February 2021

WOODBURY NEWS

FEBRUARY 2021

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FEBRUARY 2021 - EDITORIAL Very many thanks to Nina Brevik who took the beautiful cover photograph last October from Woodbury Castle of a rainbow arcing over Woodbury. If you look closely, you can also see the tower of St Swithun’s Church shining out brightly on the right. Contrary to popular belief, there is no pot of gold to be found. But perhaps the bright rainbow against the dark sky can be thought of as a symbol of hope for the future – a time when the third lockdown restrictions will be lifted, when social life can be re-started, when the daily news on the television, the radio and in newspapers no longer features the appalling statistics of the number of new coronavirus cases and deaths recorded in the past 24 hours.

But there is a ‘pot of gold’ now, in that the programme of mass vaccinations against Covid-19 is now underway, and thanks to the willingness of many, many medically qualified people and volunteers, the organisation and implementation of this mammoth task is up and running. Renewed thanks are also due to all the medical practitioners and highly qualified medical staff who are not only risking their own lives, but also working far beyond the normal call of duty to care for the seriously sick in over-stretched hospitals.

There is no end to the list of those who deserve special thanks for carrying on regardless in these unprecedented times – those on the frontline such as the police, teachers, care workers, supermarket and transport workers, refuse collectors, to name but a few.

As well as socially distancing and sticking to the Hands, Face, Space regime, care on another level should be taken in our villages. Although lighter evenings will follow in the coming months, pedestrians walking in our unlit lanes in the dark should not forget how inconspicuous they are to oncoming traffic if they wear dark clothing with no reflective or light colours. There seems to be an increase in the number of children using skateboards on the roads – this is great exercise - but they too should remain aware not only of traffic (which so often thunders through our villages at indecent speeds), but they should also wear helmets and suitable protective clothing.

Let us all hope that life in our villages returns to normal in the not too far distant future. Reading the cutting provided by Roger Stokes on page 27 and the next instalment of the history of Exton (pages 22-24), it seems that the essence of rural life remains unchanged. The production of Woodbury News continues in much the same manner as when it started – though I feel sure Karen is delighted that she has a computer at her fingertips instead of having to cut stencils as her predecessor did! A Woodbury stalwart who played a role in so many village organisations, including Woodbury News, sadly died at the beginning of January, and we send sincere commiserations to Bryony and the family of the late Esmé Thomson (see page 25).

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ST SWITHUN’S CHURCH, WOODBURY Vicar: Reverend Bill Lemmey 01395 232161 Email: revbillwhitecross@gmail.com Administrator: Jill Dupain dupain@hotmail.co.uk The closure of the churches in the Mission Community After some considerable discussion the churchwardens and the clergy have decided, with a heavy heart, to temporarily close all churches in the Mission Community for Sunday worship. They will, however, be open for private prayer and funerals as far as possible.

Many factors were brought into the discussion including balancing the need for services within the community, the need to insure the one hundred percent safety of our congregations and to support the NHS in their battle with Covid-19.

Whilst we acknowledged wholeheartedly the utter need some would feel to continue to attend, we felt we could not guarantee the complete safety of our congregations, despite all our efforts. We discussed the virulence of this strain and how difficult it is to ensure that nobody congregates either in the church or outside, as the community worship is often the reason people come to church.

Announcements will need to be made formally to the Bishop, who will give a special dispensation, but as the Archdeacon said, our proximity to Exeter is a huge factor too. Almost inevitably, then, we concluded our discussions by feeling we had to stop Sunday worship in our churches.

However, most of our churches, if not all, will be open for private prayer every week. Please see the notices that will advertise the time and days for all the different churches. We will be offering weekly Sunday Zoom services during the period of closure.

Any new information will be available in our monthly Digest. To receive this by email please send your email address to st.swithuns.digest@ gmail.com.

Bill Lemmey, Vicar, plus churchwardens from the Mission Community FLOODLIGHTING ST SWITHUN’S CHURCH 1 January 2021 Colin and Lin Ashby look forward to a New Year and the birth of a granddaughter in the USA. 20 February From Peter and Chris Grist: ‘In remembrance of Nancie Grist on this first anniversary of her passing after 90 productive and compassionate years, who is very much loved and missed by all her family and friends. Now resting in the peace of her Lord.’

For your special event, contact Mike Jeans on 01395 232544. Floodlight dedications are displayed on the church noticeboard at the lych gate, and normal service will be resumed as soon as possible.

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FOWS (FRIENDS OF WOODBURY SURGERY) In the midst of all the doom and gloom that we seem to be engulfed in at the moment, it’s good to have something positive to report. The services of our dedicated team of volunteers continue to provide support to our community through delivery of medications, help with shopping, posting of letters and parcels, newspaper deliveries and quite often a chance for a doorstep chat with an isolated person.

These services have, somewhat ironically, developed as a result of the pandemic, whereas before, our main service was to provide transport for patients to surgery or hospital appointments. Government guidelines and lockdown restrictions obviously mean that we now find ourselves unable to help with transport needs, but fortunately we can provide different types of support.

Our phone number is: 01395 206123. Please do get in touch if you feel we could help you, or any other vulnerable or isolated people you might know about.

Finally, also on an optimistic note, we hope to hold our AGM on Tuesday 11 May at 14.30 in the Church Rooms. It would be so lovely to have a real meeting, rather than a virtual one, but if we can’t, we hope to see you on Zoom. More details nearer the time!

Val Arndt (coordinator)

6 FoSS (FRIENDS OF ST SWITHUN’S) The AGM is to be held on Thursday 4 March at 11.00 via Zoom. If you are interested in attending, please contact chair Pat Browne (ruthandpatb@ aol.com).

Although FoSS has not been able to meet in person and we have had no concerts, there has been some activity. A £1,000 grant was made to the Bell Fund to complete the payment for the refurbishment of the bells in 2019.

Old

New

FoSS has been pleased to fund the wood and materials for the new gates to the Pound Lane cemetery. The old gates had come to the end of their day.

Murrough Armstrong McDonnell volunteered to design and construct the new gates from oak, and he has done so with great skill. The church and the community are indebted to him as the gates should be in place for the next fifty years.

Pat Browne 1ST WOODBURY GUIDES

We would like to thank everyone for their support of the Guides in their fundraising venture. We were blown away by how much they managed to raise through their individual challenges related to their age. They ran, danced, cycled or did daily fitness routines during December and all of them reached their target. Well done girls! As leaders we also managed to reach our target of making and selling 47 festive facemasks — this target being the age of 1st Woodbury Guide Unit. If you supported us by buying one of these, thank you again and we hope you have enjoyed wearing it.

Helen Ellis

7 WOODBURY COMMUNITY ORCHARD The community orchard continues to provide a lovely communal place for the village and we are so pleased to see that the orchard is being well used during these Covid times. Individuals and households have been using it as a place to exercise, appreciate the views, have a flask of tea, or just as a peaceful place to sit. Visits have been made by Maytree Pre-School as well as Woodbury Primary School. The community choir have also been holding socially distanced choir practices as Covid rules allow.

As many of you will know, we usually hold the annual wassail event in January, which this year has obviously been postponed as a result of Covid. However, rest assured, the choir will sing some of the traditional Wassail songs to bless the trees when they can and all are welcome either individually or in household groups to wish the trees good health. We also plan to hold an event in the orchard as and when Covid rules allow.

Going forward, we are pleased to announce that we are setting up a “Friends of Woodbury Orchard” so the trees are looked after. The Friends of Woodbury Orchard can also act as a focus for links across the community for the many different users of the orchard. If you would like to be involved or would just like to know more about the orchard, please don’t hesitate to get in touch or contact Alex Thiemann (alexkthiemann@gmail.com).

Glenis Pewsey (glenispewsey@gmail.com) WOODBURY AND DISTRICT ROYAL BRITISH LEGION The Devon Annual County Conference takes place via Zoom on Saturday 5 February from 11.00 - 13.00.

Saturday 15 May will be the 100th Anniversary of the formation of the Royal British Legion, when the body of the unknown warrior from the First World War was placed in Westminster Abbey. The Legion is still here helping and assisting all ages of veterans and their dependants through the Poppy Appeal. Hopefully, Woodbury will commemorate the event later in the year at harvest time.

Wishing all a healthy and prosperous New Year.

Sandra Huish

WOODBURY NEWS is available online and via Facebook and Twitter.

8 WOODBURY GARDEN CLUB Have you walked along the traffic island in the Arch and seen the spring flowers in the planters? The violas are still in flower, and some miniature double narcissi have started flowering too. You may have noticed the twinkly fairy lights if you have been in the Arch after dark – this was the brilliant idea of Jenny Westman from Rook Pie. Liz Hill passed the idea on and the Garden Club put them up.

They have been paid for by the Parish Council, so will be available for other village organisations to use too. They will stay up until the lighter evenings, and then they will be kept in the Parish Office on Greenway.

Our gardens may still be looking wintry and sad, but bulbs are showing between the dead leaves, and there is more and more to be seen as you walk around the village. The mimosa (acacia dealbata) opposite the bottom of Long Park is glorious, yellow coronilla shrubs can be seen in several gardens and I have seen crocuses and a few daffodils on my walks. The native primroses are flowering in my garden and along the lanes, and I’m waiting for the snowdrops to peep through as I write. As the days start drawing out, there is more time to get out in the light and enjoy other people’s gardens!

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We are looking forward to the day we are finally allowed – and feel safe enough – to have our meetings back in the village hall. Most of the speakers we had to cancel last year are rebooked for 2021, and we have started planning for our annual Plant Sale in May. If we can’t hold it in the village hall, we will use the website as we did last year.

In the meantime, if you are not a member and would like to receive our monthly newsletter (free, no obligation!) email me on woodburygarden club@gmail.com.

Debby Mullier WOODBURY TENNIS CLUB The AGM of the Club will be held on 3 February at 19.30 via Zoom. We hope for a good attendance. We hope to enter teams in the East Devon and Exeter leagues.

The junior programme will run during the summer term with the experienced Exmouth coach John Wingate taking charge of the coaching. All those on last year’s list will be contacted; new members (6+) wishing to join should email Helen (helenryland@btinternet.com) to express interest.

There has been no play so far in 2021; we hope for a restart in spring. At the moment the planning application for a new hut is live and hopefully permission will be granted before the start of the new season, so that construction work can commence.

Pat Browne

WOODBURY NEWS CLOSING DATES 23 FEBRUARY. 16 MARCH. 20 APRIL. 18 MAY. 15 JUNE. 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

10 WOODBURY C OF E PRIMARY SCHOOL Well, here we go again! Another lockdown for us all and this time without the lovely sunny weather we had last spring. In school we have been thinking about the importance of remembering the good things and hopes and aspirations of what we want to achieve when this difficult period of time has moved forward. The children have been reminded that not everything is locked down: fresh air, the sunrise, friendship, creativity, prayers, hobbies, kindness and hopes and dreams‌ to name a few, are not locked down. We have a beautiful piece of prose reminding us of this on our school Facebook page, which can be found using the following link: https://www. facebook.com/Woodbury-C-of-E-Primary-School-102568645045711/ As with the previous lockdown, we are open for key groups of children, but this time we have a much higher than average uptake compared to the rest of the county. All the staff are working in school supporting children at home and those who are in school at the same time. We are using Google Classroom to set learning and the teachers and teaching assistants are delivering daily live lessons, as well as breakout sessions where we are working with small groups of children. The parents are working hard to support their children at home with learning and also trying to juggle their jobs at the same time, and we realise that this must be incredibly stressful for them. We are supporting our families in various ways, such as through phone calls, loaning of devices, support with technology and offering help and advice to those who are in need. We also have a fantastic community larder that everyone in Woodbury is kindly donating to. If you know of anyone in need, please contact us and we will see how we can support them.

Cherry Class Update At the end of the autumn term we ended our Ancient Egypt topic by admiring the hard work the children had put into their learning. We enjoyed Egyptian flatbread, mummified fish and sculpted Canopic jars. We were able to see the learning through presentations which the children created.

11 The festive break feels like a distant memory after our somewhat alternative return to school. The children have all settled back in well and have shown great levels of resilience whilst adapting to a new way of learning.

We have been enjoying daily learning via Google Meet, alongside daily stories and show and tell. Our topic this half term is Rivers and Coasts and to begin this topic we have identified the features of a river and sketched our own rivers.

Learning at Home Please see some other examples of wonderful learning that is happening at home, from fossil exploring, marvellous maths, superhero writing, art, building and constructing to reading in bed. Well done everyone at home.

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The teachers are delighted with the learning they are seeing and participation in the live lessons. Keep it up!

Wishing everyone in the community well.

Gillian Pyle (Head of School)

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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

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HOPE 4 KIBERA Breaking the Cycle of Poverty through Education <hope4kibera.org.uk> School’s in! Having been shut for virtually the entire past year because of Covid, the school we support reopened on 4 January for the 2021 Kenyan academic year. This has only been possible because of the persistence and courage of our partners in Kibera, and because of the generous support given to H4K, which has continued through our own Covid challenges.

The government schools in Kibera are really struggling with Covid rules; one local school has 6,000 pupils, with three to a desk. Many nongovernment schools have gone out of business during their prolonged shutdown. Consequently, the opportunity to get a decent education in order to claw a way out of the slum is even further out of reach than previously.

We’ve continued to raise funds through regular giving, and other initiatives have been well supported. Anne Wynne’s lovely Christmas cards raised £1,335 and the magnificent Christmas wreaths done by Jane Butler, with some great ‘mossing’ by Sally Rawlings, raised £690. We have also been supported by the Woodbury Living Advent windows (see pages 14 and 15).

Thanks to this fantastic support, we have been able to send out a further £1,582 to complete the 2020 teachers’ costs (plus school security and utilities), so our high quality teachers have stayed with us and are now back in their classrooms. At Christmas, we donated £500 from the John Wynne Poor Fund to provide new shoes and some food for 50 shoeless kids. Then, amazingly, we’ve been able to send out the full school budget of £8,764 for the entire first term costs from teachers to tea.

In May we will hold the inaugural ‘John Wynne Way’ walk, and a sponsored cycle, so get your boots on and get on your bikes for some lockdown training for Walk4Kibera and Bike4Kibera.

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‘Our’ students are back at their desks and, once again, back on their lifechanging journeys. Please join the journey and register for regular news or support at www.hope4kibera.org.uk.

Charlie Collins, Chair H4K WOODBURY LIVING ADVENT A massive thankyou to all who took part by lighting up their windows and houses. You all made our village sparkle. The sale of the maps raised £400 which will be split between the Hope4Kibera charity and Woodbury Primary School.

If anyone would like to get involved next year by helping to organise this event, please contact Liz Dunne 232671 or Barbara Woolley 232992.

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Some of the many beautifully decorated windows which lit up Woodbury last Christmas

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WOODBURY SALTERTON NEWS HOLY TRINITY CHURCH Carol Service An open air carol service in the churchyard on 20 December at 16.00 proved very popular and was well attended. Appropriate risk assessments had been done and lights on the ground marked where people should stand to keep the prescribed distance apart. People were met at the lych gate and guided to where they should stand. Everyone wore masks but all were allowed to sing the carols. Revd Bill welcomed everybody, there were readings by Mark Lovett and Fiona Vessey, the choir sang a carol and Katharine Wheeler accompanied the singing on her keyboard.

Christmas Eve Communion Service was also led by Revd Bill and Judy Reeves kindly played the organ. The church had again been beautifully decorated by Sally Rawlings, and Clinton Devon Estates had again donated a lovely fir tree.

Donation to Hospiscare A donation of ÂŁ50 was sent to Hospiscare, being part of the collections at Christmas services.

Family Service Jill Dupain led the Family Service in December and the story of the Nativity was read by members of the congregation from their spaced out seats. As usual the children stole the show with two-year-old Alfie Lee making a donkey noise and the children being sheep were so enthusiastic that the shepherds could not make themselves heard and had to repeat their lines. Everyone left the church with smiles on their faces.

Katharine Wheeler

17 FESTIVE WINDOWS This new venture to brighten up the village in these sombre times was very well supported with sixteen entries. The winner was Louise with her Twelve Days of Christmas at Lower Cooks.

Debbie Jung, who organised the event, presented Louise with her prize at the Carol Service. The sum of £110 was raised for the church.

The winning window was the Twelve Days of Christmas (above).

The second photo is of Debbie Jung’s window.

SCHOOL CHRISTMAS OUTREACH PROJECT The school had a project to reach out to the community by making Christmas cards – each pupil made one. These were delivered to the older members of the community, anyone connected to the church and anyone who had ever served the school in any way, such as past Governors. A very kind thought which was much appreciated.

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.

18 FAREWELL TO A FORMER WI MEMBER WI members learnt of the death of former member Anne Marie Rouse just before Christmas. Unfortunately, due to Covid restrictions, no-one was able to represent the WI at her funeral.

The church is indebted to Anne Marie for making some of the choir robes.

Anne Marie was trained in dressmaking in Paris and worked for Givenchy.

She made clothes for Hollywood films but gave her time and skill freely to help the church choir.

BRITAIN IN BLOOM QUIZ The annual church winter quiz was very well supported and many people made very generous donations, which resulted in the quiz raising the amazing sum of £780 for church funds.

Most of this sum however will have to be spent on the unexpected cost of a new Saniflow toilet (see following report).

AN EXPENSIVE DISASTER The church, in common with all the churches in the Mission Community, has been closed again because of the pandemic. Church Secretary Jill Dupain went into church and was horrified to find pools of red liquid which looked at first so much like blood that she said she thought she was looking for a body. It turned out to be red dye from the carpet which was soaking wet up to the font. Something had gone wrong and the toilet had overflowed. The section of carpet between the toilet door and the font had to be thrown away.

The Saniflow engineer called to look at the toilet and said it was irrepairable, and we need to buy another with an estimated cost between £600 and £700.

It is fortunate that the quiz proceeds will cover the cost - but that money was needed for running costs.

There will be another church quiz in the spring to try and raise more funds; the theme will be Colours. Copies will be available from Katharine Wheeler or any of the kind people in the other churches who help by selling them.

Thanks to Lin Ashby, Dawn Cowler, Liz Whittaker and Kath Charles for their help this time.

Katharine Wheeler Have you got an interesting photo to illustrate your article?

If so, we'd love to see it, but please remember that we need high resolution photos - not too dark, but clear and sharp - as low resolution photos do not reproduce well on non-photographic paper.

Please remember to ask permission from any people included in your photos, and that photos of children require parental permission.

Send all submissions to karensquires100@gmail.com

19 WOODBURY SALTERTON C OF E PRIMARY SCHOOL Happy New Year to you all! We hope that you had a blessed Christmas and want to share our December news when we prepared for the season’s celebrations in our school community, doing things a bit differently because of Covid.

The School Council and Ethos Group had the pleasure of selling knitted Christmas animals in aid of Woodbury Salterton Church, made by our own super knitter Mrs Wheeler. There were elves, reindeer, snowmen and Santa Claus – all very popular with the children. They also held a Christmas card competition. The children made lots of cards for local people which were delivered to members of the community who support our school.

If you drove past school you would have seen the whole school taking part in a Santa Run led by Santa’s special helper, Mr Fletcher, our sports coach. He made sure the children had a very energetic time running laps of the playground with a visit from none other than Santa Claus himself! The children raised funds for ELF - no, not Santa’s helpers the elves, but for Exeter Leukaemia Fund. A very big thankyou to all those who donated to this worthy cause.

We were very lucky to have Becky Mason from Dartmoor School Sport Partnership visit school for a festive dance lesson. The children really enjoyed putting together routines, working collaboratively and displaying their super moves. Thank you, Becky, for an energetic afternoon.

Class 3 got creative and completed igloo constructions ensuring their learning about techniques of strengthening, stiffening and reinforcing were effective. They painted their igloos in an offset brickwork pattern to represent the construction of snow blocks and designed snowy landscapes of Inuits and arctic animals. Class 3 also practised using their watercolour skills and techniques to paint beautiful Christmas cards with a Christingle theme.

The children made Christingles from oranges and remembered what the Christingle represents. The orange represents the world, the red ribbon is for the blood of Christ, the cocktail sticks represent the compass points and the four seasons and the raisins represent sweetness and the fruits of the earth. They lit the candles, which remind us that Jesus is the light of the world. The children held a small Christingle service in their classrooms and reflected upon the true meaning of Christmas.

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Class 2 enjoyed their session with Becky Mason (Dartmoor School Sport Partnership) with a nativity-themed dance lesson. After practising different aspects of the dance, they put together a performance, which was videoed and enjoyed when back in class. Class 2 also made Iron Aged themed brooches using air-drying clay. They shaped and patterned them using a range of tools and decorated them with buttons and sequins.

Class 1 had some rather cheeky visitors overnight! Mrs Corlett came into school one morning and found a terrible mess in the classroom. She found a video on her laptop of some very naughty reindeer who had visited in the night and had been dancing on the tables.

The children then got busy writing to the reindeer to try to teach them how to behave when they are in school. The children made reindeer hats and ate huge amounts of carrots just in case the reindeer came back for them.

Class 1 and the whole school are delighted to welcome Miss Brace as the new Class 1 teacher and know that she will a fantastic addition to the team.

Miss Brace is an experienced EYFS and Key Stage 1 practitioner, with interests in science and music. It was with great sadness that we said goodbye to Mrs Tweedy and Mrs Corlett, two wonderful teachers who jobshared in Class 1 and who both made a very significant contribution to our school. We wish them every happiness in 2021 and thank them for all that they did with Woodbury Salterton children over many years.

Our thanks to the PTA team who have been busy fundraising for school through various means, as we were not permitted to hold our annual Christmas fair. They raised money to buy outdoor play things to make play and lunch time more fun. They also held a silent auction with local businesses lending their support. Thank you to all those involved, and congratulations to Sara (chair) and her team for raising £900.

We look forward to the new spring term ahead and extend an invitation to those parents interested in finding out more about our school community to visit our website’s latest news page and contact the school office on 01395 232649 for further information.

Clare Rooke

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I took this photo on a walk from Woodbury Salterton to Greendale. I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know if the pond has a name but I call it Greendale Pond. I think it is a bird sanctuary.

Ros Bolton WEATHER REPORT We ended the year with a wet December here at Ebford, recording 139mm (5.5ins) - almost as much rain as in February. The 2020 annual amount was 876mm (34.5 ins).

This curiously is roughly the same as the yearly average between 2011 and 2020 of 35.3 ins.

However, the yearly average between 2001 and 2010 was only 29.7ins. So our weather does seem to be getting wetter and also significantly warmer in the summer, according to the Met Office and local experience. However, the new year 2021 is decidedly chilly and quite dry.

Norman Cann

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).

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EXTON NEWS ST ANDREWâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S CHURCH EXTON It is much regretted that due to the present Covid-19 situation, there will not be any services in church for the time being.

The church will however be open for private prayer on Wednesdays from 10.00 to 13.00 and Sundays from 14.00 to 16.30. Please follow the government guidelines.

A BRIEF JOURNEY THROUGH THE HISTORY OF EXTON THE PLAY AREA In 1993 the Pratt family leased one of their fields to Woodbury Parish Council for use as a village play and recreational area in Exton. A committee of interested people was formed who organised clearing the field and preparation of the ground for the first equipment to be installed. There were many willing hands, not only with the physical work but also with contributions of financial help. New trees were planted at the boundary fence facing the Exe Estuary. There were many young families in the village and the opening was eagerly awaited by all.

In the early days there were good views of the Exe. On a glorious summer day in 1994 Craig Rich, who was a well-known weather presenter for BBC South West TV, officially opened the play area and Mrs Ida Pratt cut the ribbon. There were also some parish councillors present including Ada Follett who represented Exton.

Over the years the ground under the equipment has been replaced with a different surface in accordance with health and safety guidelines. Villagers were given a choice over the type of new play equipment to be installed.

The new climbing frame was popular with younger children, whilst the zip wire was enjoyed by older children. More recently further equipment has been put in place.

23 There have been many celebrations and village fetes enjoyed on the play area since it was first opened, often with a large marquee in case of inclement weather. These included village fetes which we hope will once again be able to be held. Every organisation contributed to the day with a stall or activity. The WI, now the Ladies Group, organised the refreshments and delicious Devon cream teas. The Drama Group sold home-made cakes.

The Garden Club had plants, shrubs and flowers for sale. Eileen Pratt held a flower arranging competition and the church ran a tombola. The men in the village organised the children’s races and tug of war for the adults. In the evening we had a barbecue to round off the day.

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The Ladies Group

The Drama Group

The Garden Club

Bill Pratt with tombola

Lady Gabrielle presenting a child’s prize

Adults’ tug of war monitored by John Sharples

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A celebration for the Queen’s 50th Jubilee in June 2002 was held in a marquee on the play area, which was followed by an evening entertainment and dance for the village.

One of the many tables enjoying their meal before the evening’s entertainment

Another celebration for the Queen’s 60th Jubilee in June 2012 was enjoyed by groups of friends sharing a table which they decorated for the occasion. Each person provided a different course for the meal and the Puffing Billy provided a hog roast.

Many past friends will be remembered from the last two photos.

On the Sunday following the fete in 2013, we had a Songs of Praise enjoyed by about 60 people in the marquee. It was also the day that Andy Murray won his first tennis tournament at Wimbledon. It is hoped that it will not be too long before we can once again enjoy our village events.

Audrey Elphick

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ROUND AND ABOUT

DEATH Esmé Thomson passed away peacefully at home on 2 January 2021. Esmé will be sadly missed by her daughters Daphne and Bryony, her grandchildren David, Colin, Lisa and Suki, and her great grandchildren Zaine, Ronin, Giles, Iris and Charlotte.

Esmé was born at Gilbrook House, the family home of the Wares, on 24 October 1922. She was educated at Southlands School, Exmouth, christened at St Swithun's Church, Woodbury and confirmed with her school at Holy Trinity Church, Exmouth. She volunteered for the WAAF in 1941 and served as a radio operator in RADAR. She met Allan Thomson at Sidmouth Railway Junction; he was the first Canadian at RAF Branscombe in 1942. They were married at St Swithun's on 5 June 1944, the day before D-Day, and her daughter Daphne was born at Gilbrook House on 16 April 1945.

After the war ended Allan was repatriated back to Canada, and in 1946 Esmé followed as a war bride with the baby daughter Daphne, sailing on the Aquitania, which was still a trooper. They returned to England 14 months later, as promised to Esmé's parents, on the Empress of Canada and Bryony, Esmé's second daughter, was born at Gilbrook House on 2 June 1953, Woodbury's Coronation baby.

Esmé joined lots of the village organisations including The Young Wives.

She was a founder member of the History Society and the Gardening Club.

She was a trustee of the Church Rooms, a sides person in Church and was on the Church Council. She was involved with Woodbury News from the start in August 1964. She was the Assistant Editor when Bunty Brighouse was Editor for 23 years and then for a further two years with David Keep. From 1967 onwards she bundled Woodbury News with two helpers each month.

She remembered there were 820 copies of Woodbury News produced in 2010. She was Chairman of the Woodbury News from 1 February 2002. She was in charge of distribution until she retired when she was 90. Esmé belonged to the Mothers’ Union and from 4 April 1950 she was secretary and treasurer, and helped to run the Woodbury branch. When it fell by wayside she joined Woodbury Salterton Mothers’ Union while it was active until 2010. She was also a member of the Women's Institute.

She ran the church flower rota for 44 years before Barbara Hill took over.

Donations, if desired, in Esmé's memory can be made to Hospiscare and Marie Curie c/o Richard W. Gegg, 47 Rolle Street, Exmouth, EX8 2RS. Bryony Giles

26 THANK YOU Bryony Giles and family would like to say thankyou to everyone who has sent cards, letters, flowers, or phoned and emailed when EsmĂŠ passed away peacefully at home.

From Sandra Wakefield My husband and I were walking around our local lanes this morning when we came across these three wonderful volunteer ladies picking up litter in our hedgerows and lanes.

It is a pity that this activity was necessary and their bags were nearly full, but we really appreciated the trouble these ladies were taking to free our countryside and village of litter. Thank you to the three of them.

SMALL ADVERTISEMENTS

WANTED Any wool. Any thickness. For charity blankets. I have crocheted 80 4ft x 6ft blankets, but have no wool left. Please help. I will collect if necessary. Thank you, Anna Eyres 232183.

FORTHCOMING EVENTS

We are not listing any of the anticipated forthcoming events this month, and we will re-consider this decision for future editions of Woodbury News.

27

A BIT OF WOODBURY NEWS HISTORY Roger Stokes

28 ‘THE LITTLE VARMINT’ The title of this piece is the name by which William Jennings was generally known in Woodbury, and the following traces his turbulent and sad story.

He was born in Clyst Honiton in 1834, the son of William Jennings and Jane née Bradford. His father was recorded as a butcher in 1841, but by 1851 he was trading as a bullock and pig jobber (another name for a dealer) and his wife was a poultry dealer. By 1857 William (junior) had married Ruth Davey of Woodbury and settled in Gilbrook as a cattle dealer. From the following episodes of his life in Woodbury one can imagine that he was a bit of a rogue, not a popular man in the village, and one to beware of in business dealings.

In 1859 William was taken before Exeter County Court for selling a shoemaker from Ottery St Mary an unsound horse for £8 – Jennings exchanged the horse for one valued at £5 and gave the buyer the difference of £3, but this animal was found to be unsuitable.

Since Jennings was not Teeds Cottages prepared to refund the buyer, judgement was given for the plaintiff and he was awarded £5, the price of the second horse. A year later Jennings was accused of stealing £2 from a coal merchant, William Tucker, his neighbour in Gilbrook – the case was dismissed as the only witness had died!

By 1861 William had two infants, and Ruth was adding to the family income by working as a milliner, but William was already in financial trouble claiming that his debts began in 1859. Unable to cope with the difficulties, he found a bolthole in Jersey and abandoned his wife and children, leaving them with no money and with his debts unpaid. His wife moved in with her parents who lived in Woodbury House – her mother was the niece of Abraham Phillips who owned the house, and after her death it was to become the property of Ruth Jennings.

When William returned he complained before a magistrate that his wife had sold his furniture – evidently this was done as she had been left unprovided for.

29 He went to his mother-in-law’s house to see his wife and children and claimed that his parents-in-law would not allow him to see them. In his rage he damaged the knocker on the front door, was taken before the Bench and was fined two shillings with costs.

In July 1862 he appeared before the Exeter District Court on a bankruptcy charge, his unsecured liabilities being £87.3s. Evidently he had been in business for five years but never kept any books, as he could not write, and so his wife looked after the accounts. He claimed that in 1861 he had lost £25 through the death of two horses and a bullock. In 1861 he had assaulted William Phillips, who was his landlord, and bitten off the top of his finger.

Jennings had rented his house from Phillips (one of the Teeds Cottages) at £9 per annum.

The courts awarded compensation to Phillips of £50 which Jennings asserted that he would not pay. In 1864 William Smeath, who was a carpenter in Woodbury, assaulted Jennings, giving him a black eye. The report does not say whether it was a drunken incident, but Smeath was fined 30 shillings plus costs. One year later Jennings again appears in court where he was fined 50 shillings for damaging a cart in Ottery St Mary. Two months after this incident he was fined 40 shillings for evading the toll payment at Sandygate – evidently not the first time! He also appears before the Petty Sessions several times for allowing his horses to stray onto the highway. In 1866 he was fined for an infringement of the Cattle Plague orders in having an illegal licence for driving a cow from Woodbury to Sowton. In 1872 he was fined for being drunk and disorderly in Woodbury – probably not an unusual occurrence with him!

By 1871 the family was united and had increased in size, with two daughters and another son. William was still in business and they were living now in one of the Darby cottages.

Another ten years on and William was lodging at the Volunteer Inn in South Street in Exeter, still recorded as a cattle dealer; but Ruth had moved to Chelsea with three of the children and was employed as a monthly nurse.

They appear to have decided to go their own ways again and Ruth intended to earn her own living. Forward another ten years to 1891 and the family was united again, this time at 13 Jubilee Cottages in Withycombe Raleigh with the two youngest boys. William was still calling himself a cattle dealer and Ruth was a certificated nurse. Two years later, on 27th March 1893, Ruth died (aged 54) and nine days later William (aged 59) followed her to the grave. It would be interesting to know the cause of death – possibly TB, the killer of many poor people living in damp conditions.

Gill Selley

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A positive start to the New Year as the Lower Otter Restoration Project is granted approval.

A local but landscape-scale project to address the impact of climate change by returning the Otter estuary and flood plain to a more natural condition was given unanimous support by East Devon District Councilâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s planning committee at the beginning of the year.

The embankments built more than 200 years ago near Budleigh Salterton, to reclaim land from the estuary, are now failing as we face rising sea levels and more extreme weather events. This timely initiative will ensure a sustainable future, deliver key government objectives set out in the 25-Year Environment Plan and Environment Bill and include the creation of new areas of intertidal habitats, to provide a home for numerous rare and endangered native and migratory species.

Landowner Clinton Devon Estates started investigating options for the floodplain in 2003 and commissioned a number of studies. In 2014 along with the Estateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Pebblebed Heaths Conservation Trust, who were responsible for managing the area, a partnership was forged with the Environment Agency, forming the Lower Otter Restoration Project to explore ways of managing and funding the project, working alongside a wide-ranging group representing local people.

Photos - Guy Newman/REKORD Media

31 As well as recreating the former habitats, the project will also involve the realignment of South Farm Road, a new road bridge, footbridges and footpath improvements, thus ensuring public access to the much-loved area into the future. Budleigh Salterton Cricket Club’s Ottermouth ground, an important community and regional asset, will be moved from its current location in the flood plain to land off East Budleigh Road, permission for which has already been granted under a separate planning application.

Ideas on how this ambitious project might proceed were shared with the public over a number of years before a planning application was submitted by the Environment Agency at the end of 2020. The application was supported by a wide range of conservation and other bodies including RSPB, Natural England, the Jurassic Coast Trust and Devon Wildlife Trust who are keen to collaborate as the project moves forward.

Mark Rice, Environment Manager for the Environment Agency, said: “Climate change is affecting the way we manage our coasts and estuaries, and we must adapt to that change. The Lower Otter Restoration Project is an example of how we can do that. We aim to deliver long term benefits for people and wildlife by working in partnership and through more sustainable management of the Otter Estuary.”

Dr Sam Bridgewater, Head of Wildlife and Conservation at Clinton Devon Estates, said: “It is our belief that the Lower Otter Restoration Project will provide a more sustainable and certain future for the threatened Otter valley.

Cont’d/...

32 CLINTON DEVON ESTATES cont’d/…

It will also deliver very significant benefits to people and wildlife in the long term. The granting of planning approval is a major step forward in helping us deliver this vision. We have worked very closely with a wide range of stakeholders representing local people who have helped us reach this milestone and we are grateful for their input over many years.”

Planning approval means work on the project can start this spring and be completed in 2023. The Lower Otter Restoration Project is part of a wider project PACCo – Promoting Adaptation to Changing Coasts – which will receive €17.8m from the Interreg VA France (Channel) England programme.

For more information, please visit the website www.lowerotter restorationproject.co.uk.

Kate Ponting BEd (Hons), Countryside Learning Officer Tel: 01395 443881. DDI: 01395 446918. Mobile: 07917 104250 Email kate.ponting@clintondevon.com. Visit us at www.clintondevon.com RSPB AYLESBEARE COMMON Well here we are, 2021. In the human world, we may find ourselves plunged afresh into lockdown measures, but one of the things that is most affecting about spending time outdoors is that you cannot fail to notice how the earth still turns, pushing seasonal change on us regardless. It’s constantly changing and yet if you zoom out, there is pattern and inevitability too. Being joined by a curious robin, which keeps its social distance out of nothing more significant than natural manners, there’s an obliviousness that is something of a tonic. With much of the heathland commons in East Devon being open access, unlike many RSPB sites, most of the sites we manage were never closed to the public during the first lockdown. This is the case again and you are welcome to visit and explore the area, where you are lucky enough to live, for your permitted daily exercise. We ask that you are mindful of others, keeping that 2m distance and having respect for the countryside. With the days still short, and some of us at home more than we’d like, perhaps now is the time to do a bit of reading up on heathland — what it is exactly, how it came to be, how it is managed today. Do not take your cue from the opening chapter of Thomas Hardy’s The Return of the Native. Heathland may seem as old and wild as the hills on which it sits, but in fact it takes a remarkable amount of management work to maintain what is a human created landscape.

Heathland – the mix of plants you see and the wildlife which lives among them – is like a dog on a lead that’s just seen a squirrel. It’s bursting to romp away. We want to keep it in that early state, in what is the natural progression of vegetation from bare earth up until such end points as dense woodland, forest, who knows?

33 What are the truly natural end points is actually not agreed upon – it’s hard to know in this country since we’ve managed our land intensively in one way or another for hundreds of years. Why do we do it? Because the ecosystem it supports is unique, special, and rare.

It’s been a very cold start to January, with days where frost in the dark corners of fields is still there in the evening. Indeed, we had the year’s first Sunday volunteer work party on such a day but it was the blue sky variant of bone-chillingly cold, and so once warmed up through hard work (temperature regulation in mammals – brilliant, helped by thermal textile technology) it couldn’t have been a better day to be out. It was one of those days where the hoar frost keeps on growing thicker white on the edges of needles, leaves, thin branches, until it eventually it reaches a tipping point in temperature and melts. By 11.30, we noted it was all coming to a swift end because the frost, which had been dropping shards of white all morning, by this time was falling from the trees like rain.

If the winter keeps on going, so does our winter work programme. We are running to a seasonal schedule with work that is only feasible during certain months, if at all this year. For us in conservation and land management, we are largely governed by the breeding season. So now that we’re outside of this, we are hard at work in clearing scrub and small trees. In some cases, we are tackling general areas of what we refer to as encroachment.

This is where the heath meets its edges – woodland, trees. The seeds of pioneer tree species, birch and Scots pine, are absolutely excellent at germinating and growing on quickly and each winter, much of our management work involves removing these species. We are doing a lot of pulling up of small pines and birches, with volunteers working to cut out/down the larger ones.

But if this may seem a bit brutal, take a look around. There will always be birch. We cannot get rid of it all and there will always be patches of scrub and young woodland in amongst the more typical heath. It’s all about trying to make space for the heathland mainstay plants to thrive - the heathers and the gorse. But we also want to make sure that these two plants (here in East Devon there are three species of heather and two or three gorse) are represented in all their life stages. We want seedlings, one-year-olds, bushes and tall denser plants across a heathland site.

Cont’d/...

34 RSPB AYLESBEARE COMMON cont’d/…

So we choose areas of gorse to coppice too, on a rotational basis of about 15 years, cutting it down when it reaches its final life stage, when it is very tall and leggy and doesn’t allow anything else to grow under it. The Dartford warblers have no use for it when it gets to this stage. And it responds very well to coppicing.

On Aylesbeare at the moment, there are no more cattle but the Exmoor and Dartmoor ponies here will stay throughout the winter.

Recently we have had machinery on site.

A digger will be creating ‘scrapes’ of bare earth, in various patches, returning again to continue in a month’s time. You may have seen these areas on heathland.

They are striking and deliberate-looking when new, but often people approach us, unsure what the intention is. It’s an effective mechanical way of taking the vegetation back to zero, starting from scratch.

In a lot of cases, scraping the surface soil takes away the shallow bracken rhizomes as well, and it’s a most effective way of tackling dense bracken.

Bracken is another excellent colonizer but quite thuggish and, unchecked, can create great swathes of monoculture. If biodiversity is what we’re trying to increase — which it is — then this is no good. The bare earth will become recolonized in the coming years and the seeds of grasses, like bristle bent, and heather and gorse will germinate. Until it becomes fully covered again by vegetation, it is a dry environment for invertebrates like ants and reptiles, particularly with its capacity in the summer to absorb the sun’s heat, useful for cold-blooded creatures. The ants it supports are particularly of interest to us on Aylesbeare because they are a symbiotic part of the life cycle of the Silver-studded blue butterfly, one of our key species.

If you find yourself stepping out into some of the wetter parts of the reserves now, you may well find you flush out snipe. These are the birds with the extraordinary ‘drumming’ call of the male at dusk in the breeding season.

Look that up on You Tube or, better yet, return in the early summer to hear for yourself. They skulk in the mires and water edges, gathering there in the winter (although they are resident birds and this is not a case of them gathering in flocks as such) and often if you flush out one you can be assured you’ll flush out a few more.

35 A methodical survey of the area of Thorntree at Blackhill Quarry came back with a count of 64 snipe in one session by one volunteer. They can be told by the habitat for starters, by their quick ascent and erratic, zig zag flight away, and they will often emit a quick scratchy call.

So, work continues on the heath! You may see our staff or volunteers out on the reserve.

Following government guidelines, the RSPB has decided this essential conservation work can continue during this latest lockdown, albeit with a tightening of the restrictions we already had in place, particularly in limiting the work we carry out so that we’re just doing jobs where 2m social distancing is easy to maintain. We have reduced our group numbers, and volunteers work together in small bubbles to limit contact. And the car park at Joney’s Cross is still open.

Ellie Woolway, Devon Reserves Administrator Exe Estuary (01392 833311) and Aylesbeare Common (01395 233655) Eleanor.woolway@rspb.org.uk. Mobile – 07834 174541.

BUSINESS ADVERTISEMENTS ALTERATIONS TO LADIES AND GENTS WEAR, MADE TO MEASURE CURTAINS AND ROMAN BLINDS, ALTERATIONS TO CURTAINS. Contact Shirley on 01395 223523. (2/12) EXE INTERIORS & HANDYMAN SERVICES for all home improvement requirements inc. painting & decorating, wall & floor tiling, bathrooms & kitchens, handyman service. Call Sean 07967 777396. (8/12) CARPENTER Chris Isaac Property Maintenance, Kitchens, Doors, Flooring, Fencing, Fascias/Guttering, Tiling, General Repairs. Free Estimates. Reliable tradesman.

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36 BUSINESS ADVERTISEMENTS cont’d/…

ACCOUNTS AND TAX SERVICE Sole Trades, Partnerships, Limited Companies and Personal Tax. Full range of advice. Fixed fee plans and free initial consultation/quotation. Wheelers Accountants Tel: 233184. (12/24) RUBBISH REMOVALS Domestic and Commercial. Environment Agency licensed. No job too small. Tel: 0800 335 7610 / 07979 841376. www.rubbishremovalsexeter.com. (9/12) COMPUTER REPAIRS AND UPGRADES; Broadband and wireless connections; Data recovery and backup; Windows, iPads and Apple computers, Virus and spyware removal; No fix no fee - Evening visits to suit you. Contact: Mark Doyle 01395 233694. (6/12) PROPERTY MAINTENANCE – James Waddell Interior & Exterior, Carpentry, Flooring, Fencing & Gates, Plumbing, Decking, Bathrooms & Kitchens, General Repairs. Free Advice & Estimates 01395 263496. (8/12) ELECTRICIAN James Sliman Local, reliable, fully qualified and experienced. NAPIT registered and insured. From a socket to rewire 01395 276323 07866 313812 www.jslimanelectrician.co.uk. (6/12) WOODBURY HOLIDAY HOME TO RENT in centre of village. Luxury accommodation for 4 people, 2 en-suites, parking, courtyard garden. Weekly holidays & short breaks. www.woodburyholidays.co.uk 01579 350365. (6/12) ROOFING Woodbury based RWI Roofing Specialising in Slating, Tiling, Re-Roof, New Roof, Repairs, Guttering. For a friendly, reliable service call Ray 232926, or 07988 691051 (As recmd in OurLocalExpert.co.uk). (5/12) MATHS TUITION: Experienced, female Maths teacher available to teach primary to GSCE level maths, 11+ and SATs prep. Now providing virtual tutoring and online support. Reasonable rates. Jane Moffatt on 07730 877889 janepmoffatt@gmail.com. (1/12)

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, Willowfield, Oakhayes Road, Woodbury EX5 1JT Tel: 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.

37

Woodbury Salterton Village Hall Hall â&#x20AC;&#x201C;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

Tel: 01392 795689

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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39 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

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

40

Woodbury Dance Studio RAD BALLET Grades and Majors

Children from 2½ years Principal: Mary Griffiths ARAD, MA(Oxon) Tel: 01395 271249 marygriffiths@hotmail.com www.woodburydance.co.uk All classes at Woodbury C of E Primary School

41 Africa / Asia / Australia USA / Canada / NZ South America / Antarctica Discuss your travel plans with the award-winning experts

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www.nomadictravel.co.uk Independent travel agents Established 1999 100% Financial Protection ATOL T7452

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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 233995 or 07751 738092

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