April 2022

WOODBURY NEWS

APRIL 2022

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APRIL 2022 EDITORIAL Our hearts must surely go out to the tragic people of Ukraine, who are currently enduring diabolical conditions as Russia wages war on their country. Stories of bombing, devastation and destruction, and the complete lack of basic facilities for survival reach us daily through every possible channel of the media. We can but hope and pray that a peaceful outcome is achieved as soon as possible.

Appeals for aid to Ukraine with, for example, money, clothing and medicines are being responded to, and it is gratifying to read on page 19 that Holy Trinity Church in Woodbury Salterton has organised its own collection for immediate onward despatch to the Red Cross. Other good news concerns ongoing support towards providing education for children in the Kibera slum in Kenya (pages 17-18); plans by The Woodland Trust to transform a local valley into a haven for wildlife (page 30); and the rescue and rehabilitation of small animals organised by Tony Bennett of Wild-Woodbury (pages 3031). Tony’s actions in 2022 are in complete contrast to what used to happen in Woodbury at the beginning of the eighteenth century. Then, for instance, hedgehogs were considered vermin, and men were paid to destroy them (see page 32).

There has been much discussion and work entailed in the production of the draft East Devon Local Plan and the Woodbury Neighbourhood Plan which include proposals for future house-building in our villages. Please don’t miss the opportunity to view the plans and complete a questionnaire. The dates and times for the consultations are listed on page 25. This is YOUR opportunity to have YOUR say. Don’t leave it too late.

The cover photograph by Sandra Wakefield shows the band of merry men who completed the Men’s Walk (see page 29) in aid of Hospiscare. *

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Please note that the closing date for future submissions each month will now be on a Monday by 19.00 (pages 4 and 39).

Woodbury News is a Private Company Limited by Guarantee No. 5263356 Secretary: Karen Squires, Willowfield, Oakhayes Road, Woodbury EX5 1JT. 233299 Registered Office: Willowfield, Oakhayes Road, Woodbury EX5 1JT. Tel: 233299 Chairman: Jeremy Boyden, Rosemary, Broadway, Woodbury EX5 1NR. Tel: 233072 Editor: Sue Bury, Mayflower Cottage, 37 Greenway, Woodbury EX5 1LU. Tel: 233753 Deputy Editor: Val Arndt, Castlehaye, Castle Lane, Woodbury. Tel: 233175 Subscriptions: Jeremy Boyden, Rosemary, Broadway, Woodbury EX5 1NR. Tel: 233072 Deliveries: Chris Bowers, chrisbowers88@yahoo.co.uk or 01395 239338

4 ST SWITHUN’S CHURCH, WOODBURY Vicar: Reverend Bill Lemmey 01395 232161 Email: revbillwhitecross@gmail.com Administrator: Jill Dupain dupain@hotmail.co.uk CHURCH SERVICES including joint services elsewhere in the Mission Community.

Sunday 3 April 11.15, Woodbury Holy Communion. 16.00 Exton Evening Worship.

Sunday 10 April 09.30, Exton Holy Communion. 18.30 Woodbury Cross of Christ - A Passiontide devotion in words and music.

Thursday 14 April - Maundy Thursday 14.00, Exton Washing of Feet with Holy Communion. 19.00 Farringdon, Stripping the Altar Tenebrae.

Friday 15 April - Good Friday 09.30, Clyst St Mary Cross of Christ.

09.30 Woodbury Salterton Good Friday play – Children’s activity.

15.00, Clyst St George Meditation.

Sunday 17 April - Easter Sunday 06.00, Exton Dawn Service.

11.15 Woodbury Holy Communion.

Sunday 24 April 10.30, Woodbury Café Church.

Further information and details of services in other Mission Community Parishes will be available on the church noticeboard and in the monthly Digest. To receive this by email please send your email address to st.swithuns.digest@gmail.com.

EASTER LILIES Please add your name to the list in church if you wish to purchase a lily in memory of a loved one.

Please note, we will decorate church for Easter on Saturday 16 April.

Barbara Hill FLOODLIGHTING ST SWITHUN’S CHURCH For your special event, contact Mike Jeans on 01395 232544. Floodlight dedications are displayed on the church noticeboard at the lych gate.

WOODBURY NEWS CLOSING DATES MONDAYS: 25 APRIL. 16 MAY. 20 JUNE. 18 JULY. ALL MATERIAL FOR THE MAGAZINE SHOULD BE SENT TO KAREN SQUIRES, WILLOWFIELD, OAKHAYES ROAD by 19.00 on the closing date, with a name and telephone number, or email to karensquires100@gmail.com

5 FRIENDS OF ST SWITHUN’S (FoSS) At last the winter is over; we look forward to long evenings and post-covid entertainment and social gatherings. We can open the church doors and welcome a full audience for our spring concert on Saturday 30 April at 19.00. Our own Bel Canto choir and Woodbury Handbell Ringers will be joined by our guests, Devon County Junior Choir. The young singers are a very skilled and well organised group, providing a wonderful sound which has been much appreciated in the past. This is an event not to be missed.

Tickets are available from Pat Browne (01395 232805 ruthandpatb@aol.co) or the committee - £10 for adults, to include a glass of wine at the interval, and £2 for children.

The concerts provide our main income source for funds which help maintain the fabric of the church. With fewer regular worshippers, the maintenance of our historic churches must be funded by members of the whole secular community. Everyone is welcome. Do bring the youngsters in the family to see and hear other children singing and enjoying the experience. Pat Browne Editor’s Note : In order to maximise submitted copy and photographs into Woodbury News, it may be necessary to reduce the size of some items.

The Editorial team will attempt to do this as carefully as possible.

6 WOODBURY GARDEN CLUB With the easing of covid restrictions there was a relaxed feeling as 30 members of the Woodbury Garden Club met for their March meeting.

Peter opened the meeting and welcomed us back to normality. Then Debby reminded us that it is time to prepare for the Plant Sale in May, so we will need to think about sowing vegetable and flower seeds, splitting perennials, and potting up any plants which can be sold. Plant trays, modules and labels are available from the club, and we hope to provide our usual variety of plants for this popular event.

The speaker was Claire Hart. Claire introduced herself as an experienced gardener working with various seed companies. In her talk, Square Metre Gardening, she began by saying that to be successful and productive gardeners we do not need acres of ground.

7 Nor do we need long rows of seeds, all planted at the same time, as this means that the resulting produce all becomes ready at the same time. She is also keen to save space, time and resources, such as water.

Claire talked clearly and quickly, giving a great deal of information.

Fortunately, all members have been sent a copy of the handout which accompanied the talk — a wonderful document detailing all her ideas and suggestions.

We are pleased to say that Flower of the Month competition will go ahead thanks to Catherine Landers, a new member who has volunteered to organise this friendly monthly competition. It’s now up to the rest of us to remember to bring examples of flowers (one entry per person) from our own gardens.

Remember that the points won each month are added up during the year, and the person with most points wins the prize at the end of the year.

A very pleasant and informative evening, encouraging us to get gardening.

We look forward to the interesting programme planned for this year.

12 April Claire Forster Pots & Baskets. WVH 19.15 for 19.30. Visitors welcome - £3.

7 May Plant Sale. 10.30, WVH. Free entry, all welcome.

Marian Mead WOODBURY AND NEWTON ST CYRES CRICKET CLUB The cricket club looks forward to another season of cricket at Town Lane.

We are delighted that Jurassic Fibre are sponsoring the cricket club for the coming season.

Work on the ground itself will continue in an effort to get it ready for preseason friendlies and the coming league season. We are again entering two teams into the Devon Cricket League and all home games will start at 13.00.

Throughout the season we will be hosting midweek 20-over games and some Sunday friendly fixtures.

The Colts sessions are again planned to take place on a Friday evening and we look forward to welcoming back all our youngsters and parents/carers to the planned coaching sessions. The club will also be entering U15, U14 and U10 teams in to Devon Cricket competitions. It has been really pleasing to see some of our older youngsters making the step up to adult cricket in midweek, Saturday and Sunday League fixtures.

We are always looking to welcome new members to the club, and if you are interested in playing cricket or simply want to become a social member then please contact the club through our website: woodburyandnewtonstcyres.play-cricket.com Ian Hughes, Chairman

WOODBURY NEWS is available online and via Facebook and Twitter.

8 WOODBURY HISTORY SOCIETY In March, the History Society enjoyed a very interesting and entertaining evening watching the last of Julian Ware’s documentary films about the Ware family in Woodbury. The film showed modern Woodbury as well as images of the village in the earlier part of the 20 th century. Much of the film was taken up with reminiscences by Eric Ware, his cousin Esme Thompson from Gilbrook House (both sadly no longer with us), Bryony Giles, Esme’s daughter, and Roger Stokes.

The film was really a dedication to Julian’s parents, Eric and Joan, who had given him, his older brother and two sisters such a rewarding upbringing.

Eric never fulfilled his own desires in life as he had unselfishly remained in the village to help his father run the mill at Gilbrook, and finally to run it himself.

After his father’s death he sold the mill and was able to involve himself in the life and running of the village. He was responsible for transforming a farm field on Globe Hill into a cricket ground (cricket being one of his great loves), and regularly prepared the wicket for Eric Ware matches. Eric was a great walker and became Footpath Warden in the parish that he loved so much.

Roger spoke of his father Harry, another memorable Old Woodburian, who was a close friend of Eric. Roger’s reminiscences of Woodbury when he was growing up showed the village to be a very happy community – farmers, he said, all knew and helped each other out. The film, though showing the village to be such a contented place, also documented some of the sad events that occurred to the extended Ware family and the village in general. The pictures of the great flood of 1960, which was responsible for the destruction of some of the interior and possessions of Gilbrook House, where Esme lived, were very graphic. The Gilbrook stream became a raging torrent and at Gilbrook it met the huge volume of water which had flooded down from the brook higher up the village. Roger described the annual fair that used to come to the village green, which included a big wheel and a motorcycle wall of death. It is hard to imagine our lovely green subject to such treatment, but these fairs were thoroughly enjoyed by all.

We are very honoured to be the recipients of Julian’s films, not only to be able to show them in the village hall, but also for the copies that he has given to the society. All his films are of a high quality, which is what one expects from a professional documentary-maker such as Julian.

9 He has made many award-winning documentary films for the BBC and ITV, and he is now living in retirement in Devon.

The next meeting of Woodbury History Society will be at 19.30 on Thursday 5 May in the village hall, and will be an illustrated talk by Michael Sampson entitled A Short History of Tiverton.

Future dates for your diary: 1 September The Role of the Royal Mail Guard in History – illustrated talk by Martin Horler, WVH, 19.30.

3 November Devon and African Enslavement - illustrated talk by Todd Gray, WVH, 14.30.

Gill Selley

PUPPY TRAINING AT WOODBURY Congratulations to Alison Horton with Hattie, Sue Edworthy with Tarka, Emma Voutsis with Posy and Juliette Johnson with Hebe for achieving their Kennel Club puppy obedience certificates and rosettes.

For further information about future courses, contact Margaret Edwards edwardsm22@sky.com.

Margaret Edwards WOODBURY GARDEN CLUB 12 APRIL WOODBURY VILLAGE HALL, 19.15 FOR 19.30 Claire Forster Pots & Baskets Visitors welcome - £3.

WOODBURY RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION AGM THURSDAY 21 APRIL IN THE CHURCH ROOMS AT 19.30 District Councillor Jung will give a presentation on the proposed New Local Plan and the developments that may affect local residents.

10 WOODBURY C OF E PRIMARY SCHOOL Forest School The children have been making the most of their Forest School sessions run

by Mrs York. They have been searching for signs of spring. Oak and Willow class have found buds growing on different trees and have spotted daffodils in the wildlife garden. The children have been learning about composting and the importance of worms in the composting process. They have also been creating wriggling worms out of willow, building dens and making bread over the campfire.

Cherry Class The children have continued to learn and think about times past. Having learnt how to remove the brain through the nose and successfully mummify fish during their study of Ancient Egypt, the class have travelled back in time to consider life in Prehistoric Britain.

They have recreated cave art in their own caves (well, under their desks) and fashioned jewellery to resemble Neolithic pieces. The children will be visiting Woodbury Castle and spending time considering why it was built where it was, and what life might have been like for its inhabitants during the Iron Age and before the arrival of the Romans.

11 In science they explored forces, and in addition to carrying out experiments to determine the effects of friction using chopsticks, oil and jelly, the children explored magnetism and here is Herbie with his magnificent indoor kite! The children also designed and constructed pneumatic monsters in their Design & Technology lessons as demonstrated by Ollie and Noah.

When not being scientists or historians, the children celebrated World Book Day and came into school dressed as some of their favourite characters or as footballers! More importantly, they had the opportunity to read, be read to and celebrate the joy of reading. The children don’t need asking twice to pick up a book though, and this year so far have read an incredible seven million words between them. Many of these have been read to Anna Eyres who comes in every week to hear the children read, for which we are hugely grateful.

Artist Visits On 16 March, Ash Class took part in a 'street art' workshop led by local artist, Steve McCracken (whose amazing birds you might have seen all over Exeter and Sidmouth). He talked to the children about his work and how it had developed in response to his beliefs about positivity and happiness; how he hoped that seeing his paintings would give the onlooker a few moments of joy. cont’d/...

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Steve explained that, when he lived in London, he missed the sea and so painting the birds around the city — with their wave-like wings — made him feel that he was ‘surfing the streets.’ This resonated with many of the class who feel strongly about the beach themselves. Steve explained that he only puts his art on surfaces that are semi-permanent, such as boarded up windows, or where permission has been sought, and demonstrated how to make a ‘paste-up’ using acrylic paints, paper and PVA. He helped the children to create their own, encouraging them to choose designs that were of interest to them. These were put onto a class 'street art wall.'

The children all absolutely loved it and are delighted with the final pieces. Thank you very much to Steve McCracken for providing such an amazing experience.

HAPPY’S CIRCUS WOODBURY PRIMARY SCHOOL, CASTLE LANE EX5 1EA SATURDAY 11 JUNE GATES OPEN AT 13.30 Food vendors, drinks and circus goodies For ticket sales: www.pta-events.co.uk/ woodburyprimaryschool/ All ages are welcome.

This is a school PTFA fundraiser.

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In art, Year 2 have been thinking about using recycled material to make sculptures.

They worked together in groups to make this impressive lion from cardboard and papier-mâché.

At the beginning of this half term the children had a visit and workshop with local sculptor and artist Brendan Rawlings, who worked with them to bring their ideas and designs to life by using driftwood to make wonderful highland cow sculptures.

The children had a fantastic morning and we would like to thank Brendan for the time he took in supporting and helping the children.

Gillian Pyle, Head of School

14 WOODBURY VILLAGE HALL The Woodbury Village Hall Annual General Meeting will take place on Monday 11 April at 19.30 in the DuBuisson Room.

Anyone with any interest in the meeting may attend as an observer.

However, only members of the Village Hall Co Ltd have the right to speak and to vote on proceedings.

Graham Jackson, Secretary The photo shows the installation of a weather canopy at the village hall.

Many thanks to Robin Lennox and his team.

WOODBURY TENNIS CLUB The summer season will be starting soon. All membership renewals should have been completed. The lower court will have been resurfaced and the top court cleaned in preparation for repainting. We will have a new gazebo and tables for outside seating, thanks to East Devon District Council.

Club sessions on Sunday mornings and ladies sessions on Tuesdays continue to be well supported. We will have men’s and ladies teams in the Exeter and District leagues and a mixed team in the East Devon tennis league. For the first time we will run a triples league on Friday evenings. Membership is available to any resident of Woodbury parish. Please come along to a Sunday club session (from 10.00) or contact Pat Browne (ruthandpatb @aol.com) to find out more.

Junior coaching sessions will start on 4 May with coach John Wingate; please contact Helen Ryland (helenryland@btinternet.com) to sign up for 10 sessions.

Pat Browne

The Woodbury News attempts to represent a variety of views within the community, but does not accept responsibility for anything but editorial comment. While it may publish unacknowledged material, nothing is included unless the editor knows the name and address of the author(s).

15 WOODBURY TWINNING ASSOCIATION In March, a group of us went on a 3-hour bird watching cruise with Stuart Line. We travelled up the Exe, binoculars at the ready, and we were able to recognise a wide variety of birds thanks to Derek, the ornithologist on board.

He was extremely knowledgeable and enthusiastic. It was a really enjoyable trip, made even more so by the calm water and absence of rain!

Don’t forget our next event - Gin Tasting on 2 April. Contact Nita 232314 or Jan 232694.

Jan Owen WOODBURY TWINNING ASSOCIATION Gin Tasting Evening

by Sidmouth Gin Company.

SATURDAY 2 APRIL AT 19.00 WOODBURY VILLAGE HALL 4 gins paired with various food tasters Members - £16, non members - £18 To book contact: Nita on 232314/nitagoffron@live.co.uk Jan on 232694/jmowenteacher@aol.com WOODBURY AND DISTRICT ROYAL BRITISH LEGION 40TH ANNIVERSARY COMMEMORATIONS OF THE FALKLANDS WAR SATURDAY 23 APRIL, 11.00 WREATH-LAYING AT THE WAR MEMORIAL Michael Owen will be playing The Last Post.

After the ceremony there will be tea, coffee and cake served in the DuBuisson room (suggested donation £2) plus a raffle for the Poppy Appeal.

There will also be a display of photographs of the Falkland Islands and the war memorials. Kevin Jeffery, Devon County MSO, will be attending and bringing his photo albums from the time he served out in the Falklands plus a display of photos that my son took when he was posted there - he was part of the party that helped to clean and restore the memorials.

Sandra Huish, Woodbury RBL Chair

WOODBURY GARDEN CLUB PLANT SALE SATURDAY 7 MAY, 10.30 PROMPT WOODBURY VILLAGE HALL Free entry, all welcome.

Bedding, pots and baskets, tomatoes and veg, herbs, perennials, fruit, shrubs, houseplants.

16 WOODBURY WOMEN’S INSTITUTE We expected to hear a talk on Dartmoor Myths and Legends at the March meeting of the WI but unfortunately, due to a misunderstanding, we had no speaker.

After some arm twisting, Anna Eyres and Bryony Giles were persuaded to answer questions on Old Woodbury a task for which they were well qualified as their families have lived for many generations in the village.

We were transported back to the days when Woodbury was a busy self-sufficient village.

Bryony spoke of her family’s tanneries. There was a proper shoemaker in Cobblers Cottage and many folk would use offcuts of the leather hides to make shoes. There were butchers, grocers, a sweet shop, a clothes shop and even an undertaker.

The Globe Inn stood at the junction of Rydon Lane and Exeter Road and Assizes were held there, whilst felons were held in the lockup in the house now called the Courthouse, with the police station next door.

Woodbury had its own fire engine, kept in the shed with red doors at the end of Mirey Lane. It was pulled by horses belonging to various folk, and if there was a fire, a man was sent out on a bike to judge if it was worth going to the effort of harnessing the horses to the pump engine. One couldn’t help wondering if anything was saved.

There were farms close to the village and Vera Stokes recalled her experience as a young wife living in Webber’s Farm (the farmyard being the site of present-day Culvery Close). She recalled 120 milking cows being herded from Castle Lane to the farm for milking, rarely seeing a car, but in danger of colliding with the cows from other farms crossing the road, resulting in a confusion of cows. Vera remembered the kitchen in the farmhouse with its large two-oven cast-iron range, and two cast-iron kettles hanging over the fire. School children visited the farm to see the sheep shearing, the goats being milked and, if they were lucky, the miracle of a kid arriving in the world.

They fondly remembered the sweet shop, where the longer you kept the lady talking, the more sweets would go in the cone-shaped bag.

It was a village where children could be sent down to Josie Doran for a jug of milk when times were hard and where they could be sent down to the Jug and Bottle (at the side of the public bar in the White Hart) to get a jug or bottle of ale to take home for their dad.

17 Today’s children may have their electronic toys, but they don’t enjoy the same uncomplicated freedom which Anna and Bryony recalled.

For all of us, native or incomer, it awakened memories of our own childhood and we shared our own reminiscences — a very happy afternoon, thanks to Anna, Bryony and Vera.

Linda Freeman HOPE 4 KIBERA Breaking the Cycle of Poverty through Education <hope4kibera.org.uk> Charity Number 1189029 Barn Dance Our Barn Dance on 5 March was another great success, thanks to all the support locally. Once again we were sold out and everyone had a good time, with Spinach for Norman playing and calling as well as ever. The raffle and bar were well supported and, together with the ticket sales, we raised an excellent £1,025, which will pay for virtually a full year of all costs of schooling for one of our students. We are especially grateful to Woodbury Park and Exeter Chiefs for sponsoring generous raffle prizes.

Although some of our regular supporters were away, an extra pleasure was that we welcomed many new people.

A real-time video greeting from Chris Omondi, Director of the project in Kibera, was played and can be seen on our website. Chris was standing in the slums where he grew up and, whilst showing pictures of our students at their desks, explained how he only got where he is now because of the education he received. He said what a transforming effect the past three years of support from Hope4Kibera has had on the lives of the students.

They are on track to graduate next year with the grades necessary to get into publicly-funded university in Kenya. The girls are from the most needy families in the Kibera slum but dream of careers as doctors, pilots or other professionals. cont’d/...

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Chris said that “because Hope4Kibera has enabled the school to be established and has seen it through Covid, the girls’ dreams are now valid.”

This has all happened thanks to the support we receive locally, and we must keep it up. Every £20 raised puts one of our students from the slum through a full week of school — teaching, board and lodging all included — and we do need more people to become regular donors in order to give these girls a future. Support details are on our website.

The John Wynne Way Walk On Saturday 14 May we are organising a walk in memory of John Wynne.

John was a much loved local man, who sadly died in an accident five years ago on 14 May. He did a great deal for the local community and was also a keen supporter of the work of our partners in Kibera. In large measure, Hope4Kibera got off the ground through a generous donation from John’s estate and ongoing support from his family.

We will start at 09.00 from Christ Church, Woodbury, go via Woodbury Common to Budleigh Salterton and then along the coast to Orcombe Point where we can have lunch and share some John Wynne stories, with the inevitable smile. The return route is optional. Please bring your own food and provisions and wear suitable footwear and clothing.

Donations for Hope4Kibera are very welcome and all details are on our website.

The Summer Play Thursday 30 June - Friday 1 July All Balls and Ashes a comedy by Mark Robberts. 19.30 at Woodbury Village Hall. ** H4K now registered for Amazon Smile. Shop there to help the Kibera kids.

Please join the journey and register for regular news or support @ www.hope4kibera.org.uk.

Charlie Collins Chair H4K Wanted!!

A set of cricket stumps and bails (regular, not children’s!)

And Morris dancers’ leg bells (several sets) These items would be for loan to the producers of the hilarious comedy All Balls and Ashes, to be performed in Woodbury Village Hall on Thursday 30 June and Friday 1 July.

All proceeds from the production go to the local charity Hope4Kibera Please get in touch with Jenny Goode on 01392 875714 or 07813 655568 if you can help in sourcing the above items.

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WOODBURY SALTERTON NEWS HOLY TRINITY CHURCH Ukraine The church set up an appeal for the people of Ukraine and acted as banker to give a focal point for anyone unsure of where to send their donation. Some people had already donated online to various charities, such as the Disasters Emergency Committee and Christian Aid, but the sum of £365 was nevertheless collected. It was decided to send this money immediately to the Red Cross as we were advised that they have the infrastructure to get the aid quickly to the most vulnerable. The church fund will remain open and further donations are warmly welcomed. Payment should be made by cheque to Woodbury Salterton PCC, directly to Debbie Jung (Churchwarden) or Nigel Dupain (Treasurer) or by BACS. Please email Nigel at dupain@hotmail.co.uk to ask for the church bank account details.

The need will be ongoing for a long time. Many thanks to all those who have given to this appeal.

Coffee after services Coffee following the morning Communion services will be served after the service on 3 April — exactly two years since we were last able to do this — an opportunity to stay and chat after the service.

Monthly Coffee with Bacon Butties - or Crumpets The next one will take place on 2 April from 09.30 until 10.30 in church. Many thanks to Debbie Jung for running these mornings and to Geoff for cooking the bacon. These events bring in a steady income for our church funds and are very happy social occasions.

Church APCM The Annual Parochial Church Meeting is our Church AGM. It will be held in church on Tuesday 12 April at 14.30. This is a legal requirement but also an opportunity for members of the congregation to hear how the church is doing, to learn about our financial situation and to make plans for the future. All are welcome – and it would be encouraging if church members would come and support the PCC at what is usually a short meeting, but nonetheless an interesting one.

Katharine Wheeler

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20 WOODBURY SALTERTON C OF E PRIMARY SCHOOL It has been such a lovely and busy month: we have enjoyed taking part in the NSPCC Number Day, Safer Internet Day, Children's Mental Health Week, Wearing Red, White and Blue to celebrate our Queen's 70 years on the throne and our KS1 children took part in an Aesthetics Festival at Exmouth Tennis Centre. We have also been lucky enough to have Revd Bill and the ICE Team visit us to support our collective worship. In addition, the whole school enjoyed celebrating World Book Day with some great costumes to link with favourite stories.

Class One KS1 attended the Aesthetics Festival at the tennis centre and took part in various activities, practising their balancing, jumping and movement skills.

During the morning the children learnt a short dance and then performed it alongside other schools from the area. As the weather is getting nicer, Class One has spent more time outside and enjoyed playing in the mud kitchen and creating cake and ice cream shops. They have been writing menus and paying for their cakes using money. In music, they have been learning about pitch; during continuous provision, some children decided to make their own instruments.

Class Two Class Two have been continuing their theme of Rocks, Relics and Rumbles and have been learning about Mary Anning. Music has been very exciting as they have been reading, writing and performing, using their own graphic scores. They started by listening to the sounds of a volcano and then experimented by making their own. As part of the RE unit on Judaism, they have been learning what ‘repentance’ means and the times that Jewish people ask for forgiveness. They thought of their own ‘sorry’ messages for something they have said or done and wrote these onto cardboard boats to float away. During Mental Wellbeing week they have been doing extra mental health activities to remind them how to keep their bodies and minds healthy. Some of the activities include sending each other compliments, writing thank-you messages and doing some yoga.

Class Three Class Three have enjoyed designing and making their own pieces of wallpaper in the style of William Morris. Whilst at Forest School the children have also created some fantastic pieces of art in the style of Andy Goldsworthy. It was lovely to watch the children work in small teams to create these natural masterpieces. During mental health sessions, they have been learning how important it is to have a growth mindset rather than a fixed mindset.

21 All this learning was put into practice during one forest school session where the whole class worked together to solve a problem that involved transporting a ball and then water across the field, using only some pieces of guttering.

Collective Worship This half term’s value is Forgiveness. During our collective worship we will be exploring what it means to forgive, and listening to Bible stories such as The Prodigal Son and The Unforgiving Servant.

Nursery Due to our Nursery numbers growing rapidly, we have increased the sessions that we are able to offer and are now open every weekday. Please email/ telephone the office to check availability and pick up an application form.

Clare Rooke, SEND Governor, Jubilee with Pebblebed WOULD YOU CONSIDER BEING A SCHOOL GOVERNOR? Being a school governor is an exciting opportunity to make a very worthwhile contribution to your local community. The duties of a governor are not onerous, but do require commitment and a willingness to take an active role in supporting the work of each of our five schools.

The Governors of the Jubilee with Pebblebed Federation are responsible for the Church of England primary schools at Broadhembury, Branscombe, Farway, Littleham and Woodbury Salterton. We are a friendly team, committed to ensuring each of the five schools flourish within the Federation.

Apart from the staff governor and the executive head teacher, most of the federation’s governors are parents, come from the local community (coopted governors) or are representatives from the Church. Governors can come from any walk of life, and consequently have a range of skills to complement each another in supporting the school’s main functions. We are particularly looking for new governors with skills in finance/accounts or some experience of education (curriculum), but it is not essential.

The governing body has specific statutory responsibilities and its main tasks are: to provide a sense of direction for the work of the school; to support the work of the school as a critical friend; and to hold the school to account for the standards and quality of education it achieves. Training is provided and all governors are subject to the usual safeguarding checks. The role is a voluntary one.

If you are interested in joining our governing body, please contact our Clerk, Dr Helen Ryland: HRyland@woodbury-salterton.devon.sch.uk or me (01297 553180).

The Reverend Dr Steven Martin Chair of Governors and Rector of the Holyford Mission Community

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THE QUEEN’S PLATINUM JUBILEE 2022 CELEBRATIONS IN WOODBURY VILLAGE: 2 - 5 JUNE Thursday 2 June – Community Day – 11.00-15.00 on the village green  Start of Flower Festival in St Swithun’s Church which will run for four days.  Community Day of arts, crafts, produce fairs and village clubs on the village green. If you would like to have a table selling produce, the charge is £5 per table; if the table is to advertise your club, there is no charge. To book a table, contact Chris Lear on 01395 232772; chrisalear06@gmail.com Tea and coffee available.

Friday 3 June – Children’s tea party – 14.00-16.00 at the Arch  Children’s Street Party for all children in the parish aged 12 and under – bring food to share; drinks will be provided. Fancy dress.

In order to provide the right number of tables and chairs, it is important that parents who wish their child to attend the party REGISTER FIRST with Cheryl McGauley – 07786 706546; cheryl@mcgauley.co.uk.

Saturday 4 June – Children’s Fun Day – 14.00-18.00 on the village green  Children’s Fun Day on Woodbury village green – stalls, games and bouncy castle. Cream Teas Sunday 5 June – Day of celebration  Church Service on the village green in the morning – all welcome. Time tbc.  Afternoon Tea and Entertainment on the village green from 14.30-16.00 in the marquee.  Live band, hog roast, dancing and a whole lot of fun in the evening from 19.00-23.00.  Fireworks at 22.30.

This is YOUR village, YOUR event. We invite you to donate £1 towards the running costs.

Collecting boxes are now placed at various venues around the village, so please donate.

Platinum Jubilee programmes @ £1 each will also be available at these venues from the beginning of May. If there is anything you wish to discuss regarding these celebrations, please contact Chris Lear on 01395 232772; chrisalear06@gmail.com. Further updates will be posted in Woodbury News each month.

23

THE QUEEN’S PLATINUM JUBILEE 2022 CELEBRATIONS IN WOODBURY SALTERTON

WOODBURY SALTERTON GARDEN PARTY FRIDAY 3 JUNE, FROM 15.00 £5 per table of 6 Bring your own food, drinks and chairs Prizes awarded for best-dressed table and food presentation Family games, activities for children Pimm’s & Punch tent, tea & coffee stall LIVE MUSIC AND CIDER FEST FRIDAY 3 JUNE AT THE DIGGER’S REST FROM 19.00 Table booking forms available from The Digger’s Rest, or call and one can be emailed to you. Any questions? Contact The Digger’s 01395 232375, Jane Angus 01395 233415, Gill Bricknell 01395 232463.

Next organising meeting at The Digger’s Rest, 18.00, Monday 25 April We are looking for Raffle Prizes – no contribution too small!

WOODBURY SALTERTON JUBILEE ART EXHIBITION THURSDAY 1 - SUNDAY 4 JUNE AT HOLY TRINITY CHURCH Call for contributors Over the Jubilee Bank Holiday, Woodbury Salterton is celebrating local artists with an exhibition in the church – a beautiful space with lovely natural light.

We want to celebrate all local talent in a variety of media including good quality photography, small sculptures and crafts.

We have already signed up a number of local artists and would welcome anyone else interested in exhibiting and/or selling.

If you are interested in participating or helping out, please contact Debbie Jung on 07903345683 for more information.

Look out for more publicity in the next couple of months.

Debbie Jung

24

EXTON NEWS ST ANDREW’S CHURCH Sunday 3 April Evening Worship, 16.00 with Roz. Sunday 10 April Holy Communion, 09.30 with Margaret.

Maundy Thursday - 14 April Washing of Feet and Holy Communion. Bill and Margaret, 14.00.

Easter Sunday - 17 April Dawn Service, 06.00 with Bill, Holy Communion, 09.30 with Sid. Easter Lilies at St Andrew’s Church If you would like to donate an Easter lily in memory of a loved one, or simply to help decorate the church for Easter, please add your name to the list at the back of the church, or ring Eileen Pratt on 01392 877917.

Exton Easter Effort As you are no doubt aware, St Andrew’s Church has supported the Exmouth Food Bank for some time now and people in Exton have always been most generous. As we approach Easter could we please ask again for your support? There are boxes at the back of the church (which is open every day now from 09.30) for your contributions.

Whilst the Food Bank is always grateful for any non-perishable foods and toiletries, the following items would be particularly welcome: bottled squash, tinned potatoes or packets of instant mash, baked beans, tinned soup, jars of pasta sauce, tinned veg and fruit, tinned rice pudding, tins or boxes of custard.

Also, the Food Bank is very short of ‘Bags for Life’. Do you have any to spare?

As this is a special Easter effort, please ensure that contributions arrive at the church

by Palm Sunday (10 April). And lastly – any kind donations of sturdy Easter eggs (e.g. little bags of Cadbury’s mini eggs) would be much appreciated by needy children. Thank you so much.

Liz Williams WOODBURY NEWS to your door …

If you are a new resident to the area, or would like your Woodbury News to be delivered to your door monthly, just call Chris Bowers on 01395 239338 or email chrisbowers88@yahoo.co.uk and she will put you in contact with your local deliverer.

Any queries regarding delivery of Woodbury News within Exton to be directed to Ann Morris on 01392 875666.

25

WOODBURY PARISH COUNCIL Woodbury Parish Office Greenside, Greenway, Woodbury, Devon EX5 1LP. Telephone: 01395 233791. Email: woodburyparishcouncil@gmail.com The Parish Office is open: 09.30 - 12.30, Mon, Tues, Weds and Thurs.

Clerk to the Council: Anne-Marie Bates The Local Plan and proposed Parish development sites In the first week of April the Parish Council is running residents’ drop-in consultation sessions regarding the early stages of the East Devon Draft Local Plan giving residents an opportunity to forward their views via a questionnaire. The sessions are as follows: Tuesday 5 April Woodbury Salterton village hall.

Wednesday 6 April Exton village hall.

Friday 8 April DuBuisson Room, Woodbury village hall.

All at 14.00-16.00 and 19.00-21.00.

The total number of additional houses that need to be built in East Devon during the Local Plan period is set by government. As a result the Parish of Woodbury will be expected to support the building of new homes to make a contribution to these requirements.

At this early stage, landowners have offered potential sites for development which East Devon District Council (EDDC) are currently looking at and are ranking for consultation.

The Potential New Village/Town The second part of the questionnaire concerns the proposal for the creation of a New Village/Town, anticipated to be 2,500 homes rising to 8,500. If this proposal is not supported then there will need to be an increase in the number of dwellings, on top of the original number, expected for each village.

The Parish Council will collate the information and make a formal conclusion.

If you are unable to attend the consultation, questionnaires will be available at the Office between Monday 11 April and Thursday 14 April, 09.30-12.30 only.

Please note that there will be future opportunities to have your say and this is very much early stages; EDDC will be running public consultations later on in the year.

Neighbourhood Plan Woodbury Neighbourhood Plan has had its health check by an Inspector and we have now received their response. Our aim is to update the plan prior to the next stage in the process for the plan to be submitted, followed by public consultation and then adoption. cont’d/...

26 WOODBURY PARISH COUNCIL cont’d/…

No. 56 Bus Service to/from Woodbury/Woodbury Salterton Thank you to those of you who have returned the No. 56 bus service questionnaire. We are currently collating the information before a formal response is made.

Service Red (City Centre – Honiton Road Park & Ride) Sunday and Public Holiday frequency will be reduced from every 20 minutes to every 30 minutes, with the hours curtailed to approximately 08.45 until 18.30.

Flower Street Toilets The Parish Council are pleased to announce the long-awaited re-opening of the toilets; maintenance works are now complete. The toilets will be open every day from April between 08.00 and 19.00.

Theft of Heating Oil Police have started to see an increase of heating oil theft with four recently reported in West Devon. This amounts to thousands of pounds at today’s prices, and with fuel prices likely to remain high for the foreseeable future, this type of crime is likely to continue.

The content of large full tanks can be worth thousands of pounds to thieves, with no regard whatsoever to the disruption and cost to the victims. Locks on fuel tanks are being removed or broken, causing yet more cost to residents, farms and estates. Fuel can be stolen from storage tanks through siphoning equipment that can vary from the basic tube to more sophisticated arrangements involving pumps and the cutting of fuel lines.

Often prior to a spree of oil and other thefts, particularly around residential areas, there is an increase in door-to-door sales, which is an easy way for thieves to check out garden layouts and oil tank positions. Please be aware of people selling door-to-door and call the police if you feel there is anything suspicious.

Should you witness suspicious activity and you believe that immediate police attendance is required, please dial 999. Any other non-urgent information or intelligence can be passed to police by calling 101 or via email to 101@devonandcornwall.pnn.police.uk.

If you wish to remain anonymous you can pass any information or intelligence to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

27 County and District Councillor reports Our County and District Councillors regularly attend our Parish Council meetings and provide the Parish Council updates.

Cllr J Trail and Cllr R Scott reported that the A376/Mill Lane works in Exton were near to completion and saw the drains and bus shelter cleared.

Rydon Lane will see a drains upgrade and new hardtop.

The Parish Council asked if additional street lighting could be installed in Woodbury, especially in Greenway, but were unfortunately told that the County does not have a budget for new lights unless in new developments.

Issues with the condition of the footpath between Mirey Lane and Pound Lane have been reported and this is on the County to-do list. The Parish Council has asked for a quotation for these works.

The Chairman thanked both County Councillors for getting the bollards installed in Broadway.

Both Cllr B Ingham and Cllr G Jung have been busy with a number of meetings with regard to the draft East Devon Local Plan, raising issues and agreeing to the various new policies.

The Chairman thanked the County and District Councillors for providing the Parish with their reports.

Parish Council Business The Parish Council has undergone an Interim Audit and we are pleased to confirm that the auditor has acknowledged the high standard of documentation now being maintained and is pleased with the recent financial system put in place.

The Parish Council is complying with statutory regulations and good/best working practice.

The Parish Council has recently approved new and revised policies including Standing Orders, Financial Regulations, Code of Conduct, Risk Management Policy, Risk Register, Disciplinary / Grievance Policy and an Annual Investment Strategy.

Parish Council VACANCY There is a vacancy for a part time Admin Assistant initially for a 3-month period which will then be reviewed. The position is for 8 hours a week (Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday mornings). For more information and an application form please contact the Parish Clerk at woodburyparishcouncil@ gmail.com or on 01395 233791.

Parish Office The Parish Office is open to residents Monday to Thursday 09.30-12.30, so please pop in and say hello or raise any ideas or concerns that you may have.

The Woodbury Village Walking Maps (4 walks) can be purchased here for £2. cont’d/...

28 WOODBURY PARISH COUNCIL cont’d/…

Planning Woodbury Parish Council is a consultee for all planning applications within the Parish and applications are considered by members at a Full Council or a Planning Committee meeting. Results can be found on the East Devon website: https://planning.eastdevon.gov.uk/online-applications/ Queen’s Jubilee Mugs During the Queen’s Jubilee celebrations, Woodbury Parish Council will be giving every child of primary school age living in Woodbury Parish a celebration mug to mark the occasion.

We would also like to offer residents the opportunity to purchase a mug; the cost is £7.50 per mug.

If you are interested, please contact Cllr Cheryl McGauley on cheryl@ mcgauley.co.uk.

Our Meetings Our Full Council meetings are on the second Monday of each month excluding August, and our Committee meetings usually the last Monday in each month.

Meetings are held at The Church Rooms in Woodbury and start at 19.30.

All residents are welcome to attend.

WHO IS THIS?

We have been sent this photograph, taken in 1994, of a Woodbury resident.

Could it be you? Answers to the editor. All will be revealed next month!

29

ROUND AND ABOUT CONGRATULATIONS

Congratulations to the Revd Bill Lemmey on being awarded his Masters degree from Sarum College, Salisbury. His dissertation was titled Christian Spirituality.

Congratulations to Chris Sheppard, Henry Freeman, Gordon Davis, Chris Wakefield, Des Bennett and Tim Frampton who completed the eight mile men's walk in aid of Hospiscare.

Sandra Wakefield FUNDRAISING Hospiscare Afternoon Tea Finger sandwiches, lovely cakes and of course jam and cream scones were on the menu for the Hospiscare Tea held in the village hall. Everybody seemed to enjoy the event and a total of £400 was raised for the charity. Thanks to all who came along, to the helpers and cake makers, and also to Paul who provided an entertaining selection of songs.

We have had a lot of positive feedback from those who attended, and plan to hold another later in the year.

Our next event in Woodbury will be a joint Open Gardens with Woodbury Garden Club on 26 June.

Sue Hudson

30

Habitat We are very pleased to announce one of the most exciting woodland and habitat reinstatement projects to take place in Devon in living memory. The Woodland Trust has announced plans to transform a rural valley near Lympstone into a thriving haven for wildlife. This is a 54-hectare (134-acre) site on the outskirts of the parish of Woodbury.

This is an amazing project and it will undoubtedly provide major biodiversity enhancement, carbon sequestration and flood prevention to the area. With a series of new footpaths, woodlands, open grassland areas and natural re-wilding, this area will become a stunning new public green space for locals and visitors alike.

This is the largest area of new woods that the Woodland Trust has created in Devon since 2000. Nothing on this scale has been undertaken in the parish in our lifetimes. The Woodland Trust was founded in Devon 50 years ago, and we are incredibly privileged that they chose Woodbury to be the area for their 50th anniversary flagship project. I am looking forward to them starting work on it in the very near future.

They’ve already raised almost £2m towards the acquisition and management of the site, but time is running out and they still need another £500,000 to secure the future of the woodland haven.

Please visit their website for more information and make a donation to this transformative project https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/ support-us/give/appeals/devon-appeal/ Rescue Over the last few months we have been incredibly busy with wildlife rescue and rehabilitation. Although the outcomes are not always as we would hope, most turn out for the best. We have released numerous hedgehogs back into the wild recently and will be releasing more.

It’s tough for animals to survive in the wild even if they are fit and healthy.

We don't release any animals that we feel will be disadvantaged by handicaps as they are unlikely to thrive and will eventually suffer or die.

The chances of survival are difficult to predict, however. We have on two occasions had hedgehogs that were in great physical condition but had lost an eye. Most animals would not survive with a disadvantage like that; however, hedgehogs tend to depend on their sense of smell to find food and so we took a chance and let them go. We were so pleased this month when both Squinty and Nelson showed up at different feeding stations looking fit and well.

31 The polecats appear to be thriving in their new home and are now living independently, although we still put out food and water for them. One of our toughest cases recently was the baby bunny we found drowning in a puddle. We did all we could to save it but didn't hold out much hope for her.

Against all odds she survived, thrived, grew up quickly, and was released last week.

Maintenance In addition to the trees that we planted over the winter, we have done some maintenance on some existing vegetation. We cut back and laid a strip of hedgerow, and coppiced a large willow tree. The treatment will result in the vegetation growing back with enhanced vigour and will boost usefulness as habitat by improving condition and density.

Hopefully we will see some of you on Sunday 3 April at 14:30 in Woodbury Community Orchard in Town Lane to celebrate the unveiling of the hand-crafted oak bench and newly-designed sign. There will be forest school activities for children. Bring and share a picnic.

If you have any questions please get in touch with us at info@wildwoodbury.org or call Tony Bennett on 07971 082384.

Please join our Facebook group: Wild-Woodbury and check out our website http://www.wild-woodbury.org to find out more about what we are doing to help our local wildlife.

Tony Bennett

32 VERMIN IN THE PARISH OF WOODBURY ANIMALS AND BIRDS The Accounts of the Churchwardens of Woodbury, dating from 1537, have survived in a series of books which are held in the Southwest Heritage Centre. The churchwardens were very important and influential people in the parish, and were responsible for the maintenance of the church and all its property, and general running of parish affairs. All money received and spent was accounted for, naming the recipient and the work entailed.

In the late 17th and early 18th century some unusual entries appeared, starting in 1675, and the last one in 1712. For some reason at this period there seemed to be a proliferation of vermin in the parish! It is hard to believe that vermin were not always present, and so it is strange that men were being paid by the churchwardens to kill certain pests. It may have coincided with more money being available at that period, since the major work that had occurred before this date on the church and bells was now complete. It is certain that this destruction by the farming community would have always existed, but it is only in these isolated pages of the accounts that we see proof of it.

The first entry was in 1675 for 1s paid for six hedgehogs.

The following year John White received 1s for killing a fox, 8d was paid for four kitts, and for the whole year 16s 10d was paid for hedgehogs.

In 1701 John White received 1s 7d for destroying vermin, and in 1702 he was paid 3s 1d for the same work.

In 1703 Josias Bidgood was paid 4d for destroying two hedgehogs, and John White received 2s 8d for destroying ten hedgehogs, 13 kitts and one stoat.

In 1705 John White was paid 1s 4d for destroying vermin, and John Hearn received 8d for also destroying vermin.

In 1708 Nathaniel Archer received 3s 4d for destroying 20 hedgehogs, James Archer was paid 1s for destroying six hedgehogs, the same amount to Edward Kine for destroying six kitts, and the same amount to John White for killing six kitts and 8 hoops.

In 1710 John Cook received 1s 11d for killing vermin, and 1s went to George Peek for killing kitts on Henry Pollexfen’s Ground (Nutwell Court).

In 1712 John Cook was paid 1s 9d for destroying kitts and hoops, Mr Holwell of Parsonage was paid 8d for killing four hedgehogs, and Mr Pollexfen’s servants received 10s for destroying vermin.

The next two entries appear at the end of the 18 th century, the first in 1787 when £1 10s 7d was paid out for catching sparrows, as was ordered at the parish meeting. The following year the apprentice of Mr William Thomas was paid 1s for killing a badger.

So what were these ‘vermin’ that were being killed? Hedgehogs, stoats, foxes and badgers were very common in the countryside, and so were the other ones mentioned, kitts and hoops.

33 The last two were the country names for fox cubs and bullfinches.

Of all these pests two stand out as being wellloved at the present time. In counties like Devon the bullfinch was a great pest to farmers, who relied on the produce of their orchards for making cider, as a pair of bullfinches (who mate for life) could strip a tree of its blossom in a very short time.

The other pest, the hedgehog (also known as an urchin), was the victim of ancient medicine and ‘old wives tales’. The hedgehog was in the past roasted for its tasty meat, which was believed to have medicinal properties, but it was also thought that the hedgehog stole milk from the recumbent cow at night, and therefore was a pest.

John White, who is mentioned several times, farmed at Hogsbrook, Josias Bidgood was a farmer in Woodbury Salterton, Mr Holwell was Edward Holwell an influential parishioner who lived at the old Parsonage House, and Mr Pollexfen was the son of the famous Sir Henry and inherited Nutwell Court on the death of his father. John Cook was the sexton of the parish in the early 18th century and destroying vermin in the church yard would have been one of his many tasks. The other men recorded cannot be positively identified.

The creatures we consider as vermin in modern times in both rural and urban areas are rats and mice. These would have existed in abundance in the countryside and farmers would have been killing them constantly – farm cats and dogs, which were not the pampered animals they are now, would have earned their keep in helping to keep the numbers of these vermin down. In the 19th century moles would also have been the subject of slaughter. My grandfather (born in 1872), who was brought up in the village of Old Warden in Bedfordshire, was the regular mole catcher when he was a lad for the Shuttleworth Family of Old Warden Park, and the Estate records show that he was paid £9 11s 6d for destroying 1,240 moles between 1884-89!

Gill Selley

34

Lower Otter Restoration Project Spring 2022 update Work on site The Lower Otter Restoration Site team led by Kier (the Environment Agency’s contractor) are making good progress. You may well have seen the huge blue machine on site.

This auger with its giant corkscrew is part of the specialist equipment being used to construct the foundation piles for the new road bridge which will span 30 metres over the new creek. After the piling is complete the bridge piers and abutments will be built between now and June.

At the same time material for the embankment is continuing to be brought in and stockpiled. At the end of March this totalled 9,000 m 3. This month work will start on the South Farm Road embankment, to raise the existing road up to 2.5 metres above the floodplain. To help you visualise this: the raised South Farm Road will come up to the same level as White Bridge, so when they are connected it will be a level (but higher) road. No changes are being made to White Bridge itself.

However, please do be aware that to achieve the final 2.5 metre height of new South Farm Road it is necessary to temporarily ‘over-build’ or surcharge the structure to around 4.5 metres (an extra 2 metres). This is to compress the underlying ground to ensure the ground under the road is sufficiently strong for the new road. This is a fascinating opportunity to see civil engineering in action but although it will look very big, don’t worry; after about four months the surcharged embankment will be reshaped and reduced in height before the final road surfacing is constructed.

Towards the end of the year the new embankment will be connected to White Bridge before it crosses the River Otter. While the road is connected a short section of temporary private road will be used for all vehicles that currently access the east-side of the River Otter, enabling them to continue to do so with minimal disruption.

35 Wildlife The Lower Otter Restoration Project will bring a return of tidal flooding to the lower valley and valuable inter-tidal habitat will replace the wet pasture.

Before the area is flooded the project team is ensuring that all existing animal species are persuaded to safely move on before they are replaced with species better adapted to an estuary environment.

Plant species can’t move themselves so one species that needs a helping hand is the divided sedge (carex divisa). This grass-like plant looks unassuming but is the rarest organism impacted by the Lower Otter scheme, being nationally scarce and very rare in Devon; its only known location is currently the Otter valley. Three new sites have been identified outside the Otter valley where it is hoped this species can thrive into the future if moved.

Staff and volunteers from the Pebblebed Heath Conservation Trust have translocated turfs of the divided sedge to new homes with similar ecological characteristics at suitable wetland sites in East Budleigh and Colaton Raleigh. The third site is near the Axe estuary where divided sedge was last recorded in 1934.

A team of ecologists help the construction team to take the utmost care, reducing the impact on wildlife, such as checking for signs of dormice and ground-nesting birds. A small amount of vegetation remains, mainly bramble on the old landfill site next to South Farm Road, which will be cleared during the next couple of months. This was previously cut to 30cm to safeguard any hibernating dormice and prevent birds from nesting. When safe to do so, a second-stage cut will be down to ground level. There are no plans to fell any significant areas of trees and we are now looking forward to our tree planting programme next year.

Public access This month the Environment Agency will submit a planning amendment application for the popular southerly section of the Western Footpath (BS-12/EB-3) between Lime Kiln and South Farm Road.

This footpath construction was to be delivered by the FAB Link project but due to delays on this project, LORP will now do this work.

The design will be broadly the same, increasing the level and improving the surface.

cont’d/…

36 cont’d/...

This will reduce the flooding of the footpath and provide an improved path surface for the future. As FAB Link’s approval has now lapsed, new planning permission must be sought. EDDC’s decision is expected in mid-August and work on the footpath will start straight away.

Public engagement The LORP Liaison Group meets regularly and provides local councillors and other neighbourhood contacts with up-to-date detail of the project works to help them provide information and reassurance to their communities.

Meeting notes are also available at the LORP website www.lowerotterrestoration project.co.uk.

There is also a busy programme of educational visits and talks, and many local schools and colleges have taken up opportunities to learn more or visit the site to see first hand the changes taking place. In the coming months we will be offering a series of guided site visits and will publish dates and details here.

Visit the new KIER@Lower Otter Facebook page for the most up-to-date construction information and if you have any questions or concerns about the site works, please do not hesitate to contact Kier either by email at exmouth.PLO@kier.co.uk, or mobile on 07716 223056.

Kate Ponting BEd (Hons), Countryside Learning Officer, 01395 443881, 07917 104250 kate.ponting@clintondevon.com

WEATHER REPORT Rainfall at Ebford for the month only amounted to 45mm (1.8ins), definitely not heavy, nor liable to fill dykes and reservoirs. This was very much in contrast to other parts of the country, where the attention of storms Dudley, Eunice and Franklin produced much wind damage and flooding. Our local situation, sheltered by Dartmoor and the Haldon hills, tends to keep us on the dry side.

In terms of averages, that for between 2011 and 2020 was 74mm, and the local average here at Ebford over the last five years is 71mm. However, there was a recent exceptional February in 2020 when 156mm (6.1ins) was recorded even here in Ebford.

Norman Cann

37

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FORTHCOMING EVENTS 1 April 2 April 3 April 11 April 12 April 12 April 14 April 20 April 21 April 23 April 25 April 30 April 5 May 7 May 7 May

12 May 14 May 1-4 June 2 June 3 June 3 June

Exton Garden Club The Flowering Perennial Border. EVH 14.00.

Twinning Association Gin Tasting Evening. 19.00, WVH. Woodbury Community Orchard Event. 14.30.

Woodbury Village Hall AGM. 19.30. DuBuisson Room.

Woodbury Garden Club. Pots & Baskets. 19.15, WVH. Holy Trinity Church APCM, 14.30.

Woodbury WI, Helping Partially Blind People, WVH, 14.00.

The Zoots, Sounds of the 70s and 80s. 19.00 for a 20.00 start.

Public Hall, Station Road, Budleigh Salterton, EX9 6HF. Woodbury Residents Association AGM. 19.30. Church Rooms.

RBL Wreath-laying 11.00, the War Memorial.

Next organising meeting for WS Jubilee Events at The Digger’s Rest, 18.00.

FoSS Spring Concert. 19.00.

Woodbury History Society History of Tiverton. WVH, 19.30.

Woodbury Garden Club Plant Sale. WVH. 10.30.

Exton Garden Club Coffee Morning and Plant Sale. The Greenhouse, Station Road, Exton. 10.30-12.00.

Woodbury WI. Hanging Baskets, 14.00, WVH. Hope4Kibera, John Wynne Way Walk.

Woodbury Salterton Jubilee Art Exhibition.

Community Day. 11.00-15.00. Woodbury Village Green.

Children’s Tea Party. 14.00-16.00 at the Arch, Woodbury.

Woodbury Salterton Garden Party, from 15.00.

Live Music and Cider Fest at The Digger’s Rest from 19.00.

39 4 June Children’s Fun Day. 14.00-18.00 on Woodbury Village Green.

5 June Woodbury’s Day of Celebration (see boxed advert) 9 June Woodbury WI. All About Scarves, 14.00, WVH. 11 June Happy’s Circus, Woodbury School, 13.30.

26 June Open Gardens Event.

30 June-1 July Hope4Kibera All Balls and Ashes production.

14 July Woodbury WI Annual outing.

11 August Woodbury WI High Tea at the Imperial Hotel Exmouth.

1 Sept.

Woodbury History Society The Role of the Royal Mail Guard in History. WVH, 19.30.

3 Sept. Exton Garden Club Cream Tea and Plant Sale. EVH. Ttbc.

8 Sept. Woodbury WI My life at Blue Peter, 14.00, WVH. 10 Sept. FORCE Cancer Chairty BIG Breakfast. Woodbury Salterton Village Hall, including raffle.

7 Oct. Exton Garden Club. The Woodland Garden, The Art of Growing in the Shade. EVH. 14.00.

3 Nov. Woodbury History Society Devon and African Enslavement.

WVH, 14.30.

4 Nov. Exton Garden Club Autumn Plants That Excite. Peter Cantril.

EVH. 14.00.

12 Nov. Classics Galore! Uplifting classical concert to raise funds for FORCE Cancer Charity. The Great Hall, Exeter, 19.30.

(More details to follow in later editions)

WOODBURY NEWS CLOSING DATES MONDAYS: 25 APRIL. 16 MAY. 20 JUNE. 18 JULY. ALL MATERIAL FOR THE MAGAZINE SHOULD BE SENT TO KAREN SQUIRES, WILLOWFIELD, OAKHAYES ROAD by 19.00 on the closing date, with a name and telephone number, or email to karensquires100@gmail.com Due to pressure on the editorial team, we have moved the closing date each month by one day.

Therefore the deadline for submissions will in future be 19.00 on a Monday evening. The dates are published well in advance.

Delivery dates will remain as previously.

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The Zoots, a multi award winning band bringing us Sounds of the 70s and 80s.

SATURDAY 20 APRIL Doors and Bar open 19.00 for a 20.00 start.

Public Hall, Station Road, Budleigh Salterton, EX9 6HF Tickets £15 available from: The Hospiscare Shop, Budleigh Salterton Budleigh Salterton Information Centre 01395 445876 k.harrison@hospiscare.co.uk All profits from ticket sales and the fully licensed bar will be going to Budleigh Salterton and District Hospiscare, the local community charity funding palliative care for patients of the Budleigh Salterton Medical Centre and Woodbury Surgery.

There will be limited unreserved seating so please arrive early if you wish to secure a seat.

WOODBURY NEWS ADVERTISING RATES SMALL ADS: (3 lines) private £2.00. (3 lines) Business £5.00. (£50.00 p.a.)

DISPLAY ADS: £17.00 ¼ page (£185 p.a.)

To: Karen Squires 233299 karensquires100@gmail.com The Woodbury News accepts no liability for:i) Any claims made by the advertiser; ii) Any errors or omissions in the advertisement as submitted by the advertiser; iii) Any legal action as a result of the advertisement.

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Tel: 01392 795689

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Further to many recent enquiries:

Robert Miller Local Painter & Decorator of many years, is still in business.

A lifetime of experience!

All painting and decorating jobs considered.

Contact Bob on

01395 233773 or 07800 854839 THORNS COTTAGE, WOODBURY

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Woodbury Dance Studio RAD BALLET Grades and Majors

Children from 2½ years Dottie Markham RAD RTS and Frankie Rowsell RAD RTS Tel: 01395 271249 woodburydancestudio@ outlook.com www.woodburydance.co.uk All classes at Woodbury C of E Primary School

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T.D. BUILDERS General Quality Building Service * New builds & Extensions * Brickwork & Block work * Rendering & Plastering * Drives & Patios * All types of building work undertaken !!

FREE ESTIMATES

01395 911397 or 07751 738092 WOODBURY GARAGE Local family business

    

MOTS SERVICE REPAIRS ALL MAKES & MODELS ENGINE DIAGNOSTICS

The Arch, Woodbury EX5 1LL woodburygarage@hotmail.co.uk

T: 01395 233004 M: 07527 125956

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Welcoming New Patients A friendly, caring practice providing the very latest treatment techniques, in a relaxed setting:

 Routine dental care with oral health assessment

 Cosmetic dental treatments including whitening, implants, veneers

 Crowns made on the day of your visit, with no need for impressions!!

Facial Rejuvenation treatment Discreet clinics now available.

Speak to our friendly team.

Tel: 01395 442552

www.budleighdentalpractice.co.uk

Woodbury Salterton Village Hall Hall –Tables and Chairs, Well equipped kitchen with cooker and fridge, crockery and cutlery inclusive in hire.

Modest Rates.

For bookings please contact:

Pat or Gill Bricknell 01395 232463

Woodbury Village Hall Hall and two meeting rooms, Fully equipped kitchen WIFI, sound system and projector Available for: Dances and Parties Meetings and Classes Exhibitions and Craft Fairs Badminton, Plays, Business Lettings For bookings please contact: Robin or Marian Lennox Tel: 01395 232126 email:- woodburyvh@gmail.com www.woodburyvillagehall.org.uk

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