WOODBURY NEWS
OCTOBER 2023
Often the September edition of Woodbury News is a little thin – mainly because the closing date for receipt of copy is early in August, meaning that organisations haven’t had their monthly meeting, children are on holiday, and grandparents are often on child-minding duty. However, we hope you will agree that this October issue is a bumper one – and we send our thanks again to our contributors, both regular and new.
Looking through past and archived editions of Woodbury News, I am reminded both of the sense of continuity and of change in village life over the years. This makes it all the more important that we include individual stories of events and achievements. So please don’t be shy - send in your news.
Woodbury News is delighted to congratulate Ruth Parsons of Woodbury Salterton on celebrating her century (pages 26 and 27).
As well as reports of many activities in our villages, we would like to draw particular attention to some specific requests:
Woodbury Guides and Brownies need YOU (page 15).
The Governing Board of Woodbury School needs another Governor (page 18).
Woodbury Living Advent Calendar will need your support (page 14).
The surgery needs your arm for flu and/or covid vaccinations (page 9).
Hope4Kibera needs improved toilet and kitchen facilities (page 25).
All the local clubs and societies will welcome you as a new member.
One thing is for certain – if you are lucky enough to live in this delightful corner of Devon, you should never be at a loss for something to do.
The cover photo is of the cricket club All Stars team (page 7).
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
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ST SWITHUN’S CHURCH, WOODBURY
Administrator: Jill Dupain dupain@hotmail.co.uk
SUNDAY CHURCH SERVICES
1 October Harvest Festival. Holy Communion with Harvest at Swithun’s, 11.15.
Harvest Festival Service at Exton, 18.00.
8 October 18th Sunday after Trinity. Holy Communion at Exton, 09.30. Holy Communion at St Swithun’s, 11.15.
15 October 19th Sunday after Trinity. Morning Worship at Exton, 09.30. Evensong, 18.30.
22 October 20th Sunday after Trinity. Café Service at St Swithun’s, 10.30.
29 October Last Sunday after Trinity. Mission Community “Light of Life” Service, 16.30 at Clyst St George.
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.
FLOODLIGHTING ST SWITHUN’S CHURCH
For your special event, contact Mike Jeans on 01395 232544. Floodlight dedications are displayed on the church noticeboard at the lych gate.
CHURCH ALTAR FLOWERS - OCTOBER 1 - Harvest. 8 - Mrs S Huish. 15 & 22 - Mrs J Butler. 29 - Mrs C Keep. Barbara Hill
WOODBURY CAMERA CLUB
August Camera Club members had the unenviable task of choosing the 13 photos that would be featured in the 2024 calendar. This is a democratic process where all the photos submitted are voted on by members. The date for the sale of the calendar will be published in the next edition of Woodbury News. We wish to thank all those who have supported us in the past and hope they will do so again this year.
Our speaker for September will be Gary Holpin, talking about his journey in photography along the South West Coast Path. For anyone who is super organised and would like to put a date in their diary, we have a talk on Astrophotography on 21 November. Everyone welcome. Debbie Jung
WOODBURY CRAFT GROUP
We meet fortnightly on a Wednesday from 10.00 – 12.30 in the lounge at Christ Church on Parsonage Way.
11 October. 8 and 22 November. 6 December.
BYO craft. A £2 donation towards costs and coffee or tea is appreciated but not essential. Friendship is free! Trish Sussex 07745 321950
WOODBURY NEWS CLOSING DATES
16 OCTOBER
13 NOVEMBER 11 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
On a sunny September Sunday afternoon 50 FoSS members and guests met in the garden of Ruth and Pat Browne for a cream tea under gazebos, initially put up in case of rain, but actually needed to provide shade from the afternoon sun. There was much interesting conversation, and quality scones provided by master baker Chris Lear. Chairman Pat thanked members for their support over the year; Foss had contributed approximately £10,000 to the church for much needed masonry work in the tower and also outside the west door and window. Although no charge was made, over £100 was added to FoSS funds, with members donating and two guests signed up as new members. As always, the hardworking committee had everything under total control.
Pat Browne
Woodbury Book Club was delighted to have local author, T A Williams, at the July meeting. T A Williams lives in Woodbury and has written over 30 novels comprising romantic fiction and murder mysteries. Prior to his visit, we read Murder in Tuscany which was entertaining, amusing and made you really feel you were in Tuscany. During his visit, Trevor engaged us all with the history of his writing and his passion for Italy, where he met his wife. If anyone is interested in joining us in the future, we welcome new members and regularly meet at The White Hart on the first Tuesday of the month around 19.30. You can also find us on Facebook.
WOODBURY CRICKET CLUB
Getting teams out in August was difficult as the month brought weekends of rain and players off on holiday. However, we managed to make sure we had full teams for all games and many thanks to all players at the club adults, colts and parents! The 1st XI finished a very respectable fifth in a very competitive division and they ended the season brilliantly by dismissing Chardstock for 63.
The 2nd XI confirmed their place in G Division in a tense finish against Honiton. Needing a win to gain precious points, the game hinged on the last over in which Charlie Craft hammered the winning four with two balls of the game left.
On 9 September we had the memorial game for our former player Allan Bennett. It was a great day, thoroughly enjoyed by all concerned. The ex players/All Stars did their best, but just fell short in the run chase. The next month will be spent getting the ground in shape for the winter.
Ian HughesCONNECTIONS
Forty of us arrived in the sunshine at Greenside for the August event, where we were served Pimms prior to lunch. The sun remained with us, so everyone was quite relaxed eating and drinking and of course chatting. It was nice to welcome three new members in this setting.
Thanks to new member, Catherine Landers, for arranging a visit to Roadford Reservoir in September. A most enjoyable tour, led by a guide from South West Water, took in the reservoir and a climb of 177 steps up the water tower.
The man-made reservoir is also known as Roadford Lake and is the largest area of fresh water in the southwest of England. It sits within the stunning surroundings of the Wolf Valley near the border with Cornwall - a beautiful spot for walks and water sports including sailing, kayaking and canoeing. Our tour ended with lunch overlooking the lake and fantastic scenery. Connections will always welcome newcomers. We meet on the first Monday of the month. Chris Lear chrisalear06@gmail.com / 07941 045918/ 01395232772.
WOODBURY SURGERY FLU AND COVID VACCINATIONS
There’s still space in our vaccination clinics running throughout October. If you are yet to book, please ring the surgery on 01395 232509 or call in to reception.
You are eligible for a free NHS flu vaccine if you are:
aged 65 years and over
aged 6 months to under 65 years in clinical risk groups
pregnant
aged 2 or 3 years on 31 August 2023
carers in receipt of carer’s allowance, or those who are the main carer of an elderly or disabled person
close contacts of immunocompromised individuals
frontline workers in a social care setting without an employer-led occupational health scheme, including those working for a registered residential care or nursing home, registered domiciliary care providers, voluntary managed hospice providers and those who are employed by those who receive direct payments (personal budgets) or Personal Health budgets, such as Personal Assistants
As we hold your medical records, the surgery is able to advise who can have a vaccine based on their age, health and risks and we will ensure we have sufficient vaccines to vaccinate you and your family members who fall into these groups. We will also offer the covid vaccination at all of these clinics.
Thank you for supporting your local surgery by having your vaccinations with us.
WOODBURY COMMUNITY ORCHARD 2013-2023
Our tenth anniversary party and juicing event, due to be held at the Cricket Pavilion on Sunday 17 September, had to be postponed at the last minute due to torrential rain, such that even Exeter Airport had to be closed because of flooding!
Chairperson Alex Thiemann had prepared invitations to the sixty or more people who had sponsored a tree, and included colour photos of their tree in full fruit with each invite. Fortunately the day was not completely lost as a small group gathered at the home of Alex and Bob for some in-house juicing in their kitchen. After tea and cake, Alex was presented with flowers and a wooden plaque in the form of an apple, beautifully carved by Murrough MacDonnell, in recognition of her hard work.
Alex has been the driving force behind the Woodbury Community Orchard, (located near the cricket ground in Town Lane), with help from the hardworking committee. It has been enjoyed by locals and visitors alike, as well as Woodbury School, and it is a great habitat for insects and wildlife. As well as negotiating permissions from Woodbury Parish Council and Clinton Devon Estates to set up the orchard, Alex organised the tree sponsors and selected the apple and plum saplings, with invaluable help from local expert, Ken Crundwell. Over the years there have been many annual events for juicing and pruning and every January a wassailing evening has been organised with the Woodbury Community Choir. Let’s hope the orchard continues to thrive and be enjoyed by all! Tim Green
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).
WOODBURY GARDEN CLUB
It is never easy for the committee of a club when, at the last moment, the speaker cancels or cannot come. This happened to Woodbury’s Garden Club in September and Tricia Willey worked extremely hard in many different ways and, together with the committee, provided an interesting evening for us.
Tricia first of all led a discussion about any successes or failures members had had with planting and growing during the year. It was decided that fresh seed annually was needed to be successful with sweetpeas. Tricia had had real success with her yellow courgettes; another member was not so pleased with hers as she thought they were cross pollinated with her squash nearby; and Debby was unsure about her long and curly courgettes that would turn brown at the ends.
When you look at the photograph of the courgettes you might call them, 'The Good, The Bad and The Ugly'. Sweetcorn and broad beans have done well this year but aubergines not so well and Tricia recommended buying a grafted plant, whose roots grow deeper, soaking up more nutrients and giving a bigger yield.
Members were given a caution about working with certain plants, for example ivy and euphorbia. The milky sap from euphorbia, wood spurge, can give severe burn-like blisters.
Tricia finished the evening by demonstrating how to take cuttings from fuchsias, penstemons and pelargoniums. Most of us probably knew how to do this but it was really good seeing her do it with the help of the youngest member at the meeting who is still at school. Tricia also demonstrated taking cuttings from roses. A straight cut at the bottom and a sloping one at the top and then you will know which end to pot! She went on to win the Flower of the Month competition with a beautiful phlox. Our next meeting on 10 October at 19.30 in Woodbury village hall will be Michael Jordan Nine Nights on a Windy Tree (Devon Folklore). Joyce Jeans
WOODBURY HISTORY SOCIETY
The September meeting began with a presentation to Professor Nick Burgess. Nick originally agreed to take the chair from Roger Stokes for two years and is still there ten years later. However, Nick has now resigned and as a token of thanks for his dedication and service to the society and this village the society presented him with a beautiful watercolour painting of the Otter estuary by Joyce Peachy. His time as chairman brought the History Society through a difficult period. Adrian Christopher has agreed to take the chair temporarily until the AGM in February next year.
There followed a fascinating talk by Jan Betteridge on Topsham as a Port. Jan has spent 16 years at Topsham Museum. She described, with many illustrations, how the port grew from Roman times, when a fortlet and warehouses edged the river, bringing goods and troops from the empire to the important town of Exeter. Evidently the Romans recognised that Topsham was at the limit of reliable navigation for large ships, so they built a road into the city to transfer the goods coming into the docks on their ships. Looking at the aerial views of the estuary and river it is immediately obvious that they were right to establish the port at Topsham. As a result, Topsham grew both as a port and in importance as a town.
Edward I awarded Topsham a charter in 1300. Today this important event is celebrated annually. Trade increased through the middle ages until, with improvement in wool quality, Topsham could claim to be the second or third busiest port after London.
Along the river Exe, many mills turned wool into cloth, all exported to Europe. The trading vessels brought back a variety of goods: wines from France and Spain; Delft tiles from Holland that may be found at various places around the town; and Dutch bricks still visible in walls here and there. The Dutch connection influenced the style of the houses along the waterfront, with many sporting a Dutch façade, but this is as far as it goes because behind them is not a Dutch construction but a Devon farmhouse, one tree-length wide.
Nevertheless, the Dutch connection becomes more tenable with the arrival of William of Orange. His armada missed the Exe and landed in Torquay, but it was Topsham that provided the landing point for his heavy artillery and the horses that would take him to London.
As time went on, the wool trade fell away and the town became the leaving point for many exports and imports from the colonies. The nature of the goods passing through changed, with a lively trade in dried cod from Newfoundland to Spain, guano from South America to fertilize the productive land around the estuary, and barrels of sprats that found a ready market. But, again, the trade dwindled and emphases changed. It is unsurprising that a port of this importance was supported by a boat building industry. Here smaller vessels even reached the fleet, with HMS Terror being built in Topsham. This vessel sailed to both the Antarctic and Arctic, finally going down in Canada while seeking the North West Passage. However, as steel and later plastic hulls came in, the craft of wooden ship building declined and was taken over by boats being made for the salmon industry. Now just one yard remains, repairing fibreglass boats. At one time there were a large number of boats working the estuary and river with seine nets catching salmon. Once again time caught up, and today seining is banned, and anyway there are too few healthy salmon out there to make a living. The Exeter canal is sometimes cited as another reason for Topsham’s decline but, in fact, it never really lived up to expectations for carrying large vessels into Exeter. Yet another claim to fame was the Veitch Nursery. The Veitch family were plant hunters in the Victorian tradition, bringing back plants from across the world to grow and adorn British gardens. Finally, the railway arrived in 1861 and a branch line went through to the quay; at this time enough was coming into the port to warrant this expenditure, but this too fell to the march of time.
Today Topsham moves on. It is still beautiful in many ways, thanks to various conservation projects, the cycle path around the estuary, the wild areas along the river and a centre that changes only slowly Topsham’s greatest assets for the tourist industry. It was a fascinating talk that will cause many of us to look at Topsham in a different light on our next visit.
Richard Pleydell2023 WOODBURY LIVING ADVENT CALENDAR
As custodians of 2023 Woodbury Living Advent Calendar, we are in the privileged position of choosing the local charities that we as a community can support by running this community event. Through the sale of the WLAC trail maps and, for the first time, some WLAC merchandise (more on that to follow) we are excited to announce that all profits from the event will be shared equally between Salt Path Challenge; You, Me & MND (Motor Neurone Disease); Woodbury Church Rooms; and FORCE cancer charity. Those of you who know Sarah Sargent may also know that she was diagnosed with MND in 2020. You will also know that she is vibrant, sporty, positive and energetic! She set herself the challenge of walking the South West Coast Path in a bid to raise money for the Motor Neurone Disease charity. Now with the support of friends and family, her JustGiving page has already surpassed a total of £26,000 to donate towards research that will help fight this cruel and debilitating disease. We couldn’t be happier to support Sarah’s charity.
Many may not be aware that Woodbury Church Rooms runs as a registered charity. The building has evolved from its original purpose as part of a row of thatched almshouses to house the poor of the village, to being used as a barn and then a chapel in the 1850s. The cottages were demolished in the 1970s but luckily for us, the Church Rooms remained. Today it is a much valued community resource available to hire with a fully equipped kitchen, tables and chairs - perfect for parties, workshops, meetings etc. It is also the venue booked for the grand WLAC reveal of the Community Advent windows on 24 December at 17.30. We are thrilled to support this local charity and to help preserve a historic parish building.
And finally, FORCE became a charity in 1987 and works tirelessly with its army of volunteers and supporters to provide the best possible face-to-face support and treatment for anyone affected by a cancer diagnosis. Donations fund everything from a purpose-built centre in Exeter, outreach services in Tiverton, Okehampton and Ottery St Mary and funding for vital research and state-of-the-art equipment. This local charity is particularly close to our hearts this year.
We hope you agree that raising some extra funds for these three wonderful local charities will add to the positive community vibe, as Woodbury Living Advent Calendar 2023 unfolds throughout December. Your support is everything! Jules & Ruth
COFFEE AND CAKE
EVERY 3RD TUESDAY, 10.00 - 12.00
* NEXT ONE - TUESDAY 17 OCTOBER*
CHURCH ROOMS, WOODBURY
All the coffee mornings will raise money for local charities. All are welcome. Contact Di Phaby 07933 787055
WOODBURY C OF E PRIMARY SCHOOL
It has been wonderful welcoming all the children and their families back to school after the summer holidays. We extend a warm welcome to our 28 new Reception children and eight new families across the school. We hope they settle in well and feel welcomed by the school, families and community.
The Lost Words
We started our school year with a focus on the beautiful book The Lost Words by Robert McFarlane and Jackie Morris. The book began as a response to the removal of everyday nature words - among them "acorn", "bluebell", "kingfisher" and "wren" - from a widely used children’s dictionary, because those words were not being used enough by children to merit inclusion.
But the book has grown to become a much broader protest at the loss of the natural world around us, as well as a celebration of the creatures and plants with which we share our lives, in all their wonderful, characterful glory. At Woodbury we have a real passion for the outdoors and the PTFA has been tirelessly fundraising for an outdoor classroom and our big focus this year is taking learning outside. So to start this off with a bang, each class was given one of the lost words to investigate. We had “dandelion” cookies in Beech class, “adder” sketching in Willow, “otter” mask-making in Oak, fantastic “heron” poetry in Cherry, “kingfisher” weaving in Maple, “minnow” inkwork in Chestnut and Ash weaved some stunning “willow” fish. Each class produced some wonderful artwork and poetry which we celebrated together in our first Friday celebration assembly.
The Term Ahead
We are looking forward to the term ahead, starting with our annual Harvest Festival service in St Swithun’s. Our Year 6 are off on their residential to Dartmoor early in October; we have educational trips and visitors planned to enhance the children's learning; clubs are starting up; and Nativity, Carol service and PTFA events are coming up.
If you are a parent and would like to look around our school please contact the school office; we have tour dates that can be booked for any parent of a child who is starting school in September 2024. cont’d/…
WOODBURY C OF E PRIMARY SCHOOL cont’d/...
We are still looking for Governors to support our Federation Governance is a great opportunity to give something back to your community through our fantastic Church of England schools. We are now recruiting skilled volunteers to serve as governors for our schools - Woodbury and Pinhoe Church of England. You don’t need lots of experience and you don’t need to be a parent. All we ask is that you value Church of England education, share our passion for making our schools the best they can be, and have the commitment and skills needed to be a governor. As a governor, you’ll get the opportunity to lead, serve and develop to make a positive difference to the educational experiences and outcomes of children and young people. There is nothing more satisfying and the Diocese of Exeter will support you every step of the way. To indicate your interest in becoming a governor, please complete the expression of interest form on our website Be A School Governor - Diocese of Exeter (anglican.org) or email beagovernor@ exeter.anglican.org
If you prefer, you can speak to our education team on 01392 294 950.
If you would like to find out more about how Cedar Tree Federation Board operates, please contact Alexa: agill@cedartreefederation.org
Gillian Pyle, Head of SchoolWOODBURY EVENTS
Useful items to borrow for small private parties
Following the organisation of several recent village events such as the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, Woodbury Long Tables and the Coronation, a stock of items is available to residents of Woodbury to borrow for private events. These include tables, chairs, gazebos, crockery, cutlery and glassware. This is being managed by Woodbury Events, a small company established last year with three directors, Chris Lear, Chris Sheppard and Julia Thornton, and other volunteers. It is a strictly not-for-profit company with the objective of organising occasional events for the benefit of the community, local charities, clubs and societies.
A donation will be requested for the use of these items in order to further these objectives and increase the available stock. If you would like an inventory or to check availability, please contact Chris Lear on 01395 232772/07941045918 or email on chrisalear06@gmail.com. WOODBURY NEWS is available online and via Facebook and Twitter.
WOODBURY TENNIS CLUB
The summer playing season has ended. All matches were completed. Men’s A were in a tough division and will be demoted; the B team fared well, coming third in the division with a possibility of promotion next season. The Mixed team were unfortunate to just miss out retaining their Div 5 status. However the high spot of the season was the Ladies team being runners-up in their division, with automatic promotion to Div 5.
The last Triples matches were played on 8 September with last year’s winners, Left and Rights, coming out on top again. Big thanks to all captains for ensuring we always had four players on court and to Garry Sheward for excellent organisation of Triples.
I am delighted that John Wingate is back on court so that the junior coaching programme was able to restart in September. Progress has been made with the hut replacement. With the help of Woodbury PC and Devon Tennis, funding is in place, but some of it is interest-free loans which must be paid back within three years. It is hoped that by early November there will be a new wooden pavilion on site.
Pat BrowneWOODBURY WOMEN’S INSTITUTE
Our speaker for September was Richard Kenwood on Willow and Weaving. The first thing he did was to fill the stage behind him with some of the many baskets and other articles that he and his wife make out of willow, now as their fulltime occupations. This all began with a visit to the Malvern Show and seeing a stall from which he bought a kit. But to get to his current level of expertise took many years of training, including an adult education course at Totnes.
There are some 140 varieties of willow; the slender reeds are also called osiers and withies. Different treatments give them different colours. For example, to get the black colour, the willow must be steamed, and the lighter shades, stripped or split.
Nowadays, willow in the UK comes from the Somerset Levels, which never dry out. It is harvested in February, when it has lost its old leaves and before the new growth starts. Before it can be woven, the willow must be soaked for up to one month. At one stage in the UK, before the Industrial Revolution, every town and village would have had its own basket maker.
Whilst talking, Richard wove and completed a 6ft plant support for the garden, involving a double helix circular design, intricately woven through 12 strong uprights, kept in place at the start by being placed into pre-drilled holes in a wooden frame.
The structure was then lifted off all done in about 20 minutes! Richard explained that this would have a shelf life of about five years. This completed article was priced at £20, and given that I have bought metal ones that cost twice as much and last half as long, you can guess who bought this one! And for once, I have a beautiful piece of craftwork that does not say Made in China underneath it.
Richard and his wife sell their wickerwork mostly around the small local shows, rather than having a stall at Malvern which might cost £5,000. They have tried mail order, but delivery charges proved an obstacle to that. Their other source of income is running courses (all materials supplied) generally half day, whole day, or sometimes two days long. At present, most of these are held in Woodbury village hall. The grandest course so far, in terms of location, was for the Duchess of Gloucestershire and friends, at Bowood House. I think lunch was provided for that one! Richard also undertakes commissions, the most interesting so far being a goal for polo matches.
Their workshop on a temporary basis is in an outbuilding at Rydon Farm in Woodbury. Richard trades under the name of Windrush Willow. Email: windrushw@aol.com.
Thursday 12 October, 14.00, Alex Leger: The Military.
Thursday 9 November, 14.00, Christmas Decoration.
Thursday 14 December, Christmas lunch at the Maltsters. Trish Willey
WOODBURY AND DISTRICT ROYAL BRITISH LEGION REMEMBRANCE DAY 2023
SATURDAY 11 NOVEMBER, 10.50 for 11.00
On the village green at the war memorial
No official poppy wreaths, but individual wreaths can be laid at the short service.
SUNDAY 12 NOVEMBER, 14.45 for 15.00
On the village green at the war memorial
Laying of the various village organisations’ and groups’ poppy wreaths.
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.
THE CHURCH ROOMS AND WOODBURY ARTISTS
People living in our villages are fortunate not only in having access to excellent, well-cared-for facilities, but also being surrounded by people willing to volunteer for all manner of tasks, and others with a range of interests from gardeners to historians, musicians, sportsmen and women, and several talented artists.
The Church Rooms in Woodbury is available to hire at very reasonable rates. A charity under the auspices of the Woodbury Churchlands Trust, it provides a venue for use by the local community, particularly appropriate for holding smaller events.
Ruth and Jules are volunteers who have taken over the running this year of the Woodbury Living Advent Calendar, raising funds for three local charities. They are also introducing new initiatives, including selling WLAC tote bags, gift tags and Christmas cards, and are a planning a special event in the Church Rooms on 24 December (see page 14).
Meanwhile, Cath, Linda, Jules, Rosemary and Emma are coming together to share and showcase some of their work at a Christmas Craft Fayre. This will take place in the Church Rooms on Saturday 18 November from 10.00-14.00. Refreshments will be available, the profits from which will be donated to the Church Rooms. With a theme of sustainability, reusability and repurposing, these talented ladies will be showcasing sterling silver jewellery, handmade in Woodbury using 100% recycled silver; watercolour original and giclee prints, Christmas cards and framed collagraphs, and etching; and Jules will be selling fibre and felt articles using natural fabrics, and encouraging others to have a go at felting themselves. Additionally there will be a selection of wheel-thrown and slab-built earthenware pottery, as well as decorative baubles, made by Emma from plastic waste found during her litter-picks around villages and beaches and the lanes surrounding Woodbury.
& CAKE MORNINGS ON THE FIRST TUESDAY OF EVERY MONTH IN WOODBURY CHURCH ROOMS, 10.00 – 12.00. DO JOIN US!
We celebrated the first anniversary of the monthly coffee mornings in aid of Budleigh and District Hospiscare. It was a lovely day with many attendees sitting out and enjoying the sun. Over the past year we have raised £740, so a big thankyou to all who have supported this event, and those who have helped in various ways. We will continue to run the coffee mornings on the first Tuesday of the month, so look forward to seeing you all there.
Sue Hudson
WOODBURY HISTORY SOCIETY 2
NOVEMBER, 14.30, WOODBURY VILLAGE HALL THE
STORY OF DARTMOOR PRISON
A talk by Simon Dell, author, public speaker and walking guide. All very welcome, members free, visitors £4 at the door.
NB: this is an afternoon meeting.
Breaking the Cycle of Poverty through Education
<hope4kibera.org.uk> Charity Number 1189029
School development gathers pace!
In September’s Woodbury News, we reported on our recent support and review visit to our partners working in the Kibera slum and, especially, visiting the school which we support. If you haven’t seen the video, which summarises what has happened in the school and the future plans, please see https://youtu.be/ mJALoTFez5I.
Having first seen the school in 2019 as an empty building and deserted compound, featuring only a few chickens, it was amazing to return after four years and find a vibrant school with no fewer than 61 girls enjoying a firstclass education. Twenty-one of these students are sitting the final National School exams in November and are on track to get into publicly-funded universities and pursue their dreams. They are from the poorest families in the slum and what has happened is utterly life transforming. Honestly, it was like walking in a miracle!
We also saw further development in the school because our Kenyan partners had gained unexpected funds from improvements in currency exchange rates during a different project. They have invested that money in the school and half built a new block of classrooms. They now need to complete that block, so that in January next year they can admit two first classes, with those paying fees subsidising free places for more girls from the slums. This will move the enterprise a big step forward to self-sustainability. The budget needed to complete the building structure is £29,331.40, and I am delighted to report that the grant-giving trust which supports us has already agreed to cover that cost.
There are still some big needs to complete the school. Both the toilets and kitchen are ‘challenging’ to put it very politely. Top of the list is to provide a decent toilet block and washing facilities. That is our next target for fundraising. Please help us get this started by coming and having fun at our Autumn Quiz on Saturday 18 November (see page 36).
The students sitting the final exams needed some immediate extra support. Amongst other deficiencies there is no laboratory in the school yet so they have not experienced much lab work. With £1,000 from our fundraising prior to our trip, and from monies spare at the end of this school year, we have just sent out £4,269 for lab equipment and chemicals, three microscopes, two laptops and a school printer.
HOPE4KIBERA cont’d/...
On top of that, the amazingly generous donations to Linda Collins’ John o’Groats to Lands End bike ride and our other efforts enabled us to take £1,052 to fund shoes for 50 kids, give 12 food boxes to destitute widows who have families to feed, and fund 35 local pastors for a ‘teaching breakfast’. We are just sending out the remainder, no less than £3,110, to cover the immediate financial and medical needs of the widows we visited during our trip and to provide annual ‘NHS’ cover for other families in need. Thanks to all our supporters for enabling us to have such a positive impact on the lives of people whose only horizon is surviving another day.
Come to the Quiz and keep the ball rolling on Saturday 18 November at 19.00 in Woodbury village hall. Only £7.50 to include nibbles, cake and a hot drink. BYOB. To enter: Email <admin@hope4kibera.org.uk> or call Sara Hurlock 01395 233319. Enter as a team of 4-6, or take pot luck and we will sort a team for you.
Join the journey and register for regular news or support at www.hope4 kibera.org.uk. Please consider becoming a regular donor, which helps us greatly. Charlie Collins, Chair H4K
WOODBURY SALTERTON NEWS
HOLY TRINITY CHURCH
Bacon Butties Are Here Again!
On Saturday 7 October we resume our winter programme of monthly coffee mornings with bacon butties from 09.30 until 10.30 in church on the first Saturday of each month.
The Swede Rolling event has unfortunately had to be postponed due to a technical hitch over the road closure. Plans are already in place for this to take place next year.
Bibles for Schoolchildren
The church is giving a child-friendly edition of the bible to each child starting in reception at our village school instead of giving them a bible when they leave to go on to senior school. It was felt that the children would be more likely to read their bibles as they hear bible stories during their time at junior school.
Ruth Parsons’ 100th Birthday
At the service on 3 September Debbie Jung (Churchwarden) asked Ruth’s daughter Jo, a member of our congregation, to pass on the good wishes of the church to Ruth and said how people had enjoyed meeting her at her tea party in the village hall.
Katharine Wheeler
Thank you to everyone who contributed so kindly to Ruth Parsons’ 100th birthday celebration – by leaving messages or cards, phoning, visiting, sending flowers or taking part in her celebration in Woodbury Salterton village hall on Saturday 2 September. During the latter, we enjoyed a cream tea and each other’s company. Ruth had a book of photos of her life, which began with her childhood in East Budleigh where her father was the vicar. She married John, a Royal Marine, and with him and her three children, Jeremy, Joanna and Philippa, she travelled and enjoyed service life. When he became principal of St Loyes College in Exeter, for retraining those with disabilities, Ruth became a nursing auxiliary in Exmouth Hospital, thus at last achieving her early aspiration to become a nurse instead of the PE teacher she actually trained to be. She loved this work which she did for ten years. Ruth loves living in Woodbury Salterton where she and John moved forty-five years ago. Although a lot less mobile, she remains remarkably fit for her century of living, and can be seen often going for a “wheelchair walk” around the village. She says ‘I was always told: “If you want to do something, don’t wait for help, do it anyway” - and I did.’
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.
WOODBURY SALTERTON C OF E PRIMARY SCHOOL
We have had a lovely start to the school year! Not only has the weather been wonderful, but it has been fantastic to see all of the children returning to school with smiling faces and such enthusiasm. Our new Reception children walked in with confidence on Wednesday and have settled very well indeed since. Miss Harvey-Jones has enjoyed visiting our three classes and is pleased to have seen all the children happy and already enjoying their learning.
The main theme for KS1 this term is Movers and Shakers. This project teaches children about historically significant people who have had a major impact on the world. They will learn to use timelines, stories and historical sources to find out about the people featured and use historical models to explore their significance.
The KS2 topic this term is Sow, Grow and Farm. This project teaches children about the features and characteristics of land use in agricultural regions across the world, including a detailed exploration of significant environmental areas. In October, we will be attending Farmwise at Westpoint Arena, which will teach the children about many different farming techniques and ways in which land is looked after in the UK. It will enable the children to experience farming first-hand and will really bring their learning to life.
Lucy, Administration TeamWEATHER REPORT FOR AUGUST
August was rather wet, unfortunate for both farmers and holiday makers, with 71mm (2.8ins) of rain recorded here at Ebford. This was well spread over three of the four weeks; the only dry spell was early between 5th and 11th.
Over the last ten years the monthly average rainfall for August is 68mm (2.7ins), individual values ranging between 28mm in 2022, fairly memorable, and 143mm in 2015. As said in the previous report, averages have little useful significance in any current situation!
Norman CannEXTON GARDEN CLUB
Creative Gardens with Bulbs. Lady Christine Skelmersdale
SATURDAY 7 OCTOBER, 14.30 - 16.00
EXTON VILLAGE HALL
Advance tickets £5 for non-members available from skellagher@btinternet.com
EXTON NEWS
ST ANDREW’S CHURCH - OCTOBER SERVICES
Sunday 1 Harvest Festival & 160 year Celebration of St Andrew’s, 18.00. Christine Grist.
Sunday 8 Holy Communion, 09.30. Revd Margaret Scrivener.
Sunday 15 Lay-led Service, 09.30.
EXTON GARDEN CLUB
We had an impressive turn out for our Plant Sale and Cream Tea in the village hall for the first Saturday in September.
Thank you to all villagers who supported us with seedlings, plants, produce, jam and flowers. Sandra Jewell and Bobby Johnson produced a ‘Diva’ performance in the kitchen serving up the cream teas, and Eileen Pratt with Wendy Brookes provided horticultural advice whilst selling plants.
We raised over £200 including a few doorstep sales afterwards.
ROUNDANDABOUT FUNDRAISING
Sarah KellagherIt is amazing how smiles and the sun shining help with people’s generosity. My four grandchildren spent several hours at the bookstall outside my house greeting passers-by and becoming entrepreneurs with their selling skills. They were thrilled to have made a total of £45 in sales and my eldest grandson, using my app We Buy Books, made a total of £27. Once books have been available for some time, I then usually use this app to recycle before moving them on. I would like to thank everyone who has bought books and those who drop books off for me to sell. FORCE appreciates all contributions that are raised.
Please feel free to walk up the drive if books are not out due to bad weather.
Chris LearBEES AT YONDER OAK WOOD
At Yonder Oak Wood there has been another exciting development. The Woodland Trust is carefully monitoring and encouraging the current flora and fauna in what will become the new wood. It will soon be a refuge for plants, insects and other wildlife that is under pressure. So as well as hoping to provide a safe area for bumblebees, the trust has provided potential homes for wild honey bees. On the last day in July this year the artificial nests were erected at Yonder Oak.
The beekeeper responsible came down from Hampshire with the three hives in the back of his pickup, along with ladders and a host of ropes and pulleys. Each nest consists of a length of softwood tree trunk bored out to seem like a hollow tree, the point being that in the countryside there are fewer and fewer mature trees that can offer bees their natural home. Each log is about 1.3m long with the centres bored out to approx. 25cm and with three entrance holes bored through to the nest cavity. Together with the other volunteers helping, we rubbed the inside of the logs with propolis to encourage scout bees to venture inside. We also pinned three pieces of old comb to the lid to encourage comb building from the top down, which is what the bees would naturally do. The old black comb was in a plastic box. Some of the cells still contained a little honey. Honey being the only natural food that never goes off, after about ten minutes a bee found the box. In another fifteen minutes half a dozen bees were flying around the box and after another fifteen minutes there were probably a hundred and fifty bees making quite a noise. So the first bees had flown back to their home and told their sisters, through the waggle dance, where this food source lay. It’s easy to forget these amazing creatures have a brain. All the bees coming in and departing were on the same line of flight. The lid was fixed and covered with a wad of fibreglass and covered with a heavy plastic liner that we nailed on, to retain warmth in the nest over winter. Then these heavy logs were winched up the chosen trees after any small branches had been trimmed away to allow a snug fit to the tree trunk. Once in the correct position, the nest logs were secured with nylon tie-down traps tensioned on a ratchet.
The organisation and the development of each individual bee within the colony is fascinating. The queen is in charge. Her pheromones give the colony its identity and also inhibit the development of the worker bees who are also female. She mates in flight with a number of male drones storing their sperm in her abdomen. At the height of the laying season, she may be laying two eggs a minute, the vast majority of which are fertilized and therefore female; however, if she reverses into a larger cell, she will not fertilize the egg and it will become a haploid male with half the chromosomes of a female. As she ages and her pheromone levels drop, the workers begin building drone cells and as the number of males rises, they build queen cells as well as to trigger swarming. The workers take an egg from a worker cell and place it in the extra large queen cell with a lot of royal jelly secreted from glands in the heads of young bees. This transforms a worker egg into a much larger young queen. She does the intelligent thing and scarpers before the old queen can get hold of her, taking a lot of the workers with her as a swarm. The scouts who have been out looking for a suitable home could potentially lead her to Yonder Oak Wood’s waiting hives and into the five-star accommodation provided, but not until next May. Listening to the beekeeper, who has put up many such hives all over the West Country and on into Wales, re-kindled my interest in bees. Naturally you will know our fruit, flowers and vegetables depend on bees, the major pollinators, and yet we continue to produce and spray bee-killing chemicals, destroying 150,000,000 years of evolutionary perfection without a second thought. Richard Pleydell, Woodland Trust volunteer at Yonder Oak Wood
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
From Stephen G Derges – Christ Church Woodbury
I was particularly interested to read the article in the August edition of Woodbury News about the long-standing dispute between Revd J L Fulford of St Swithun’s and Dr Robert Brent which ultimately led to the formation of Christ Church Woodbury. The article gave the impression that this disagreement was never “put to rest” but my understanding is that eventually the Church of England hierarchy did endorse the then Christ Church Woodbury as a Free Church of England.
Since those times, Christ Church has been the home of other Christian denominations – Congregational and Baptist and is now the meeting place of an Independent Evangelical Church which moved there in 1969 from a previous not-fit-for-purpose building in the village.
As the current Chair of Trustees, I’d like to confirm the leadership of Christ
Church Woodbury is fully committed to working with St Swithun’s (and indeed the White Cross Mission Community) in a range of activities. We regularly meet with the leadership of St Swithun’s, and have worked together for many years in organising various community and civic events.
These include the annual Carols on the Green event, taking part in Armistice and Remembrance Day services, as well as cooperating together for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and King’s Coronation celebrations and Community Fun Days. In the last two years we’ve also jointly arranged the Good Friday Walk of Witness in the village. Philosopher and author George Santayana once said, “Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” Thankfully, whatever the checkered original history of our two Christian churches in the village may have been, we’ve definitely moved on and we will continue to make every effort to work together wherever possible to share our Christian faith.
SMUGGLING IN DEVON
There have been several books and articles written about smuggling in the West Country naming one or two famous smugglers (including Jack Rattenbury from Beer). It was a constant fight by the authorities to catch the many men and women involved in bringing in contraband. When the offenders were caught they were taken before the Justices of the Peace at the Devon Quarter Sessions. There are countless records of these offences in the early 19th century which name the culprits, what they were smuggling and where they were caught. The punishment meted out was different for seafaring men and for those who organized or stored the contraband. Seamen were condemned to spend five years in the Royal Navy, and the other offenders were fined £100 (proximately £4,500 in modern money) with a lengthy time spent in gaol until the money was paid. It is easy to see how difficult it was for the excise officers to contain the large amount of smuggling that was going on in East and South Devon when one sees the number of small coves along the coast. So where were these men captured? The Court records name the capture of boats in the Bristol Channel (used to describe the sea off the Devon coast) or the British Channel. Men and women were also convicted of storing contraband or moving it across the land. In 1825 a woman from Branscombe, the wife of a labourer, was fined £100 for having a gallon of smuggled foreign brandy which was seized from her at Salcombe Regis. The punishment was the same for smuggling large amounts of contraband at
sea or for storing small amounts on land – in both cases the goods were seized. Men were also prosecuted for lighting a bonfire in Beer as a signal to smugglers. What were these men smuggling? All cases recorded name the goods as brandy and geneva, which was a type of gin. The excise duty on these drinks brought over from the continent was an important tax for the government, and for the smugglers a secret source of income. In 1796 an annual licence to sell beer and other drinks, except brandy, rum and geneva, cost £1. 17s 6d; a further charge of £2. 4s was made for a licence to sell ‘foreign wine’; and to sell distilled liquors the licence cost £6. 6s. A sloop in the Bristol Channel off the coast of Dorset was captured carrying 387 gallons of brandy and 312 gallons of geneva. Six men were caught off the Exmouth coast smuggling 90 gallons of brandy and 60 gallons of geneva. Four seamen were sentenced to serve in the Royal Navy for carrying 100 gallons each of brandy and geneva. John Rattenbury’s boat was caught carrying 70 gallons of brandy and 69 gallons of geneva off the Devon coast. Rattenbury was fined £100! In 1827 a boat was found to contain 335 gallons of brandy and 82 gallons of geneva (152 casks). The perpetrators were three seamen (condemned to serve in the Royal Navy), and two Frenchmen who were fined £100 each. According to the size of the ship and the numbers involved, the hoard of contraband ranged from small quantities on a small boat to the larger amounts listed above. A man from East Budleigh was fined for ‘harbouring’ three pints of brandy, and another from the same parish for holding two quarts of brandy and seven pints of geneva. Possibly these men were innkeepers of the parish or were selling the drink on to the licensed trade. At the same time another man from Budleigh Salterton, was fined for having in his possession three and a half pints of brandy and five and a half pints of geneva. All the men were fined £100. Some of those convicted were caught carrying their contraband to another parish: a Sidbury man was convicted of taking one four-gallon cask of brandy and geneva to Otterton, and a man from Lympstone was convicted of carrying away three gallons of brandy and three of geneva.
