 and all donors will be recorded in a vestry book to commemorate their generosity, unless they wish to remain anonymous. Slates are available in the church or donations can be made at the Parish Office (almost opposite the church in Plymouth Road) on 01822 616673, or online at www. virginmoneygiving.com/fund/vestry.

Vicar, the Very Rev Dr Christopher Hardwick said: “Whether for a birthday, anniversary, christening, wedding

Art for orphans in India Mary Tavy artist Laure Bury recently spent some time running art workshops for the children of Tara Children’s Project in Bodhgaya in India. Coordinated by the Buddhist Root Institute, the centre includes a Buddhist retreat with accommodation, prayer rooms, canteen, a school for over 230 children, a free medical centre, library and orphanage. The Dalai Lama was teaching there during her stay, so she was also able to attend some of his

teachings, as well as meet Richard Gere who was also staying there.

HIV/AIDS is a huge problem in India and orphaned children can be rejected and left to fend for themselves at a very young age. Tara Children’s Project has 21 orphaned children, who are the ‘lucky’ few, as this is the only HIV/AIDS orphanage in the state of Bihar. These children go to the Root Institute school where they are educated

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in the seven principles of Forgiveness, Apology, Patience, Kindness, Courage and Rejoicing. Laure arrived in India with a suitcase full of art materials for the children, including mandala outlines on paper and canvas for the children to decorate. She says: “The warmth, kindness and generosity of the children, far outweighed any discomforts of travelling in India and I would like to thank everyone who supported this worthwhile project”.

01822 617883

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COMMUNITY NEWS

The power in your hands Tamar Energy Community (TEC) is one of seven community energy groups across the South West, Wales and the Midlands awarded a place as part of a ground-breaking trial providing access to open data on local electricity networks.

Our winning innovation ideas could have a real impact on the future of local networks and local benefits. TEC is very excited about the opportunities this could bring to our area.

With support from Western Power Distribution (WPD) we’ll be developing a web-based app to put ‘The Power in Your Hands’. As a local householder you can understand how much power your neighbourhood is using, your share and how you compare, plus see times of the day when energy use is less intense and could be cheaper. You can then make your own choices - can I use less by switching things off or using them less? - can I switch on appliances when my energy will cost less? If this sounds interesting, and you’d like to get involved, please get in touch.

Are you on the best energy tariff?

It may be summer but don’t forget to get ready for winter.

Make sure you’re on the best energy tariff and that your heating system, heating controls and insulation are up to scratch. On a low income?

There may be help available.

Devon Community Energy Impact Study 2018 This report prepared by Devon County Council highlights the importance of community energy in Devon, including Tamar Energy Community. 33 jobs have been created, £14 million raised, enough clean green energy generated for 3423 homes in 2017 and over 2700 households in fuel poverty have been supported.

To find out more on the above information, contact hello@ tamarenergycommunity.com or call 08002 335414 or check out www.tamarenergycommunity.com.

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Call Ross and his team today to discuss your needs and reserve your tim

t f

01822 617232 T. 01822 617232 E. townhall@tavistock.gov.uk www.tavistock.gov.uk www.tavistocktownhall.co.uk townhall@tavistock.gov.uk Tavistock Town Hall, Bedford Square, Tavistock, PL19 0

Tavistock Pannier Market After extensive building work on the roof and structure of the building our fantastic traders have moved back into the Pannier Market.

Themed Days - Every day is different Open 9am - 4.30pm Tuesdays

Antiques & Collectables

Wednesday

Crafts and mixed market

Thursday

Crafts and mixed market

Friday

Traditional Charter Market, fresh produce

Saturday

Regular themed markets- 1st Saturday of the month is Aladdins Cave collectables, 2nd Saturday is crafts, others are mixed.

You are invited the community is invited to an official Pannier Market and Butchers Hall launch celebration on the 14th July.

To see and read about the next stage of developments for the Pannier Market go to tavistock.gov.uk

FIND US just behind the high street and town hall in the heart of Tavistock FIND OUT MORE 01822 611003 www.tavistockpanniermarket.co.uk

COMMUNITY NEWS

Tavistock Markets: A truly unique offer on the edge of Dartmoor The beautifully restored Butchers’ Hall has been the temporary home of the Pannier Market ‘five-day traders’ from the start of the year due to necessary improvements to the nearby Grade II listed Pannier Market building. The extensive restoration work to the Pannier Market included a new roof, new doors, lighting and heating improvements as well as refurbishment of the toilets, funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and Tavistock Town Council as part of their joint initiative to restore this and other historically significant commercial buildings in the town.

With works now complete, traders have returned to the Pannier Market to welcome new and existing customers to their wonderful range of products and services. These include a Tuesday Antiques & Collectables Market as well as a Friday Charter Market, and Aladdin’s Cave Collectables on the first Saturday of the month, tempting passers-by as they enjoy a day out in this picturesque market town.

array of vibrant themed markets and events. The central theme underpinning the council’s approach to Butchers’ Hall will be to focus on developing a sustainable themed market offer, which maximises the economic benefit to Tavistock and the surrounding Greater Dartmoor area. It aims to create a pleasurable experience, characterised by a range of high quality and diverse goods, reflecting the needs and interests of the local community and visitors. In doing so it is anticipated Butchers’ Hall will attract an increased footfall into the town and enhance the vitality of Tavistock’s unique market offer by both complementing and being distinguished from the established Pannier Market.

If you are looking for something a little different that inspires and celebrates the very best of what our region has to offer, visit the markets in Tavistock for a truly unique experience that complements the beautiful bustling town of Tavistock.

Butchers’ Hall will officially launch on Saturday 14th July 2018 with a Food and Drink Festival and will be home to a fantastic Located in the heart of Tavistock, within the Pannier Market complex, Butchers’ Hall will be home to a fantastic array of vibrant themed markets and events. If you are looking for something a little different, that inspires and celebrates the very best of what our region has to offer, visit Butchers’ Hall for a truly unique experience that complements our award-winning Pannier Market & beautiful bustling market town.

UPCOMING EVENTS 14th Jul Food & Drink Festival 25th Aug Gin Festival 1st Sept Tavi Arts Market 10th Oct Goose Fair & Artisan Market

FIND US 32 Market Road Tavistock, PL19 0AL FIND OUT MORE 01822 616134 www.tavistock.gov.uk See our new community website www.dartmoorlinks.co.uk

15

EDUCATION

Learn Devon – learning for families Learn Devon provides adult courses to help develop skills, pursue passions and improve wellbeing. We offer courses in English, maths, arts and crafts, languages, employability, English for speakers of other languages and courses for adults with learning difficulties and disabilities.

In addition to our regular courses, Learn Devon works closely with the local communities we support, to offer free Family Learning courses that are fun, practical and can help parents and carers to: •

Develop ideas to support their child’s learning and development

•

Enjoy learning alongside their children

•

Develop confidence and new skills

•

Offer progression onto accredited learning when appropriate

These courses take place in children’s centres, nurseries, schools, libraries and other community venues. Topics often

include storytelling, puppet-making, craft, animation, fun with maths, healthy eating and more.

‘Bags of Maths’ is just one of the short courses we are offering this term. This 5-week course helps parents and children over the age of two, create numeracy games to play at home, all stored in a handy bag! Learners will be introduced to early counting skills, practical activities to encourage the use of maths and fun ways to learn about capacity and measuring.

Learn Devon can also design and deliver bespoke courses, on particular subjects relevant to community organisations and run them at arranged times and in convenient venues, for example if your school would like to put on Family Learning courses for your parents and carers, we can arrange this. Most of our courses are free, however eligibility criteria apply.

To find out more, visit www.learndevon.co.uk , call 0345 155 1014 or email learndevon@devon.gov.uk

Join us now for courses running in

Tavistock and the surrounding areas Ask us about

Free English and maths courses and courses for

skills family work health leisure Search for courses under ‘West’ at:

learndevon.co.uk or call 0345

155 1014

Terms and conditions apply for all courses

16

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KIDS WHAT’S ON

SUMMER FUN, ADVENTURE, RAFTING, PIRATES!

THE WHITTY KIDS

COTEHELE

THE WONDERS OF DRAKE AND RALEIGH

LOOK SHARP!

Friday 22nd June, Saturday 23rd June, 6:30pm This year’s fantastic production from ‘The Whitty Kids’ is a pirate adventure with a twist. The Queen has summoned Drake and Raleigh to go on a quest to find her ‘Golden Wonders’; the first to return with the treasure will win the Queen’s heart.

The comedy adventure follows the trials and tribulations of Drake and Raleigh as they race for the Queen’s affections. There are mishaps, mayhem, talking rats and birds and even a guest appearance from a famous Caribbean pirate!

Mary Tavy Coronation Hall, adult tickets £4, child tickets £2, available from Dukes Café and Whitchurch Primary School

26 July, 12:00-3pm This is your chance to handle some of our bladed weapons that usually hang on the walls. Don’t forget to bring your camera, you’ll be able to amaze all of your friends.

Normal admission prices apply

Let your creative side go wild, join our Ranger team to explore the art of wild woodland sculpture. Make a piece of wild art to take home using hand tools, natural materials and your imagination. Work together to create one as a family or make one individually. £5 per sculpture, booking advisable, normal admission applies.

LYDFORD GORGE SCAVENGER HUNT

BUCKLAND ABBEY THE WORLD ENCOMPASSED FAMILY TRAIL Every day 11am – 5pm Discover quirky facts about Drake’s famous voyage. Collect your passport to the past from visitor welcome to help you follow Drakes route and become a Tudor explorer (cost per passport £2)

Saturday 28 July to Sunday 9 September, 10am-4.30pm Keep your eyes peeled this summer at the gorge and see how many things you can tick off on your walk. There might even be some of the gorge’s more mystical residents to spot. Normal admission applies.

MINI RAFT MAKING

Normal admission prices apply

Saturday 28 July, 1-4pm

BURRATOR DISCOVERY CENTRE

SUMMER HOLIDAY FUN

BURRATOR FAMILY DAY

Daily craft activities inspired by the Abbey’s history, its flora and fauna and Andrew Logan’s Cosmic Egg.

Make your own mini raft with the help of the ranger team then launch it on the river Lyd to see how well it sails.

Sunday 1 July, 12pm-4pm Burrator Family Day and fundraiser for our lower lawn project, with woodwork, environmental art, outdoor cooking, letterboxing and a chance to buy handmade stools and homemade cakes… £3 per person

Daily from 4 August, 11am – 4pm

£3-£12 depending on activity chosen, normal admission prices apply.

£2 per person, booking advisable, normal admission applies FAMILY RANGER DAY Tuesday 31 July, 11am-3pm Celebrate world ranger day, come along to meet the rangers and try something new.

LYDFORD GORGE MAKING WILD WOODLAND SCULPTURES

Normal admission applies

Saturday 2 June, Sunday 8 July 1-4pm

family adventures

tree surfing archery canoeing café mountain biking family trails

tamartrails.co.uk 01822 833409 10 minutes from Tavistock

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

17

LOCAL PEOPLE

David Lemon An interesting newcomer to Princetown, is David Lemon, who completed a 3,200-kilometre trek along the length of the mighty Zambezi River three months before his 70th birthday.

In his time David Lemon has managed to fit in working as a police officer, salesman, legal clerk, school bursar, cricket coach, charter skipper, labourer, journalist, author and public speaker. Raised in Rhodesia – now Zimbabwe - he left home in 1963 intent on becoming a teacher, but instead found himself in the Gloucestershire Constabulary for eight years, before going back to the country of his birth to join the Rhodesian police force. Returning to the UK in 1988 after his retirement from the force, David decided to try his hand as an author and wrote four teenage adventure novels, two of which were published by Penguin. However, it was ‘Never Quite a Soldier’, a brutally honest account of his time during the turbulent years of civil war in the dying days of Rhodesia, that established his reputation as an author of humour, tragedy, heartbreak and redemption.

armed soldiers, and menaced by hyenas and lions. He fell off his bike on many occasions and contracted amoebic dysentery in Tanzania - but still he smiles as he tells me how much fun it was. Four and a half months and 7,500 kilometres later, he arrived in Cape Town’s Mount Nelson Hotel to a champagne reception, already making notes for his next book, ‘Two Wheels and a Tokoloshe’.

In his late thirties, David embarked on the first of many African adventures. Lake Kariba is an inland sea on the Zambezi River; it forms the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia, is one of the last unexplored stretches of open water and is definitely not for the faint-hearted. In an open 10’ dinghy, David rowed the lake in both directions. He told me: “It was quite hairy, I had no rowing experience, although after 63 days I became an expert”. During his row, David was shipwrecked three times and lost most of his food. Ashore he was bitten by a poisonous snake and had countless close encounters with lions, hippopotami, crocodiles and buffalo. Encouraged to write about the trip, he entitled the book ‘Hobo’ after his boat.

The adventure bug had bitten and in the early 90s David cycled from Nairobi to Cape Town. He was arrested twice, beaten by

But Lake Kariba still called - in his fifties David walked approximately 2000 kilometres around the lake through wild, African countryside, much of it uninhabited. Without permission to walk in national parks he was cautious, but was only arrested once, although he lost a lot of weight and even had to stitch up his own leg. In his sixties, he tried to kayak around the lake but was refused entry to the Zambian side; he lived to tell the tale, despite suffering badly from hyperthermia.

In 2000, David started writing freelance for the Sunday Express and spent eleven years working undercover in Zimbabwe reporting on the homelessness, starvation, and murder exacted upon the farmers whose lands were being seized. He wrote horrifying accounts of injustice but also found human stories of dignity, kindness and courage. ‘Soldier no more’ is a challenging and inspiring book about those cruel years.

Approaching his 70th birthday David wanted to celebrate with something special - emulating David Livingstone’s attempt to walk 3,200 kilometres along the length of the Zambezi River from source to sea. Mistaken for Jesus, asked to run for the presidency of Zambia, battling exhaustion and malnutrition he

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LOCAL PEOPLE

struggled through some of the most difficult terrain in Africa.

Deep gorges and flood plains coupled with daily temperatures of over 50°C carrying a 35kg pack proved too much. After six months of daily struggle David collapsed and was airlifted out suffering with hallucinations, covered in leg ulcers and bruises. Cerebral malaria added to his problems, but fourteen months later, he was back where he had been forced to stop, and continued the trek, becoming the first person to complete the epic walk in 292 ‘working’ days. Along the way he received encouragement and hospitality from cabinet ministers, drug smugglers, tribal chiefs and river people.

Fundraising from the expedition was donated to the Lilayi Elephant Orphanage outside Lusaka, as David is passionate about these beautiful creatures and their plight. He now travels around Britain lecturing on conservation as well as recounting tales from his many adventures. He is a man with a keen sense of adventure, but limited sense of the importance of planning or preparation. Most of his adventures have taken place on a shoestring, with little or no back-up. He carried little in the way of supplies, preferring to eat what he could find – mopani worms, monkey and even rat. David travelled without a tent and often without a map. “I just kept the

water on my left,” he told me in his usual self-effacing and irreverently concise way. Now in his seventies, I asked him if he’s planning any more adventures and he says his daughter ‘would rather he didn’t’. But he has adventure running through his backbone so I’m not sure he’s ready to hang up his boots just yet.

Nichola Williams

Contact albidaman@aol.com for signed copies of David’s adventure books and details of his talks.

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LOCAL PEOPLE

Bradley Walker After winning TripAdvisor’s ‘Best Small Hotel’ in Europe and the UK, The Tavistock House Hotel is one of Tavistock’s newest gems.

Nichola really didn’t need much persuasion to go and visit it and see what it takes to win such an accolade.

Born in Altringham, Cheshire into a family of hoteliers Bradley Walker was part of the hotel household from a young age, learning the craft of hospitality. The hotel was a large, 50-bed, high quality hotel with three function rooms and Bradley says the experience of working in all of the departments, from the kitchens to the laundry, was hard work but great fun. Gill worked in the hotel as reception manager and the two became friends, marrying five years later.

Bradley studied for a degree in hospitality management in Manchester, and his dissertation featured a new category of hotel – the ‘town house hotel’; from that point his interest in this niche, smaller, more intimate establishment was piqued.

Bradley went on to work in a variety of hotels both large and small, and he was also involved in training companies to deliver the best hospitality. However, it was always his aim to open his own place, on which he could stamp his own values.

Bradley’s brother Tony, moved to Tavistock ten years ago and opened Rockmount Bed and Breakfast. Whilst visiting his brother, Bradley fell in love with Devon and thought it was a great place to start a business and raise their daughter Lauren. In 2014, 50 Plymouth Road was purchased with family investment and was soon destined to become the Tavistock House Hotel, a Grade 2 listed town house built by the Duke of Bedford. Previously the building had been a student house, the Chinese language school owned by Mount Kelly and it was in need of some tender loving care.

that is key and the couple pride themselves on their warm welcome.

After three years of hard work they were delighted to be rewarded with TripAdvisor’s top accolade – ‘Best Small Hotel’ not just in the UK but also Europe, as well as second best in the world! They also won in the category of ‘Most Romantic Hotel’ too. Bradley explained that the award is all the more special because it is judged directly from TripAdvisor’s website reviews on all aspects of the hotel’s feedback from food and service to cleanliness, with the hotel regularly receiving entries such as ‘Fantastic hotel!’ and ‘Excellent place to stay’.

Bradley and Gill are rightly proud of their achievement and their record of excellent hospitality. However, it seems there is no room for complacency as Bradley says there is always something to do in the hotel, some small detail that can be improved with a polish or a touch of paint, so I doubt we’ll see them out very often, but the welcome indoors will be second to none.

Nichola Williams

For more information visit www.tavistockhousehotel.co.uk or contact info@tavistockhousehotel.co.uk, 01822 481627 or 07769 737374.

After 12 months of intensive refurbishment and redecoration, most of which was carried out by Bradley and Gill, they opened the hotel in April 2015. The couple enjoyed the process of choosing colour palettes for paintwork, fabrics, and furnishings and the final effect is crisp and contemporary, with a nod to the glamour of hotels of the past. Each of the six rooms has been individually designed with superior facilities and well-appointed furniture, but Bradley says that it is hospitality

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

21

CHARITY FOCUS

Tavistock Muscular Dystrophy Group Blenheim Palace visit

A branch of the national Muscular Dystrophy Group was set up in Tavistock in the late 1960s and has been organising a respite holiday every year for over 40 years.

There are more than 60 types of neuromuscular disorders classed as muscular dystrophies (MD), and although they affect only one in every 1000 people, these progressive muscle-wasting conditions lead to an increasing level of disability and often a shortened life-expectancy. Tavistock resident, the late George Draper, was particularly influential in setting up Tavistock Muscular Dystrophy Group and the idea of

a yearly holiday came about through his connection with Frank Cornish. When Frank had met a disabled boy and discovered he had never been away from home on holiday, he had invited the boy to stay with him and his wife Peggy on their farm at Coads Green, then the following year the boy had asked if he could bring a friend. Following this, the first Tavistock Muscular Dystrophy Group respite holiday was organised in the village hall at Coads Green, it is thought in 1973. It was a resounding success, with local villagers giving up their time to help out, as well as donating food and drink. Demand for places increased year on year and so by 1977 a larger venue was found at the Molly Owen Centre in Tavistock. For two weeks every summer the centre was transformed with

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CHARITY FOCUS

Photo: Jim Thorington 1978 courtesy of Tavistock Museum

beds brought in from Stonehouse Royal Naval Hospital; four naval nurses came to care for the children, while a party of volunteers gathered from the Tavistock area to provide daytime care and entertainment, taking the children on trips to the zoo and adventure parks, along with local activities.

David Dodd and Alison Carreck were two volunteers who joined the group in its early days and have been involved with the annual holiday ever since. They have seen many changes of venue for the holiday in that time, due to the changing needs of the group, as well as new requirements which have been introduced over the years. In the 1970s life-expectancy for children with MD was only in the mid-teens, and so the holidays catered for relatively young children, whereas now the group caters for more young adults over the age of 18.

Once they leave school, life can become very isolated and there are very few opportunities for respite care in this age group.

Treloar College in Hampshire is this year’s holiday destination for 12 young people with MD from Devon and Cornwall, plus 24 volunteer carers. It is one of only three venues in the south of the UK offering enough rooms with fully adapted facilities for disabled use, plus sufficient space for carers. The annual holiday is a highlight in the lives of the young people with MD who regularly attend, providing a rare opportunity for them to mix with other people of their own age with the same needs and concerns. Many of the young people require breathing apparatus, so physical pursuits are limited. However, a variety

of activities such as cinema, shopping, boccia, board games and fancy-dress parties, mixed with day trips to nearby places of interest, all contribute to a week of intensive fun which is invaluable for the guests. Long-lasting friendships frequently develop and the advent of social media has enabled the young people to maintain close links until the next time they see each other.

An extremely loyal group of carers join David and Alison every year; some of them started helping as students and have gone on to careers in health and medicine, but there are also volunteers from many other walks of life, drawn together by strong ties of friendship for the young people and their fellow carers – the close ties have even resulted in four marriages among the volunteers! The week’s respite care also allows the families of the young people a chance to concentrate on other siblings or take a break themselves.

Local fundraising and donations received throughout the year cover the £15,000 yearly cost of the respite holiday, as well as the annual New Year party in Tavistock which provides a chance for local people with MD and their families to meet up with carers and fundraisers. Every June the group also organises a collection on behalf of Muscular Dystrophy UK, which supports families living with muscle-wasting conditions, as well as funding research into finding an effective treatment.

David and Alison would like to thank the people of the Tavistock area for giving such wonderful support to the group for so many years.

Introduction to Yoga Days A day spent in a beautiful moorland setting learning the 3 main practises of yoga: Asana (movement) Pranayama (breathing) Meditation (quietening the mind)

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Rosemary Best

If you would like to know more about Tavistock Muscular Dystrophy Group, or could help with fundraising, please contact Alison Carreck on steve.ali@ care4free.net or 01822 810868, or David Dodd on 01822 810776. You can also donate online at www. musculardystrophyuk.org or locally on: Saturday 23 June: Flag Day in Tavistock Saturday 9 to Saturday 23 June: House-tohouse collection 23

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HEALTH & WELLBEING

The medical receptionist – the patient’s first point of contact Dr Jo Coldron explains how the medical receptionist now plays a key role in helping patients to receive the care they require.

The medical training of a GP is long and varied and along the way I’ve tried my hand at surgery, anaesthetics, emergency medicine, general medicine, paediatrics, remote expedition medicine, psychiatry….. the list goes on. As a remote medic for a few years I got an even more varied training than some of my colleagues and can add physiotherapy, pharmacist, researcher, radiology, nursing, lab technician, mountain rescue, diving and environmental medicine and tropical medicine to my list. I’ve enjoyed every single medical field that I’ve had exposure to. However, one specialty in the world of modern GPs that I wouldn’t like to do, and therefore have huge respect for, is the role of my colleagues on the front line – our receptionists.

There has been a lot of change in that most visible of roles in the primary care team. When we think of receptionists perhaps we classically view them as administrators, undertaking office and clerical duties, or, perhaps more infamously, as gatekeepers controlling access to the doctors. However, as well as all these more administrative duties the modern receptionists now fulfil three important clinical roles: •

Triage and care navigators

•

Repeat prescription duties

•

Relaying test results and messages from the doctor

The most critical of these clinical roles, and the one that is expanding most rapidly is that of triage and care navigation.

Often as the first medical contact for our patients in a time of need, sometimes dire pressing need and extreme distress, receptionists need to be able to quickly make an assessment of what that patient needs and how best to guide them through what is now an extremely complex system. They are trained to ask about and recognise symptoms of conditions that need urgent 999 care such as stroke and heart attack, as well as more minor illnesses that can be managed by pharmacists.

Their position at the point of entry to the healthcare system means they are the most accessible member of the care team and have significant influence on the patient’s perception of their care. However, this can also mean that they are frequently exposed to the frustrations of patients, sometimes experiencing verbal and even physical abuse which we, the doctors, tend to be much more protected from.

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

We all know that primary care has changed rapidly over the last decade. As part of that evolution it is now impossible for a GP surgery to run on a system of pre-booked appointments only. In this age of hugely increasing demands on community care, where the management of many chronic and acute illnesses that used to be cared for in the hospital setting, are now managed by GP surgeries, we have to fully realise the potential of all our clinical staff. To do this we have a whole range of ways of seeing doctors and nurses, from the prebooked appointments to allow continuity of care and follow up, to the urgent call-back and visit in significant acute clinical needs. Receptionists are less the gatekeepers, holding back patients from the doctors, allowing them their calm afternoon clinics and rounds of golf (I think those days ended a long time before I joined the specialty) - and much more the enablers of this fluid responsive clinical day that squeezes every minute of time possible from the doctors and nurses to get the job done as well as it can be for everyone in the community who needs us.

Receptionists are the advocates of our patients – the voice of the patient within the practice - and as such have a central influence on patient outcome, safety and satisfaction. As the front line of information gathering and dissemination they are bound by the same rules of data protection, non-prejudiced care and confidentiality as any of the doctors and nurses.

There are now many more questions at that first telephone call to the practice than ever before, but if the receptionist is able to get an idea of the problem and the urgency then they have the skills and ability to be able to guide patients through to the most appropriate medical contact.

Dr Jo Coldron Tavyside Health Centre, Tavistock

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HEALTH & WELLBEING

Getting active outdoors in the Tamar Valley At the end of last year, Devon’s Local Nature Partnership was awarded National Lottery funding from Sport England to deliver an exciting five-year programme to support people aged over fifty-five in Devon to connect actively to nature.

After a busy development phase, the project will be working with an exciting mix of organisations, including the Tamar Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), to deliver activities across the area. The ‘Connecting Actively to Nature (CAN)’ programme will help over 3,000 inactive people to discover the combined benefits of a more active lifestyle with the psychological benefits brought by being outdoors in nature.

It is managed by Active Devon which is an independent not-for-profit organisation inspiring and supporting Devon’s population to lead active lifestyles. The CAN programme specifically focuses on helping people who are not normally active, to access outdoor environments, whether it’s people with long-term health conditions, people who don’t consider themselves fit or people with lots of commitments who consider themselves too busy to get outdoors.

Hannah Colston, Tackling Inactivity Director at Active Devon said: “The partnership behind the successful Devon CAN programme is seeking to improve and adapt existing opportunities so they are more welcoming to people taking their first steps into activity. It will also create lots of different types of new, informal activity groups designed by the target customers themselves.”

Tamar Valley AONB is already busy consulting people about what activities to deliver across the Tamar Valley area and is keen to hear ideas about existing activities that could be adapted to support inactive people, as well as new activities that could be set up under the CAN programme. As part of helping people to take their first steps into outdoor activities,

the programme is recruiting a wide range of volunteers who will help to welcome people and support them through the early phase of adapting to a more active lifestyle. These volunteer ambassadors will play a crucial role in helping people to have the confidence to try something new. The wider CAN programme will be recruiting and upskilling three hundred and sixty inspirational volunteer ambassadors over the five years and activity programmes will be launching in summer 2018.

In Devon there are over 122,000 people aged 55+ who are doing less than 30 minutes of physical activity each week, with over 43,000 people suffering from mental health conditions. An ageing population often means that although people are living longer they acquire more long-term health conditions due to physical inactivity. The CAN programme will help more people to enjoy the combined benefits of getting active outdoors and connecting to nature.

If you have any ideas for activities that will help older people to step outside in nature, or are interested in becoming a volunteer ambassador, the Tamar Valley AONB would love to hear from you. Contact info@tamarvalley.org.uk

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GARDENING

A ‘world’ of plants Travelling to other countries is a wonderful opportunity to see plants growing in their native habitats, as well as enjoying more cultivated ‘exotics’ in gardens and parks.

Japanese garden – Chelsea

Often these plants are remarkably familiar, because many of our so-called ‘garden’ plants have originated from countries all around the world, and even some that we consider native to the UK were brought here hundreds, even thousands of years ago. Observing plants in the wild, it is also fascinating to see the conditions in which they truly thrive. Today’s gardeners have an enormous range to choose from – the latest edition of the RHS Plant Finder lists over 76,000 different plants – and so it can be really hard to follow the often-quoted advice of ‘right plant, right place’. For example, on a recent visit to Mallorca, rocky verges and mountain paths were lined with shrubby cistus, rosemary and euphorbias in full flower, so they’re obviously perfect for the poorest soils in sun.

Closer to home, the Chelsea Flower Show provides a truly magnificent opportunity to see a whole world of plants gathered together, for one glorious week in May. The giant marquee or ‘Great Pavilion’ is horticultural heaven with more than 90 of the world’s best growers, nurseries and florists inside the super-sized structure which covers nearly three acres. Here the seasons concertina together with daffodils

and tulips rubbing shoulders with roses, vegetables, tropical blooms and fantastic flower arrangements. Outside, show gardens large and small include some with themed or exotic designs, and are packed with ideas to take home or to simply gaze at in admiration. Although Chelsea 2018 has now passed, it’s well worth making a diary note to buy tickets early next year, and the RHS Hampton Court Flower show is still to come on 2-8 July. For more information go to www.rhs.org.uk/ shows-events.

Seasonal jobs Plant up patio pots to enjoy months of colour through summer and into autumn. Always use good quality potting compost and remember to feed, starting 6-8 weeks after planting. Either apply liquid fertilizer every week or two, or take the easy route with a one-off application of controlled release fertilizer.

Quick-growing vegetables like lettuces, salad leaves and baby beet should be sown little and often to ensure a regular supply and avoid gluts. Vegetables to sow outdoors now include carrots, peas, French and runner beans, turnips and sweetcorn.

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GARDENING

Pelargoniums at Chelsea

Control pests the eco-friendly way by using biological controls, which is the use of a specific living organism to target particular pests like vine weevil, slugs, leatherjackets and chafer grubs.

Most need to be applied at a minimum temperature of 10° C, which has ruled out most of the year so far!

border surrounded by other plants that will fill the gap.

Looking good

Favourite plant: hardy geraniums.

These summer stalwarts bloom for many weeks and are ideal for growing between and under many shrubs, particularly roses. Two of my favourites are the giant shocking-magenta Geranium psilostemon, and blue-andwhite Geranium ‘Rozanne’ which was voted ‘Plant of the Centenary’.

Euphorbias are wonderfully structural perennials that are at their best in early summer. They vary in size from giant Euphorbia mellifera down to the little prostrate E. myrsinites. Cut off flowerheads once they’ve faded, but beware the milky sap which can irritate skin.

Oriental poppies make a magnificent show, although their flowering season is relatively short. The foliage dies back in the summer, so grow in the middle of a

Roses of all types start to burst into bloom this month. With so many to choose from, the best approach is to visit gardens to decide on varieties to order and plant for the autumn – particularly if you’re after scented ones.

Find more gardening tips, news and information on Sue’s new website and gardening blog: www.suefishergardens.co.uk

Euphorbia

Sue Fisher is a garden designer and writer based on the Bere peninsula.

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GARDENING

Sue’s top tips Thrifty: Making your own compost is a great way to recycle waste and improve your garden for free. Make a free compost bin by using four wooden a big difference. Because they travel large distances, create ‘hedgehog highways’ by making entry/exit points (15cm square) at the bottoms of gates and fences. Also, as they do a great job of scoffing slugs and snails, avoid using chemical pest controls.

shipping pallets tied together. Insulate the sides using flattened brown cardboard boxes, and cover with a piece of old cardboard or plastic.

Green: After making a hot drink, pour leftover boiling water over weeds in paving cracks – it’ll kill top growth and young weeds, though not roots of perennials, alas). Loose tea, teabags and coffee grounds can be added to the compost heap. Coffee is also an excellent slug repellent so I save my grounds for the most susceptible plants, like hostas, lilies and lettuces.

Wildlife: Hedgehog populations have plummeted, but small actions can make

Design and Installation Waterfalls and Streams Planting and Stocking Water Features Renovation Leak Repair

Time saving: The growing season has been delayed hugely by the cold weather, with plant growth put back by 4-6 weeks. Catch up by buying readygrown vegetable and flower plants from some of our excellent local nurseries and markets – though do check if they need hardening off (acclimatising to the outside) before planting out.

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rose festival 16 June - 22 July

Re-enactment Weekend (Father’s Day) 16 & 17 June 1940’s Dinner Dance with The South Devon Big Band * 16 June Rose Weekend including Craft Market, guided walks & advice 22 - 24 June Armed Forces Day, free admission to armed forces personnel 30 June Rose themed afternoon teas with floristry demonstration* Wednesdays Late evening openings until 9pm Every Friday in July

All included free with normal garden admission except * for which advance booking is highly recommended. rhs.org.uk/gardens/rosemoor/whats-on Great Torrington, Devon EX38 8PH Tel 01805 626810 RHS Reg Charity No. 222879 / SC038262

GARDENING

16 June to 22 July

Rose Festival at RHS Garden Rosemoor RHS Garden Rosemoor in Torrington hosts its five-week Rose Festival celebrating the beauty and diversity of the nation’s favourite flower, of which 8 billion are grown and sold annually in the UK. Swathes of scented blooms set against the backdrop of one of the most beautiful RHS gardens, as well as floral workshops and unusual cultivars for sale, make this a mustsee this summer. Boasting one of the UK’s largest collections of roses, RHS Garden Rosemoor is home to two dedicated rose gardens, bringing together over 2000 roses across more than 200 different varieties from cottage garden climbers, to bright and beautiful

container varieties. The festival includes guided tours, expert advice from RHS horticulturists, a floral-themed craft market, a rose trail, and much more.

Normal garden admission applies, please visit www.rhs.org.uk/gardens/ rosemoor/whatson or call 01805 624067 for more details.

St Luke’s Open Gardens Wednesday 13th June

Sunday 22nd July

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For the first time four local gardens in the pretty village of Sparkwell will be opening their gates to St Luke’s. This private garden trail offers a wide variety of planting schemes and landscaping, from large lawns and majestic trees to quirky garden features and clever use of spaces. Open from 11:00am to 4:00pm in Sparkwell, PL7 5DD. Refreshments

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NATURALIST

NATURALIST

Travelling on the wing Many of us enjoy holidays abroad and nearly all of us get there by plane. However, consider the birds of the air and some of the insects, many of which travel similar long distances to humans, yet they do it entirely under their own steam. One of the joys of spring is seeing the first swallow.

These birds, weighing only two-thirds of an ounce (18 grams), travel all the way (over 6000 miles) from South Africa, arriving in April having flown over the 2000-mile-wide Sahara Desert, probably the most dangerous stage of their journey. Some adult swallows live to nine or ten years old, having flown to South Africa and back every year, and raised 8 to 10 fledglings during the summer.

Modern technology has revealed much about bird migration routes. Satellite-tracked cuckoos are now known to head either southwest through Spain or southeast through Italy before crossing to Africa. However, the truly baffling question is - how does a young cuckoo, raised by meadow pipits in a nest on Dartmoor, and having never seen its true parents, know that it has to fly south in autumn and find its way to exactly the same area – the Congo rainforest, south of the Sahara – where the rest of British cuckoos spend the winter.

How amazing is that!

One of the last summer visitors to arrive is the spotted flycatcher. Recent studies in South Devon and elsewhere using ‘geolocators’ have shown that ‘our’ birds winter in Africa in the area around Gabon and the Congo, but mainly in Angola. Geolocators are tiny tracking devices that record light levels and time and are usually attached to the back or legs of birds; the data they collect enables scientists to calculate where the birds have spent the winter.

Small numbers of golden plovers used to breed on Dartmoor; 17 pairs bred in the late 1970s, but numbers gradually declined and they last bred on the moor in 2004. Now flocks

of them, sometimes hundreds, can be seen regularly on the moor in winter, but these travel north in late winter/ spring to breed in northern England and Scotland.

Another scarce migrant which still breeds on the moor, ring ouzels can be found in a few valleys on Dartmoor; in late autumn they fly south to sunny Morocco where they spend the winter feeding on juniper berries.

After conifer plantations were introduced, siskins first bred in mainland Devon in 1957 and they now regularly visit some gardens.

However, those you see in winter may well have come from Scottish breeding sites.

Another formerly common garden bird, the greenfinch, now sadly much scarcer due to trichomonosis, was found (through ringing) to winter in Devon and Cornwall and then travel northeast in spring to breed in south east England. Not all migrant birds move great distances; some are known as ‘partial migrants’ and only part of the population migrates. For instance, British goldfinches, now common garden visitors (especially to gardens that feed nyjer seed or sunflower hearts) migrate a few hundred miles south and winter in France or Spain.

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FARMING DIARY

Knock on effects of the ‘beasts from the east’ Finally the sun has come out after one of the worst winters I have ever seen. It was consistently wet from last July until April, with a serious worsening of the weather in February giving us a very high water table which seemed to keep rising.

We haven’t had a chance to catch up with maintenance on the farm because it has been too wet to get near the hedge rows, fences and gateways, let alone try and repair any of them.

We were then hit by the ‘beasts from the east’. The first cold spell was bad enough but the ewes came through that ok even though they did lose a bit of condition. The real problems came when the second ‘beast’ hit us. The ewes were just about to start lambing and after such a wet winter, the first beast and yet more wet weather, the second beast really took its toll. We have never had such high losses at lambing. The flocks, which lambed inside early, were ok and the ewes that lambed later in April were also fine. But the ones due to lamb in the first week of April were hit hard.

We can now see the ‘wood from the trees’ and have plenty of lambs from the earlier and later groups and actually, amazingly the lambs born in the eye of the storm came through it. Let’s hope when it comes to sale time in the autumn things will balance out. We were certainly not alone and there will be higher prices for lambs this season as losses have been high across the whole country. I explained to a relative who owns a pub how harsh the lambing season had been this year and he was very sympathetic, assuring me that lamb would continue to be on his menu. It will cost a bit more this season, but please don’t stop supporting British lamb! The beast was a very apt name but it won’t beat us!

The cows at least have calved very well. We bought five new bulls last year replacing all but one bull so it is pleasing to

know they have all worked and have given us some great calves. It is always a worry using a new bull as sometimes there can be complications like big calves or infertility. So it is always a relief when you get the first few born and on their feet. Soon enough the cows will be meeting the bulls again and as ever the wheels of nature will continue to turn.

I have the honour this July of judging the Whiteface Dartmoor sheep at Yealmpton show. It is always nice to be asked and I am never one to turn down a free lunch, even if I have to run the risk of upsetting a few over eager competitors. The down side is I miss out on showing my own sheep and competing with my fellow breeders, but the upside is I don’t have the hassle of preparing sheep and taking them, or so I thought!

The trouble is now my two boys and their cousins want to start showing in the young handler section. So I do still have to get the sheep ready, halter train them and lug them to the show! That said it is of course great to see the children getting involved and leading the sheep around trying to impress the judge with their sheep handling and knowledge. As with all sports, the parents can sometimes get too eager and there is usually the mix of tears and tantrums, with the odd sheep dragging a small child across the show field, followed at pace by dad who in turn is being shouted at by mum… You can picture the scene I am sure!

Wish me luck!

Mat Cole, Greenwell Farm

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WHAT’S ON

REGULARS

FROM EARLY JUNE

UNTIL 23 SEPTEMBER

Local ceramicist, Fi Smart, celebrates Drake’s drum and his voyages through an astonishing piece of ceramic sculpture, Buckland Abbey 11:00am - 5:00pm

ART OF REFLECTION – THE COSMIC EGG Andrew Logan’s giant Cosmic Egg on show to reflect the peace, tranquillity and spiritual side of Buckland Abbey’s unique spirit. Normal admission charges apply.

10:00am - 5:00pm

What’s On Father’s Day Lunch Sunday 17th June Three delicious courses (and a bottle of Jail Ale for Dad to take home!) £28 (children £18)

Wine Tasting Dinner Thursday 19th July Sample a selection of wines for Summer, partnered with a superb dinner menu using the finest local, seasonal ingredients. £55

DRAKE’S DRUM - THE WORLD ENCOMPASSED

2 JUNE - 28 OCTOBER THE WORLD ENCOMPASSED EXHIBITION An exhibition in partnership with Devon Art Pop who will interpret the story of Drake’s voyage through a variety of artistic pieces, Buckland Abbey 11:00am - 5:00pm

gorge and see how many things you can tick off on your walk. Normal admission applies. 10am-4.30pm.

THURSDAY AFTERNOONS UNTIL OCTOBER ART FOR ALL Classes to combat social isolation through art open to local people, young and old, at Kingdon House Community Centre, Pym Street, costing £8 for 4 sessions. For more details see www.westdevonartworkshops. co.uk, call 01822 258351 or email westdevonartworkshops@gmail.com LAST TUES IN MONTH PARKINSON’S SUPPORT GROUP

9 JUNE – 30 OCTOBER ‘SEASONS OF CHANGE’ EXHIBITION This Cotehele Gallery exhibition features the work of local landscape watercolour painter Peter Dolbear and handcrafted mirrors by Joan Bose. Normal admission charges apply, members free. 10am-5pm

Join us at the Anchorage Centre, Tavistock from 10.30am to noon. We also have monthly exercise classes and social coffee mornings. For more information please contact Pam on 01822 614204 or Val on 01822 613992.

FIRST SATURDAY OF EACH MONTH

THURSDAYS AND SUNDAYS MILLING DAYS AT COTEHELE MILL Watch the millers grind organic wholemeal flour (water dependent) and buy a bag to take home. Normal admission charges apply, National Trust members free.

11:00am - 4:00pm

TIDY TAVI LITTER PICK-UP Meet outside Meadowlands Leisure Centre. There’s no need to register or signup to take part - just turn up! 10:00am to midday. All necessary equipment provided, but please bring your own gloves and wear stout footwear.

EVERY WEDNESDAY

28 JULY - 9 SEPTEMBER, LYDFORD GORGE SCAVENGER HUNT Keep your eyes peeled this summer at the

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ANTIQUES VALUATION DAY TAVISTOCK

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Thursday 14th June Thursday 9th August The Bedford Hotel Plymouth Road 10.00am - 1.00pm

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WHAT’S ON Children can save too. All savers are covered by a free life insurance. Call in for more information or ring 01752 201329.

11.00am - 1.00pm in the Princetown Community Centre, Tavistock Road, Princetown, PL20 6QE

JUNE

10 JUNE CREAM TEA FESTIVAL Tavistock Heritage Trust celebrates Tavistock’s cream tea history at The Bedford Hotel. Learn more about tea from Devonshire Tea, and enjoy live music.

12noon to 4.00pm.

10 JUNE

13, 14 & 15 JUNE ANNUAL MILTON COMBE PIANO FESTIVAL Milton Combe welcomes prize-winning pianists Daniel Petrica Ciobanu and Luka Okros at The Church of the Holy Spirit at 7:30pm. Tickets £15 available from Elaine Stansbury at ellieaud@live.co.uk

JAGUAR ENTHUSIASTS CLUB AT BUCKLAND ABBEY

6 JUNE BUTTERFLY TRAINING DAY FREE Butterfly Training Day learning to identify and survey for butterflies with the Butterfly Conservation Trust at Burrator Discovery Centre. Contact 01822 855700, heritage@swlakestrust.org.uk or visit the centre to book your place.

8-14 JUNE 700 YEARS OF FAITH, FELLOWSHIP AND FUN! A summer festival at St Eustachius’ Parish Church, with displays of the church’s role in Tavistock life since 1318, complemented by a summer exhibition of flowers. For more details contact 07810 301376.

9 JUNE PAINTING WORKSHOPS WITH PETER DOLBEAR Join local artist Peter Dolbear for a painting workshop at Cotehele. Booking essential, call 01579 351346 to book. £75 per person. 10.30am-4pm

10:00am with concours competitions (various categories for Jaguars), a tombola stall and a raffle. £5.00 entrance fee to show a Jaguar (free programme and raffle ticket for champagne included). Pay on the day or pre-register with Sue Joseph on 01579 362063, 07805 398008 or sue. joseph@talktalk.net 12 JUNE ART WORKSHOP AT HOTEL ENDSLEIGH An art workshop with Iain Grant including tea/coffee and a two-course lunch with a glass of wine. 10:30am-4pm, £62 per person - to book call Hotel Endsleigh on 01822 870000. www.hotelendsleigh.com 13 JUNE BATS AND BUTTERFLIES GALORE The Devon Greater Horseshoe Bat Project and the Butterfly Conservation Organisation join forces for a series of talks and events. Please book for bat and moth survey with supper. The Garden House 2:00 pm -10:30 pm.

What’s On River Exe Mussels Lunch Offer A tasty lunch offer featuring superb fresh mussels from the River Exe.

1st – 15th June Mussels in a cider and chorizo sauce with aioli, crusty bread, triple-cooked chips, herb salad

16th – 30th June Mussels in a coconut, chilli and ginger sauce with roti bread, prawn crackers, kimchee salad

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WHAT’S ON 14 JUNE

16 JUNE - 22 JULY

BEARNES HAMPTON & LITTLEWOOD VALUATION MORNING

ROSE FESTIVAL AT RHS ROSEMOOR

Bearnes Hampton & Littlewood valuations for antiques, jewellery and ceramics with Lucy Marles (Jewellery specialist) and Nic Saintey (Ceramics & General Valuer) who will offer advice and valuations on items you may be thinking of selling at auction.

No appointment necessary – for further information please call 01392 413100.

With two of the largest and most beautiful rose gardens in the UK, join us in this month-long celebration of the rose. 10am 6pm daily, normal garden admission.

‘Working with willow’ by Richard, from Windrush Willow. £4 per person including refreshments. 7:30pm-8:30pm. Please book your place in advance on 01822 855700, heritage@swlakestrust.org.uk or visit the centre.

19-23 JUNE THE TAVISTOCK GROUP OF ARTISTS’ ANNUAL EXHIBITION

16 & 17 JUNE FATHERS’ DAY AT THE GARDEN HOUSE

The annual exhibition in Tavistock Town Hall with a wide range of the artists’ work - open daily from 10:00am to 6:00pm (Sunday 10:00am to 5:00pm)

The Bedford Hotel, Tavistock 10:00am1:00pm

Free entry to all dads, grandads and all sorts of dads all weekend as long as they are accompanied by their children!

14 JUNE

16 JUNE

DARTMOOR BORDER MORRIS IN PRINCETOWN

SUMMER PUDDING CLUB

MUSIC FOR A SUMMER’S EVENING

Head to The Edgcumbe tea-room on Cotehele Quay for an evening tasting of our homemade desserts. Booking essential, £20 per person. Call 01579 351346 to book. 7:00pm

22 JUNE

The shenanigans will start outside the Dartmoor Visitor centre at 8pm in Princetown. www.dartmoorbordermorris. com

Sampford Spiney presents a summer concert with Resonet at 6:00pm in the church followed by cheese and wine. Resonet is an a-capella choir specialising in Renaissance and Early Baroque sacred music. Tickets: £10, from simonpatrickhill@outlook.com or 01822 859098.

16- 24 JUNE DARTMOOR RESONANCE MUSIC FESTIVAL A unique festival, devoted entirely to music inspired by, or connected with Dartmoor, see Music & Art or visit www. dartmoorsociety.com/drmf

17 JUNE FATHER’S DAY LUNCH

16 JUNE WILD KITCHEN Forage for elderflowers rustle up a batch of cordial, then lunch on trout cooked over the open fire. 11am-2pm, £10 per person, booking essential, normal admission applies

Treat your dad to a traditional 3-course lunch at The Bedford Hotel or Two Bridges Hotel and take away a bottle of Jail Ale from Dartmoor Brewery with our compliments!

22 JUNE ‘INSPIRING WOMEN, INSPIRING WOMEN’ A conference to bring together women of all backgrounds and lifestyles, with various speakers and discussion sessions at The Bedford Hotel, Tavistock. 9.30am to 4.00pm, £25 per person including refreshments on arrival and lunch. www. taviwomen.co.uk/2018conference 23 JUNE

19 JUNE

TAMAR VALLEY MALE VOICE CHOIR’S GALA CONCERT

EVENING TALK AT BURRATOR DISCOVERY CENTRE

The Tamar Valley Male Voice Choir welcomes Welsh tenors Aled Wyn Davies

Drake’s Auctions Drake’s Auctions Tavistock Tavistock

Auctioneers

Valuers

Sales are held at Parade Business Park, Tavistock, fortnightly on Mondays.

Viewings held from 9-12 noon Saturday and 12-4.30pm on the Sunday preceding sale.

See our website for the full auction calendar.

Antiques • Collectables • Jewellery • Quality Furniture Architectural Salvage • Garden Furniture & Ornaments • Tools & Machinery We offer house clearance and valuation services, and accept goods at our office weekly, please contact us for more information.

For more information call: 01822 616992

www.drakesauctions.co.uk f Unit 6 Parade Business Park, Pixon Lane, Tavistock PL19 9RQ 40

To promote your business to 20,700* readers - call 01822 615627

editorial@tavylinks.co.uk

WHAT’S ON

23 JUNE

open late until 10:30pm. 4:00 to 6:00pm children’s quizzes and a treasure hunt; from 6:00pm - music with Tavistock College musicians, and Spanish guitarist, Mark Barnwell. There will also be a raffle and refreshments.

MIDSUMMER CABARET AT KINGDON HOUSE

30 JUNE

and Rhys Meirion, and Welsh soprano, Shân Cothi at St Eustachius’ Church, Tavistock at 7:30pm. See Music & Art for details

An evening of music and poetry at Kingdon House Community Association, Pym St, Tavistock at 7.30pm. £5 per ticket - funds for Kingdon House Community Association’s restoration fund.

28 JUNE COTEHELE UNLOCKED Explore areas around Cotehele house that are usually closed to visitors and meet the staff and volunteers who help make Cotehele special. Normal admission charges apply, members free. 11am-4pm 28 JUNE ‘REDEEMING OUR COMMUNITIES’ CONVERSATION Meet with other people from Tavistock including police, health services, councils and churches to discuss practical ways of working together for the good of the community. 7-9pm Tavistock Town Hall.

Free admission but places limited - register on www.roc.uk.com/tavistock. For more info visit www.tactnews.org.uk/whats-on/ taviroc 29 JUNE

MKCS ‘BRING AND SING’ SUMMER CONCERT Mount Kelly Choral Society’s “Bring and Sing” features popular choruses from opera, operetta and musical theatre and all singers are welcome. See Music & Art for details.

1 JULY OPEN GARDEN AT NORTHLEW MANOR

4 JULY ART WORKSHOP AT THE GARDEN HOUSE Art workshop with Jackie Lowman using acrylic on textured board at The Garden House - 10.30am - 3.30pm, £35 / £40.

5 JULY DARTMOOR BORDER MORRIS AT THE PETER TAVY INN We had so much fun here last year, we

Sale of Wines, Spirits & Related Items Tuesday 10th July

This is a rare opportunity to see this wonderful 5-acre garden dating from the end of the 19th century. Wheelchair access around house and upper garden, dogs on leads welcome. Admission: adults £5, under 14s free, guided garden tours £3, refreshments and plant sales - in aid of Send a Cow www.sendacow.org Northlew Manor, Okehampton, EX20 3PP 1 JULY A DOGGY DAY OUT AT THE PARK A fun-packed day with dog shows and activities. Entry £4.00 for adults, under 12s free. Harford Bridge Park, Peter Tavy, PL19 9LS, 10:30am – 4:30pm www. adoggydayout.co.uk

William Ward 18th Century Bracket Clock SOLD £2,100

Clarice Cliff Breakfast Service SOLD £580

BOOKS AT BEDTIME Oxfam Bookshop in Tavistock will be

Open 7 Days a Week From 5pm Till Late

Special Thali Taster Ni ghts Every Wednes day £12.95 Reservations Only

Restaurant & Take-Away

All Major Credit Cards Accepted Fully Licensed Spend over £30 on takeaway - get a FREE beer Spend over £50 on takeaway - get a FREE bottle of wine

For Reservations 01822 616520 07860942849

67 West Street Tavistock PL19 8AJ www.tharikstandoori.co.uk

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

Edwardian Silver Teapot SOLD £260

Sapphire & Diamond Cluster Ring SOLD £500

Valuations for auction, probate and insurance purposes Regular specialist auctions with live online Internet bidding For professional advice and valuations, please call 01752 721199 email: enquiries@eldreds.net

www.eldreds.net

1 Belliver Way, Roborough, Plymouth PL6 7BP 41

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Visit brittanyferries.com/links or call 0330 159 6714 New bookings only. Terms, conditions and exclusions apply - see website for full details.

WHAT’S ON have invited Tinners Morris and Cogs & Wheels Ladies Morris to share the fun. From 8:00 pm with a flurry of sticks, hankies and petticoats - feel free to join in the fun!

5 JULY ‘OLD HERBACEOUS’ OUTDOOR THEATRE The humorous love story of a singleminded yet gentle man with a passion for plants, a charming one-man play. 7:30pm at the Moorland Garden Hotel, advance tickets cost £10 per person, contact on 01822 852245 7 JULY GRAND SUMMER FETE AT ST EUSTACHIUS’ Come and enjoy lots of fun activities, sideshows, stalls and various attractions in the churchyard (in church if wet).

10.30am to 3.30pm 7 JULY TAVISTOCK EDGE We will once again be bringing free arts and entertainment to Tavistock, as well as refreshments in Bedford Square and The Bedford Hotel gardens.

7 JULY DARTMOOR RESCUE GROUP FAMILY FUN DAY For DSRT’s 50th anniversary celebrations, come and enjoy a family day of fun and games in the Meadows in Tavistock with the DSRT team.

7 JULY

13 JULY

APPRENTICESHIP OPEN DAY

WEAVE A WILLOW HARE

Want to learn a recognised trade?

Considering a career change? Find out how an apprenticeship can kick-start your career with free, impartial advice and guidance at this event! 10am - 1pm, City College Plymouth, PL1 5QG

Weave a Willow Hare with Dartmoor’s own willow worker, Katherine Miles at The Garden House - £70 / £75.

7 JULY ‘WE WILL REMEMBER THEM’ In commemoration of the end of WW1, Phoenix Chorale will perform The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace by Karl Jenkins, accompanied by North Devon Sinfonia, followed by Tunes from the Trenches, accompanied by Plymouth Youth Concert Band. 7:30pm, Plymouth Guildhall, Adults £15, concessions £12 at wegottickets. co.uk

13 – 21 JULY TAVISTOCK CARNIVAL This year’s carnival theme is ‘Countries of the World’ - for a detailed programme see what’s on extra 13 JULY-28 AUGUST OLIVER! Lionel Bart’s classic musical based on Charles Dickens’ novel, presented by Sterts Theatre Company, Upton Cross, near Liskeard, PL14 5AZ (various dates in July & August) www.sterts.co.uk 14 JULY

8 JULY MAKING WILD WOODLAND SCULPTURES Let your creative side go wild, join our Ranger team at Lydford Gorge to explore the art of wild woodland sculpture, using hand tools, natural materials and your imagination. £5 per sculpture, booking advisable, normal admission applies.

1-4pm

MEAVY MADNESS Come and join in the 2nd Meavy Madness off-road running event for all primary school children. Starts at 2pm. Please go to www.westdartmoor.org.uk and check Meavy school PTA page for more information about the run and how to enter your child.

14 JULY

10 JULY

FOOD AND DRINK FESTIVAL

QUIZ NIGHT IN AID OF RSPCA

Celebrate the official launch of Tavistock’s new themed market and events venue, Butchers’ Hall, with fun and festivities for all of the family with artisan food stalls, refreshing cocktails, craft beer, live music, farmers market and much more. Free entry with complementary glass of bubbles

The Market Inn pub in Tavistock is kindly organising a quiz night to raise funds for the RSPCA. 7.30pm start, maximum of 6 people per team, £2 per person. There will also be a raffle.

YACHT MOBILE HOME GARDEN CONSERVATORY UPHOLSTERY & FURNISHINGS To find out more about us and what we do visit

www.thecanvashop.co.uk

Or pick up the phone and speak to Dave and Jane: 01822 870473

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

43

WHAT’S ON during the official opening at 10:00am by the mayor. 10:00am – 4:30pm in Butchers’ Hall 14 JULY SAFETY ON DARTMOOR DAY Come along and enjoy the stalls, games, climbing wall, raffle, refreshments and main ring displays including Viking re-enactments and Dartmoor Hill Pony Team. Tackle the Lydford Dash, a 5-mile run, watch hot air balloons, enter your dog in the dog show and meet your local emergency. Free parking.11am - 4pm at Lydford Sports Field, entrance is free.

14 JULY DARTMOOR BORDER MORRIS AFTERNOON BEER DANCE We are selling off a keg of Jail Ale at an incredible £2 a pint from 1pm at the Burrator Inn! – with the money raised going to Jeremiah’s Journey. All local Morris sides have been invited. www. dartmoorbordermorris.com

15 JULY EXHIBITION ON ‘THE FISHING FEAST’ Free Exhibition on ‘The Fishing Feast’ – a historic ceremony that celebrates Sir Francis Drake’s role in first bringing a reliable water supply to Plymouth in the 16th century, at Burrator Discovery Centre, 10am-4pm.

17 JULY EVENING TALK AT BURRATOR DISCOVERY CENTRE ‘Devon’s Small Mammals’ by Peter Cooper from Devon Mammal Group. £4 per person including refreshments. 7:30pm-8:30pm.

Please book your place in advance on 01822 855700, heritage@swlakestrust.org. uk or visit the centre.

19 JULY HEAD GARDENER MASTERCLASS AT THE GARDEN HOUSE

gardener, will show you how to create and maintain a naturalistic garden. 11am-4pm, £30 / £35 19 JULY SUMMER ARRANGEMENT FLORAL WORKSHOP Fun and friendly floral workshop with Amanda Randell at Hotel Endsleigh - all flowers, foliage and equipment will be provided. All skill levels welcome. 9.30am3pm including tea/coffee and a two-course lunch with a glass of wine. £70.00per person - to book call Hotel Endsleigh on 01822 870000 19 JULY SUMMER WINE TASTING DINNER AT TWO BRIDGES HOTEL Discover wines from around the globe, and learn about their key characteristics, followed by a delicious five-course dinner with matched wines. Two Bridges Hotel £55 per person.

Nick Haworth, The Garden House head

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WHAT’S ON 20 JULY PLYMOUTH JAZZ CLUB COMES TO TAVISTOCK Traditional Jazz with Graham’s Gentlemen of Jazz at 7.30pm in Tavistock Town Hall.

Plus ‘Ocean City Sound’, a close harmony and barbershop choir from 7:00 to 7:30pm.

Tickets in advance £12 available at The Bookstop, 3 Market Street or on 01752 721179.

21-29 JULY WEST DARTMOOR ART GROUP EXHIBITION WDAG, will be holding its annual exhibition of local works of art - open daily from 10:00am to 6:00pm in Peter Tavy Village Hall (exhibition closes at 4:00pm on 29th July). Entry free, refreshments available 28 JULY BRENTOR SUMMER FAYRE Brentor’s first summer fayre from 12.00pm to 4.00pm in the village hall will have a variety of craft, tombola, plant and cake stalls, plus refreshments, live music and produce and photography competitions. www.brentorvillage.org

We have included as many events as possible here in the magazine but for a full and comprehensive list please see our new community website: www.dartmoorlinks.co.uk

FRIENDS OF WHARF LUNCHTIME LECTURES TAVISTOCK WHARF ORGANISED BY DR ANN PULSFORD, IN AID OF FRIENDS OF THE WHARF EVERY MONDAY 2PM. ALL WELCOME

JUNE 4 June Tim Albert My Tavistock times 11 June Geri Parlby Mad, Bad & Fascinating to Know 18 June Barbie Thompson The Star Spangled Banner 25 June John McLoughlin The Mayflower Pilgrims

JULY 02 July

Henry Guly Dartmoor Search & Rescue the next 50 years 09 July Richard Thomas The Manchester Ship Canal 16 July Richard Thomas A Walk with the Admiral 23 July Di Lawer The Great Cornish Pasty 30 July Ian Gasper Slowly Down the Ganges

All event listings are FREE. Send details to editorial@tavylinks.co.uk or upload directly to our website by pressing the SUBMIT button

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45

Tavistock’s main venue for Films, Theatre, Live Music and Live Broadcasts

Welcome to...

live broadcasts.................

Friday 5th June

Tuesday 12th June

Thursday 5th July

OSCAR WILDE AN IDEAL HUSBAND

SWAN LAKE

EVERYONE’S TALKING ABOUT JAMIE

A new production of the RollsRoyce of English comedies, Oscar Wilde’s An Ideal Husband, will be broadcast live to cinemas from the Vaudeville Theatre in London’s West End.

Live from the Royal Ballet Theatre

A brand new musical based on the BBC Three documentary “Jamie: Drag Queen at 16” following reallife teenager Jamie Campbell, who wants to be a drag queen.

FILMS.............

To try and overcome a lifetime of bitterness and resentment, an older lady decides to climb a mountain in Scotland.

Based on Ian McEwan’s novel. In 1962 England, a young couple find their idyllic romance colliding with issues of sexual freedom and societal pressure, leading to an awkward and fateful wedding night.

THE BOOK CLUB

Four lifelong friends have their lives forever changed after reading 50 Shades of Grey in their monthly book club.

15th – 21st June

COFFEE SHOP

Did you know that The Wharf has its own coffee shop open 6 days a week (except Sundays) serving a varied menu to suit all tastes and at very reasonable prices.

With an outside seating area running alongside the canal, on a hot sunny day there can be no better place in Tavistock to enjoy a cream tea or slice of cake!

ROMEO AND JULIET

Set in a world very like our own, this Romeo and Juliet is about a generation of young people born into violence and ripped apart by the bitter divisions of their parents.

EDIE

ON CHESIL BEACH

6th - 7th June

Wednesday 18th July

8th - 14th June

THEATRE........

JETHRO

Every once in a while there comes along a true comedy genius, someone who rapidly gains cult status with the British public.

Such is the case with Jethro!

Thursday July 12th

For full details and how to book events visit our website: www.tavistockwharf.com

Tavistock Wharf Box Office 01822 611166 FACEBOOK.COM/TAVISTOCKWHARF

MUSIC.....................................

FLEETWOOD BAC Friday 8th June

DESPERADO Saturday 9th June

DANNY BRYANT Sunday 10th June

REBECCA DOWNES Friday 15th June

Fleetwood Bac is the world’s first and best Fleetwood Mac tribute band, endorsed by Mick Fleetwood himself and raved about by Peter Green’s biographer.

Desperado, now in their 10th Anniversary year, present for 2018 the road from California to Eden in a two hour plus journey through your favourite Eagles songs from their first beginnings to their final album.

Danny Bryant is pleased to announce his highly anticipated new studio album “Revelation” – released by Jazzhaus Records on Friday 20th April 2018.

Birmingham-based Rebecca and her band are a ‘must see’ live act that often leaves newcomers simply blown away by the power of the performanc

BON JOVI EXPERIENCE Saturday 16th June

ROCK AND ROLL OUTLAWS Friday 22nd June

MOSTLY AUTUMN Sat 23rd June

LEGEND Friday 29th June

Fronted by Jon Bon Jovi “clone”, Tony Pearce, the complete Bon Jovi Experience return by popular demand with their spectacular show.

Tavistock’s best-kept secret, this covers band play a blistering guitar laden run of rock’s greatest hits, always a great night out when the Outlaws are on stage.

With their latest album ‘Dressed in Voices’ they explore the dark concept of a killer forced to witness the full weight of all he is taking away, as time briefly comes to a standstill.

Legend’s two hour show covers the very best of Bob Marley’s timeless classics: Is This Love, No Woman No Cry, Waiting in Vain, Exodus, I Shot The Sheriff, Jamming, Could You Be Loved.

TOTALLY TINA Saturday 7th July

OYE SANTANA Friday 13th July

JOHN COGHLAN’S QUO Saturday 14th July

T REXASY Friday 20th July

While many tribute acts are content with just slightly resembling the original Totally TINA has spent years honing their look, sound and Choreography, dazzling Audiences nationally and internationally.

There’s a treasury of more than four decades of Santana catalogue to draw on, and every number in our set is a gem in its own right.

John Coghlan’s Quo take you on a joyous journey of his golden past in one of the most celebrated and much loved rock bands the UK has ever produced. A night of beerraising, feelgood factor music.

Without a doubt one of the most recognisable and credible tribute acts out on the circuit today, capturing the very essence of Marc Bolan and T Rex, expect to hear all those monster hits.

RAINBOW RISING Saturday 21st July

ROXY MAGIC Friday 27th July

Rainbow Rising were formed in 1998, the aim to not only recreate the unique Rainbow sound but to also capture the visual spectacle that was Rainbow live on stage

Roxy Magic are the UK’s best and longest-running tribute to Roxy Music & Bryan Ferry, hits to include More than This, Angel Eyes, Love is a Drug and Avalon.

Online booking available for all music events at...

Dates and times shown may vary, so please check our website for all up to date information: www.tavistockwharf.com

W hat’s O n 17 June Race for Life

26 to 27 July Ocean City Sounds

30 June Armed Forces Day

Run, jog or walk your way around this charity 5k fun run to raise funds for Cancer Research UK. The route starts and finishes on the picturesque Hoe promenade.

10:00am to 2:00pm, The Hoe, PL1 2PA

Part of the MTV Presents series, this event on Plymouth Hoe features indie titans Bastille headlining on day one, supported by Ella Eyre, Professor Green and R3WIRE & VARSKI, whilst day two will be headlined by Pete Tong and the Heritage Orchestra.

The Hoe, PL1 2PJ

A packed family-fun day of entertainment showcasing the Royal Navy, Army, Marines, RAF and veterans’ organisations with arena displays, parades, military bands, field gun competitions, the RAF100 anniversary commemoration and a free outdoor evening concert from 6pm.

09:30am to 10:30pm, The Hoe, PL1 2PA

Children: £10.00 (ages 6-15, under-6 free entry) Women: £14.99 (16 and over)

7 July ‘We will remember them’

In commemoration of the end of WW1, Plymouth Phoenix Chorale will be performing The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace

by Karl Jenkins, accompanied

by North Devon Sinfonia, followed by Tunes from the Trenches, accompanied by Plymouth Youth Concert Band.

7:30pm, Plymouth Guildhall, PL1 2BJ

Tickets: £25 -£140

31 July to 11 August Shakespeare’s Macbeth Barbican Theatre’s highly visual and accessible version of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, set in a war-torn country is a powerful metaphor for our times. This is a breathtaking and bloody story of ambition, treachery, power and guilt.

Royal William Yard, PL1 3RP Tickets: £19 full, £17 concessions

Tickets: Adults £15, concessions £12 at wegottickets.co.uk

www.visitplymouth.co.uk D@visitplymouth E@visitplym

7 July Apprenticeship Open Day

Want to learn a recognised trade? Considering a career change? Need to brush up on your management skills? Find out how an apprenticeship can kick-start your career with free, impartial advice and guidance and MORE at this event!

10am - 1pm, City College Plymouth, PL1 5QG

WHAT’S ON EXTRA

13th – 21st July

Tavistock Carnival This year’s carnival theme is ‘Countries of the World’ and there will be more than a week of festive fundraising events, organized by the Lions Club of Tavistock.

Friday 13th July Treasure Hunt starting at Court Gate 6.30pm, entry £1 per person

Saturday 14th July Baby Show – Tavistock Parish Centre

10:00am (Sponsored by Dukes Coffee House and Boots)

Carnival Ceilidh - Tavistock Town Hall 7.30pm, a great evening of music and dance with Under the Moon, £10 admission including a pasty

Sunday 15th July Fun Day in the Meadows – Tavistock Meadows

12 noon to 5pm, join in the fun including dog show, BBQ, martial arts and boxing displays, duck race, live music, and the crowning of the Carnival Princess at 3pm (sponsored by Lawsons and The Tavistock Times Gazette)

Monday 16th July Peace Poster Presentation – The Bedford Hotel

5.45pm (Sponsored by Morris Bros. (Tavistock) Ltd.)

Multimedia Quiz Evening – The Bedford Hotel 7.30pm, entry £10 for a team of 4 to 6

Tuesday 17th July Pavement Artists Competition – Brook Street 6:00pm (Sponsored by The Tavistock Times Gazette)

Petanque Competition - Plymouth Road 7:00pm, try your hand at petanque on the new court next to the Sensory Garden in Plymouth Road

Wednesday 18th July Concert in the Church –Parish Church of St Eustachius’

7.30pm, featuring Stannary Brass, Blowzone and Inner Tube, admission £5

Thursday 19th July Town Relay Races– The Meadows 5:30pm, another round of the popular relay races organised by Tavistock Athletic Club

Simon Dell Talks – The Bedford Hotel

7.30pm, local raconteur and historian, Simon Dell, will give a talk on ‘How Tavistock led the World’, entry £5 per person

Friday 20th July Simon Dell Walks –Tavistock

2:00pm, a 1½-hour walk around Tavistock starting at Court Gate, entry £5 per person

Traders’ Skittles Competition – The Explorer Pub

7:00pm, entry to the skittles competition is £10 per team of four

Saturday 21st July Carnival Day– Bedford Square

Come to Tavistock for the all-day-fair and a last chance to buy Tavistock Carnival draw tickets 6.30pm: Carnival procession through the town 8:00pm: Carnival Draw in Bedford Square All of the above information was correct at the time of going to press but could be subject to change. Up-to-date details will be available on The Lions Club’s website and Facebook page.

For further information call 0845 8334807 or visit www.tavistocklions.org.uk

Computer Problems?

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Bere Computing See our new community website www.dartmoorlinks.co.uk

49

WHAT’S ON EXTRA

Saturday 7th July

Tavistock Edge After a very successful event in 2017, we will once again be bringing free arts and entertainment to Tavistock, providing music, dance and drama on your doorstep. There will be a Busk Stop and entertainment, as well as refreshments in Bedford Square and The Bedford Hotel gardens. There will also be a few surprises popping up throughout the day, so keep an eye out while you’re shopping – so why not extend your shopping trip to Tavistock and join us? We look forward to seeing everyone on the day.

Photo: Roger Croxson

You can find out more about us on our Facebook page and at www. tavistockedge.org.uk where we have details of our regular fundraising sessions: a quiz night on the first Wednesday of every month and a sing-a-long on Thursday evenings at

The Bedford Hotel, one of our generous sponsors. This year we are also supported by Morris Bros (Tavistock) Ltd, our local funeral directors, and Hogs Bottom Garden Delights, while Tesco continues to support us by allowing us to sing in store.

Friday 29th June

Books at Bedtime Everyone is invited to come along for a great evening when the Oxfam Bookshop in Tavistock will be keeping its doors open late until 10:30pm. From 4:00 to 6:00pm there will be children’s quizzes and a treasure hunt in the shop as well as a range of children’s books and DVDs in a one-night-only sale. To get the evening going from 6:00pm there will be music from young Tavistock College musicians, giving them a chance to showcase their talents. Later on, there will be more live

music, with Spanish guitarist, Mark Barnwell playing from around 7:30pm. During the evening you’ll be able to test yourself on book and music quizzes, there will also be a raffle and the inner sanctum of the back room will be open for refreshments, tea, coffee, snacks and wine (by donation).

Books at Bedtime took place for the first time last year and was so successful that it may become

Dartmoor’s Music Festival coming to a venue near you

Concerts in Ashburton, Buckfast, Clearbrook, Okehampton, Postbridge, Princetown, South Tawton and Tavistock Tavistock Classical, choral, folk, jazz, medieval, with several world premieres

EXCLUSIVELY DARTMOOR MUSIC Information and tickets from the

an annual midsummer event. A key aim of the evening is to raise funds for Oxfam and this year Books at Bedtime is launching an even bigger fundraising appeal, running through the year to educate as many children as possible in the poorest parts of the world. The target for the evening is £250, which will provide education for twenty children and help communities. And you’ll be able to shop throughout the evening, so please put the date in your diary and come along!

Dartmoor Society

www.dartmoorsociety.com/drmf 50

To promote your business to 20,700* readers - call 01822 615627

editorial@tavylinks.co.uk

WHAT’S ON EXTRA

Sunday 10th June

Cream Tea Festival at The Bedford Hotel Where better to enjoy a true Devon cream tea than in the reputed birthplace of the delicacy – Tavistock? Legend has it that Tavistock’s hospitable monks initiated the cream tea by eating jam and cream spread on bread as far back as the 11th century.

On Sunday 10 June, Tavistock Heritage Trust will be celebrating this delightful piece of history with the Cream Tea

Festival at The Bedford Hotel which stands within the boundary of the former abbey.

There will be a chance to learn more about tea from Devonshire Tea, enjoy a tea tasting and even win a hamper of the products that brought Devonshire Tea a gold Taste of the West award last year as well as a win in the 2017 Great Taste Awards. To ensure the afternoon

goes with a swing, talented local musicians will be playing throughout the festival which starts at noon through ‘til 4.00pm, either in the hotel’s enchanting ‘secret garden’ or alternatively in the stunning Gallery 26.

Saturday 8th September

Get your entries ready for Milton Abbot Village Show It’s time to start talking nicely to your tomatoes and serenading your roses. Why not put 8th September in your diary and come and join in with a village tradition that has been happening annually in Milton Abbot for more than eighty years. We welcome entries and support from far and wide, you don’t have to live in the parish to share in the fun.

A few things have changed since the 1940s…the women tend not to wear best hats and white gloves any more, but there is still much friendly rivalry for the longest runner beans and the best display of flowers in a wellie boot, or the most flavoursome jam and lightest sponge.

But it’s not all about growing and cooking. This year’s

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

photography classes will include sport, outdoor pursuits, water activity, wildlife, holidays and ‘view from a height’, whilst art and handicrafts, as well as traditional painting, will embrace jewellery, woodcraft, patchwork, embroidery and a machine-made garment to name but a few. There’ll also be cups and pocket-money prizes for the children to win in twenty-three different classes, ranging from hat, kite and boat-making to pressed flowers and a lego creation.

Our judges are all booked and raring to go and the organising committee is busy fine-tuning all the details. Just imagine those cups and rosettes gracing your mantlepiece. Please do come along and help keep this much-loved tradition alive in Milton Abbot Village Hall.

Find us on Facebook : Milton Abbot Village Show, and keep an eye out for printed schedules in various local venues from July onwards.

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

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51

WHAT’S ON EXTRA

Friday 22nd June and Saturday 23rd June

The Wonders of Drake and Raleigh This year’s fantastic production from ‘The Whitty Kids’ is a pirate adventure with a twist. The Queen has summoned Drake and Raleigh to go on a quest to find her ‘Golden Wonders’; the first to return with the treasure will win the Queen’s heart. The comedy adventure follows the trials and tribulations of Drake and Raleigh as they race for the Queen’s affections. There are mishaps, mayhem, talking rats and birds and even a guest appearance from a famous

Caribbean pirate! A show full of fun and not to be missed.

The Whitty Kids drama club at Whitchurch Primary School has been running for 7 years for children between the ages of 7 and 11.

Mary Tavy Coronation Hall at 6:30pm; adult tickets £4, child tickets £2, available from Dukes Café and Whitchurch Primary School. Refreshments will be available during the interval and there will be a small raffle.

DSRT celebrates 50 years Dartmoor Search and Rescue Tavistock (DSRT) was founded 50 years ago after two army officer cadets, aged 22 and 28, ran into difficulties on the moor and tragically lost their lives. The team covers Dartmoor’s 365 square miles of tors, forests, reservoirs and mine shafts, plus the surrounding rural and urban areas too. Four Dartmoor search and rescue groups operate on Dartmoor 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, each team responsible for raising its own funds. All the members are volunteers and commit much time, effort and personal finance to provide constant cover. Without the continued generosity of the local community, the team would not be able to operate.

7th July Dartmoor Rescue Group Family Fun Day DSRT is holding a Family Fun Day at The Meadows in Tavistock as part of its 50th anniversary celebrations.

Adults and children are invited to come and enjoy a day of fun and games as the team displays its kit and invites the public to take a closer look at what DSRT does.

Sunday 1st July

A doggy day out at the park A fun-packed day with dog shows, have-a-go agility, scurry racing, flyball and obstacle course, where you and your dog join forces to be the fastest team of the day. Shop for everything ‘doggy’. You can also enter our infamous Pets Got Talent contest…. have you got the most talented dog on Dartmoor? Refreshments will be available. Entry £4.00 for adults, under 12s free (includes 1 ‘doggy’ activity of your choice, excludes dog show entries). Harford Bridge Park, Peter Tavy, PL19 9LS, 10:30am – 4:30pm www.adoggydayout.co.uk

Ascot Afternoon Tea

Ladies Day—Thursday 21st June Enjoy a full afternoon tea with a glass of bubbly and watch the races live on the big screen! £25.00 per person

A Family Run Hideaway in Devon 52

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WHAT’S ON EXTRA

Thursday 26th and Friday 27th July

Win tickets to MTV Presents: Ocean City Sounds!

This July, Plymouth Hoe will be taken over by MTV Presents: Ocean City Sounds for two nights of incredible live music on 26th and 27th July.

Indie titans Bastille – famous for huge songs including Pompeii, Flaws and Good Grief - will headline with a full 90-minute set on day one. Also performing is energetic singer-songwriter Ella Eyre, rapper Professor Green and Club MTV favourites, R3WIRE & VARSKI. Day Two will be headlined by the legendary Ibiza Classics show presented

by BBC Radio 1 DJ Pete Tong and the Heritage Orchestra, conducted by Jules Buckley on their only south west tour date. Ibiza Classics sees huge tracks such as Children and Right Here, Right Now, performed by a full orchestra and guest vocalists, appealing to fans of both dance and orchestral music. Tom Findlay, one half of cult DJ duo Groove Armada, and BBC Radio 1 presenter Danny Howard will also be DJ’ing on this Ibiza inspired night of music, sure to transport concert-goers back to happy holidays of the 90s.

Plymouth Hoe, with its stunning sea views, makes a spectacular location for an open-air music event and MTV Presents: Ocean City Sounds is the perfect way to get that festival feeling without the hassle of camping – or mud! For more information and to buy tickets, visit www. oceancitysounds.co.uk

Competition!

You could win a pair of event passes to MTV Presents: Ocean City Sounds and two nights’ accommodation in a one-bed apartment at the luxurious Strathmore House Apartments, just a couple of minutes’ walk from the heart of the action on Plymouth Hoe. To win, simply visit oceancitysounds.co.uk/moor-tavy-links-competition to answer one simple question and fill in your details. Entries close at 23.59 on Sunday 15th July and T&Cs apply (see website for more details).

Event Partner

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53

NATIONAL TRUST

Enjoy the summer colours at Cotehele The sixteenth-century dovecote in the Valley Garden at Cotehele was once the roost for birds destined for the Edgcumbe family’s dinner table. These days a dole of white doves happily makes this place their home, enjoying the beautiful colours appearing in the garden and the views over to nearby Calstock. It’s a beautiful time of year to come and visit Cotehele as the flowers for this year’s garland are starting to grow, repairs are underway on Shamrock at Cotehele Quay and the wheels are continuing to turn downstream at Cotehele Mill.

Cotehele wouldn’t be the special place it is today without the help of volunteers who give a little time each week. Have you ever thought about volunteering? At Cotehele we have many opportunities available. Do visit our volunteering pages on our website or email us via cotehele@nationaltrust.org.uk to find out more.

See nationaltrust.org.uk/Cotehele for other events

NANCY BELLE BOAT TRIPS Monday 4, Tuesday 5, Monday 18, Tuesday 19 June, Tuesday 17 – various times.

Board the 22ft ‘Nancy Belle’ at Cotehele Quay and head up river. Trips approximately 2 hours. See nationaltrust.org.uk/ Cotehele for more dates and ring 01579 351346 to book. £15 per person.

PAINTING WORKSHOPS WITH PETER DOLBEAR Saturday 9 June, 10.30am-4pm Join local artist Peter Dolbear for a painting workshop in the beautiful setting of Cotehele where Peter will be teaching you the skills of painting. Booking essential, call 01579 351346 to book. £75 per person.

SUMMER PUDDING CLUB AT THE EDGCUMBE TEA-ROOM Friday 22 June, 7pm Head down to The Edgcumbe tea-room on Cotehele Quay for an evening tasting of our homemade desserts created from the best local ingredients. Booking essential, £20 per person. Call 01579 351346 to book.

Take timecolour out at to Add some Cotehele this this summer your weekend autumn at Gibside

Set off and explore the countryside at Cotehele this summer. There are winding paths around the garden to take in the seasonal colour, stopaoff for Go crunching through fallen leaves and discover forest colours, with walking ateeming slicewith of wildlife cake,and orautumn pop downstream to routes for all ages and abilities. see Cotehele Mill in action. nationaltrust.org.uk/gibside

nationaltrust.org.uk/cotehele When youvisit, visit, donate, volunteer orthe joinNational the National Trust, your When you donate, volunteer or join Trust, your support helpsusus look after special places support helps toto look after special places <in thearound region>Tavistock, <like such as Buckland and Cotehele ever, everyone. property X, propertyAbbey Y and Proeprty Z> in forfor ever, for for everyone. © National Trust 2018. The National Trust is an © National Trust 2016. The National Trust is an independent independent charity, number 205846. © National registered charity,registered number 205846.

Photography Trust Photography © National Trust Images\John Millar.

Images.

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NATIONAL TRUST

Follow Drake’s travels at Buckland Abbey Come and discover what weird and wonderful things Francis Drake saw on his circumnavigation of the world. From eating penguins in the Arctic, to navigating the treacherous seas of the Magellan Strait. Explore the route Drake took, by collecting the stamps that will be hidden around the house and grounds and complete your traveller’s passport, as you become a Tudor explorer. Learn what treasures Drake plundered on the voyage, investigate some of the discoveries that were made and of course learn some of the history behind Drake’s legendary drum. There’s so much for all the family to enjoy at Buckland Abbey. From crafts to trails, walks to dressing-up, it’s a great place for an adventure. Whilst here, you can also enjoy Andrew Logan’s five-metre high glittering egg in the middle of the Great Barn. The egg reflects themes of prayer and spirituality and as a focus for contemplation, it therefore seems right to host the Cosmic Egg in a place chosen over 700 years ago by Cistercian monks as perfect for prayer and reflection.

ART OF REFLECTION - THE COSMIC EGG Until Sun 23 Sep, 10am-5pm Andrew Logan’s giant Cosmic Egg reflects the peace, tranquillity and spiritual side of Buckland Abbey’s unique spirit.

DRAKE’S DRUM - THE WORLD ENCOMPASSED From early June, 11am-5pm Local ceramicist Fi Smart, celebrates Drake’s drum and his voyages through an astonishing piece of ceramic sculpture.

Take part in the family trail around the house and grounds as you explore Drake’s journey around the world. Trail £2.

THE WORLD ENCOMPASSED EXHIBITION Sat 2 Jun - Sun 28 Oct, 11am-5pm An exhibition in partnership with Devon Art Pop which will interpret the story of Drake’s voyage through a variety of artistic pieces.

Andrew Logan's Cosmic Egg

Add some colour to

A final flourish of the Art of your weekend Reflection exhibitionthis as the iconic five metre high Cosmic Egg is on autumn at Gibside show at Buckland Abbey to reflect themes of contemplation Go crunching through fallen leaves and discover a forest and teemingspirituality. with wildlife and autumn colours, with walking routes for all ages and abilities.

Until 23 September Call 01822 853607 for details nationaltrust.org.uk/gibside nationaltrust.org.uk/buckland-abbey When youvisit, visit, donate, volunteer orthe joinNational the National Trust, your When you donate, volunteer or join Trust, your su��ort hel�susus look after s�ecial �laces the south-west support helps toto look after special places <in theinregion> <like such as Cotehele, and Lanhydrock for everyone. property X, propertySaltram Y and Proeprty Z> in for ever,for forever, everyone. © National Trust 2018. The National Trust is an © National Trust 2016. The National Trust is an independent independent registered charity, number 205846. registered charity, number 205846. Photography © National Trust Photography © National Trust Images\Steve Images.

Haywood.

#nationaltrust #nationaltrust

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55

NATIONAL TRUST

Venture into a ‘land of prehistory’ at Lydford Gorge As we head towards summer, leaves, ferns and mosses of nearly every shade of green create an almost prehistoric environment at Lydford Gorge and in June and July the damsel and dragonflies start appearing, with bright dashes of colour darting over the water and through the trees. A recent visitor commented: “We did the quick walk and absolutely loved it, so tranquil, and the sound of water is so appealing. We will be back again and again.” As the gorge changes through the seasons, a return visit can always be a new adventure. If you need even more persuading, the tea-rooms serve traditional cream teas, ice-creams and light lunches, and the shop has a beautiful new range of picnic essentials.

For something a little more creative join the ranger team to explore the art of woodland sculpture, using wood from the gorge and various hand tools to make a sculpture of your own design. From oversized spiders to spaceships all held together without nails, just wood. Make one as a family or individually, depending on how inspired you are; this event is not just for the kids.

MAKING WILD WOODLAND SCULPTURES Sunday 8 July, 1-4pm

Make a piece of wild art to take home using hand tools, natural materials and your imagination. £5 per sculpture, booking advisable.

MINI RAFT MAKING Saturday 28 July, 1-4pm

Make your own mini raft with the help of the ranger team then launch it on the River Lyd to see how well it sails. £2 per person, booking advisable.

FAMILY RANGER DAY

Tuesday 31 July, 11am-3pm Celebrate world ranger day, come along to meet the rangers and try something new.

Normal admission applies to all events. For further events and details please visit our website nationaltrust.org.uk/ lydford-gorge.

Serenity and Add some colour to your weekend drama in this equal autumn at Gibside measure at Lydford Gorge Go crunching through fallen leaves and discover a forest teeming with wildlife and autumn colours, with walking routes for all ages and abilities.

nationaltrust.org.uk/gibside Call 01822 820320 for details nationaltrust.org.uk/lydford-gorge When you visit, donate, volunteer or join the National Trust, your

helps usTrust to look 2018. after special places <in the region> <like ©support National The National property property Y and Proeprty Z> in for ever, for everyone.

Trust isX,an independent registered charity, number 205846. © National Trust 2016. The National Trust is an independent registered charity, number 205846. Photography © National Trust #nationaltrust Photography © National Trust Images. #nationaltrust Images\David Noton.

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MUSIC & ART

Wednesday 13th, Thursday 14th and Friday 15th June

Milton Combe Piano Festival Milton Combe will host the 4th of the annual piano festivals which have become famous in the local community.

The small church in the village will be packed to the rafters with visitors from far and wide, as word has spread about this very special and intimate festival. The performing talent is literally taken from the world’s most prestigious stages, as the festival founder, Terence Lewis, is the co-owner of Jaques Samuel Pianos, and works with the upper echelons of the London piano world.

This year, two of the most prominent rising pianists, Luka Okros and Daniel

Petrica Ciobanu, will perform solo recitals, and on Thursday 14th June they will join together to offer renditions of two of the most popular piano concerti, Rachmaninoff no.2 and Tchaikovsky no.1. Luka Okros is one of the most promising pianists of his generation; at the age of 18 he made his US debut at the Carnegie Hall and has since given concerts in many of the world’s most famous halls. He has recently won the Hannover Chopin, Hong Kong, Valencia and Morocco piano competitions.

We are also proud to welcome back Daniel Petrica Ciobanu who since performing at the first Milton Combe

Photo: Luka Okros by Robert Piwko

Piano Festival, has won first prize at the Morocco, South African and Rio piano competitions. Most recently he reached 2nd place in the prestigious Rubinstein Competition in Tel Aviv.

Concerts commence at 7:30pm in The Church of the Holy Spirit, Milton Combe.

Tickets are £15 and available from Elaine Stansbury at ellieaud@live.co.uk.

Come and sing!

Saturday 30th June

‘Bring and Sing’

Enjoy a day singing with Mount Kelly Choral Society’s ‘Bring and Sing’, followed by a concert at 4:00pm in Tavistock Town Hall. All singers are welcome to join us on the day from 10.30am-3.30pm for a varied programme featuring popular choruses from opera, operetta and musical theatre.

The workshop costs £10 per person, including a programme of music to keep - music is available from the music director, Julian Jensen, at music@

mountkelly.com. Admission to the concert is free with a retiring collection for TASS (Tavistock Area Support Services). For more information visit www.kellychoralsociety.com

Saturday 28th July, 11am-5pm

Exon Festival workshop

In celebration of the 700th anniversary of St Eustachius’, the festival workshop with Joseph Judge, the Exon Singers’ new musical director, will prepare a newly commissioned work by Cornish composer Russell Pascoe, St Eustachius Triptych. The Exon Festival Chorus and Exon Singers will perform the work, as well as anthems by Handel and Parry, at the festival’s opening concert on 31 July at 7.30pm.

If you would like to sing with the Exon Festival Chorus visit www.exonsingers.org.uk

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57

MUSIC & ART

Saturday 16th June – Sunday 24th June

Dartmoor Resonance Music Festival The unique Dartmoor Resonance Music Festival, devoted entirely to music inspired by, or connected with Dartmoor, from prehistory to the present day, has its inaugural concert ‘Impressions of Dartmoor’ at St Eustachius’ Church, Tavistock, conducted by Simon Ible of Ten Tors Orchestra renown. The concert will form part of the church’s 700th anniversary celebrations, while the festival marks 20 years of the Dartmoor Society. The Tavistock concert will feature specially commissioned and newly reworked Dartmoor pieces by John Woolrich, Clive Jenkins, Nigel Shaw, Richard Stanbrook and Judy Whitlock, plus ‘New Dawn: Dartmoor Sunrise’ by Roger Bolton. Tickets for this concert are £20 (children 14 and under £5) are available at www.dartmoorsociety.com/drmf or on the door. You can find a full listing of all the events in the festival on the website, however local highlights include:

Photo: Gothic Dartmoor by Dave-Green

Friday 22nd June ‘The Call of the Heathered Hills’ Seventh Wave Music, Lower Merripit, Postbridge, PL20 6TJ. 7pm–11pm, Tickets: Adult £16, Concession £12, Child (14 or under) £5.

Sunday 24th June ‘Festival Finale: Songs of War, Cuckoos and a Witch’ 7.30pm at St Michael & All Angels Church, Princetown, PL20 6RE. Tickets: Adult £10, Child (14 or under) £5.

Tuesday 19th to Saturday 23rd June

The Tavistock Group of Artists’ Annual Exhibition The annual exhibition in Tavistock Town Hall will have a wide range of the artists’ work on display, in a variety of styles and mediums. Artwork can be purchased during the exhibition, as well as greeting cards and prints by local artists. TGA is also keen to encourage young artists and GCSE students from local schools are also invited to show their work at the exhibition.

The exhibition is open daily from 10:00am to 6:00pm (Sunday 10:00am to 5:00pm) New members are warmly welcomed to join the group and can take advantage of our special membership offer during

the exhibition. Please come and meet local artists who will be stewarding at the exhibition and find out more about the group.

Each year a regular programme runs from September to April at the Parish Rooms in Tavistock. Our aim is to educate and stimulate individual creativity through demonstrations, lectures and practical sessions. More information can be found at www.tgartists.co.uk

DEGREE SHOWS 2018 8 - 21 JUNE, FREE ENTRY UNDERGRADUATE OPEN DAY 16 JUNE, 10.30AM - 4PM

DEGREE SHOWS 58

For times, tickets and locations visit plymouthart.ac.uk Image: Image: Chloe Chloe Burke, Burke, (BA (BA Hons) Hons) Ceramics Ceramics

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MUSIC & ART

Saturday 23rd June, 7.30pm

Tamar Valley Male Voice Choir’s Gala Concert The Tamar Valley Male Voice Choir’s annual Gala Concert at St Eustachius’ Church in Tavistock promises once again to be a wonderful evening. This year will see the return of Welsh Tenors Aled Wyn Davies and Rhys Meirion, as the choir’s guest artists and they will be accompanied by the renowned Welsh soprano, Shân Cothi - known collectively in Wales as the Two ‘T’s and a Cothi.

All three are established singers in their own right, with successful solo

careers which have seen them perform at venues worldwide. The concert will be compèred by the president of the Tamar Valley MVC, the ever-popular Justin Leigh, of BBC Spotlight. This year’s Gala Concert will be supporting The Children’s Happy Hospital Fund at Derriford Hospital, Plymouth.

Tickets are £12.50 each, children (under

14 years) £5 each, and available from Bookstop, Market St, Tavistock or Mary Tavy PO/Stores (01822 810422) or Ray Hinton (07817521185) or any choir member. The choir always welcomes new members, so if you are interested in joining The Tamar Valley Male Voice Choir and would enjoy taking part in concerts countrywide, please go to our website for details.

Saturday 21st to Sunday 29th July

West Dartmoor Art Group Exhibition West Dartmoor Art Group, WDAG, will be holding its annual exhibition of local works of art produced by members of the group over the course of the year.

Over the years the group has raised thousands of pounds for charity and this year will be raising money for two charities with a raffle in aid of The Dartmoor Rescue Group and The Devon Air Ambulance Trust. WDAG has also been working on a collective piece of

work on a large canvas, using acrylics in an amazing array of shapes, colours, textures and styles. The group plans to display the work publicly for the first time at the exhibition before donating it to a local charity. For now, the subject of the painting and its lucky recipient are under wraps, so come along to the exhibition to see the secret unveiled!

be open daily from 10:00am to 6:00pm in Peter Tavy Village Hall (exhibition closes at 4:00pm on 29th July). The tea rooms will also be providing the usual mouthwatering array of homemade cakes lovingly baked by members and their partners. We look forward to seeing you in Peter Tavy in July.

Entry to the exhibition is free and it will

family guided canoe trips

daily trips from Cotehele Quay full moon evening paddles

great for the whole family no experience necessary

20 minutes from Tavistock

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59

FEATURE

Ice Warrior Nichola meets the man behind Ice Warrior, which trains ordinary people to become modern-day explorers in the Arctic.

At any moment during our interview, I expect Jim McNeill to say ‘only joking’, as surely no-one can live a life as marvellous and full as his. In 2001 Jim established ‘Ice Warrior’; inspired by the great explorers of old, he wanted to emulate the golden era of adventure alongside purposeful and worthwhile scientific exploration. Ice Warrior has trained over 350 ordinary people from all walks of life to become competent, safe, modern-day explorers in the world’s extreme polar environments, whilst collecting ground-breaking data to help scientists gauge the pulse of the planet and foster a much better understanding of the world we live in. When you are dealing with Mother Nature, potentially at her worst, then preparation is everything and the expedition training is intensive and second to none, taking you from absolute novice through to accomplished explorer. Ice Warrior has undertaken seven flagship expeditions, so far. Volunteers can’t simply pay to train and take part in the expeditions, they have to raise the funds, which is all included in the Ice Warrior training, making the opportunity accessible to anyone.

companies asking for employment. The Grasslands Research Institute in Hurley-upon-Thames was quick to respond and in 1980 Jim began working alongside the eminent Dr John Ryden, in pioneering research on the effects of agriculture on the ozone layer, developing a methodology for the measurement of gaseous emissions from grazed pastures. The obvious next step was joining the army! Jim found himself on a new army initiative in the Arctic, teaching survival skills for the extremes of subzero environments. Offered a long posting in the Falklands though, he decided to leave the forces and for 10 years he combined senior roles in marketing consultancy and advertising, with arctic travels. In the late 80s, he gave it all up to become a firefighter, quickly being promoted to crew manager at Ascot where his forte was road traffic accidents although he was also a fire officer for the royal household and did get to meet the Queen. The result of this impressive CV is Ice Warrior.

So how did Jim become an ‘ice-warrior’? He discovered his outdoor mettle at an early age - having disgraced himself at school he was sent to an Outward Bound centre in Cumbria which was to become the making of him. At 16 years old, he already felt at home leading patrols, getting dirty, tired and being tested both mentally and physically. He moved on to volunteering as a mountaineering instructor for the Youth and Community Services, and his natural ability for leadership and empathy soon established him as an invaluable member of the team. However, Jim also had a keen interest in science and with A-levels under his belt, he wrote to 17 different scientific

#Lastpole will be the eighth, and according to Jim - the biggest, bravest, boldest and most important expedition of our time, trekking to the Northern Pole of Inaccessibility which is the last ‘world first’ to be claimed in the polar regions.

In February 2019, 28 people in four teams will journey over 800 miles across treacherous sea ice in one of the most inhospitable environments on earth. In partnership with the Met Office, the National Snow and Ice Centre in Colorado and the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute, this expedition as with all of the others, will collect vital and new data on global climate change. Ice Warrior provides safety consultancy,

60

FEATURE

planning, logistics, kit and clothing not only for these expeditions but also for anyone requiring extreme weather equipment. It has provided and provisioned whole camps for scientists, and provides consultants and suppliers for major BBC and independent production companies. It is even involved with disaster relief and rescue agencies, mining and oil companies, construction engineers and pilots.

Jim also feels very privileged to work with some of the greatest natural history film-makers on some of the most iconic productions, such as Frozen Planet and Human Planet.

It all started back in November 2006 with a phone call out of the blue asking about the whereabouts of arctic wolves. Ice Warrior ended up training the crew, specifying and supplying all the gear, creating the safety and logistical plans and guiding the whole team out on Ellesmere Island, Canada. Jim’s knowledge and experience are matchless and he has been regularly employed on television and film productions, such as the recent Captain America blockbuster, as an extreme climate safety expert and adviser. With his expertise and influence in the arena of exploration, Jim has been fortunate to work alongside and interview some of the world’s most inspiring and influential icons of our age. At intimate, limited audience events, he has met naturalist and broadcaster, Sir David Attenborough, mountaineer, Sir Chris Bonington, the world’s greatest living explorer and old friend Sir Ranulph Fiennes, as well as the great female polar explorer Felicity Aston MBE, amongst many others.

Having created and run expeditions for some 35 years now, Jim is delighted that people put their entire trust in him and his highly skilled team. Ice Warrior prides itself on being able to source and provide anything, anywhere at any time, taking into account several contingency plans, and working at the cutting edge of extreme living. In March, Jim opened BASECAMP in Princetown, an innovative expedition training and education centre and outfitters, stocking the highest

quality clothing and equipment for any outdoor adventure, including life on Dartmoor. Keen to be part of the local community, Jim now lives in Princetown as well as having bases in Canada and Norway. If you need quality moorland kit for living or working on Dartmoor, or are considering more expansive expedition training, then a visit to BASECAMP is recommended. You’ll be inspired and might even be lucky enough to meet a real-life warrior explorer.

Nichola Williams

For more information contact 01822 890338, or info@ice-warrior.com, or visit www.ice-warrior.com 61

MUSIC & ART OUTDOORS AND ACTIVE

Out and About with Tavistock Ramblers An easy 5-mile walk around the Walkham Valley with David Simkins of Tavistock Ramblers.

The walk starts on the edge of Tavistock in the Anderton lay-by on the A386 (SX487723).

The route starts on the old GWR railway track, which is now a multi-use trail known as Drake’s Trail. After the old railway tunnel, the path passes close to the magnificent Gem Bridge before following the River Walkham down to Double Waters - where better for a picnic?

1. From the Plymouth-bound lay-by walk back towards Tavistock and turn immediately right down a lane that is signposted to Whitchurch.

2. At the bottom of the hill turn right on to the cycle track.

Soon you will go through a tunnel built in 1859 for Brunel’s South Devon and Tavistock Railway. It now forms part of Drake’s Trail and was purchased by Devon County Council

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OUTDOORS AND ACTIVE

Map not to scale – for guidance only. Please refer to OS Map (SX487723). from British Rail for £1. You may need a hat as the tunnel drips relentlessly even in the summer.

3. As the track emerges from the tunnel you will pass Grenofen Manor on the right. After a further 300m or so go through a gate in the fence on the right into the woodland. (If you stay on the cycle track you will reach Gem Bridge in less than 5 minutes which is well worth a visit). Follow the track downhill and then through a meadow to reach a road.

4. Cross the road on to the wide track which skirts around a house and then follows the River Walkham. You soon pass a huge vertical rock wall on your right, the top of which formed a platform for stonemasons to carve and fashion the soft elvan rock quarried close by. Shortly afterwards you will see the remains of old mine workings. There were two in this part of the valley, West Down, and a bit further on, Sortridge and Bedford Mine. These mines exploited the rich copper lodes that are found in the area and date from about 1865.

5. When the path eventually climbs away from the river, you walk past a house and then reach a junction. Turn left on the concrete track which goes downhill to the river. After about 5

at Lakeside, Roadford Lake

minutes, you will walk through a narrow gap known as Goat Rock to emerge at Double Waters, where the River Tavy and River Walkham meet – a most picturesque picnic location.

6. Retrace your steps to the track junction and now continue uphill. The effort is worth it as the views open up over the open moorland to reach West Down.

When the track levels out and before reaching a gate, turn right to walk alongside a boundary wall for about 250m.

7. Go through the next gate on to a road where there are splendid views across Dartmoor. When you reach a crossroads, go straight across and then downhill through Woodtown. Turn left at the bottom of the hill and carefully cross the A386 back to the start.

Tavistock Ramblers will be doing lots more walks in the area in the next few weeks. Have a look on their website www.tavistockramblers.org.uk for details of their summer programme with walks between 3 miles and up to 12 miles or longer.

Sunday Carvery

With views over the lake it’s the perfect place to enjoy a hearty roast with friends and family.

12.30pm - 2.00pm Bring this advert with you to receive 10% off your carvery or in the café and gift shop.

To reserve a table call 01566 784859

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www.southwestlakes.co.uk • PL16 0RL

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

63

FOOD & WINE

The changing and evolving world of wine...

Despite the fact we are led to believe that there is an ever increasing and insatiable desire for more and more wines, it might come as a surprise that the actual amount of wine produced in 2017 fell dramatically to its lowest since 1957, with a global reduction of 8.9 %.

The highest reductions were felt in the vineyards of Europe, where many regions in France, Spain and Italy saw as much as a 20-28% reduction. Let’s for a moment focus on prosecco, on average down by 26%, while the staggering growth in prosecco consumption is still rising by some 33% year on year. To date there has always been an ample prosecco lake in reserve - well alas the lake has now dried up, so in short there will be a shortage, and yes, of course prices will have to rise. This is excellent news however for the producers of fabulous prosecco alternatives. Maybe now we can re-engage perhaps with classic cavas from Northern Spain; wines that were so dominant ten years ago, but whose reputation and credibility became somewhat tarnished by over exposure and unrealistically low prices enforced by the tactics of the supermarkets. Maybe one should revisit the sparklers from Argentina, Australia or even England, although small production of the often-outstanding English wines will always put them at a disadvantage in the very competitive ‘everday fizz’ market.

Last year whilst visiting key suppliers in southern France, my son and I were bowled over by sublime crémants de Loire and crémants de Limoux , each one displaying elegant less aggressive fruit than their obvious rivals, enhanced further

by gentle mousse and intriguing persistence. At the time we both commented that if only they could be sold in the UK for a price similar to the infamous prosecco...... Well, maybe things are about to change. When one door shuts, another door opens, that’s the nature and joy of wine production.

My son Liam, a master of wine, and previously a wine buyer for Waitrose, now focuses on his wine consultancy business as well as wine production and wine-making. Sparing his blushes, he is rather good at this as the recent release of his Immortelle and the Petit Immortelle wines from the Côtes du Roussillon will confirm. Many of you might be familiar with his delicious and highly acclaimed Kiwi Sauvignon Blanc ‘Fincher’.

Liam has the following thoughts on emerging new wine regions, “Having made that progression from wine merchant to wine producer, I have become increasingly aware of the challenges that nature throws our way. I am not sure I can credit global warming with a decision to start making wine in India; it is challenging climatically, with two harvests a year and soaring temperatures during the growing season. What I am sure of though, is that technological advances in the vineyard and the cellar allow wine to be made successfully in areas previously thought impossible. The fact that China is now the second largest vineyard owner in the world, illustrates how fast the world is moving. However, I for one hope that in 200 years’ time people will be enjoying the wines of France, very much as we do today.”

Charles Steevenson and Liam Steevenson, Master of Wine

INDEPENDENT WINE MERCHANT CELEBRATING 30 YEARS OF SUPPLYING THE LICENSED TRADE PRIVATE AND CORPORATE CUSTOMERS VISIT OUR NEW WEBSITE WWW.STEEVENSONWINES.CO.UK - ENSURE YOU REGISTER TO RECEIVE OUR MONTHLY OFFERS. Plymouth Road Industrial Estate, Tavistock PL19 9QN • 01822 6161272 • sales@steevensonwines.co.uk 64

To promote your business to 20,700* readers - call 01822 615627

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FOOD & WINE

Baked White Chocolate Cheesecake Our white chocolate Method: cheesecake is a firm favourite Crush the biscuits to a crumb, melt the butter and add it to the biscuits, mix well and press firmly into a cheesecake tin, then chill in the fridge. with customers at the Lopes Arms, so we thought Put the cheese, white chocolate, eggs and cream in a bowl and heat over a bainmarie until the ingredients have softened. we’d share the recipe...

Use a hand blender to blend the ingredients together until smooth and then pour over Ingredients: 600g soft cream cheese 600g white chocolate 6 eggs (whisked) 425ml double cream 1 pack of digestive biscuits (250g) 100g butter

the biscuit base

Bake the cheesecake at 120*c for 30 minutes. It should still have a slight wobble when cooked. Chill in the fridge overnight.

Decorate with fruit – e.g blueberries, raspberries or just a dusting of cocoa powder.

Recipe courtesy of The Lopes Arms

EARLY SUMMER EVENTS Pirates Afternoon Tea – Sunday 3rd June at 3pm

Grab your compass and enjoy an afternoon tea dining experience with food themed from swashbuckling pirate adventures. £22 per adult/£14 per child

Father’s Day Lunch – Sunday 17th June at 12pm – 2pm

Enjoy a hearty three course lunch in our Wildflower Restaurant with views over the gardens, a nice way to start a relaxing afternoon for Dad. £24.95 per adult/£15 per child

Wedding Open Day – Sunday 24th June at 12pm – 3pm

If you have made the commitment to the next stage of your lives together come and visit to see how the Crystal Room looks and to discuss how we can help make your day.

Outdoor Theatre Production ‘Old Herbaceous’ - Thursday 5th July at 7:30pm

Described as “Downton Abbey with gardening tips”, Old Herbaceous is the humorous love story of a single-minded yet gentle man with a passion for plants and is a charming one man play which has entranced audiences all around the country. £10 per adult

To book any of these do please call our Events Team on 01822 852245 or email events@moorlandgardenhotel.co.uk Full details of these and other offers are available on our website moorlandgardenhotel.co.uk Moorland Garden Hotel, Yelverton, Plymouth PL20 6DA

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

65

TECH HELP

Tech Tips from ChezvousPC We often hear about Windows (10) updates just doing what they want when they want - well now you can take a little bit of control back! If you go to ‘settings’, then in the search box type ‘schedule your restart’, you will find a setting that allows you to be notified before a restart or an update needs to be incorporated, rather than it happening automatically and taking you by surprise!

If you are not quite sure how to do a speedtest on your broadband there are many websites that do this, but they are laced with advertising and dodgy programs, so up until now it has been a bit of a minefield. Google has made it easy though, so all you have to do is go to the Google search page, type in ‘speedtest’, press search and the rest is common sense.

Finally!

If you are a Windows 7 user with a separate antivirus from Windows Defender (most of us) then you may not have been receiving windows updates for some months now. If this is you, then you need to open Windows Defender and update it,

then restart and afterwards the updates should start again.

Lifecake is a great idea if you don’t want to join Facebook or Twitter or Whatsapp, but still want to see pictures of your grandchildren - why not suggest this website to your kids!

There is a lot of talk in the adverts about faster routers and how good they are in comparison to others. It is a common misconception that a faster router will improve the internet speed – but it will not. It will improve the speed of passing files from machine to machine in the house, but nothing else.

There is only one exception and that is, if you have a very old router that works on wifi at 54mbps, when you have full speed superfast wifi at around 80mbps.

TIM, Tim and Carol – ChezvousPC For help with any home or business IT needs, give us a ring on 01822 855822 or visit chezvouspc.com

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We sell new PCs, laptops, tablets, printers, etc.

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66

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editorial@tavylinks.co.uk

BOOK REVIEW

Review and recommendations by Natasha Church, Bookstop, Tavistock Recommended for adults 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos by Jordan Peterson. Published

by Allen Lane - hardback £20 Jordan Peterson is a clinical psychologist and an ‘outside the box’ thinker. This book combines grounded advice, drawn from his clinical practice, with inspirational anecdotes from his personal life, accounts of his academic work in the field of psychology and his interpretations of myths, stories and the bible.

The author takes this century’s fear of being politically incorrect and inserts common sense into it. He dares to

question our conditioned norms, both individual and collective. His timeless advice includes setting our own house in order before criticising others, and pursuing that which is meaningful, rather than expedient. One of the book’s most powerful ideas, for me, was the question of how much we are responsible for our own difficulties. Peterson gives an example of writer Alexander Solzhenitsyn, whose ‘life had been rendered miserable by both Stalin and Hitler’, including much time spent in Soviet labour camps and a serious illness.

I’ll be dipping back into the book at regular intervals, to remind myself of its wisdom.

&

Recommended top 4 reads: Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman Debut novel about a lonely, defended woman is profoundly affected by an act of kindness. Paperback £8.99 Factfulness: Ten Reasons We’re Wrong About the World - and Why Things

Are Better Than You by Hans Rosling Describes the ten instincts that distort our perspective of the world. Hardback £12.99 A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies and Leadership by James Comey The author shares his experiences of his career, spanning two decades, in the American Government. Hardback £20 House of Names by Colm Toibin: Stunning re-telling of the Greek myth of Clytemnestra, who avenges her daughter after her husband Agamemnon sacrifices her to secure safe passage from Troy.

Paperback £8.99

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67

HISTORY

The Fishing Feast Our February/March issue explored the history of Dartmoor leats – one leat in particular, Drake’s Leat, is remembered every July in a ceremony called The Fishing Feast.

The Fishing Feast is believed to be one of the oldest ceremonies in the United Kingdom and it commemorates Sir Francis Drake’s role in bringing a reliable water supply to the city of Plymouth in the 16th century, as well as celebrating the many benefits that the water supply provided for the city.

Drake’s Leat, also known as Plymouth Leat, was built between 1589 and 1591, and diverted water from the River Meavy, carrying it for approximately 17 miles to supply Plymouth for more than 300 years.

Francis Drake was born in Tavistock around 1542, and after going to sea at an early age he gained a reputation as a successful privateer, often pitting himself against the Spanish to plunder ships sailing back from the Spanish colonies in South America. He became the first Englishman to circumnavigate the globe, received a knighthood from Queen Elizabeth I and was appointed as a vice admiral in the fleet that defeated the Armada in 1588. These prestigious achievements made Sir Francis Drake an obvious choice when Plymouth Corporation was selecting a contractor to construct the Plymouth leat in 1589, since someone with proven leadership skills, and business prowess was required to negotiate compensation with landowners and ensure the leat was completed. It is rumoured that on the opening day of 23rd April 1591, Sir Francis Drake galloped along the leat, as the water flowed down to Plymouth, where he was met by the mayor and the Plymouth Corporation amid great celebrations.

Mick Rolley PHOTOGRAPHER

Armytage

Mayor Bond at Fishing Feast, courtesy of South West Water

According to R N Worth’s History of Plymouth, the ‘Fyshinge Feaste’ is believed to have originated during the recordership of Sir Francis Drake (the second) 1669-1717, although it cannot definitely be traced back before the early 18th century.

However, it seems the annual survey of the waterworks was already an established practice before the Fishing Feast, as the Plymouth Receiver’s Accounts for the year 1603-4, state that ‘the Maior and his brethren do usuallie ride once a yere’ to inspect the leat and head weir. The ceremony has continued over the centuries and has been preserved even after responsibility for the city’s water supply passed from the Plymouth City Water Undertakings to the South West Water Authority in 1974 and then to South West Water Limited in 1989.

Plymouth City Council and South West Water now jointly organise and host the event, which is attended by the lord mayor, the chief executive of Plymouth City Council, Tracey Lee and the managing director of South West Water, Dr Stephen Bird, as well as a number of other dignitaries and guests including the mayor and mayoress of West Devon. The ceremony originally took place at the start of Drake’s Leat, but in 1898 the upper portion of the leat disappeared under Burrator Reservoir, necessitating a relocation to the head weir near Norsworthy Bridge. Two silver goblets, known as ‘loving cups’ are traditionally used in the ceremony; the original cups were donated to the city hundreds of years ago and in order to preserve them for future generations, replica goblets have been used at the event since 1925. The Gayer Cup bears the inscription, ‘The Guift of Sir John Gayer Alderman of London Ano Domini 1648’ and the second cup is engraved with, ‘The Gyft of John Whyt of London Haberdasher to the Mayor of Photography Plymouth and his Brethren forever to drink crosse one to ye other at their feastes or meetinges who died 5th June 1585’.

armytagephotography@gmail.com

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So, what actually happens at the Fishing Feast?

HISTORY

Finding wills and probate information for family history research

Phote courtesy of South West Water

It starts with the guests lining up in two columns at the weir and the lord mayoral party processes between them. Replicas of the two loving cups are filled with water from the weir and the macebearer announces the first toast, ‘To the Pious Memory of Sir Francis Drake’; the cup is then handed to Dr Bird to make the toast, he in turn presents it to the lord mayor, before the other guests are also invited to join in the toast (the weir water is discreetly replaced by treated drinking water before the toasts are drunk!). The cups are then filled with wine and the macebearer announces a second toast, ‘May the Descendants of Him who brought us Water, never want Wine’. Interestingly, in a historical video clip of the Fishing Feast, which can be seen at Burrator Discovery Centre, the second toast is proposed as ‘May the Descendants of Him who brought us Water, never want for Wine’, providing a rather different interpretation from the current usage.

Following the ceremony, the party used to adjourn to the lawn of Burrator Lodge for a buffet luncheon of trout, freshly caught from the leat, plus salads, strawberries and cream. However, when the lodge was sold, a new site was prepared in 2016 at Rain Gauge Field further along the reservoir, where a marquee is now erected every year. After the meal, the lord mayor proposes a toast to Queen Elizabeth II and then makes a speech, followed by the managing director of South West Water proposing a toast to the lord mayor and members of Plymouth City Council, before addressing the whole party. One last toast concludes the event, as the loving cups are refilled with hot punch, and Dr Bird takes the cup to lead the pledge ‘Unity and Prosperity to the Town of Plymouth’.

Rosemary Best

On Sunday 15 July from 10am-4pm, there is a free exhibition on ‘The Fishing Feast’ at Burrator Discovery Centre.

Wills are an invaluable source of information for family history researchers.

They can reveal family relationships you didn’t know about, and may disclose intimate details about a person’s household and lifestyle, such as place of residence, occupation, relationships with other local people and even property and goods.

Ancestry has the national probate calendar, an index for tracking wills and probate records after 1858. It also has various probate records dating from 1269 to 1975, as well as wills from the Prerogative Court of Canterbury [PCC] from 1384. The PCC, which actually sat in London, was the senior church court, and wills proved by the PCC represent the largest collection of pre-1858 wills for England and Wales. It mainly handled probates for property owners, but there were other reasons people chose to use the PCC, for example a nonconformist might wish to avoid the attention of local clergy by opting for the higher court, or if a will was contested it might pass to the PCC too. From 1653 to 1660, the PCC was the only court to deal with wills and administrations.

FindMyPast has a selection of wills from various parts of the country. The Devon wills index for 1163-1999 includes 295,609 wills, proved across 30 courts, for people who were born or died in Devon. The Devon wills index is a search-aid for the family historian to check available probate records, their location and if they survived the Exeter Blitz of WW2.

Wills can also be located on the national archives website, and ordered or downloaded for a small sum. Wills were proved by a number of courts, and the only probate court records held by the national archives are those of the PCC up to 1858.

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TRADE SECRETS

Trade Secrets Mark Davison TOUR OPERATOR – VENTURE CO Why did you become a tour operator?

My first job overseas was as a guide in East and Southern Africa. After guiding for 8 years my mother told me to get a ‘proper job’ so I set about becoming a tour operator.

How much training is involved, what qualifications do you need?

The biggest challenge of becoming an independent tour operator is the ATOL bond (Air Travel Organiser’s License).

You need a few years of relevant, professional experience, backed up with a colossal financial bond. The ATOL is administered by the CAA (Civil Aviation Authority) and provides financial security for my clients.

How long have you been a tour operator?

I guided for 8 years, then returned to England and set-up an ABTA-bonded travel agency in Cheltenham in partnership with a colleague. I sold the agencies in 1999 and set up Venture Co the same year.

Where do you work?

My office is in Okehampton and we specialise in South America, Africa and India.

Who else works with you?

There are three of us in the office and I also work with about half-a-dozen freelance group leaders who accompany Venture Co’s small groups. In addition to that I have a network of guides around the world, many of whom I first met when I was guiding and have since helped set up their own in-country ‘in-bound tour operation’. This means that when I send couples or families to anywhere in Africa, South America or India I know exactly who I’m dealing with and can trust them to deliver.

Where do you go on holiday?

Africa! I know the continent well and it’s so incredibly varied.

What is involved in being a tour operator?

I have a passion for the countries I deal with, their wildlife, current affairs and geography (in its broadest definition).

That awful phrase ‘product knowledge’ is actually crucial: I have to know what I’m talking about so that a specific person is matched with the right hotel/ beach/national park/guide and so forth.

How does your day usually unfold?

My day begins with email – just like everyone else! I might have a horseriding group going to Patagonia, a safari to Kenya and a ‘Golden Triangle & Tigers’ trip in India. Each one of those

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What would you say to someone thinking of this as a career?

Study geography at school, and a language; and then get experience working overseas, which generally means long hours and rubbish pay. But working overseas is brilliant fun, and that grassroots experience is invaluable.

What is the best thing about your job?

I only sell destinations that I (or one of the team) have checked out. I don’t travel so much these days, but I really enjoy recce trips and gathering information. Last year I visited Namibia, India and Colombia, which was actually hard work, but rejuvenating!

www.ventureco-worldwide.com 74

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