November 2021

WOODBURY NEWS

NOVEMBER 2021

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NOVEMBER 2021 - EDITORIAL Woodbury News extends a warm welcome to Anne-Marie Bates, the newlyappointed Clerk to the Parish Council. She says she enjoys ‘a diverse role’ – no doubt she will quickly realise just how diverse life in our villages is with ongoing issues concerning the Neighbourhood Plan, parking, speeding, planning, dog mess and the like that continue to surface all too frequently!

But do see helpful advice on pages 26/27.

On the subject of coming and going, we sadly say farewell to Dr Matt Symonds who is leaving Woodbury Surgery for pastures new, and we wish him well. In due course we will be pleased to welcome Drs Overton and Olsen on a more permanent basis. Whilst thinking about health, sincere thanks should be extended to the staff and volunteers at so many local venues who have worked tirelessly over very many months to vaccinate patients against Covid-19 and flu. This is perhaps a good opportunity to remind everyone that Covid-19 is still rife and that we should continue to take all sensible precautions – the thought of another possible lockdown Christmas is far from appealing.

It is good, however, to be publishing photos of happy, smiling adults and children who once again are enjoying village life together. It is this ‘togetherness’ that has been missing from our lives. We may be lucky enough to be able to communicate via computers, landlines and mobile phones, but nothing makes up for face-to-face interactions. Mention Zoom or Teams to people who have worked at home day after day for over a year, and their eyes may glaze over as they remember, and perhaps even long for, the daily commute away from home to a distant office or workplace.

It seems impossible to realise that the December issue will be the next one, so do remember to send in details of forthcoming Christmas events for inclusion.

As usual, we will again be publishing readers’ Christmas greetings in lieu of sending each other cards, alongside a promised donation to a favourite charity.

The cover photograph is of one of three polecat kits being cared for by Tony Bennett after their mother was run over. Although they can be tamed, they are essentially wild animals, who will hopefully be returned to their natural habitat once they are fully grown and able to fend for themselves - see pages 32/33.

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 SERVICES - NOVEMBER 7th - 3rd Sunday before Advent, Holy Communion at St Swithun’s at 11.15.

Evening Worship at Exton at 18.30.

11th - Remembrance Day. Act of Remembrance on Woodbury village green at 10.45.

14th - Remembrance Sunday. Holy Communion at Exton at 09.30. Act of Remembrance at St Swithun’s at 10.45. British Legion Remembrance Service on village green at 14.45.

21st - Sunday before Advent, Evensong at St Swithun’s at 18.30.

28th - Advent Zoom Family Service at 09.30; for a link to this, please email dupain@hotmail.co.uk.

30th - St Andrew’s Day, Holy Communion at Exton at 09.30.

Further information 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.

St Swithun’s special winter lych gate stall will be held on Saturday 4 December in St Swithun’s church from 10.00 until 12.30. The grand raffle will be drawn at 12.00 noon. Raffle tickets available from members of the PCC or Sue Hudson. The next lych gate stall is on Saturday 6 November.

ST SWITHUN’S CHURCH ALTAR FLOWERS No rota for November. Many thanks to everyone who helped decorate church for Harvest.

Barbara Hill FLOODLIGHTING ST SWITHUN’S CHURCH The floodlighting on 26 September was to recognise and celebrate 34 years of marriage between Gillian and Scott Shackleton from Woodbury.

For your special event, contact Mike Jeans on 01395 232544. Floodlight dedications are displayed on the church noticeboard at the lych gate.

FoSS (FRIENDS OF ST SWITHUN’S) We are hoping that relaxation of Covid restrictions will allow FoSS to resume activities indoors at church. We intend having an in-person AGM followed by a short concert on Saturday 22 January. Details will be published in the December issue. All members will be invited to attend and any other guests will be welcome.

Pat Browne

5 WOODBURY CAMERA CLUB CALENDAR 2022

The calendar is now available from Camera Club members, Rook Pie or Sue Hudson on 01395 232203, price £7.

6 CONNECTIONS Connections ladies group met up at Otterton Mill for tea in October. Some of the ladies did an hour’s walk along the Otter and then joined the members who had arrived for tea in the marquee. It was good to meet up again - lots of chatter, and the service from Otterton Mill was excellent.

In November we are returning to Otterton Mill for lunch in the marquee with heaters, hopefully a very cosy, safe setting. Anyone wishing to join Connections contact Chris Lear - chrisalear06@gmail.com; 01395232772.

Chris Lear THE ROYAL BRITISH LEGION ACT OF REMEMBRANCE THURSDAY 11 NOVEMBER, 10.45 FOR 11.00 AT THE WAR MEMORIAL ON THE VILLAGE GREEN with Woodbury School in attendance A short service, with Michael Owen performing The Last Post.

REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY SUNDAY 14 NOVEMBER, 14.45 FOR 15.00 AT THE WAR MEMORIAL ON THE VILLAGE GREEN Wreath-laying ceremony with the community and youth groups Michael Owen in attendance.

7 WOODBURY SURGERY We are sad to announce that, after seven years of working at Woodbury Surgery, Dr Matt Symonds will be leaving us at the end of October to work closer to home. We will miss him greatly and wish him well in his new venture. We hope he can ride his bike more often!

We are however excited to share with you news of the new doctors joining the team: Dr Jamie Overton will be a familiar face to many; he qualified as a GP here last year and has since been a regular locum. He will be re-joining the team in November.

Dr Susanna Olsen is another familiar face who works as a regular locum; she will be joining the team in the New Year. We are also in the final stages of appointing another doctor to start in the New Year as well.

A huge thanks to all patients, and in particular the neighbours of the surgery, for bearing with us during the building works which have been taking place.

We have extended the upstairs to facilitate a break room and administration office to free up consultation rooms on the ground floor. We will also be extending the dispensary to incorporate an indoor waiting area as the winter sets in.

Finally we would like to take this opportunity to express our thanks to our wonderful patients during such unprecedented times. Whilst there is negativity within the media surrounding GP surgeries, we have continued to see patients face-to-face where required throughout the pandemic, and will continue to do so.

We are all incredibly proud to be ranked the No. 1 GP surgery in East Devon in the national patient survey, with results far exceeding national averages in all categories. You can view these results by visiting www.gp-patient.co.uk.

Stay Safe and Well.

Drs Crawford and Acheson

SEATED YOGA Seated yoga makes this gentle exercise suitable for all including those with limited mobility.

MONDAYS - STARTING 1 NOVEMBER. 10.30 - 11.15 DU BUISSON ROOM, WOODBURY VILLAGE HALL Cost: Free of charge 6 x week fully funded by DCC’s Reconnect, Rebuild and Recover Community Fund.

BOOKING ESSENTIAL AS PLACES ARE LIMITED. For further information or to book a place please contact the Westbank Healthy Neighbourhoods Team on 01395 446896 or email: healthyneighbourhoods@westbank.org.uk

8 WOODBURY GARDEN CLUB At the October meeting Micky Little’s presentation was entitled Roses. We were not sure where he would pitch his talk because the subject of roses is so wide. When you consider that there are many species and hundreds of cultivars covering old garden roses, modern roses and wild roses, where do you begin? Micky decided to tell us about the roses he saw on his way to work with photographs he had taken on various occasions.

Micky’s presentation showed eccentricity, enthusiasm and energy — he didn’t stand still for long! He has had 41 years in horticulture and is obviously still enthusiastic about his work. He has had a varied career. He began by attending Cannington College. He has worked at Kelways Nursery, been Assistant Head Gardener at Killerton House, Head Gardener at Castle Drogo and has worked at Hestercombe Gardens. After working in Scotland for a while he came to work at Avon Bulbs, Somerset, where he is now.

He began with a rose he could see from his bedroom window, Charles de Gaulle. and continued to show us photographs of roses. During the course of his journey he pointed out some interesting features, alongside naming and describing the characteristics of each rose.

He featured planting vertically, simplicity in planting, planting combinations and the more formal way of planting. He stated ‘allow your own taste to develop’.

9 Question time showed that members wanted advice about the challenges that growing roses presented to them. Micky’s advice was to buy bare root roses from an established grower rather than the potted roses from a plant nursery.

When planting use plenty of manure or a soil improver, or mycorrhizal fungi to encourage a good root system and water well. Questions were asked about replanting roses, pruning, black spot and the use of pesticides, growing from seed, cuttings and rootstock and micropropagation — a myriad of questions which Micky dealt with, and they also illustrated our love of roses and a desire to know more about how to grow them successfully.

Our next meeting is on 9 November when Julie Steed will be talking about Garden Pests at 19.30 in Woodbury village hall.

Joyce Jeans FRIENDS OF WOODBURY SURGERY Recruiting volunteer drivers Following the decision taken at the Friends’ last AGM, we are actively engaged in taking the necessary steps to resume our former driving service, which was suspended on account of the Covid-19 pandemic. The service provides transport for patients of Woodbury Surgery to surgery and hospital appointments. Volunteer drivers are not paid, but do receive a mileage allowance for the journeys they undertake.

We are holding an induction session on Tuesday 2 November in the Church Rooms at 14.30 for those who have already expressed an interest in being part of the volunteer driving team. If you are new to the area, or have not so far volunteered for the service and would like to find out more about it, we would be more than happy to see you at this meeting. If you think you might be interested, and could come to the meeting, it would help if you could bring your driving documentation with you — driving licence, MOT certificate and insurance policy.

At present we have a skeleton team of drivers, and would really welcome new recruits. If you need more information please contact us on 01395 206123, or email: friendsofwoodburysurgery@gmail.com Val Arndt (FOWS coordinator)

WOODBURY NEWS CLOSING DATES 16 NOVEMBER.

7 DECEMBER.

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 VILLAGE GOLF SOCIETY Honiton Golf Club - 14 October Well there was no dilemma this time. A glorious day and a short journey for the last outing of the year. Perhaps the only fly in the ointment was our perfect group of 24 golfers was reduced to 23, due to a last minute withdrawal, which meant 5 teams of 3 and 2 teams of 4. Everyone in the club was very relaxed and masks were not worn. We enjoyed our coffee and bacon baps and pulled numbered balls out of a bag to establish who was playing in which team.

Although the WHS course rating suggested that the course was an easy one this was not portrayed by us on the day, with only nine golfers achieving 30 points or over. There are some awkward holes, especially those with a wall across the fairway, and the course was still a bit damp from the dew which reduced the run of the ball. However, it was a great day and it was followed by an excellent meal with a huge choice of desserts.

After apologies to others in the dining room, our Chairman told a couple of jokes before presenting the prizes. He gave a special welcome to Graham Rawlings who had not played with us for some time. Graham made his mark by winning the prize for being nearest the pin on the 12th. Twos were scored

by Tony Beck and Bob Haddow on the second hole which I think only measured 108 yards on the day, but not as short as the 85 yard 12th hole on the cliff at Okehampton. Team results were: 3rd with 75 points, John Maidment, Alan Quantick, Jerry Wollen and Peter Payne; in 2nd place with 76 points, Paul Saunders, Peter de la Mare and Mike Elstub, and the winners with 79 points were Clive Bennett, Andy Joss and David Moore.

Clive Bennett and Peter Heron

David Moore, Clive Bennett and Andy Joss

11 For the individuals: in 3rd place with 34 points John Maidment, in 2nd place with 35 points Peter de la Mare and the winner with 37 points Clive Bennett.

Clive then gave a well deserved vote of thanks to our Chairman, Peter Heron, for all his hard work in organisation of the Society events during the year.

The next two events will be the AGM and the dinner and details of these will be announced shortly.

Jeremy Browne, Past WVGS Chairman WOODBURY TENNIS CLUB We have had really good autumn weather, enabling regular Sunday club sessions to take place with up to 16 members attending. The junior programme is reaching its conclusion with over 30 youngsters playing under the guidance of John Wingate and Christine Sheward, finishing off their sessions under lights.

The winter league matches have started; the Men’s drew 4-4 against a strong Sidmouth team. The Ladies have played two matches, losing narrowly to Okehampton 4-6, but more comprehensively to a strong Lympstone team 0-8.

Regrettably the club has decided that Covid restrictions and personal safety make a large interior social event untenable, so no Christmas gathering will take place in 2021, but we look forward to having many outside functions from early spring next year.

Over the past few weeks member Marie Christine Northmore has replanted the flower bed at the courts with winter-flowering cyclamen and campanulas, as photographed by Mike Jeans. The flower bed was originally set out by former committee member the late Jan Cox and is a fitting memory to her life and service to the club. It is therefore disappointing that a visitor removed a cyclamen and a campanula from the bed, presumably for their own use.

Pat Browne

12 WOODBURY AND DISTRICT ROYAL BRITISH LEGION After 18 months without meeting up with the coffee morning members, we had a really lovely morning at the White Hart. Rosemary Maggs, who had just moved to Dulverton after living in Woodbury for 50 years, was brought by her son Peter — Rosemary never missed our coffee mornings.

Rosemary Maggs with her son Peter

Our guest speaker, Reg Wilkinson, a veteran and a great fundraiser for many charities, is Chairman of Brixton (near Plymouth) branch.

Reg joined the Devonshire Regiment in 1955 at Wyvern Barracks which were in Topsham in those days — quite a few members also joined up at the same barracks. Reg had many stories to tell us; one in particular was incredible. His father was one of the first to invade France on DDay in one of the gliders that landed at Pegasus Bridge. Reg has been able to go to Normandy and see his father’s name in the Book of Commemoration.

The raffle raised £140 for the Poppy Appeal and we will be putting the poppy boxes out in the usual places — the village shop, pubs, Exton services, Woodbury Park Golf Club and Greendale Farm Shop, where there will also be a sales table.

Reg Wilkinson

13 The services for Armistice and Remembrance Sunday are on Thursday 11 November at 10.45 for 11.00, with Woodbury School at the war memorial on the green, and on Sunday 14 November at 14.45 pm for 15.00, again at the war memorial on the village green when wreaths will be laid.

Sandra Huish, Chairman 01395 232696.

WOODBURY WOMEN’S INSTITUTE Woodbury WI met on 14 October, but unfortunately the speaker cancelled at the very last minute due to the ill health of a family member. Undaunted, the committee were faced with a choice… cancel the meeting altogether, or change the event to a social gathering with tea and cake – which they did! On arrival, everyone was given a sunflower badge with their name embroidered on it, helping them learn the names of new members.

Lin reminded those present of regular events:  Once a month members meet for a pub lunch in the White Hart; the next one is on Friday 5 November.  Most Fridays there is a coffee morning in someone’s garden or house.  The book group meets once a month in the Church Rooms at 14.00 to talk about a chosen book - and have tea and cake! It is a very informal group. The book for November is Raven Black by Ann Cleeves.

The speaker on 11 November is (fingers crossed!) Chris Woodward, talking about The Chelsea Flower Show. The Christmas meal on 16 December is at 18.00 in the Maltsters. Please let Livvy know if you would like to come.

Lin thanked members for their patience and good humour with the changes they had experienced, but there had been a lot of chatter and enjoyment, and much anticipation of the next meeting.

Lin Ashby, President WOODBURY HISTORY SOCIETY THURSDAY 4 NOVEMBER, 19.30 WOODBURY VILLAGE HALL The Blackshirts of Devon An illustrated talk by Todd Gray Visitors are very welcome to attend for a fee of £4.

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14 WOODBURY C OF E PRIMARY SCHOOL Ash Class residential visit to Pixies Holt Ash class had an excellent time at Pixies Holt, on Dartmoor, for their Year 6 residential this year. It was a week full of adventures: from caving, to climbing, orienteering, weaselling, archery and hiking, topped off by toasting marshmallows over a campfire and star gazing.

Friendships were strengthened and personal fears were challenged; everyone returned with memories to last a lifetime. Many thanks go to the staff at both school and at Pixies Holt for ensuring that this was a wonderful experience.

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Willow Class It has been a very exciting half term in Willow class – to say the children were surprised to find a VERY large egg near the chickens is an understatement! This led to a range of questions to start off our Animals topic – what could be in the egg? How do we know what it CANNOT be?

What other things come from an egg? What different types of animals are there, and how do we classify them?

After leaving our egg to see if it hatched, we needed to give it some help so carefully chipped away for several days until we discovered several (not real thankfully!) baby dinosaurs. So this time, unfortunately, we didn’t find a baby flamingo as we were hoping!

We have a new member of our team in Willow class – Grandma Fantastic!

Grandma has been a great help in our writing lessons, as she supports the children with their ideas by introducing, in her basket, a range of fantastic words which we can then use in our sentences. So far in our writing about the Bear Hunt, we have added ‘waterlogged’, ‘luscious’, ‘horrified’ and ‘refreshing’ amongst others, to our lists of words which really bring our writing alive. cont’d/...

16 WOODBURY C OF E PRIMARY SCHOOL Cont’d/…

Forest School Willow and Oak classes have had a fantastic time this half term in their forest school lessons by turning themselves into explorers to find lots of minibeasts. The children have also enjoyed blackberry picking, making popcorn, and creating their own seed bombs. Oak class have listened to a story called Somebody Swallowed Stanley. Stanley is a plastic bag who keeps being swallowed by different sea creatures. The children had a big think about the impact plastic has on the environment. Willow class listened to the story The Trouble with Dragons. The story is about dragons who have a negative impact on the environment and the children led a thoughtful discussion about how we can all help to be kind to our environment.

Autumn has well and truly arrived at forest school and the children have been practising their drilling skills on conkers, exploring the different patterns and colours on leaves and have been baking cinnamon bread.

Gillian Pyle, Head of School

17 HOPE4KIBERA

Charity Number 1189029

Cream Tea and Jazz - a great success. Now come to our Quiz!

On the Saturday afternoon of the August Bank Holiday, Woodbury village green was buzzing! The sun shone, the cream teas were tasty and the ‘gentle’ jazz was a perfect accompaniment. Plants, pictures and cards were sold and there were plenty of prizes in the raffle. People came early and stayed late and enjoyed the afternoon in the sun with their friends.

Altogether it was a lovely community event and everyone was really pleased to get out, see each other and share time together after the long period of ‘Covid quietness’.

Thanks to the generous support of the local community we raised an excellent £1,600 (after all expenses). This will be a great help towards the costs of running the school we support in the Kibera slum in Nairobi. To put it in context, £1,600 is no less than six years wages for someone in Kibera who is lucky enough to find daily work!

Huge thanks to all those who lent equipment and helped us put the event on; special thanks to Tim ‘silky voice’ Moyler and the Christ Church Trio for the music and a big round of applause to all of you for coming along, enjoying yourselves, and making such a difference. We plan to make it an annual event. cont’d/...

18 HOPE4KIBERA Cont’d/...

The students are back at their desks for their second year and a small first year class has joined them. This new class are paying fees, which are low by local standards but nevertheless will help to cover the costs of the students from the slum who have no means. This is a significant step forward and the first on the road to making the school self-sustainable.

We need to keep up our efforts to transform the lives of these youngsters, and their families and community. As you can see, funds raised here go a long way there.

Please consider regular support — any amount makes a big difference.

Next event - the H4K Quiz Our Quiz night fundraiser is on Saturday 20 November in Woodbury village hall at 19.00. Tickets cost £7.50 to include prizes, nibbles, cake and hot drink. Please bring your own wine etc.

Get a team together and come and join the fun. Enter as a team of 4-6 or go ‘pot luck’ and we will sort a team for you.

To enter, email: admin@hope4kibera.org.uk, or call: Charlie Collins 01395 232731, Sara Hurlock 01395 233319 or Anne Wynne 01395 268291.

Future date for your diary: Saturday 5 March 2022 - H4K Barn Dance ** H4K now registered for Amazon Smile.

Shop there to help the Kibera kids.

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

Charlie Collins Chair H4K FAMILY CHRISTMAS BINGO SATURDAY 18 DECEMBER. Doors open at 18.30, Eyes down at 19.30 WOODBURY VILLAGE HALL Refreshments and Raffle on the night. Booking is not essential.

For further information please contact Claire Causley on 07877 232065 or causleyclaire@gmail.com All money raised goes to Exeter Athletic RFC. 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.

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WOODBURY SALTERTON NEWS HOLY TRINITY CHURCH Family Service Debbie Jung led the September Family Service. She talked about women in the Bible (93 are mentioned by name) and gave out a written quiz of stories, asking everyone to name the women in each story. Debbie moved on to women who had had great influence in their local communities and spoke about Marianne Pidsley who founded our church which was consecrated 177 years ago on 24 September. She also paid for the school, the vicarage and the well, which was once the water supply for the village.

Harvest Thanksgiving This festival was celebrated at the beginning of October. Our Sunday service was taken by Revd Chris Cant and the school had their first service in church since March 2020 on the following Tuesday.

It had been decided that all harvest gifts should be donated to the Exmouth Food Bank which not only supports local people in need but is working with Exmouth Town Council, East Devon District Council and other local agencies supporting the twelve Afghan families during their temporary stay in Exmouth. The school children brought their gifts in early so that they could be used to decorate the church for its harvest service. Three children from Class 3 arranged these on the table in front of the altar and it was interesting to see packets of nappies, wipes, bottles of shampoo and toiletries among the gifts of food. Members of the church congregation brought gifts which were taken to the altar during the singing of a hymn. Special thanks to Debbie Jung who made two trips to take seventeen bags and a box of tins to the Food Bank.

20 The School Harvest Service Because of continuing concern about the spread of Covid the school reluctantly decided that parents could not attend the harvest service which Christine Grist conducted. The children had made the letters of the word ‘Harvest’ and held up one each. As Christine read a story, the seven children spelled out all the different words which could be found in the word Harvest.

The classes presented their work on harvest and caring for God’s creation.

They have all been thinking of what we could do to prevent further damage to our planet and possibly repair it and restore. Class 3 are leading the project to recycle plastic and are going to make ecobricks which they will make into a sofa for the playground. You start with a plastic bottle and fill it as full as possible with soft plastics. Soft plastics are lightweight plastics that often cannot be placed in the recycling bin eg the plastic film on soft fruit, yoghurt pots and ready made meals, plastic crisp packets, pasta bags and chocolate or biscuit wrappers. These must be clean and dry. You can test if it is a soft plastic by scrunching it and if it pings back it is soft plastic. This is a national initiative to recycle and use to build.

Katherine Wheeler WOODBURY SALTERTON PARENT AND TODDLER GROUP MONDAYS - NEW TIME 13.00 - 14.30 WOODBURY SALTERTON VILLAGE HALL Open to all pre-school aged children Find us on Facebook

21 WOODBURY SALTERTON STREAM CLEAN Woodbury Salterton stream clean happens every year in October. We put up the posters, send out the letters and flyers asking for volunteers and every year the residents do not disappoint. This year, like most years, we had a crew of 24 people who just quietly turned up and got on with the job, strimming, clipping, sweeping, raking until the job was done.

We had four crews working: one at the bottom of the village in Honey Lane keeping the culvert clear; one group behind the church working on clearing the overgrown plants and weeds to keep that part of the stream clean; the biggest group working on the stretch behind the bus shelter up to the Post Office clearing nettles and weeds; and finally we had the group that worked behind the houses in Village Road clearing overgrowth and any obstructing plants. cont’d/...

22 WOODBURY SALTERTON STREAM CLEAN Cont’d/...

The atmosphere is always great and it also becomes an event when people can just work and chat and enjoy being together again and doing their bit for the village.

Without their efforts we are in no doubt that Noah, and his father James the village flood resilience would not be so great and the problems of previous years would recur. So thank you to everyone who turned out.

Whatever your contribution it was greatly appreciated, and special thanks to our youngest crew member, Noah, who worked with his father, James, as crew leader for his group.

Debbie Jung

EXTON NEWS ST ANDREW’S CHURCH, EXTON CHURCH SERVICES - NOVEMBER 3rd - 18.30. Evening Service.

10th - 09.30. Holy Communion Revd Margaret.

30th - 09.30. St Andrew’s Day Service, Holy Communion, Revd Bill.

Sunday 3 October saw the annual celebration of ‘Harvest Home’ at our Evening Worship service. The church had been beautifully decorated with flowers, fruits and greenery, along with the very generous donations from the village of dried and tinned foods destined for the Exmouth Food Bank.

The service was thoughtfully led by Revd Roz who helped put our present ‘woes’ of patchy supermarket supplies and queues at petrol stations into proportion — something of a first world problem. We really do need to appreciate just how fortunate we are in this country. It was a real treat to have the choir and organist of St Swithun’s church with us.

23 They sang the much-loved traditional harvest anthem Thou visitest the earth

by Maurice Greene, the 18th century composer, the text being based on Psalm 65. Traditional harvest hymns gave the congregation a chance to sing with great gusto (and without masks!), and the provision of drinks and nibbles after the service gave us all the opportunity to meet old and new friends within the parish.

Liz Williams EXTON VILLAGE APPLE PRESSING EVENT

Probably the wettest day this year, Saturday 2 October dawned for the village’s first apple pressing event. The event had been hastily transferred to the Puffing Billy outside covered area (thank you!) and although we didn’t get the normal footfall we would have expected, those brave souls who came enjoyed the tombola, home-made cakes, second-hand books and toys, a stall selling knitted items, and teas, coffees and hot pasties. Not forgetting the apple pressing of course – people brought their own apples and could pasteurize and bottle their own apple juice. We hope to repeat the event next year – with better weather, we hope!

Liz Williams

24 EXTON GARDEN CLUB The Chairman welcomed members back after the long break and it was good to be able to get together again for a meeting. Our speaker was Claire Forster, better known as The Lady Horticulturist, who talked about Climbing Shrubs.

When planting against a wall there are several things to remember: the temperature against wall will be about two degrees warmer than further away and this will also be a dry area, so leave space when planting and water well. Also remember the aspect (sun or shade) and the space the plant will need. Climbers have different mechanisms — some have tendrils and thorns and some are social climbers, such as clematis.

Popular climbers are clematis and roses that have a long flowering period as well as plenty of colour, and honeysuckle, jasmine, fuchsias and ceanothus.

Evergreens include trachelospermum which has scented flowers late summer, and actinidia colomitza (from the kiwi family) which has good leaf colour. There are several hydrangeas that do well against a wall but they are very thirsty so a damp situation is preferable.

Annual climbers include sweet peas, being the favourite, which need a lot of water and regular feeding or they will soon show signs of neglect with poor colour and powdery mildew. Honeysuckle is also prone to this, so prune to increase air circulation. As with sweet peas, the more you deadhead the more flowers you’ll have. Wisteria can be a problem on old houses and does take several years to flower. With all plants, especially black spot on roses, always pick up any leaves and burn them.

Claire advocates a regular routine for feeding. Nettles soaked overnight make a good feed and garlic spray is good for spraying plants on walls as the increased warmth makes a wall an ideal spot for greenfly.

Most shrubs should be pruned in February or March; if a plant gets too big, it is possible to restrain it by digging through the roots (root pruning,) or cutting back branches.

It was a good talk and our first afternoon meeting was well attended.

The next meeting is on Friday 5 November at 14.00 when Jeremy Wilson will talk about The History of Tea. Eileen Pratt EXTON HALLOWEEN WALK SUNDAY 31 OCTOBER, 17.00 START For more details contact Sally Cole: 07717801338.

Sacole57@icloud.com 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.

25 EXTON VILLAGE QUIZ NIGHT On Sunday 19 September the Puffing Billy pub hosted the village quiz night, organized by Exton Village Events. The event was well-attended and, fortified by the pub’s very spicy chilli supper, the different teams battled for success. A raffle at the half-way point, with some fine prizes, provided a chance for the teams to consider strategies for winning. It would appear that history as a quiz subject (especially with double points) is the key to victory, with Team Avocet (see picture) storming their way to the finishing line.

It is hoped that this can become an annual event, such was the enjoyment had. It also proved to be a good way for villagers to make new friends and have fun. Many thanks to all those who helped organize the quiz and the raffle.

Liz Williams FREE ENERGY SAVING ADVICE SATURDAY 13 NOVEMBER AT 14.30 WOODBURY VILLAGE HALL Do you have a home that is difficult to keep warm?

Do you want to reduce your energy costs?

Do you want to use your energy more efficiently?

Thinking ‘green’?

Bring along your energy bills for confidential advice on how you might reduce your costs.

Entry and advice is free.

Big Energy Saving Network is a campaign to help domestic consumers get good value from their expenditure on energy, to use energy effectively and have warm, comfortable homes. It is developed by BESN and promoted by the Citizens Advice network with Devon Communities Together as a delivery partner.

Devon Communities Together, 73/74 Basepoint, Yeoford Way, Exeter EX2 8LB Tel: 01392 248919 www.devoncommunities.org.uk Reg Charity No 1074047

26

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 Woodbury Parish Councillors Cllr Mrs Cheryl McGauley (Chairman) (Woodbury Councillor) Cllr Patrick Bricknell (Vice Chairman) (Woodbury Salterton Councillor) Cllrs David Atkins, Richard Ball, Mrs Sam Knighton, Richard Parr, John Pyne, Vacancy - Woodbury.

Cllrs Simon Andrews, Geoff Jung - Woodbury Salterton Cllrs Mrs Sally Cole, Philip Jordan, Graham Murrin - Exton District Ward Councillors - Cllrs Ben Ingham, Geoff Jung Devon County Councillors - Cllrs Jeff Trail, Richard Scott Member of Parliament - Simon Jupp Woodbury Parish Council hope that you are all keeping well and safe.

I would like to introduce myself as your newly-appointed Clerk to the Council. My name is Anne-Marie Bates and my family and I recently moved to Lympstone from Essex where I have been a Clerk for the last 18 years. I enjoy this diverse role that is in the heart of the community.

I look forward to meeting residents and the various groups across the three villages and working with the Parish Councillors to bring a service and maintain and improve facilities within the Parish.

The 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.

Defibrillators The Parish Council has installed three defibrillators, one in each village, and they are located at; 1.

The Puffing Billy, Station Road, Exton, EX3 0TR 2.

Parish Council Office, Greenside, Greenway, Woodbury, EX5 1LP 3.

The Digger’s Rest, Woodbury Salterton, EX5 1PQ. Woodbury Salterton - Stream clear up Thank you to Cllr G Jung for organising the stream clear up, also to Cllr S Andrews and Cllr P Bricknell for their assistance along with the Resilience Group, who are all volunteers. You have done a grand job.

Flower Street car park - Woodbury This car park is for the community and visitors to use; there are parking restrictions in place as detailed on the signage. It has become apparent that there are several cars and commercial vehicles permanently parked in it, as well as building materials. Please can these be moved and materials removed, otherwise further action will be taken.

27 Toilets - Woodbury Unfortunately due to Covid these were shut, but it is hoped that they will open again as soon as possible.

Allotments We have sites in Woodbury and Woodbury Salterton, so if you would like to go on our waiting list, then please contact the Parish Council Office.

Dog Mess Please can all dog owners pick up after their dogs to help keep the Parish clean and tidy. Doggy bags can be put in dog bins or rubbish bins.

Park Close - Woodbury Please note that the grass area outside the properties in Park Close is not public open space; dogs should not be exercised on it and if they mess on the footpath edge, then please pick it up.

Citizens Advice East Devon If you require any advice then please contact your local office by either text: Advice to 82727, telephone: 01395 265070, email: enquiries@citizens adviceeastdevon.org, general advice Advice Line 0808 250 5703.

Crime Stoppers 0800 555 111 - Call anonymously about crime / anti social behaviour.

Report it Any issues with streets or public spaces, please report it and visit East Devon District Council website https://eastdevon.gov.uk/environmentalmaintenance/.

Defective Street Lights / Highway issues Please report any highway issues including blocked drains, fallen trees and flooding to Devon County Council on their website https://www.devon.gov. uk/roadsandtransport/report-a-problem/.

WOODBURY TWINNING ASSOCIATION CHRISTMAS-THEMED PROGRESSIVE SUPPER SATURDAY 4 DECEMBER WOODBURY VILLAGE HALL, 19.00 4 courses with wine £18 (non-members welcome £22) For reservations and information contact Nita Goffron

by Saturday 18 November (01395 232314; nitagoffron@live.co.uk)

CHARITY COFFEE MORNING TUESDAYS IN THE CHURCH ROOMS From 10.00 until 12.00 Bean-to-cup coffee, or tea, and home-made cakes.

28

ROUND AND ABOUT

THANKS I would like to thank everyone who has supported my little book stall outside Greenside, Woodbury during the last few months.

I have met many people, from locals to holidaymakers, browsing and buying and I have been able to donate £400 to FORCE and £100 to the new handbell ringers in Woodbury.

I will continue with the book stall throughout the winter but they will be in the carport if the weather is unreliable. Please stroll up the driveway and continue to browse and buy.

Chris Lear BUDLEIGH AND DISTRICT HOSPISCARE COFFEE MORNING Thank you to everyone who supported the coffee morning and book sale.

Despite terrible weather it was well attended and raised just under £230.

Our next fundraising event is the annual Quiz in Budleigh Public Hall in November.

Sue Hudson WANTED: HOMES FOR ECOBRICKS Quite a bit of my lockdown time was spent in stuffing single-use plastic bottles with the truly horrifying amount of nonrecyclable plastic produced by a family of six.

These bottles are known as ecobricks, and are used as building materials in a large variety of community and school projects — playground benches and furniture, for example, though as far as I know, not for actual buildings.

I actually found it very therapeutic, stuffing these bottles, especially believing that a good deed was being done for the health of the planet.

The result is that I have a lot of boxes full of ecobricks in my shed. The problem is that I can't find anywhere to drop them off for collection, as most of the local outlets which used to accept them no longer do so. I'm asking, therefore, if anyone knows of any local community or school projects that might be able to use them. Otherwise, I fear that, sadly, they will end up in landfill, which seems such a shame.

I'd be extremely happy to hear of a possible solution to my problem, and the bricks would be more than excited to go to good homes!

Val Arndt (01395 233175; val.arndt@gmail.com)

29 ALL ABOUT LANGUAGES A short course conducted by Dr Edward (Ted) Neather This course, starting in January, was announced in the October issue of Woodbury News. The response has been astonishing with the number of people expressing interest now rising towards 40. The original entry stated that the deadline for applying would be the end of November. I'm afraid I can't take more than 40, so no further applications can be considered.

Ted Neather RADDON HILL CLOG MORRIS DANCERS If you are up for fun, learning a new skill and making new friends, why not give clog morris a try? The side is looking for more dancers and they practise during winter months in Clyst St George village hall on Tuesdays from 20.00-21.30. See www.raddonhillclogmorris.org/uk; or leave a message on 01626 336173.

The Woodbury 26/15 Logo - Designed by local artist Linda M Dowsett

I am sure that you will have seen lots about COP26 and COP15 in the media.

One of the questions I get asked is regarding the difference in the two events.

COP26 (Glasgow) is about climate change; COP15 (China) is about biodiversity loss. Both subjects are so interwoven that we have called our project Woodbury 26/15.

The decisions that are made at those conferences will affect us all and it is important that we as a parish engage with the events rather than being passive observers. Decisions made today will have massive repercussions in the future. We are working with the local schools in order to give the adults of tomorrow a voice today. We need to be informed and aware of what we can expect in the future.

The first event took place at Woodbury Salterton School on 12 October.

Filmmaker and author Richard Pierce gave a talk based on a series he is working on about the way we affect the planet. cont’d/...

30 WOODBURY 26/16 Cont’d/…

He highlighted instances where humans have interfered on the surface of the planet and in the animal and plant kingdom and the consequences – challenging stuff for 8-11-year-olds, but the students took it all on board. A long discussion followed and the students showed an incredible level of understanding and insight.

Our first public event was a talk on Rewilding given by Peter Burgess Director of Nature Recovery at Devon Wildlife Trust. It was held in Woodbury village hall and generated a great deal of interest. It was attended by more than 50 people including a number of representatives from parish councils outside Woodbury.

We will soon be doing a presentation on the future effects of climate change.

This will be presented by Professor Jim Haywood, who is a Nobel prize winner and lead author of the Montreal Protocol UNFCCC report on this subject - which will come out next year. It should be of particular interest for Exton and Lymptone residents who, due to their location, will be particularly affected by rises in sea level and extreme weather events.

Sam Bridgewater from the Pebblebed Heaths Association is going to give a talk (and possibly arrange a site visit) related to another local climate change adaptation project – Lower Otter Restoration Project (LORP). This project is not to everyone’s taste, but the topic of how we prepare and adapt is important and we mustn't shirk the difficult questions it raises about change and how we approach it.

If you have any project ideas, comments or questions that you would like to ask our panel of experts, please contact us.

Tony Bennett Tel: 07971 082384 info@wild-woodbury.org Website: http://www.wild-woodbury.org / Facebook: Wild-Woodbury WEATHER REPORT The first week of September outshone August with higher temperatures and plenty of sunshine; these conditions only ended around Thursday 9th, with 24mm of rain here at Ebford. The days still remained warm and dry until Sunday 26th. Autumn really started on Monday 27th, a mere four days after the official autumn equinox of Wednesday 22nd.

From then the weather became colder, windy and very wet; the last five days of the month were blessed with 38mm of rain. So the month’s total here at Ebford became 66mm or 2.6 inches.

This is on a par with the average over the last five years of 70mm.

Septembers have now definitely become wetter over recent years; the average between year 2001 and 2010 was only 35.7mm. Could this be a local manifestation of climate change?

Norman Cann

31 RSPB AYLESBEARE COMMON The winter scrub attack began in September and we have had several work parties out since then clearing scrub. Scrub clearance involves clearing birch and willow trees that are encroaching on the heath. This is necessary because if the trees are left undisturbed, the heath would eventually develop into woodland and rare heathland specialists would lose their habitat. If you are wondering how a scrub day plays out, usually we have a couple of people on chainsaws felling the trees and the rest of the group will maintain the fire and burn the cut materials. Bigger logs are stacked up, left to season and will be used as firewood in years to come. As you may gather, it can be very tiring (some of us even need help getting our boots off afterwards) but with a good bunch of people it is an enjoyable and rewarding day. Since the relaxing of Covid restrictions, we have also been able to have more volunteers out at the same time, which means we can clear more and friends have been reunited!

Alongside scrub clearance, we also using grazing to manage the heath.

Ponies and cattle are important in removing vegetation. This strips the soil of nutrients and leaves conditions which heathland plants favour. The cows have been moved off Fire Beacon Hill by the grazier to a different site and the ponies on the Stockland turbaries have been rotated across the area with the help of some of the local parish. Moving stock ensures that a variety of sites are grazed, there is enough food for the animals, and no areas are overgrazed or over-trampled.

As temperatures drop and we begin to see more winter storms, we can expect more falling tree limbs across the sites we manage. Fortunately, local walkers, volunteers and members of the public have been fantastic at spotting fallen limbs and letting us know. This is helpful as it allows a member of staff or volunteers to get out and clear obstructed footpaths and roads and fix fences. If you are out on any of our sites and happen to see a fallen limb blocking paths, roads or on the fence line or anything out of the ordinary (e.g. fly-tipping) please let us know (aylesbeare.common@rspb. org.uk).

In the months ahead you can expect to see us clearing scrub, felling trees and prepping firewood for sale. We also have winter digger work planned which includes bare ground creation, which removes vegetation as well as the nutrient layer and allows heathland species to colonise.

Ellie Woolway, Devon Reserves Administrator Exe Estuary (01392 833311) & Aylesbeare Common (01395 233655) Eleanor.woolway@rspb.org.uk. Mobile 07834174541

32

Polecat Chronicles Early in October we were made aware that a polecat had been hit by a car and killed near Exminster.

Luckily the kits (baby polecats) were still alive and were trying to suckle milk from the mother’s corpse.

Members of the Devon Badger group were contacted and they heroically managed to trap three of the four kits and took them to the out-of-hours vet in Exeter. The kits were given fluids and puppy milk formula. The next morning at 07.30 I collected them from the vet and transferred them to Woodbury. We fed them on a blend of puppy milk replacement powder and cat food. They were soon settled and started feeding themselves. We are keeping contact with them to a minimum and are taking advice from The Mammal Society and other experts.

When we received the polecat kits from the vet they were in pretty good shape. They were big enough to feed themselves and so as soon as possible we got them eating a more meat-based diet.

They had obviously been through a very traumatic experience but they soon settled down and cuddled up together with the fluffy stuffed toy rabbit that we put in their cage. None of them had died (always a bonus) and, apart from giving them food, we have kept contact to an absolute minimum as they can easily become tame. We want them to stay as wild as possible because in the long-term we would hope to get them back out into the wild.

33 If you would like to make a contribution towards our appeal please contact us directly or go to our “GoFundMe” Wild-Woodbury animal treatment centre appeal at https://gf.me/u/yki8t5.

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 FOOTBALL IN WOODBURY BEFORE WORLD WAR II This article concerns the early days of football in the parish of Woodbury up to 1939. After the war the club was revived and prospered with the assistance of many old Woodburians.

Boys and young men have always kicked a ball around, whether in the garden, streets or grassy areas. The school logbook of Woodbury Salterton had a headmaster who encouraged half days for games of football in 1869 and subsequent years. The boys at Woodbury School would certainly have played too, but the log book in the early days does not record it. In 1918 a clause was added to the Village Green bye-laws forbidding football on the Village Green on Sundays, Good Friday and Holy Days.

A football club existed in Woodbury in the early 20th century and the results of matches were reported in local newspapers. Unfortunately, unsavoury incidents affecting Woodbury Argyle (as it was called) were also recorded.

In 1922 a player from an Exeter side suffered a double fracture of his hip in the game at Woodbury. A year later the newspaper reported that a Woodbury club was suspended, and then came a game against Starcross, played at Woodbury, which was described as a most unpleasant affair.

There were three penalties, all against Woodbury, and several players were injured, one so badly that he had to leave the field. The referee cautioned the Woodbury players and sent one off, and ‘the unsportsmanlike attitude of a section of crowd was to be deprecated’. Three years later, in 1926, R Davey of Woodbury Argyle was suspended for a month for ‘ungentlemanly behaviour’.

There must have been discontent in the Parish with the Argyle team, and possibly it folded, as at a meeting on 5 August 1931 it was proposed that an official Football Club be formed for the Parish of Woodbury – Mr Daw was elected President of the Club and several men were invited to stand as vicepresidents. Mr Godsland was chosen as Chairman, Mr J Jarman was elected as a secretary/treasurer, and a management committee of nine men was formed. Mr Chattock, who lived in Oakhays House, presented the Club with goal posts and nets. Mr J Crabb of Venmoor Farm provided the football field for £5 a season. It was decided to enter the Club into the East Devon League. cont’d/...

34 FOOTBALL IN WOODBURY BEFORE WORLD WAR II

Cont’d/...

Rules were drawn up and given to all subscribing members, who were to be residents of the parish, for an annual subscription of 1s. 6d. The colours of the Club were to be blue shorts and white shirts with a crest (WFC). An account in the name of the Club was opened at the Westminster Bank and purchases were made of a dozen jerseys and two footballs at Webbers sports shop in Exeter High Street for the cost of £3. 5s. 3d. Any member or player guilty of conduct detrimental to the good name of the Club was liable to a fine or suspension. At least two members of the committee were to attend each away match.

A trial game was arranged on 3 Sep 1931 to select a team for the first match two days later against Newton St Cyres – a 14-seater charabanc was hired to take the teams to the forthcoming matches at the cost of 25s. M Miller was elected captain and G Hitchcock his sub for the first match. Fixtures were arranged against N St Cyres, Topsham, Whipton Industrial School, Heavitree, Sidmouth, East Budleigh, Crediton, O St Mary, Oxenham, Whiteways at Whimple, Sidbury, Budleigh S, and Dawlish. From the first ‘minutes’ of the Club it is recorded that there were two ‘elevens’ and a list is given of the top goal scorers – the names of Curtis, Gooding, Miller, Hitchcock, E and G Summerfield, Radford, Loman, Godfrey, Newberry, Davey, Clements and Marks are listed. The first eleven had a very successful season in the Junior (West) Section of the East Devon League.

They played 20 games, won 18 and lost just 2, scoring 111 goals and conceding 18. They also played in the Football Express Cup in which they defeated Stoke Canon, but were beaten by Ide. Evidently there was great support from the public for the Club, ‘gate’ receipts amounting to just over £14 – the sum of £17 was also raised from dances, and about £14 from subscriptions.

On the down side, though, were the travelling expenses and equipment (including double sets of jerseys and badges). The rush of enthusiasm did not continue as local support waned, but annual dances were arranged to increase the funds of the club. Also the standard of players’ behaviour deteriorated and the Management Committee decided to cancel the ‘Reserves’ match against Silverton. In 1935 H Miller was ordered off against Buddle Estate (an Exeter team).

The club was short-lived as the advent of WWII in 1939 meant that many of its members were called up for service, but by the late 1940s, after the war, the club was revived. One player who was chosen to play for Woodbury in 1934 as centre half was a young man called Hiley Royal Bamsey who lived with his family in one of the cottages at Gilbrook. He was so good that he was snapped up by Exeter Football Club (the Grecians) in 1935, and remained with them until 1939, when he transferred to Barrow Football club – he made 42 appearances as centre half for Exeter.

35 The newspaper cutting shows Hiley in training for Exeter at St James Park.

He was called up at the beginning of the war, but nothing is known about his military service apart from the tragic news of his death (as a sergeant in the REME) in Iraq on 31 Dec 1943 – and his interment at Khayad Beach War Cemetery in Haifa in Israel. He had married Violet Ellen Ward, an Exeter girl, in July 1939 – she remained a widow until 1945 when she married Reuben Albert Stone.

Gill Selley

For a green future we need to lose the grey Clinton Devon Estates manage 1,900 hectares of multi-purpose woodlands sustainably. Alongside the production of high-quality timber, by planting more trees and creating new woodland, land managers are also providing a range of other benefits such as preventing flood risk, conserving soil, boosting biodiversity and provision for health and wellbeing. On an estate with an enviable 17% tree cover and an award winning and proud forestry history, it may come as an enormous surprise that while the rest of the country seems to be promoting and planting trees at every turn, we no longer undertake any large-scale planting of native broadleaved trees at all.

On autumn walks, you don’t have to be far from a tree to notice the antics of the grey squirrel. This popular woodland animal is wholly to blame for the Estates’ current planting policy and trumps tree disease and climate change as the biggest risk to the future of trees in the UK. Grey squirrels strip bark from trees between late April and the end of July. When the tissue under the bark is exposed growth will be restricted and the tree may suffer die back, fungal disease or death. Almost any species can be attacked but the most vulnerable are oak, sycamore, beech, sweet chestnut, pine, larch and Norway spruce. Despite years of control, the scale of the squirrel population means we are unable to stop the damage and over a period of twenty to thirty years our young oak and beech have been destroyed. cont’d/...

36 CLINTON DEVON ESTATES Cont’d/…

Putting a sapling in the ground is just the first step. Trees need after-care and take a long time to mature. We cannot simply plant our way out of climate change; these young trees cannot fulfil their role in mitigating the climate emergency unless there is a joined-up response to tackling the issue of grey squirrels.

Photo credited to UK Squirrel Accord

Without effective landscape scale measures to significantly reduce the grey squirrel population, many native tree planting initiatives are doomed to fail with only a few species making it through the vulnerable stage at 10-40 years to become the mature trees of the future.

Traditional control measures are unpopular and contraception unsustainable.

Humane solutions remain a long way off, but genetic control of the grey squirrel populations in the UK through gene editing is the main hope of foresters and land managers who are committed to the future of trees. Gene drive technology can be used to distort the sex ratio of a population; animals can live and reproduce but future generation will be single sex, causing a population crash. These reagents can be tailored to work only on the target species. With funding, development will take 20+ years to see an effect.

Given greys are expected to have driven red squirrels from mainland UK by the end of the decade, this may also be the last real way to ensure the survival and recolonisation of the native reds.

If our society loves trees and needs them in the future, we must act soon and act together so tomorrow’s generations can enjoy plentiful oak, beech and sycamore in the English countryside.

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

37

FORTHCOMING EVENTS 31 Oct. 31 Oct. 2 Nov.

Exton Halloween Walk starting at 17.00.

Christ Church Light Walk, 16.30-18.00.

FOWS Induction Session for new volunteer drivers.

Church Rooms. 14.30.

4 Nov. Woodbury History Society The Blackshirts of Devon, a talk by Todd Gray, WVH, 19.30.

5 Nov. Exton Garden Club, 14.00.

5 Nov. Exton Bonfire Night. Gates open at 17.00.

6 Nov. Woodbury Salterton Church Coffee Morning, 09.30-10.30.

9 Nov. Woodbury Garden Club Garden Pests. 19.15,WVH. Visitors £3.

11 Nov. RBL Act of Remembrance. War Memorial, Village Green.

10.45 for 11.00.

11 Nov. WI The Chelsea Flower Show. 14.00. WVH. 13 Nov. Woodbury Salterton Beetle Drive. 18.00, WSVH. 13 Nov. Free Energy Saving Advice. 14.30, WVH. 14 Nov. Remembrance Sunday Service. Woodbury war memorial, village green. 14.45 for 15.00.

14 Nov. W/Salterton Remembrance Sunday service, lych gate. 11.00.

20 Nov. Hope4Kibera Quiz evening. WVH at 19.00.

30 Nov. St Andrew’s Church, Exton. St Andrew’s Day Service. 09.30.

4 Dec. St Swithun’s Special winter lych gate stall. 10.00-12.30.

4 Dec. Woodbury Salterton Church Christmas Bazaar. WSVH. 10.00.

4 Dec. Twinning Association Progressive Supper. WVH. 8 Dec. Woodbury Garden Club Christmas meal, Maltsters, 18.30 for 19.00.

9 Dec. WI Practical Workshop on Weaving. 14.00. WVH. 15 Dec. St Andrew’s Church Christmas Carols. 19.00.

16 Dec. WI Christmas meal. The Maltsters.

17 Dec. Exton Christmas Party at the Puffing Billy.

18 Dec. Family Xmas Bingo. WVH. Doors open 18.30/eyes down 19.30.

13 Jan. WI Quiz Afternoon, 14.00, WVH. 22 Jan. FoSS AGM and supper concert. St Swithun’s church.

10 Feb. WI 102nd Birthday Celebration, 14.00, WVH. 22 Feb. Twinning Association AGM. Du Buisson Room, WVH. 19.30.

5 March Hope4Kibera Barn Dance.

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).

38

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.

SMALL ADVERTISEMENT WANTED Retired couple seek a property to purchase in Woodbury. Please phone 01392 873641 / 07713 881860. (3/3) FOR SALE Franco Belge Savoy log-effect electric toom heater, 2kw. In good working order. Cast iron stove body (weighs 75kg). £175. 01395 232338.

FOR SALE Kettler Exercise Bike - a great value upright bike offering comfortable, user-friendly training with workout programmes and heart rate monitoring. £120 (original price £249). Neather 01395 233514.

FOR SALE Daler-Rowney wooden table easel with adjustable support £30. Neather 01395 233514.

BUSINESS ADVERTISEMENTS ALTERATIONS TO LADIES AND GENTS WEAR, MADE TO MEASURE CURTAINS AND ROMAN BLINDS, ALTERATIONS TO CURTAINS. Contact Shirley on 01395 223523. (11/12) EXE INTERIORS & HANDYMAN SERVICES for all home improvement requirements inc. painting & decorating, wall & floor tiling, bathrooms & kitchens, handyman service. Call Sean 07967 777396. (12/12) 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. (10/12) SYNERGI EVERTHING PLUMBING AND HEATING For all your plumbing and heating needs. Large or small jobs at fair prices. Boiler servicing, repairs and care plans. Local, reliable and efficient. Gas, Oil, and LPG. Tel Synergi 01395 542226. www.synergisw.co.uk. (6/12)

39 BUSINESS ADVERTISEMENTS cont’d/…

CARPENTER Chris Isaac Property Maintenance, Kitchens, Doors, Flooring, Fencing, Fascias/Guttering, Tiling, General Repairs.

Free Estimates. Reliable tradesman. 07855170674/01395 233933 chrisisaac carpenter@gmail.com. (7/12) RUBBISH REMOVALS Domestic and Commercial. Environment Agency licensed. No job too small. Tel: 0800 335 7610 / 07979 841376. www.rubbishremovalsexeter.com. (6/12) 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. (21/24) PROPERTY MAINTENANCE – James Waddell Interior & Exterior, Carpentry, Flooring, Fencing & Gates, Plumbing, Decking, Bathrooms & Kitchens, General Repairs. Free Advice & Estimates 01395 263496. (5/12) WE ARE POSH NOSH! With over two decades of experience in the catering industry we are at the forefront of special occasion and event catering in Devon and the West Country. We are committed to providing first class cuisine with outstanding levels of service. Phone: 01392 444877 or email: info@posh-nosh.co.uk. (4/12) 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. (3/12) 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.

(2/12) 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). (2/12)

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40

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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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Tel: 01392 795689

43 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

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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

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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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