Edition 169 - August 2017

EDITORIAL

Before anything else I must say a sincere thank you to Sue and Mike of Napps for kindly sponsoring, once again, the cover of the August issue.

But "Why?" you might be thinking, is Hartland featured. Well, the explanation is thanks to Be and the article on page 14, the photos being taken on the travel through Devon.

By the time you read this, schools will have broken up and let's hope that that is not a signal for summer to disappear! We cannot grumble too much, the weather has been reasonable - Wimbledon passed with few matches cancelled although at present the Open golf at Birkdale is not fairing too well and it is lashing down here!

Our best wishes, as always, to all those unwell and to all newcomers to the village.

There are some dates to put in your diary or on your calendar: the annual Horticultural and Craft Show in a few weeks, the recommencement of the Badminton Club, St. Peter's Church Harvest Service and Supper, the Beaford Performance event at Bodstone Barton and the Wine Circle will resume on the 18th October.

My thanks for all the contributions: to Paul and Debbie for their illustrations and all the regular contributors.

"What could I contribute?" Please start thinking now and put pen to paper - a seasonal recipe, a tip, a favourite poem, congratulations, holiday photograph, gift idea, etc. All would be very welcome at Chicane, the Shop or e-mail as soon as possible and by Thursday 7th September latest. Thanks.

Judie - Ed

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MANOR HALL TRUST

The Annual General Meeting took place on the 5th July. This was a meeting in two parts. First the AGM for the Manor Hall Trust, Charitable Incorporated Organisation [CIO] No. 1169090 which was registered in September 2016, and regarding which consent from the Charity Commission for the switch over to the new charity was received on the 20th June this year.

This was followed by the AGM for the Berrynarbor Manor Hall Trust, Registered Charity No. 300763 (the existing charity), at which the Accounts for 2016-17 were circulated and approved. The Chairman spoke to his Annual Report for 2016-17. Items covered were the general use of the Hall and the new booking conditions, security, fund raising, the structure and repair of the Manor House wing roof, as well as the conversion to a CIO. With regard to the Committee, Julia Fairchild had been welcomed to the Committee in February 2017.

Appointment of Trustees [Committee Members]

The Committee were re-elected with the exception of Eileen Hobson, representing the North Devon Spinners, who stood down. The Chairman thanked Eileen for her work on the Committee and welcomed Louise Baddick, who will represent the Spinners in future.

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ST. PETER'S CHURCH

With the holiday season in full swing, we have been welcoming visitors to our church services - from this country and from Holland, Germany, Canada and New Zealand. One gentleman from Holland had cycled from that country and then cycled all the way from Dover in Kent, calling in to Berrynarbor on his final leg to Land's End! One very amusing incident was his request to charge up his mobile 'phone in church, for which we were happy to oblige, so that he could call his mother back in Holland to tell her that he had arrived safely here in Berrynarbor! Without exception, all visitors say to us - coupled with messages in our visitors' book - what a beautiful church this is in such a beautiful village, and how everyone is so welcoming and friendly. We, serving on the PCC, make every effort to welcome everyone to St. Peter's and long may that continue. Canon Michael Rogers, Bill Cole and George Billington are conducting services on a regular basis and visits to the School and wider community are welcomed by all.

On a very sad note, which we were unable to record in the June issue, the sudden and unexpected death of Sue Kemp was a terrible blow to us all. Sue was a member of our church community and a regular sidesman for all services as well as helping to keep the church clean and spotless - nothing was too much trouble for Sue - and we miss her dearly! Our thoughts and prayers go out to her husband, Simon, Joan and to Ian and Kate Kemp.

Berrynarbor Choir sadly lost Linda Lunn in June following a long illness, and our choir sang a special tribute to her and her family at the funeral service held in Ilfracombe Parish Church.

Our Annual Gift Day was held on Wednesday 21st June, and we are extremely grateful for all the kind donations received from villagers and visitors alike. This year the day was combined with a very special Teddy Bear Abseiling event for pupils from both Berrynarbor Pre-School and Primary School. The teddy bears were abseiled from the top of the church tower, some 30 metres high, with much excitement from the children. All received a special certificate to commemorate the event!

In all, 91 teddy bears successfully abseiled down, although, to be truthful some actually turned up in the shape of a tiger, a monkey, a polar bear, a wolf, a jellyfish and even a 6-foot wiggly snake! Ah well! Everyone had a great time on probably the hottest day of the year, and we must really thank all those bellringers and helpers who stayed all day on top of the tower to make things happen. Well done to you all!

 

Illustrated by: Debbie Rigler-Cook

We are planning an Antique Fayre fund raising event, for both the Church and Macmillan Cancer Support, with Cheese and Wine refreshments on Friday, 22nd September to be held in the Manor Hall. We are currently waiting to hear from the antique specialists as to the time they can arrive on the day, and their visiting fee. We shall, therefore, be advertising this event in late August with all details, so look out for posters. Meanwhile, make a note of the date and please search your homes/lofts etc., for any artifacts you may possess in readiness for what should be a thoroughly enjoyable evening.

In conclusion, we must not forget to offer our thoughts and prayers for all those who are ill at this time, and for those who are waiting to have treatment in hospital.

Our services for August and September, commencing at 11.00 a.m. are:

• Village Service,
• 2nd Sunday: Holy Communion
• 3rd Sunday: Songs of Praise
• 4th Sunday: Holy Communion

Our Sunday morning Harvest Service will be on the 1st October at 11.00 a.m. Our Harvest Supper will be held on Wednesday 4th October at 6.30 for 7.00 p.m. Tickets will be available from the PCC Committee members and the Community Shop - £6 to include free first drink.

Friendship Lunches will be held on the last Wednesday of the month at The Globe, meeting at 12.00 for 12.30 p.m.

Stuart Neale

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OUR RON

Our Ron was 101 on the 15th July and we send him our congratulations and wish him many happy returns.

Ron would like to this opportunity to thank everyone for their good wishes, for the very many cards he received, the family for coming to celebrate with him and the visitors who called in to wish him well. But also, a big thank you to the girls at Lee Lodge who take such good care of him.

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QUICK QUOTE

"Success has a thousand fathers but failure is an orphan."

The origins of this quotation are believed to be attributed to Julius Agricola as written by the Roman historian Tacitus about 98AD. Translated from the Latin, "This is an unfair thing about war: victory is claimed by all, failure to one alone."

In 1961, responding to a question from a journalist about the Bay of Pigs invasion, John F. Kennedy said, "There is an old saying, victory has a thousand fathers and defeat is an orphan."

A "thousand" is often quoted as "a hundred" or "many", and "failure" as "defeat".

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IN MEMORY

SUSAN CARINA KEMP
29.7.1955 - 08.05.2017

Sue's parents, Bill and Joan, were married in 1948. Bill worked for the Foreign Office D.W.S. [Diplomatic Wireless Service]. Their first posting abroad was to Trieste where Sue's sister, Patricia, was born in 1949. In 1955, while working in Jordan, Sue arrived. Patricia went to boarding school but Sue wanted to stay with her parents and travel with them to the various postings which included Vietnam [during the conflict], India, Singapore, Germany, Swaziland and Poland.

The last few years of Bill's working life with the Foreign Office were spent in Bletchley before he retired. At that time Sue had a job with Social Services, and her sister had married and was living in Australia. So, in 1980 Bill, Joan and Sue moved to Berrynarbor and Sue managed to move to the DSS Office in Barnstaple.

We were married in St. Peter's on the 5th May 1988, and one of Sue's delights was arriving at the church by fire engine! I had an interest in old fire engines and this was one I owned.

 

A 'selfie' taken in the Yorkshire Dales, September 2016

We soon settled down to a very happy married life in the Sterridge Valley and Sue continued her work for the DHS. Later she left to join Ian, Kate and myself in running the Caravan Park in the Valley.

In 1998, we sold the Caravan Park and in 2000 Sue and I purchased a boat called Sorry Shark. She was kept at Watermouth Harbour where we also joined the Yacht Club, supporting it and helping out with events.

We spent many happy hours going to various places in the Bristol Channel but our favourite was Lundy Island.

We managed to have some fantastic holidays and were frequent visitors to the Isles of Scilly. Our first big holiday was to New Zealand via Singapore where Sue showed me the places she knew so well whilst she was there with her parents. Then it was a cruise around South America rounding Cape Horn and visiting the Falkland Isles. Our next holiday was to Cape Town to join the RMS Saint Helena, setting sail for the Isle of

St. Helena before going on to Ascension Isle. We really fell in love with the island and Sue said it was like nothing she had experienced before.

Shortly after, a rare opportunity came up to visit Tristan da Cunha, the most remote inhabited island in the world. Again, this was on board the RMS Saint Helena, so we returned to Cape Town to board her for Tristan da Cunha and a second visit to St. Helena.

[Sue and Simon told us all about their trip to the most remote inhabited island in the world in the February 2014 issue of the Newsletter. This very interesting article can still be seen on the website www.berrynarbor-news.co.uk.]

More recently we have enjoyed two boating holidays on the Caledonian Canal and several trips to the Yorkshire Dales. One new experience for us was to hire a narrow boat to travel the Llangollen Canal.

Sue was a regular attendant at St. Peter's Church. She was a sidesperson, on the church cleaning rota and helped out at activities such as church fetes and so on. Her faith was important to her and she served the Lord in many ways, not just in the church but outside in the community. She will be sadly missed by us all.

Sue loved her garden but also her birds. She would feed and care for the many wild birds that visited our garden, always cleaning the feeders and washing out the water bowls to prevent infections. So, it was very fitting that her garden was the last place she would know.

Sue was the very best wife I could imagine, and her absence will leave a large hole in my life. I shall miss her tremendously.

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CROSSWORD CORNER
Dave Beagley

Solution in Article 25.

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LAND'S END TO JOHN O'GROATS

It was on her Bucket List

She announced it on Easter Monday, at the dinner table, as we caught up on the family news.

"I've decided," she said, "When I've finished my treatment; I'm going from Land's End to John O'Groats on my electric bike."

The treatment was her final course of chemotherapy which was due in a few weeks, treatment that she had undergone over many months, and the electric bike was something she used to commute into Bristol from her home just outside the city.

"It's on my bucket list." she said. It was funny to hear those North and South place names mentioned again so recently. I reached for the iPad and brought up a saved picture taken from a Facebook page my husband had shown me only a few days before and handed it to my sister. The Garbage Run, it said, an open invitation from Nathan Millward - bike traveller - to ride, from Land's End to John O'Groats on May the 13th meeting at 9.30 a.m. in the Visitors' Centre car park; to go on an adventure with complete strangers on not electric push bikes, but motorbikes, in fact any motorbike, but mostly bikes which were classed as 'Garbage.'

Her eyes widened as she read, and I knew the deal was done, she wouldn't need persuading. She had a chemotherapy treatment to complete before then, and a week to recover, by which time she would have regained enough strength; I knew my time was my own and that my husband would be happy for me to go and spend quality time with my sister.

We raced up to the cow shed and took a look at the potential transport which had been, what looked like abandoned next to the gate, a muddy, yet reliable CRF Honda 230 which my husband and I used off road around

the farm for sheep worrying and gentle persuasion. A tool which had bode us well over the winter months and into the lambing season; a bike which always started first time, it would easily traverse a steep field and keep up with any wayward stock, and equally and reliably take us from Land's End to the northern tip of Scotland. She took it for a spin around the field, and came back all smiles to a farmyard full of family who thought it a crazy idea. I knew there would be no backing out or stepping down on both our parts; there was simply no good reason not to do it.

So now the farm bike needed to be made legal: the tyres needed to be changed, mirrors, lights and indicators botched and added, and there was insurance and an MOT to negotiate. We soon realised we didn't even have the correct documents but that wasn't going to stop us, it was all do-able in the few weeks we had.

Taking the campervan as well was a necessity, the only way we could accomplish it. It was a place to sleep, a place to take refuge, to cook, to be warm and important if my sister became unwell and started to flag.

So that was that.

We arrived in Land's End on the 13th of May like nervous teenagers, and we left with approximately 30 strangers on a mish mash of bikes; from Honda c90's, to Vespers, from Enfields to Triumphs, and from Suzukis to Hondas, even a Yamaha Tricity 125, all led by Nathan Millward on his trusty postie bike, Dorothy, the very bike he had travelled back on overland from Australia to the UK a few years before. We spent 8 nights meandering through glorious England, beautiful Wales and stunning Scotland.

With the throttle open, we snaked our way up the country absorbing the scenery as we went. There were no short cuts, in fact we went the long way round, travelling over 1500 miles to get there. We saw the most beautiful scenery, encountered the most extreme weather and both spent many solitary hours driving without conversation in contemplation, as we travelled further north. I could write a book on the characters that joined us, top quality people, and on the antics, the jokes, the stories, and the awe-inspiring adventure we were all undertaking on our own personal journeys. At times we said to each other, "You couldn't make it up!"

We laughed, oh, how we laughed, and at times we cried, mostly with joy; and those bikes that we joined were as characterful as the people who we had the privilege to ride with. They were young, they were retired, they were experienced, all full of spirit, generosity, and had true grit.

With approximately 180 miles being covered a day, my sister being stronger in the mornings rode the bike first, and I rode it in the afternoon; and If you weren't riding the bike you were driving the camper so there was little time for sightseeing. My mornings in the camper were spent catching up with the posse for a lunchtime switch over when I silently drove and contemplated what I was undertaking on this. oh so important item, on my sister's bucket list. The afternoon on the bike for me was full of freedom as we pushed further north where more emotions seemed to accumulate inside us all, and as the imminent end to our adventure was approaching, nobody wanted it to end. It did though, as all good things do, where a group of strangers at the start had become friends, who had accomplished something together, and now perhaps had misgivings about returning home to normality.

But return home we did, after eight days, taking 16 hours of non-stop driving with our trusty steed wedged in the back of the camper, with our damp, grubby belongings and bedding strewn on top. The other misfit bikes and their owners dispersed homeward and we ebbed south, returning to where we had started what seemed weeks before.

So, this is my moment on the Garbage Run, a poignant week, a fun packed, exhausting segment of my life, where I wandered, wondered, rode and drove. I don't proclaim to be a biker at all, but my sister and I rode like the best of them, and for that short time we had our faces to the elements, come rain or shine, nose north, and with a grin from ear to ear. We left the shadows of life behind us with not a care in the world. It was a true break from normality, from the pressures of work, and of time constraints. Those bikes, my sister and the others on the Garbage Run didn't miss a beat, didn't complain but soldiered on and were anything but garbage - what a week it was!

And the bike? Which incidentally had no name, but became known as 'Horse'. Well it's back where it's happiest; with its knobbly tyres refitted, and splattered with mud, with a belly entwined with grass and nettles, it thrashes across the farm on a daily basis and still soldiers on.

My sister? Well, she is now the proud owner of a Honda Rebel and the Jury is still out on what I'm saving up for.

Be Barten

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FROM THE VILLAGE SHOP & POST OFFICE

As They Like It - They come to Berry and they come to praise us, as a mixed up Mark Antony might once have said [humble apologies to the famous bard]. Visitors to our beautiful village have been putting pen to paper to say how much they have enjoyed their visit and have been delighted and amazed at the value and quality of produce on sale in our award-winning shop.

Since a visitors' book was introduced to the Shop only a couple of months' ago, it has already recorded that visitors come here from far and wide - from Canada, the USA, France and, of course, a bit closer to home from London, the Midlands and elsewhere in the West Country.

They are all united in their praise for what's on offer. A visitor from the very trendy Greenwich in London, where you can buy just about anything and everything, wrote that the shop was 'A wonderful resource, the local produce amazing!'

The shop's management team work extremely hard to make sure that as much of what's on offer is sourced locally at very competitive prices. In fact, many of the products stocked are cheaper than you could get at the local supermarkets.

If you haven't paid the Shop a visit recently, pop in soon and see just what's making our visitors so enthusiastic. You won't be disappointed!

Besshill Orders - If you like Besshill meat [who doesn't?] but can't find what you want on our shelves, just have a word with Debbie or Karen and they will order in whatever you want. The very good news is that it won't cost you any more than in Besshill's own shops. Another example of our village shop going the extra mile so you don't have to!

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NEWS FROM THE PRIMARY SCHOOL

So, we have come to the end of another school year with the final few weeks a bustle of sports events, educational day trips, the Summer Fayre, residential trips, a theatre performance, Year 6 visits to their future secondary schools, our September intake making weekly afternoon visits to class 1 and then, on the last day of term, the Leavers' Assembly and Presentation of Awards with our Year 6 children making their farewell speeches. It was definitely a celebration tinged with sadness but full of hope and expectation for the future.

In amongst all this business the children have still been concentrating on their academic studies. Here is one of the poems Cranberry Class [class 2] have written:

Our School Garden

We'd like to say a big thank you to all who came to our Summer Fayre, especially those who donated prizes or helped out at the event. It was a lovely evening in all ways. The weather was perfect so we were able to utilise the outside space as well as inside the Manor Hall and there was plenty for everyone to do, from games to tombola, to a Prize Draw. Always popular, the photo booth had a great selection of whacky items to put on before striking a pose. There was plenty to sustain the inner man, too, with a barbecue, beer tent, tea, coffee and cakes.

In late June, some of Elderberry Class went on a residential trip to London and had a great time visiting a variety of interesting places as well as spending an evening at the theatre. Those who didn't go to London spent three days doing special activities locally. Midway through July Blueberry Class went to Beam House for two nights and had a great time doing a variety of outdoor activities. The younger children in Cranberry

Class [year 2] had a sleepover with their counterparts at West Down School. For some this was their first night away from family, so it helped that they were in a familiar place with staff they knew well.

Once SATs were over, Years 5 and 6 started rehearsing for their play Ali Baba and the Bongo Bandits. Earlier in the year there was uncertainty about the venue for the performance but, happily, they were able to use the Landmark Theatre, so had the full experience of performing on a proper stage with all the props and technical details that entails. What a fantastic evening - it was full of song, drama and laughter! Well done to them all and to Mr. Jones and Mrs. Davies who coached and guided them.

Blueberry Class spent a brilliant day at Combe Martin on a Sea Safari and would like to thank Combe Martin Museum who organised such an interesting day.

There is so much more we could share with you. The results of the younger children's Growing Grub project filled their classroom with the earthy, fresh smell of carrots, beetroots and other vegetables just harvested from the garden. Sports Day was a great success and we were blessed with ideal weather. Earlier in June, some of the older children learnt safe cycling skills with Bikeability.

We are all looking forward to our summer break and wish our Year 6 children well as they leave us to move on to their secondary education. They have been an important part of our school community and we shall miss them.

We hope you all have a lovely summer and, once again, thank you for all the support you give to the school.

Sue Carey - Headteacher

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BADMINTON

Badminton Club restarts every Monday evening from 7.30 p.m. on Monday, 4th September, 7.30 p.m.

Everyone is welcome: old and new players and complete beginners, for whom rackets can be provided. Membership of the Club is £3.00 with a charge of £1.50 [under 16's 50p] per night to include a cuppa and biscuit.

Please just come along and join us on 4th September!

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THE BERRYNARBOR BIG BAT

Way back on 10th November 1928 Berrynarbor experienced the extraordinary sight of a large bat. As soon as dusk occurred, it would fly about the village.

With a wingspan of well over 12 inches, it would dive on women, momentarily landing on their heads and biting them, who would try to brush it off and screaming rush in to the nearest house.

There seemed no way to stop it.

A meeting, at Fred Watson's house, was called for anyone to attend.

The idea of shooting was mentioned, but this was not suitable as not everyone could carry a gun. Netting, again was not practicable. Finally, it was suggested that everyone should carry a stick.

This was the best idea and so many villagers made walking sticks from hedges or small trees.

Now Ginger Harris, who was walking home up Birdswell Lane late one evening, was attacked but fortunately he was carrying a stick and knocked it to the ground. It unsuccessfully tried to fly again, but Ginger hit it again and killed it. He went home and got a spade and buried it in Birdswell Lane.

Readers should bear in mind that it is against the law to kill bats these days.

Illustrated by: Paul Swailes

Tony Beauclerk - Stowmarket

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FROM THE PARISH COUNCIL

Snow & Flood Plans

The Parish Council has updated its Snow Plan and is in the process of producing a Flood Plan for the parish. To aid us with routes that need to be cleared during periods of adverse weather, we are asking that if you consider yourself a vulnerable person or are aware of a vulnerable person that may need access to and from their property, you let us know so the route can be highlighted in the plans.

Village Signs

The three, new wrought iron village signs, funded by Devon County Council and the Parish Council, have now been ordered and we look forward to seeing them at the main entrance points to the village in the near future.

Flag Design Competition

We have had several entries for the competition. The Parish Council would like to thank those who have entered and look forward to judging your entries in the near future.

North Devon Link Road Consultation

A public consultation is now open on the proposals for improvement, South Molton to Bideford. Further details can be found on Devon County Council's website www.devon.gov.uk/ndlr/. The consultation was open

until the 28th July 2017 when you were able to have your say and share your views at www.devon.gov.uk/haveyoursay.

Transform Aging Community Event

Devon Communities Together would like to hear from as many people as possible on their thoughts about the challenges people face as they age.

Transform Ageing [funded by the Big Lottery Fund], is a pioneering programme taking a design-led approach to improving people's experience of ageing. Over the past couple of months, they have brought people in later life, their carers and families, together with Social Entrepreneurs to explore some of the challenges people face as they age, with the aim of creating design briefs that Social Entrepreneurs can work from to deliver innovative solutions.

There is an invitation to attend the Community Day at Barnstaple Library on Friday 4th August 2017, 11.00 a.m. - 4.00 p.m. [Drop-in]

Bonfires

With all the lovely dry weather we are having, we are seeing an increase in bonfires. The Parish Council would ask that when planning a bonfire you consider your neighbours and the impact the time of day you choose may have on those around you. If a bonfire is a statutory nuisance which is having an unreasonable effect on someone's enjoyment of their home or garden the North Devon Council could take enforcement action.

Vicki Woodhouse - Clerk to the Parish Council

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CHILDHOOD LITERATURE

"Nothing in the world is quite as adorably lovely as a robin when he shows off and they are nearly always doing it." 
And it was the robin who showed them the way.

 

Frances Burnett
Herbert Rose Barraud (1845-1896)
Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett was published in 1911. Set in England, it is one of Burnett's most popular novels and is considered a classic of English children's literature. Several stage and film adaptations have been made.

Frances Eliza Hodgson-Burnett [24.11.1849-29.10.1924] was a British-American novelist and playwright, best known for the three children's novels, Little Lord Fauntleroy, A Little Princess and the Secret Garden. She was born in Cheetham, Manchester. After her father died in 1852, the family fell on hard times and in 1865 they emigrated to the Knoxville, Tennessee, where Frances began writing to help earn money, publishing stories from the age of 19.

Her mother died in 1870 and two years later Frances married Swan Burnett, a medical doctor. For two years the couple lived in Paris where their two sons were born, before returning to America, to Washington DC. It was here that she began writing her novels for both children and adults.

Burnett lived a lavish lifestyle, enjoying a social life as well as making frequent trips to England. In the 1980's she bought a house here, which is where she wrote The Secret Garden.

Sadly, her oldest son, Lionel, died of tuberculosis in 1890, and this brought on a relapse of the depression she had struggled with for most of her life. She divorced Swan in 1898, married Stephen Townsend in 1900 and divorced him two years later.

In later live she settled in Nassau County, Long Island, where she died in 1924.

 

Illustrator: Maria Louise Kirk
Frances Hodgson Burnett
Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Judie Weedon

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MARWOOD HILL GARDENS
www.marwoodhillgarden.co.uk

The second Folksy Theatre outdoor performance, the Princess and the Pig is on Thursday, 24th August at 6.30 p.m. To watch, bring your folding chairs, blankets and picnics. Phone for tickets on [0127] 342528.

The National Collection of Astilbes are currently looking stunning, the new bed plantings colourful and the Plant Sales full of gorgeous plants.

The Gardens will be closing on the 30th September, but for October visiting and special winter events, please again ring [01271] 342528.

Why not drop in to the Tea Room and look at the local crafts for sale and start your Christmas shopping early!

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NEWS FROM BERRYNARBOR PRE-SCHOOL

A First Taste of Education

At Berrynarbor Pre-school, we provide care and education for young children between the ages of 2 and 5. Presently we have spaces available and are now taking bookings. If you would like to book a place for your child/children then please visit us or call us on our NEW telephone No. 07932 851052 or email preschoolberrynarbor@gmail.com for more information.

Our opening times are 8.30am - 4.00pm Monday to Friday.

We are flexible and have a range of session times to meet your needs:

We are Ofsted registered and in receipt of the 2 year-old funding and Early Years Entitlement. We are offering 30 hours free childcare to eligible families. Further information in regards to this funding can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/30-hours-free-childcare-eligibility.

This Last term we have fully enjoyed the sunny days and made full use of the new garden area. The beans grew well as did all our fruit shrubs. The visit from the RHS judges was positive and they asked questions about the children's learning, about our environment and the sustainability of the garden area. We hope that we helped the Berry in Bloom team achieve an award from the RHS Britain in Bloom competition.

We also enjoyed a lovely day trip to Quinces Honey Farm, reinforcing knowledge and learning more about the importance of having bees in our gardens.

Our topic of travel and transport was enjoyed by both the children and the adults. Many imaginary adventures were had by visiting China and seeing giant panda bears, to going down the Amazon River and eventually going to Russia by train and tram. We are ending the term aboard a pirate ship using our maps to search for treasure. Lots of work on letters and sounds, promoting letter recognition and writing was delivered in a fun and exciting way.

We hope you all have an enjoyable summer break and return fit and well ready for a busy autumn term, when we'll we welcoming all our new families and children to our Pre-school and hope they enjoy their learning journey with us.

We wish all our children leaving us all the best in their new schools.

A note from our committee

We are looking for anyone who would be willing to join our committee.

Each year, a new committee is agreed, and in the case of not being able to form one, it simply means the Pre-school has to close its doors. It hasn't happened yet! But we have seen it happen to nearby pre-schools when the parents, and/or community members can't manage to get a committee together.

Therefore, we are seeking people who would be committed to supporting the Pre-school in a voluntary role, to undertake a DBS check and generally support us.

We shall be holding an Open Day on Saturday 16th September 2017 at the Pre-school, next to the Manor Hall, 11.00 a.m. to 1.00 p.m. It is an opportunity to meet the existing committee members for an informal chat, meet the staff and see the Pre-school's facilities and how it supports the community.

It is important to understand how Berrynarbor Pre-school runs. We should certainly love to hear any fun ideas for fundraising for the Pre-school or you may have some handy contacts that could be interested in becoming a member.

We really hope that all parents can make this Open Day and anyone from the community and that the sun will be shinning so people can bring a picnic and enjoy a fun morning with us. We shall also be drawing the winners for our Grand Prize Draw.

This year's Committee AGM will be held on Monday 2nd October at 7.00 p.m. at the Pre-school. Without your input or support Pre-school cannot open or provide a service.

Clothes Recycling

We shall be fundraising this way again and will confirm the date as soon as Bag2School can arrange a collection date. Keep a look out for posters and start sorting out your wardrobes and drawers for any unwanted clothes.

We are still collecting used ink cartridges [exclusions apply so please see the box at Pre-school. We can get as much as £1 per ink cartridge! So, if you have any used ink cartridges that are accepted, please place them in the box at Pre-school. We are also registered to accept laser jet ink cartridges, so if you use them at your work place, we'd be grateful to recycle them and fundraise at the same time.

Please tell your friends and family about our two recycling schemes to raise funds for our Pre-school.

Thank you.

From all the Staff at Berrynarbor Pre-school,

Sue, Karen and Lynne

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RURAL REFLECTIONS - 80

Do any readers know of an old fashioned, pedantic sender of text messages? If not, then I must be the first. Not that it's anything to do with owning a mobile phone where, in order to obtain the letter 'c', you have to press the 'abc' button three times. Far from it. Like many others I own an iPhone that comes with predictive text. It does, however, have one disadvantage. It does not predict punctuation marks. Is this, then, the reason why, had certain friends and relatives tapped away what you have read so far, it would be one continual sentence?

I find the consequence infuriating as it leads me to expend needless effort deciphering how the sentences should be constructed and so lose the complete gist of the message in the process. And if the sender starts adding abbreviations, I am liable to go into meltdown. Text talk amongst the younger generation is now as common as two blackbirds communicating their evensong at dusk; but whilst the blackbirds are capable of producing a wealth of tunes by subtle variations, I do wonder if they can compete with the 1461 abbreviations that allow a text sender to shorten their message - source: webopedia.com July 2017. This amount rather puts me to shame. I know just one - although I did recently discover it had two meanings, not that it stops me from tapping in full 'lots of love' or 'ha ha!', as it seems to make the expressions more sincere.

Anything that is popular will by nature expand. Hardly surprising, therefore, that the facility to access the internet, send e-mails or carry out other countless actions on a mobile phone, has led to scenes such as rows of horizontal heads along a railway platform in the rush hour - to name just one site.

Illustrated by Paul Swailes

I, too, began a love affair with my iPhone, until, that is, I made a conscious effort to cut the umbilical cord whilst stood upon a platform at Bristol Templemeads station. Having placed my iPhone deep within my pocket I kept my head vertical and scanned the vista. No disrespect to the city - it's a place I love - but the view from the station is far from inspiring. So instead I glanced around the station and happened to notice a row of pictures along the wall behind me. Each one, done by various local artists, depicted areas of Bristol both urban and rural. With time on my hands, I began studying each picture before moving onto the next. At first I felt very self-conscious, by the third picture a little less so. On reaching the last one I looked back along the wall and noticed a passenger who had been idly waiting for our train, just like me, moving to the second picture along having contemplated the first. Could this become a craze, I wondered? Perhaps I should try it at the height of the rush hour.

Of course, mobile phone addiction is not limited to crowds. A waiting room, a park bench or, annoyingly, restaurants are cases in point, along with people walking and texting at the same time, Why do they never seem to trip up? But more importantly they are missing out on all that is around them. As are children in cars. Just think how many children will be travelling in a car throughout North Devon during the school holidays. Will they be looking out of their car windows? I doubt it. Now before I am put on the naughty step until the next issue by every parent reading this, I have not forgotten that I myself was once a child, one that on any trip to the coast asked after ten minutes, "Are we there yet?" And ten minutes later, "When will I see the sea?" So yes, play stations have their place. But once my holiday began, the sheer thrill made me want to see what was around me.

So here is my case in point. The reason for my excitement was because I was seeing something different from my urban home environment. Sheep, hedges, fields, cows, horses, gigantic sheds with brown grass stacked high and houses with people living with no near neighbours. Yet sadly, when a friend stayed with us a few years ago with her two children, I could not get either of them to take an interest in the world beyond the car window. The eight-year old boy preferred his play station. The twelve-year old girl had a great need to continually tap her abbreviated text messages in order to keep in touch with her friends back home. The sight disheartened me.

So how do we break this cycle? Indeed, can it be broken? I feel it can, but only by instilling interest in the countryside early in a child's life. It is why I get immense joy from reading about the activities of Berrynarbor's Primary School and Pre-school. But what about the children who attend schools in urban environments? Answers on a postcard!

Stephen McCarthy

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LOCAL WALK - 163

Warbling Free: Woolacombe Warren to Putsborough Sands

Warblers - chiffchaffs and blackcaps - were vocal but elusive on Woolacombe Warren apart from the whitethroat. Their harsh chatter alerted us to their presence as they perched on top of bushes puffing out their throats.

 

Recently I heard some surprising research findings concerning blackcaps. Like most warblers they used only to be summer visitors to Britain, but since some have overwintered here it appears that their wings have become shorter and beaks have become longer so that the overwintering birds could become recognised as a sub species.

 

 

The theory is that these altered characteristics are an adaptation to using garden bird feeders. I did not realise evolutionary changes could happen that quickly and visibly.

I first saw blackcaps in the wintertime in December 1991 in a garden in South Somerset. The following winter they appeared in Berrynarbor, feasting on berry bearing shrubs, after which they became a regular sight.

But back to the Warren: a lovely place to wander in June or July where we were in pursuit of flowers, especially the exquisitely fragranced burnet rose. The small creamy white flowers with little crinkly leaves and round purple-black hips form widespread patches over the dunes.

In The Flowering of Britain, Richard Mabey recalls "..watching the burnet rose flowers opening in the sun as their pure soft scent blew over us in the breeze."

A plant we were not expecting to see in such massive quantities was black bryony. Usually one stem, resembling a length of flex, may be found twining up through a hedge but on the Warren black bryony had climbed up and over banks and bushes taking them over. The only British member of the yam family it has large shiny heart-shaped leaves and no tendrils.

 

 

A battalion of tall mulleins marched along the floor of an old quarry and on the steep path above, scarce yellow wort rose up from a bed of hop trefoil and milkwort. We disturbed a pair of bull finches, their white rumps flashing as they flew ahead.

We continued along the track and across the field to Vention. At the site of a derelict vegetable plat and abandoned green house, we were pleased to observe a spotted flycatcher in a rowan, at North Cleave, near Trentishoe, presenting its fledgling with a gatekeeper. The young bird struggled to ingest the butterfly.

 

 

Pale mauve gladdons [also called stinking iris] lined the lane leading to Putsborough Sands. We walked along the beach to view the art deco houses and the Grey House overlooking the sea where American journalist, Negley Farson, entertained Henry Williamson, Kenneth Allsop and various literary luminaries.

Illustrations by: Paul Swailes

Sue H

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MOVERS AND SHAKERS - NO. 70

THOMAS COOK
[22 November 1808 - 18 July 1892]

Founder of the travel agency Thomas Cook and Son

Thomas Cook was not a local man, but I suspect he has had an influence on at least some North Devon folk who may be part of the 20 million customers who have taken a holiday or flight with the company.

He was born to John and Elizabeth Cook in Melbourne, Derbyshire. His father died when Thomas was just 3 years old, and his mother remarried the same year.

 

Thomas Cook
National Library of Wales
Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

When he was 10, he worked as an assistant gardener for 6 1/2p per week and 4 years later started an apprenticeship with a cabinet maker where he stayed for 5 years.

Brought up as a strict Baptist, by the age of 19 he was a missionary for them, working as an unpaid village evangelist. As the need arose for cash, he would return to his cabinet-making to earn money.

On New Year's Day 1833 he took the Temperance Oath and, 2 months later, married Marianne Mason. Their only son, John Mason Cook, was born a year later.

Thomas's idea of offering excursions came to him on 5th July 1841, when walking from his home in Market Harborough to Leicester for a temperance meeting. As a former Baptist preacher, he believed that most Victorian social problems related to alcohol and its misuse, so why not take a group of temperance supporters from Leicester by train to a meeting in Loughborough.

Four weeks later, he had organised a trip for 500 people to go to the teetotal rally and back - a distance of 12 miles, at the cost of one shilling [5p]. In Cook's words, "The thought suddenly flashed across my mind as to the practicability of employing the great powers of railways and locomotion for the furtherance of social reform." Michael Portillo, if you've not included him yet in your Great Railway Journeys, there's another subject!

For the next three summers, he arranged trips between Leicester, Nottingham, Derby and Birmingham for temperance societies and Sunday School children. As a result, thousands of folk experienced rail travel for the first time. It also enabled Thomas to lay down the foundations of his future business, and at little cost to himself other than printing handbills and posters.

On the 1st August 1845, he achieved his first commercial venture by offering a trip to Liverpool, offering not only low-priced tickets [15 shillings [75p] for First Class or 10 shillings [50p] for Second Class, but produced a 60-page booklet of the route: his first 'travel brochure'.

The following year he took 350 people on a tour of Scotland, and by the end of 1850 was thinking of tours to Europe, the Holy Land and the USA. However, his plans were put on hold when in 1851 Sir Joseph Paxton, the architect of the Crystal Palace, persuaded him to bring workers from Yorkshire and the Midlands for the Great Exhibition in London. This he did with great enthusiasm, even producing a newspaper, Cook's Exhibition Herald and Excursion Advertiser, to promote his tours. Between June and October that year, he took 150,000 people to the exhibition, rarely spending a night at home.

Over the next four years, he continued to develop his tours of Great Britain. In 1855, an International Exhibition was held in Paris, and he tried to get cross channel ferries to allow concessions. This they refused. A good turn for him, he devised a route from Harwich to Antwerp, and then decided on a Grand Europe tour through Belgium, Germany and France, ending at the Exhibition and returning via either Dieppe or Le Havre. This was the jump-start for his escorted tours to Europe.

 
Thomas Cook Statue, Leicester
Ned Carlson, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

By 1863, Thomas was organising and escorting trips to Switzerland, and following their success, he decided to extend his tours across the Alps, so that the next year they included Italy: one to Florence and central Italy and the other to Rome and Naples.

He moved fast. 1865 saw him developing tours covering 4,000miles of railways in North America, and four years later, he hired two steamers and escorted his first group up the Nile.

Thomas's great moment came when in 1872, at the age of 63, he fulfilled a long ambition to visit Egypt via China! This became possible by the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869, and completion of railways linking east and west coasts of America. He and his party were away from home for almost eight months, starting by steamship to the US, then rail across America, on by steamer to Japan and then China. They took in Singapore, Ceylon and India and finally returned via the Red Sea to Egypt, Palestine and Turkey and back through Europe. And we think we are travellers!

Meanwhile, his son John, who was a much better business man than his father, was running the business, now called Thomas Cook and Son. In 1878, father and son clashed and John persuaded him to retire. After all, he was now 70. He returned to Leicester where he lived quietly until his death in 1892, suffering from blindness in his later years.

John and his three sons grew the business internationally, and as well as tourism, became heavily involved with military transport and postal services for Britain and Egypt during the 1880's. John promoted and even led tours to the Middle East, but sadly he contracted dysentery and died in 1899 aged 65.

But his sons inherited the business and they and their successors continued to develop the business until, in the present day, it is a package holidays giant.

Oddly enough, the wheel has almost completed its circle from Thomas's ambition to go to China. I read in the newspaper recently that Thomas Cook have gone into partnership with a Chinese company in Shanghai called Thomas Cook China, encouraging the Chinese to visit Europe, the Americas and South East Asia as well as holidaying in their homeland. This will hopefully offset the problems of European holidays from Britain where the travel market has been upset by recent terrorist attacks.

What a long way this Company has come since Thomas Cook, 'the Father of Modern Tourism', had his entrepreneurial moment whilst walking to a temperance meeting 176 years ago. Today, Thomas Cook Group plc is one of the world's greatest travel groups, with around 27,000 employees operating in 17 countries. That's quite an inheritance!

PP of DC

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CROSSWORD ANSWERS

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EXERCISE FOR THE OVER 60'S

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DATE FOR YOUR DIARY - WEDNESDAY, 4TH OCTOBER
FOOD & THEATRE

Please ensure that you keep this date - Wednesday, 4th October - free, as Beaford Arts and Bodstone Barton will be hosting an African-Caribbean evening in Berrynarbor!

Tangle, South West England's African Caribbean Theatre Company will be performing No One is an Island, an informal township theatre work with acapella songs and poems, in the barn, while Monty's Caribbean Kitchen will be serving up a storm.

A great night out for all the family. Tickets will be on sale in the village shop from the end of August onwards. There will be a jumbo raffle and the result of Cloud's Big Lego Challenge.

Cloud, Tania Mugleston's son is raising funds for a dance trip to America - Berrynarbor's own Billy Elliot! He was at the village fete at the Lodge with large, plastic bags of Lego - you have to guess the number of pieces - and he will be running this all summer at The Globe. If you are keen to enter the Lego Challenge and support Cloud in his fund-raising efforts, please pop into the Globe or for full details, please ring Tania on 07531515482.

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BERRY IN BLOOM

June and July have been very busy months for the Berry in Bloom team getting ready for the R.H.S. judges who came on 5th July to judge the village for the Britain in Bloom competition. They spent two hours driving and walking around the village, then met some of the volunteers working in the shop and made a visit to the Pre-school to see the work on the garden that the team had undertaken and meet some of the children and teachers. Finally, they had a lovely Berrynarbor tea on the lawn at the Lodge and met some of our helpers. We shall not know the results until the end of September, but I am very hopeful we'll get GOLD again!

We have also been busy fund raising and held a Tea on the Lawn and Mini Fete on Sunday 25th June. We were lucky with the weather as it was raining in the morning but it cleared up for the afternoon and the event was very successful. Thank you to everyone who helped and especially Phil and Lynn for hosting the afternoon in their lovely garden.

As we are in the main holiday months now, the team will go a bit quiet with litter picking and watering being our only tasks, However, we are already planning for the autumn planting and our next fund raising event which will be a Soup and Pud Evening in the Manor Hall on Friday 10th November. I do hope you will be able to support this fund-raising event.

Wendy Applegate

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Raspberry and White Chocolate Cookies

Who doesn't like a soft but crunchy round the edges cookie? This is a quick and easy recipe and the dough can be frozen and made up at any time.

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark4. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment.

In a large bowl cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy then stir in the condensed milk. Sift in the flour and then work into a soft dough with your hands. Mix in the chocolate.

Take a small handful of the dough and flatten with your fingers. Place 2-3 raspberries into the centre of the cookie and fold over the sides of the dough to encase the raspberries. Repeat with the remaining dough.

Place on the baking sheet and space well apart as the cookie grows while baking. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown at the edges but still a little soft.

Leave to cool slightly before transferring to a cooling rack.

When cooled it is nice to drizzle with a little extra melted white chocolate to finish them.

When I make these I usually make double the dough using a tin of condensed milk instead of a tube and double up the other ingredients, without the chocolate and raspberries. I then go ahead and make half the dough into cookies using the chocolate and raspberries and freeze the other plain half to be used on another occasion.

Try these combinations:

• Roasted hazelnuts and dark chocolate
• White chocolate and dried cranberries
• Chopped stem ginger
• Orange zest, cinnamon and raisins

Use your imagination and whatever ingredients you have in your cupboard and enjoy.

Wendy Applegate

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GOLDEN GLORIES
Christina Rossetti [1830-1894]

The buttercup is like a golden cup,
The marigold is like a gold frill.
The daisy with a golden eye looks up,
And golden spready the flag beside the rill,
And gay and golden nods the daffodil,
The gorsey common swells a golden sea,
The cowslip hangs a head of golden tips,
And golden drops the honey which the bee
Sucks from sweet hearts of flowers,
and stores and sips.

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OLD BERRYNARBOR - VIEW NO. 168

Berrynarbor Church & The Globe Inn

I have recently, thanks to Pat Babbington of Essex, been able to purchase the large collection of Berrynarbor postcards of her late husband, Terry. For this issue, I have chosen two of those cards, published by Hawke of Helston. The first is numbered 18063 and is of St. Peter's Church and the Lych Gate around 1927.

 

 

The picture shows two young lads sitting on the church steps. What is also most noticeable on the left is the very large tree growing in the churchyard. Whilst a bench can be seen just under the church wall, there is no sign of any bus shelter or of the War Memorial. Part of what was the 'Village Pound' can just be seen on the extreme left, now, of course, the garage for Dormer Cottage. The church clock is showing twenty to one, or possibly five past eight! What do you think? Note the position of the shadows.

The second postcard is numbered 18015 and shows the front entrance of The Globe Inn. Particularly take note of the signs showing over the wall on the left advertising:

Just over the door and on the left 'Private Bar' can just be seen.

 

Albert Herbert Hawke was a well-known and highly acclaimed photographer and postcard publisher from Helston, Cornwall. He carried out his business from a studio and shop in Meneage Street, Helston and travelled all over Cornwall, North Devon and Exmoor taking photographs of villages and seaside resorts. He was not known to take photographs of large towns or cities, or even inland villages other than a few on Exmoor, like Brendon, Oare and Rockford. He was well-known as the photographer of the Helston Flurry [Flora] Dance and Padstow Hobby Hoss Day, also of elections, wrecks, fires and hotels and country houses. Known, as some of his earliest pictures are those of the visit by the Lord Mayor Treloar of London to the Flora Day and St. Keverne in 1907, and the new Helston fire engine in 1910.

I now have at least 23 different postmarked postcards of Berrynarbor and Watermouth dating from 1927.

Tom Bartlett
Tower Cottage, July 2017
e-mail: tomandinge40@gmail.com

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TERRY BABBINGTON - BERRYMANIA

Readers of yesteryear, and I am going back to 1995, may remember Terry's articles entitled Berrymania.

He wrote:

"I should like to introduce myself as a far-flung reader of the Newsletter who is a keen collector of anything relating to Berrynarbor - I have every issue of the Newsletter - particularly postcards. My interest goes back several years and was sparked off by the many enjoyable holidays spent in the village since about 1944 when I was a boy of 10. More recently I have enjoyed coming with my wife, Pat, and three daughters, but sadly visits have been curtailed of late due to ill-health."

Terry's first contribution [1] in April 1995 was a photograph of the hunt meeting outside the Globe, possibly taken in the 1950's. His second [2] was of the funeral of the late Capt. C.N. Bassett R.N., February 6 1908.

[1]

[2]

This was followed by a 'To Let' poster of Little Ruggaton [3], which included 26 acres of arable, meadow and pasture land. October 1995 was a 19th century print of Bowden Farm [4], the birthplace of Bishop Jewell [1522]. Sadly, no-one could shed more light on who the artist was but a reader from Barnstaple felt that it was not Bowden Farm as she knew the farm well from years ago, and 'even allowing for some artistic licence', it did not look right.

 [3]

 [4]

'Jumbo', an old AEC charabanc [5] with passengers and parked by the lych gate c1916 followed.

In April 1996, Terry showed a watercolour picture of a classic village view - often found in old postcards - of the old Post Office and Fuchsia Cottage [6], painted by J.B. Martin in September 1913.

 [5]

 [6]

 [7]

Unfortunately, due to ill health, Terry's final contribution was of a group of stone masons standing outside the lychgate at Combe Martin [7] and it was with sadness we learnt that he had passed away.

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AT-A-GLANCE DIARY

School, Pre-School and Toddler Group - Term Time only

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