Edition 161 - April 2016
EDITORIAL
First, a warm welcome to all newcomers to the village wishing you happiness in your new home. Sadly, we also say some goodbyes and again wish you well in your new homes.
Finance - the response from the mail readers has been fantastic with subscriptions being renewed together with some very generous donations. Thank you all and thank you for your kind words: 'I do enjoy reading it', 'A most interesting read', 'Always received with great anticipation!' 'Many thanks for your hard work once again for such a good newsletter', 'Enjoying the mag as much as ever!' Such remarks certainly do make the hard work worthwhile.
At last some lovely blue skies and sunny days which hopefully have cheered us all up, but especially everyone who has not been feeling too well lately - get better soon.
By the time you read this Easter will be over, the clocks gone forward and spring will have officially arrived. It has been a long time coming with so many grey, wet and miserable days over the last four months. Now the daffodils and spring flowers are making a lovely splash of colour and the trees and shrubs beginning to bud.
How lucky the Newsletter has so many regular contributors including our artist in residence, Paul. Thank you all - keep the items coming! However, it would also be nice to hear from some new contributors and items for the June issue are welcome any time from now and by Wednesday, 11th May, at the latest please. Thank you.
Judie - Ed
1
WEATHER OR NOT
2016 started much as 2015 ended, still
wet, warm and windy. There was an
improvement towards the middle of the month when it became dryer and brighter
for a couple of days with cooler temperatures. On the 20th the thermometer fell to -2.8 Deg C at
0333, this was the lowest temperature of the month and was also the lowest
January temperature since 2011. The
better weather didn't last long though, on the 26th Storm Jonas which had
deposited such heavy snow to the east of America arrived here bringing gales
and heavy rain mainly to the north of the country. This was swiftly followed on the 28th by
Storm Gertrude which brought winds over 100 mph to Shetland and 37 mph here in
the valley.
The total rain for January was 212mm
which was above average but not a record though there were only six days
without precipitation in the whole month. The highest temperature we recorded was
14.2 Deg C and 12.93 hours of sunshine were recorded. The maximum wind gust was 42 mph but there
were five days at the end of the month with gusts between 34 mph and 41 mph.
The next storm to hit was Henry on the 1st
of February but again it was mainly the north that was affected. Saturday the 6th was very windy
and wet then on the 8th Imogen arrived. This time it was the South West which bore
the brunt. We were sheltered from the
worst but recorded gusts of 42 mph on the 8th and 43 mph on the 9th. After that the weather calmed down again and
at the end of the month we actually had five completely dry days in a row and a
taste of spring, prior to that there had been only two dry days in the
month. The total rain was 98mm and the
maximum gust of wind was 43 mph. The maximum temperature was 12.9 Deg C with a
minimum of -1.8 Deg C, a wind chill of -9 Deg C. The sunshine hours weighed in at
34.28, the highest since October.
The days are drawing out and by the time
you read this we shall be into British Summertime and hopefully some nice
spring sunshine.
Simon
and Sue
Storm
Jonas
USCapitol, Public domain
via Wikimedia Commons
2
ST. PETER'S CHURCH
As mentioned in the February
Newsletter, we are looking forward to welcoming our new Vicar Michael
Rogers to serve both Berrynarbor and Combe Martin parishes - hopefully by April
this year. Rev. Michael has already
taken services at both churches and has made great efforts to get to meet
parishioners - and will no doubt be able to make himself known in our village
and Primary School in the fullness of time.
Advertising is already under way for the House for Duty Priest, a position
that will support Michael in the wider community once he has officially taken
up the reins here in Berrynarbor.
Our AGM will have taken place by the
time this edition of the Newsletter is circulated and we sincerely hope that we
are able to attract a new Treasurer to join us on our PCC. It is very important that we attract a new
Treasurer to our fold because Malcolm Sayer - our current Treasurer - and his
wife Pat will sadly be moving away from Berrynarbor at the end of March to be
nearer their family. Malcolm's
departure will be a great loss to us all for he has been an absolute rock and
helped steer us financially during these difficult times. We wish him and Pat the very best in their
new home. NB - If there is anyone in Berrynarbor or nearby who would like to
take on the post of Treasurer we should be very pleased to hear from you. It is not a requirement that an applicant
attend church services in deciding to take up this post. Please contact me on [01271] 883893 if you
would be willing to help.
A Quinquennial Inspection - 5-year
inspection by the Diocese of Exeter's architect - was carried out in September
last year and we have now received the full report. The Architect acknowledged that the church
has been well maintained but there is a serious issue with regard to the lead
guttering and associated flashings that needs immediate attention to prevent
water from entering the ceiling and adjacent roof beams inside the church. Although there are many grants that are
available to us from various sources, the PCC has to contribute £6,000 from our
funds to get things underway. This will
make a sizeable dent in our funds, but we have to move forward in a positive
way to avoid serious damage to the fabric of the church.
On a more uplifting subject, we shall
be holding a special Flower Festival entitled 'Anniversaries 2016' commencing
on Friday 22nd July to the
25th inclusive. There will be no
entrance fee for this event but any donation towards the cost of flowers before
the event would be very welcome. There
will be a Planning Meeting on Friday, 6th May at 11:00
a.m. in the church and we should welcome all those interested in taking part or
offers of help.
For anyone who is interested in joining
Berrynarbor Choir to sing a wide range of music, please contact me on [01271]
883893 at any time. We meet on Monday
evenings from 7.30 - 8.30 p.m. If there
are tenors out there - and there must be - Britain, no Berrynarbor Needs You!
We wish our retired Rector, George
Billington, the best of health following his recent illness and Elaine Filer
who unfortunately fractured her hip recently and is now convalescing. Her friends from Berrynarbor Choir and the bell
ringers wish her a speedy recovery;
Church Services will follow the same format
as before and are:
- 1st
Sunday Village Service
- 2nd
Sunday Holy Communion
- 3rd
Sunday Family Service
- 4th
Sunday Holy Communion
All services commence at 11.00 a.m.
Please note there will be a Joint
Service with Combe Martin held at St. Peter's Church, Combe Martin on Sunday,
29th May commencing at
9.30 a.m.
The next Friendship Lunches will be held
in The Globe from 12.00 noon on Wednesdays 27th April and 25th May.
Stuart
Neale
3
MEMORIES
I look forward to the news of the
village and the memories that surface from the past as I read familiar surnames
of long ago.
The centre pages in February reminded me
of a school group taken in 1950/51 when Mrs. Cowperthwaite took over from Miss
Veale. The school has taken pupils from
East Down and outlying farms and had certainly expanded in the 1970's picture.
So you can imagine what a blessing it is
to receive the Newsletter and see that Berry's community spirit is still alive
and well. I was pleased you did so well
in the Best Kept Village and Britain in Bloom again and that plans are going
ahead for the Manor Hall - another place of happy memories - Harvest Festival
Suppers, Children's Christmas Parties and Gifts, Socials, etc., and the film
shows with the travelling cinema in the late '50's.
Mrs. Toms and her family had a little
Tea Shop and the first TV in the village.
We watched royal events in their cosy sitting room in what is now Miss
Muffets. The Globe had a pretty garden
where we had Eldorado ice creams, a special treat . . .
ah, the memories.
Sheila
Twose - Torquay
4
IN
MEMORIAM
Miss
Me
When I come to the end of
the road and the sun has set for me,
I want no rites in a
gloom-filled room, why cry for a soul set free!
Miss me a little, but not
too long, and not with your head bowed low.
Remember the love that we
once shared, miss me but let me go.
For this journey we all
must take, and each must go alone.
It's all part of the
Master plan, a step on the road to home.
When you are lonely and
sick of heart, go to the friends we know,
And bury your sorrows in
doing good deeds,
Miss me but let me go.
It was good to see so many from the
village at Edna Barber's funeral on a very wet and unpleasant afternoon. A simple and happy service was taken by
Mavis and Chris Eastlaugh. Flowers were
sent by the Parish Council, Goodenough and Berry in Bloom to which the
collection was donated. A big thank you
to Wendy who invited everyone back for tea at Bessemer Thatch.
How
interesting but sad to receive the following e-mail:
I have just seen an obituary for my
Auntie Edna on the Berrynarbor Newsletter website which made me cry as I know
Auntie Edna would have been so proud. I
am her next of kin and the last member of my family to have seen her in about
1970. I moved to London from Chelmsford
with my husband to run a public house and then Auntie Edna sold the family home
and, I thought, moved to Norfolk. In fact,
I have been researching and trying to find her since 1993. One of my sisters told me that Fraser and Fraser
were trying to find our family and they have put in a claim under my name for
her estate. I knew she used to keep in
touch with her Uncle Cecil who lived on the border of Norfolk and that he died
in the 1960's which is why I thought she moved to Norfolk. My family moved from London to Norfolk in
1976. The Barbers originally came from
Norfolk.
Sandra
Barber
PHYLLIS
JESSICA WALDEN
28th
February 1917 - 7th February 2016
How sad it was to learn that Phyl had
passed away peacefully, as she wished, at home at Cherry Tree Cottage on
Sunday, 7th February, just three weeks short of her 99th birthday.
A much loved and loving wife of the
late Len, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, she will be sorely missed
by all her family, relations, friends and neighbours.
The happy and moving celebration of her
life conducted by George Billington to a full and colourful [another wish]
gathering at the Crematorium was testament to the depth of love, respect and
affection in which she was held by so many.
Our thoughts are especially with Chris,
David and Ivy, James, Bev, Gracie and Ruby at this time of sadness.
Phyllis Jessica Helmore was born in
Forest Gate, London. She grew up with
her three older brothers in a happy fun-filled Victorian terraced house. She attended East Ham Grammar School where
she amassed a good knowledge including music, composers and poetry. She was also good at sports, excelling at
hockey and tennis.
When she was 19 she featured in a
series of Esso Motoring advertisements which her cousin, a commercial artist,
had been commissioned to produce.
In June 1939 she married Len Walden and
the family home was set up in Chigwell, later moving to mid-Essex to a house
set in one and a half acres of glorious orchard - it was fantastic!
At 60 and after a successful career,
Len retired and in 1971 they moved to Lynton, where they bought The Highway, a
delightful house built at the end of the old station platform. The garden included the first mile and a
half of railway track and the views were magnificent.
Len had a 17-inch Suffolk Punch motor
mower and he would light up a Woodbine to keep the flies at bay, fire up the
engine and disappear down the track, a cloud of flies circling at a safe
distance waiting to pounce when the first cigarette burned out. Two hours later, he would return having cut
a 34-inch strip, turn round and repeat several times over. What dedication!
Len and Phyl took up golf and after 8
years they moved to Ilfracombe to be nearer the course they so loved. Over the years they both represented the Club
and played all over Devon, both together and individually. Phyl served as Lady Captain in the late
1970's.
Several years later they moved again, to
June Cottage in Berrynarbor.
In 1985 after selling up in Essex, I
moved down to Devon and was staying with Phyl and Len while I looked for a
house. Sadly, one month after arriving,
Len died suddenly. Phyllis didn't want
to stay at June Cottage and incredibly, as luck would have it, Cherry Tree
Cottage came back on the market. We
went to look at it, loved the house, the garden and the setting and bought it
between us. That was 30 years ago.
Phyllis gave up playing golf at the age
of 81, shortly after scoring that elusive hole-in-one, arguing that she could
improve on that feat only with assistance from above.
In all Phyl enjoyed 45 years of
wonderful retirement, 25 years of active golf and a garden packed with flowers
and wildlife, in particular the huge variety of birds visiting the feeders
every day.
The squadron of hen pheasants that flies in several times a day was a constant source of delight. She asked me recently to name 'that' pheasant Phyllis. I asked which one. "That one" was the reply - I couldn't tell the difference! "We'll call all 17 Phyllis as well as the two young cocks - until they gain their spurs!"
I should like to take this opportunity
to thank everyone who looked after, visited and sent messages to Phyl in the
last few weeks, and to everyone for their kindness, messages of sympathy and
for attending the light-hearted, at Phyl's request, service celebrating her
life.
Chris
5
HOME THOUGHTS FROM ABROAD
O, to be in England
Now that April 's there,
And whoever wakes in England
Sees, some morning, unaware,
That the lowest boughs and the brushwood sheaf
Round the elm-tree bole are in tiny leaf,
While the chaffinch sings on the orchard bough
In England-now!
And after April, when May follows,
And the whitethroat builds, and all the swallows!
Hark, where my blossom'd pear-tree in the hedge
Leans to the field and scatters on the clover
Blossoms and dewdrops-at the bent spray's edge-
That's the wise thrush; he sings each song twice over,
Lest you should think he never could recapture
The first fine careless rapture!
And though the fields look rough with hoary dew,
All will be gay when noontide wakes anew
The buttercups, the little children's
dower
Far brighter than this
gaudy melon-flower!
Robert Browning
[1812-1889]
Illustrated by: Paul Swailes
6
NEWS
FROM BERRYARBOR PRE-SCHOOL
We continued with our Maths theme based
around the story of Goldilocks and The Three Bears, focusing on counting,
recognising numbers and beginning to categorise objects according to their
properties such as shape and size. The children also made comparisons between
quantities and used positional language such as behind, next to or on top.
We
celebrated World book day (3rd March) with the children wearing dressing gowns and bringing in their favourite
story books. We had lots of fun reading
new and funny stories.
We
visited a local farm and saw many spring lambs and should like to thank the
family for their time in allowing us to visit them at one of their busiest
times of year.
For
Sports Relief the children participated in a sponsored mini obstacle race. All monies raised were divided equally
between both Sports Relief and our Pre-school. We also raised money from a clothes
recycling scheme collecting old and nearly new clothes through Bags2School.
This was a good event and we wish to thank all who took part. We
plan to collect again soon. Look out for our posters.
The
Pre-school is open during term time and closed during school holidays and bank
holidays.
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:
Preschool sessions | 8.30am or 9.00am - 12.00 noon | (AM) |
12.00 noon - 3.00pm or 3.30pm or 4.00pm | (PM) | |
8.30am or 9.00am -3.00pm or 3.30pm or 4.00pm | (ALL DAY) |
We are Ofsted registered and in receipt of the
2gether scheme and Early Years' Entitlement.
We
provide care and education for young children between the age of 2 and 5.
Please
visit us or call 07807 0903644 or email preschoolberrynarbor@gmail.com for
additional information. Thank you again
for all your support
7
MERGER UPDATE
For Patients of Warwick & Waterside Practices
We should like to make patients aware that both Dr. Womersley and Dr. Kilner will be retiring from the Warwick Practice on 31st March 2016. From 1st April 2016 patients registered to them will be seen by another GP, this will be advised to patients shortly. The Practice will inform patients of their new registered GP as soon as possible.
Building Update
Building work is now well underway and we have started work on the main entrance and Same Day Service Reception. This has necessitated the need to close the main entrance to the building and Warwick reception and waiting room.
Entrance can be accessed from over the bridge at the front right of the building into the new reception area [previously Waterside reception]. The diversion will take you through the back of the reception area and into the new Combe Coastal reception and is clearly marked.
Please note that the self-check-in screens are temporarily out of use. Some of the blood tests and nurse appointments are now upstairs but you will be informed of this when you check in at Reception. Remember that our reception teams are there to help you and are working hard to keep disruption and change for patients to a minimum.
We now have a bigger nurse clinic room situated in one half of the building which patients using this service will see over the coming weeks.
The Practices still have all the same team members but they are working in different areas of the building this will help give you continuity of service both on the telephone and in reception. We shall give you an update on this work as we get nearer to completion.
We should like to take this opportunity to thank all patients for their co-operation.
Nicky Young
8
PLANTS
Just to say that there will be
no little plant stall outside Higher Rows this year.
I have, however, many plants still for sale in aid of the Children's Hospice and you are so welcome to either come to the house or give me a ring to come and look at what is here. Thank you all for your loyal custom in the past years.
Margaret [Tel: 01271 883762]
9
REVISED BUS SERVICE FOR BERRYNARBOR
Devon County Council has announced a reduction in the present 5-day No. 33 bus service to 2 days a week, Tuesdays and Fridays, and have given the contract to Ilfracombe Community Minibuses to start from Tuesday, 31st May. Times and fares will remain the same and bus passes will continue to be accepted.
We are willing to consider extending the route to include the Sterridge Valley and need to hear as soon as possible from people if they are likely to use the service. We shall be using a minibus with tail-lift for wheel chairs. Please 'phone Shirley Jones on [01271] 863630 to express your interest without delay as we need to register any change to the route by early April.
Shirley - Ilfracombe Community Transport
10
MARWOOD HILL GARDENS
Over the winter there have been many changes in the Gardens, now open again from 10.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. daily, the Plant Sales and Nursery open from 11.00 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. The Garden Tea Room which is open from 10.00 a.m. to 4.30 p.m., has new menus, more local crafts in the gift shop and more comfortable seating areas inside and out.
Folksy Theatre will be performing twice - As You Like It and The Smartest Giant in Town and tickets will be available from April.
Full details are on the website: www.marwoodhillgarden.co.uk.
On the 8th June, the Head Gardener Joe Reardon-Smith will be taking Season Ticket holders for a walk around the Gardens and the National Garden Scheme day is on Friday 10th June. Not a Season Ticket holder? Why not join NOW. A Single ticket is £25 and for 2 people living at the same address £40
11
BERRYNARBOR MANOR HALL TRUST
New Contact for Booking the Hall
As you may know, Alan Rowlands has stood down as our long-serving
Bookings Officer and all enquiries about hall availability and charges should
now be addressed to Alison Sharples. We are moving towards using e-mail for most
hall contacts, so the best way to contact Alison will be via alison_sharples@btinternet.com, or if
necessary telephone [01271] 882782.
Please note that regular users must remember to e-mail Alison if
they want to cancel the occasional session, otherwise their invoicing will be incorrect.
Any enquiries about invoicing should still be addressed to Nora Rowlands
until mid-May, when we'll give further information.
We thank both Alan and Nora for over 10 years of service to the Hall and
this village. If you would like to join
in with a send-off and thanks for all the voluntary work they have done, please
join us for a drink in The Globe on Wednesday, 13th April at 7.30 p.m.
Heating in the Main Hall
The rewiring to the four electric heaters has been done and should
resolve the problems experienced earlier.
We hope the two new radiators
also help - these are run off the gas boiler in Pre-School, and will come on at
the same times set for Pre-School, i.e. most of the day Monday to Friday.
Donations and Funds
We should like to give sincere thanks for recent donations and grants.
County Councillor Andrea Davies has given further support to us with an award
of £500 from her Locality Budget to help with the costs of our renovation
planning. Richard and Be Gingell have
also given a very generous £400 from the recent Soup and Pud evening, and John
and Fenella Boxall raised £345 from the recent 'Salt in the Sugar Jar'
Beaford Arts event at Sloley Farm. Thanks
to everyone for all their efforts.
In terms of our reserves, we should say that these have steadily
increased over the last few years, in readiness for carrying out major work to
the hall. However, this isn't straightforward.
Work to the Hall this summer
As may be well known by now, the planned major renovation of the main
hall depends on getting Big Lottery funding. However, 'heritage' work isn't eligible for
such funding and because of this and in order to spend the £4,572 awarded to us
by North Devon Council [which is time-limited], we plan to carry out work this
summer to repair the Medieval manor house roof and the Tudor facade. When
we know the details we will let the Pre-School and Men's Institute know how this might affect them whilst
the work is underway. All the planned
work will accord with SPAB principles [Society for the Preservation of Ancient
Buildings].
We shall be applying for other grant help for this, but this type of
funding isn't easy to get so we may have to fund the balance of the work
ourselves at a cost of perhaps some £15,000. This then is a real dilemma - the needs of
the main hall are more obvious, but in effect we are a village hall charity
with a modest income that also has to maintain a 600-year-old annex, and all the planned work needs to be
done. There are some structural issues
with the old roof, with one corner in particular being of concern.
However, there is good news in that we have now obtained listed
buildings consent for all the planned works, the only condition being about archaeological
recording. This is a big step forward!
The Manor Hall Trust
For day to day purposes it is of little consequence, but the Manor Hall
is managed by a charity [the Manor Hall Trust] which is an unincorporated body
in law, that is it can't enter into contracts as an organisation. This will become more of an issue when major
works need to be undertaken to the hall, so we are exploring the possibility of
converting into a new body known as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation, or
CIO. These are fairly new, having only
been introduced via the Charities Act 2011.
If this does happen nothing will
change on the surface, but it would make managing the Hall's renovation a lot
easier.
Manor Hall Management Committee
12
SALT IN THE SUGAR JAR
It's been raining for two months; it's
cold, wet, damp, muddy and basically b... miserable. So what do you do? You invite 90 people into your home, cook up
a storm and say b.... to the weather.
And so it came to pass that we sat down
and broke chapattis, roti and poppadum with friends and acquaintances and
complete strangers and listened to a poignant tale of loss and bereavement and
motherly love, good home cooking and family tradition handed down from
generation to generation.
Beaford Arts latest production in the
village was a cracker, sparking a lot of discussion over a post-performance
curry and inevitably the odd beer and glass of wine.
Many thanks to Nikesh Shukla for sharing
his family recipes, Beaford Arts and of course all of you who came along and
supported. We are delighted to advise
that £345 has been added to the Manor Hall renovation fund and that we probably
won't be eating curry for a few months!
Fenella
13
FASCINATING FUNGI
These colourful fungi were spotted and
photographed by my daughter Helen whilst out geocaching on the slopes above the
Marine Drive at Woolacombe at Christmas.
Never having seen anything quite like
them before and fascinated by their colours, we enquired of the Valley Tims if
they could make an identification. They
in turn enquired of a friend, Alan Rowland from Cornwall. His initial thoughts were that they were
waxcaps. He then sent the images on to
his mycologist friend, Professor
John Hedger from Scotland, who confirmed that they were waxcaps and were all
old fruiting bodies, hence the interesting shapes, and are:
- Hygrocybe punicea - crimson waxcap [but older than 3]
- Hygrocybe coccinea - scarlet waxcap
- Hygrocybe punicea - crimson waxcap
It
was also suggested that we send the images and their identity to the Devon
Biodiversity Records Centre in Exeter who have advised that they will be
entering them on to their database of sightings.
Our thanks to John, Alan and the Tims for
all their help.
Helen
and Judie Weedon
Mycology is the branch of biology concerned with the study of fungi, including
their genetic and biochemical properties, their taxonomy and their use to
humans as a source for tinder, medicine, food, and entheogens, as well as their
dangers, such as poisoning or infection.
14
SPRING FAIR
Monday 30th May - Lee
Memorial Hall and meadow. Our
theme this year is the Royal Birthday Celebration and the fair opens at 2.00
p.m. with light lunches and refreshments served in the Memorial Hall
from 12 noon onwards. Stalls and games, Ilfracombe Town Crier,
guitar and ukulele performances, welly wanging, raffle, tombola and lots more -
something for all the family to enjoy. All weather protection, so come rain or shine
it will be great fun. Parking in the village and at the
seafront. We look forward to
seeing you there!
15
PROPOSAL IN THE SAND
Dean
[Hawker] and Steve [McCarthy]
You might like to know that
Steve proposed to me at Combe Martin bay where we have both spent many happy
hours together, also with parents, friends and family.
As you can see from the photo, it was
done in the sand and I had no idea. Of
course the answer was 'Yes' - after 26 years together - we won't forget this
leap year!
Congratulations
and best wishes to you both.
16
NEWS FROM THE PRIMARY SCHOOL
The second half of the Spring Term has
been a busy one. There have been a couple of inter-school sports events. Our swimming team did well at the swimming
gala with each competitor reaching the finals in their event. They took part enthusiastically and we are
very proud of them.
Elderberry class spent an afternoon at
Ilfracombe Academy playing Tag Rugby with children from other primary schools
in the area.
We are collecting Sainsbury's Active
Kids Vouchers again this year. Over the years we have gained some useful sports
equipment through this scheme. If you
have any vouchers going spare, please either pop them in to us or to the
shop. Thank you.
On the 3rd March we celebrated World
Book Day. Our theme this year was
Space, and the children were encouraged to make a costume to wear for the day. On the previous day we were all enthralled
and fascinated by the wonders of space as we spent time in the Space Odyssey
Dome that was set up in the Manor Hall. Thank you to the Pilates class for freeing up
the hall for us We hope that those of
you who experienced it found it amazing, too. This is what the children thought about it:
"I really liked the Space Odyssey. It was
awesome! We got to see loads of
constellations. They were amazing! We also got to see all the planets and loads
of space men and women. I loved it!"
"I liked the Space Dome. It was 3D."
"One day at school we went over to the
Manor Hall to an inflated dome where a man explained how the space station
moves around the earth. He also told us
what people think the stars look like. My
favourite star shape was a unicorn. It
was so magnificent. On World Book Day
we went to do 3 activities based on a book while dressed up as a space themed
costume. Most people dressed up as Star Wars
characters. It was spectacular."
"I enjoyed the Space Dome because we got
to see the International Space Station and inside it. Things kept spinning
around."
"On World Book Day the theme was space.
I was a galaxy."
"I loved the Space Odyssey. It was
incredible. We saw rockets and rockets going into space. We saw
Leo, Leo Senior and Orion. When I got
home I told mum everything. It was
amazing! The next day I enjoyed playing
Flanimals and making them out of playdough. It was the best!"
It is great that there is to be a
defibrillator in the village.
David
Blackmore from St John Ambulance came in to school to demonstrate and explain
how it works to Key Stage 1 and 2 children.
The
topic for Key Stage 1 this term has been Transport and they spent a great day
at Woody Bay and Lynton looking at and travelling on the railways.
The School Council, elected from each
class, meet regularly to discuss issues dropped into their suggestions boxes,
ranging from school meals to sticking taps.
At the time of writing, plans are under
way to raise money for Sport Relief. There
will be a sponsored Mile Run and a Bake Off. Years 3 to 6 will be making cakes at home. They will be judged on taste and presentation.
We shall have our very own Paul
Hollywood and Mary
Berry stand-ins to judge both categories, but children will be able to judge
appearance and presentation for a fee of 20p.
Results and photos might appear
in the next issue of the Newsletter.
There are also other special things
happening in the run up to Easter. Blueberry Class will be putting on their
Easter play, the whole school will be going to the Landmark Theatre for a
performance by Kagemasha Tiako Drums, and KS1 along with Pre-school will be
walking to see the lambs at a local farm.
Meanwhile we look forward to our Easter
break and the lighter evenings.
Sue
Carey - Head Teacher
17
REPORT
FROM PARISH COUNCIL
February
and March Meetings
- Reports were received from the Police,
County Councillor, District Councillors, Play Area Inspections and the
Manor Hall.
- A letter of resignation has been
received from Mrs Linda Thomas.
- A number of Planning Applications have
been considered.
- A new shed, seats and football nets are
to be provided at the Recreation Field.
- Emergency items such as sandbags are
being stored behind the Community Shop.
- Arrangements are being made to have a
new bus shelter at the top of Barton Lane in a slightly different position
from a safety point of view.
- A defibrillator has been purchased and
installed in the decommissioned telephone kiosk in Silver Street which has
been purchased from BT.**
- Quotations are awaited to reposition
the Basset Fountain at Sawmills which suffered impact damage.
- It has not been possible to find a
suitable site for the Devon Air Ambulance to land at night.
- Tenders are being invited for the
refurbishment of the public toilets.
- Various payments have been authorised.
- The Play Inspection Company will be
inspecting the play equipment at the Manor Hall and Recreation Field.
- Standing Orders are being reviewed with
a decision to be made by Councillors at the start of the April Meeting.
- A response is being made as a result of
the North Devon & Torridge Local Plan Consultation.
- Councillor Stanbury & County
Councillor Mrs Davis to have a site meeting at Cross Park regarding the
flooding and drainage issues.
- Representations were received at the
February Meeting regarding the Schedule 14 Application and clarification
has been obtained from Devon County Council Public Rights of Way
Department as follows:
Regarding the application route, I can
confirm that as the situation currently stands, it has no recorded public
status.
Consequently, the County Council does
not have the power to seek the removal of any obstructions. This could only occur if the Order that Devon
County Council has been directed to make, is confirmed.
If the Order were to be confirmed, then
as a public right of way the surface of the route would be vested in the County
Council as the relevant highway authority.
The relevant landowner(s) would retain
ownership of the subsoil.
If
the Order the County Council has been directed to make is confirmed, it would
then become a public right of way, which the Parish Council would have the
capacity to maintain under the County Council's P3 Scheme.
The removal of any obstructions would be
the responsibility of the County Council.
The deadline date for items to be
included on the Agenda and discussed at the next Meeting is Monday 4th April. Late
items will be added to the May 2016 Agenda.
There are posters in the village informing members of the public of the
date.
**
There will be a meeting at the Manor Hall on Tuesday, 19th April at 7.00
p.m. for instruction on using the defibrillator. Everyone welcome
Sue Squire - Parish Clerk
18
BERRYNARBOR HORTICULTURAL & CRAFT SHOW 2016
Overall Theme: Capability Brown, Year of the English Garden
To get your juices flowing, Art and
Photography details are given below.
Categories for the following groups are
as follows:
Art:
1.
Year of the
English Garden
2.
To be beside the
Seaside
3.
A Water Scene
4.
Painted item on
any surface other than paper, card or canvas, e.g. glass,
pottery, stone, wood, slate etc. Any subject.
Maximum size for all classes
must not exceed A3 (297mm x 420mm)
Photography:
1.
Year of the
English Garden
2. To
be beside the Seaside
3.
A Water Scene
4.
Railways & Trains
5.
Your Pet
6.
A Sporting Event
7.
A Sporting Event [Enhanced in any way]
Photographs must be
maximum 5 x 8 to be affixed to white card or paper size A5 for display
purposes. Entries limited to 2 photographs per class.
19
BOSOM BUDDIES
Bosom Buddies North Devon is a support
group for anyone affected by the
diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer.
It's run by women who have been through a similar experience and so
understand what it's like to live with breast cancer.
The group was set up in 2008 by a team
of ladies who set out to ensure that people with breast cancer in North Devon
had access to support in addition to what was available in a hospital or
hospice setting.
It can feel very isolating to find you
have cancer even when you have lots of family and friends, so a sense
of camaraderie is at the heart of Bosom Buddies. Knowing
you can talk about anything with someone who will listen and understand, can
help you to feel you're not on your own.
We aim to offer a range of support in a
friendly, safe environment and inspire and encourage a positive approach. We meet monthly and often invite speakers and
arrange activities on things that might help us such as exercise or nutrition,
or just something fun. We also organise
opportunities to involve family and friends, in recognition that our diagnosis
has an impact on all those involved in our lives. We provide information and resources,
especially on complementary healthcare.
Our get-togethers are
light hearted and generally full of laughter.
If you know anyone who might like to come along then please let them
know about us. We meet at 7.00 p.m. on
the first Tuesday of the month (except January) at Barnstaple Rugby Club,
Pottington Road, Barnstaple EX31 1JH. Please ring us on 07534 838202 [Lesley] or 01805
623808 [Carole]. If you would like any further information,
please e-mail bosombuddiesnorthdevon@gmail.com or look at the website www.bosombuddiesnorthdevon.co.uk..
20
NEWS FROM THE COMMUNITY SHOP & POST OFFICE
21
LOCAL WALK - 155
Spoon-fed
A Spoonbill
marched with long strides along the water's edge. We had been watching it feed, sweeping its
huge black, yellow tipped bill in curving movements through the water. We were close enough to see that its
legs had been ringed with yellow, red and green rings. The ringing could have been done in Holland,
Spain or Portugal.
On the opposite bank of the river, on
the Pottington side, stood another Spoonbill resting alongside Godwits and
Lapwings. Once a scarce passage migrant, since the
late 1980's Spoonbills have been regular visitors to the Taw between August and
April. Although also present on the
Exe, a greater number usually appears on North Devon's estuary than elsewhere In
the county.
Some of the spoonbills occurring in
Devon have been sighted as far afield as Morocco and Mauritius.
The route along the river from
Barnstaple via Anchorbank and Penhill Marsh towards Fremington Quay used to
provide a quick and easy walk when visiting the town. However, since improvements to the Tarka
Trail, following the opening of the new bridge, access to the river has become
more arduous and involves a dull stretch of path and rather hostile
underpasses, garishly painted, before a view of the river is gained.
Nevertheless, once you reach Penhill
Marsh you never know what you might see.
In 2002 among Brent Geese and Shelduck, gathered on the saltmarsh we saw
a similarly sized goose with a distinctive pattern of bold red-brown and black
patches outlined in white.
It was a Red-breasted Goose, a species
which breeds in Siberia and winters mainly on the Black Sea coasts of Romania
and Bulgaria. Although it would have
been nice to think it was a truly wild bird that had travelled far, this gorgeous
looking goose on the banks of the Taw was more likely to have been an escapee
from a private collection. But it was
lovely to encounter it in a natural setting in the company of other wild fowl.
Once we witnessed a memorable and
macabre event on Penhill Marsh. It
involved a Peregrine Falcon and a Little Egret, neither bird at all unusual
there of course, but what happened was unexpected.
There was a very strong wind that
day. A Little Egret flew past and
fluttered down into a gully. Soon a
Peregrine flying low and slow landed in the same gully.
Illustrations
by: Paul
Swailes
After a few minutes the falcon emerged
on the edge of the gully, dragging out the Little Egret. Anchoring the dead body with its Feet, the Peregrine
then plucked and ate the Egret, looking warily from side to side and finally
leaving the feet, wings and head. This
happened to coincide with a spring half term so there were families of cyclists
on the Tarka Trail who took in the scene.
Ed Drewitt, a west country naturalist
and broadcaster, has made a special study of Peregrine Falcons over many years,
identifying their prey items. It is a
long list but at that date it did not include the Little Egret. It
could be that this particular Egret was a weak bird, struggling with the strong
wind and therefore more vulnerable.
All this within sight of human
habitation and industry.
Sue H
22
THE BUREAUCRACY OF WASTE!
Last Friday my mind was preoccupied with
getting to a dental appointment, and I was half way to Barnstaple when I
realised that I had forgotten to put out the black bags for collection.
On Monday I decided that I did not want
to keep the black bags for another fortnight.
Surely there must be somewhere
not too far away where I could legally dispose of them? I
phoned North Devon Council waste collection to ask.
"We only do collection, not disposal,"
said the helpful lady; "You might try one of the recycling centres, Killacleave
at Ilfracombe, or Severn Brethren at Barnstaple, but you will have to phone
Devon County, this is the number -----"
Now I know Killacleave. There are large notices threatening a fine of
£100 if you dare to leave a bag that contains any kitchen waste, but let's try
Severn Brethren, after all it is only a 20 mile round trip, petrol has come
down, and perhaps I can fit in a trip to somewhere useful at the same time.
I
phoned the number.
"Yes you can take 2 waste bags, but you
must make an appointment; what is your name?"
I gave it.
"What is your address?" I gave it.
"What is the number of the vehicle you
will be taking?" Surprised, but ever patient, I gave it.
"Right, you can go, but don't get there before
about 1 1/2 hours from now, I have got to get the information through to the
recycling centre".
I said that I might not go today. "Oh dear" said the lady, "I must put a note
on your information that it might be tomorrow!"
At this stage I was thinking it would be
easier to leave it in the back of the garage, but I remembered that nice bottle
of New Zealand Pinot Grigio that I tasted last week. It
would be worth going on to Majestic!
I drove slowly right round the recycling
centre until, finally, I found a skip labelled "Non-Recyclable Waste". I got
my bags out when I saw a workman in an office/hut.
"Can I put my rubbish in here?" I asked.
"Oh no, not if there is any chance that there
might be food waste in it, it would contaminate the whole skip! Did you make an appointment? What is your name and address?" I gave it.
He took a look at the car number plate, went into his office and came
out with a piece of paper.
"Put the bags down here and I will take
them away," he said.
"If I need to," I asked "Can I just come back
another time?"
"Oh no," was the reply, "You must phone
in and make an appointment. What is
more, we cannot take more than eight bags in any one year."
I drove slowly and carefully to
Majestic, convinced that if they had that Pinot Grigio, I would have a dozen,
not six!
Alex Parke of DC
23
BERRYNARBOR
WINE CIRCLE
"Is your Englishman
so expert in his drinking? "
William Shakespeare,
Othello.
Call My Wine Bluff is a
favourite BWC evening based on the popular BBC game programme Call My Bluff,
that ran, off and on, between 1965 and 2005.
Bob, Geoff and Tony told us
our first was a Chenin Blanc, a Verdejo or a Pinot Grigio. It was Tony's:
a Spanish 100% Verdejo. It had a pale straw colour . . . greenish
tinges. . . citrus, tropical fruits . . . fennel and scrubland herbs.
Amazingly, Tony had bought this for £3.50 from Majestic; we didn't think this price was a UK
possibility!
Our second turned out to be
the South African Robertsons Sauvignon Blanc.
Our team were expert for this one, as it was a True! It was
full bodied with a lovely balanced acidity. The third white didn't
come from Portugal or Argentina, but did
come from Languedoc; it was a Viognier. I think this can be a little greasy - not a
preference of mine.
Old World wines are
European or Middle Eastern; they are structure driven and have more
terroir: how . . . climate, soils and aspect (terrain) affect
the taste of wine . . . or . . . earthy notes. Was our first red an
American Zinfandel, Italian Primitivo or South African Pinotage? It was a New World: Californian Old
Vine Zinfande', grown on 100-year-old vines . . . with . . . softer tannins and
a typical peppery finish.
Wine 5 was our dearest at
£19.99, but Majestically reduced to £13.22. It could
have been a Cabernet Sauvignon from Coonawarra, between Adelaide and
Melbourne. It was inky black with deep red hues, but, it could be from Medoc: from a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot
and . . . splash of Petit Verdot. Apart from Rioja, Spain has another
world renowned red-wine-producing area, the Ribero del Duero: the upper reaches
of the Duero or Douro River. Our wine came from Pesquera del Duero
with a population of just 469, but its three-generation vineyard is prestigious
and regularly receives 90+ points from the Wine Advocate magazine.
Finally, our options were
from the Colchagua Valley in Chile, an Argentinian Malbec, or an Italian,
Barolo, from the Nebbiolo grape. The latter is known to be £££: Tony mentioned a Majestic's special
offer; it had just crept into our
budget. This was a smoke screen as we sampled a Chilean Gran Reserva,
made from the Carmenere grape. Chilean wines bearing Gran Reserva
means that it is their prestige wine, so on that flavoursome note, that's it
for another year!
If a life of wine, women and song
becomes too much, give up the singing.
Anonymous
Well, wine and women were
the order of the day as February's meeting was Ladies' Night and I believe Alex
Parke described Pam, Pip and I as the 'Old Brigade'; I think he was referring to our long-standing
membership!
Pam started proceedings with
a Spanish, 2014, Godello Caixes from Majestic. The wine was 100% Godello,
grown throughout north-west Spain. This was used as a constituent, but
has gained increasing recognition as a quality varietal in its own right.
Jamie Goode of the Sunday Express described this white as having
pleasant focus with bright citrus and pear fruitiness, lots of flavour, but not
heavy. Many thought it was delicious. It's still on offer: £6.99 instead of
£7.99.
Pip and I knew Pam was
using Majestic; we used alternative
importers, deliberately. We 'travelled' to the Valle de Elqui in Chile,
courtesy of Pip and Marks & Spencer and tasted a clean and fresh, 2014, PX.
The name didn't give much away; however, PX are the initials for the grape:
Pedro Ximenez. This was another 100% grape variety, but more commonly
found in southern Spain, known, usually, for dark, sweet sherry or Australian
sweet fortified wines. The Wine Circle has tasted the dark and sweet,
but, surprisingly, this was a dry white, similar to Sauvignon Blanc. I
heard 'delicious' and 'amazing', just £7 a bottle.
Tohora Point, Marlborough
and Sainsbury's are the names to conjure with for the last white. This
isn't similar to, it is a
Sauvignon Blanc. It was this grape, this wine that made the world take note of New
Zealand. Sainsbury's description is
enticing aromas of gooseberries, delicately fruity, stone fruit, pears, leading
to a crisp. refreshing finish. Many thought it was lovely.
Average price is £9.99: I had paid £6.
Portuguese wines are often
ignored or forgotten; they shouldn't be. Pam's Porta 6, was an award
winner and sold 20,000 bottles one afternoon because TV Chef, James Martin,
declared that 'it is one of the nicest reds I've tasted in 10 years on this
show.' Many of us agreed! It was a grape mix: Tinta Roriz,
or Tempranillo, Castelao and Touriga Nacional and £7.49 instead of £8.99.
Cotes du Rhone Villages
wines are usually, synonymous with quality. The best of these have their
own appellation, including Vacqueyras, which achieved this status in 1990.
Our sample was 2014 and could be kept. At the time of tasting the
deal: £13 down to £10.40.
In 1999, St Emilion was the
first vineyard in the world listed as a world heritage site by UNESC', due to
its outstanding example of a historic landscape that has survived intact and in
activity to the present day' Its wine is revered and can be very pricey; my 2013 was a Bronze
award winner in 2015; it was agreed, generally, that it would be good with
food. Its £10 price label didn't shriek cheap!
Judith Adam
24
BERRY IN
BLOOM & BEST KEPT VILLAGE
Spring is sprung and the tubs and
planters around the village have been bright with hyacinths and daffodils with
tulips to come. These will be followed by the summer bedding. All of
this is quite an expensive job. Last
year we spent £537.00 on the summer bedding, £376.50 on the hanging baskets and
£195.00 on bulbs and spring flowers. Another £141.50 went on compost and stone
chippings, £127.48 replacing broken planters and insurance for the open gardens
cost £162.00.
It is vital therefore that we raise
money to pay for this and this year already we have had a successful quiz and
supper evening and a jumble sale in conjunction with Jigsaw. We shall be running a cake stall on 2nd April at the Horticultural &
Craft Show Coffee morning.
Our other two main fund
raising events are:
- The Sterridge Valley Open Gardens on the
26th June
- The Village Open Gardens on the 14th August
If
you are able and willing to open your garden, please contact me. Don't worry that yours may not be up to
Chelsea standard, people just love to wander around our pretty village and all
the gardens are lovely and interesting in their own way. To keep everything shipshape, our first
litter pick of the year has taken place and litter picks will be held regularly
- keep an eye on the blackboard in the bus shelter for dates.
Thank you to every one for your support,
we shall be going for GOLD again this year.
Wendy Applegate
25
Mocha Cake
This is a lovely rich moist cake and will
keep any chocolate lover happy!
- 200g unsalted butter cut into small pieces
- 200g good quality dark chocolate broken into small pieces
- 2tbsp strong filter coffee or 1 tbsp instant coffee powder dissolved in 2 tbsp hot water
- 50g plain flour
- 50g ground almonds
- 5 free range eggs
- 75g light soft brown sugar
- 100g caster sugar
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder for dusting
Lightly grease a 20cm spring form tin
and line with baking parchment. Heat the
oven to 180C /gas 4. Put the butter, chocolate and coffee in to a smallish bowl
set over barely simmering water in a saucepan.
Make sure the bowl does not touch the water. Leave to melt but do not allow to get too
hot. When the ingredients are melted
remove from the heat and stir until well combined.
Sift the flour into a large bowl and mix
in the almonds.
Separate the eggs into 2 large
bowls. Add the soft brown sugar to the
yolks and using an electric hand whisk beat together until thoroughly combined
and creamy. Now carefully fold in the
melted chocolate mixture. The chocolate
has a tendency to sink to the bottom of the bowl so dig deep.
Now using clean beaters and a clean bowl
whisk the egg whites and caster sugar in to soft peaks.
Fold the flour and almonds into the
chocolate mix and then the whisked egg whites and sugar.
Pour into the prepared tin and bake for
40-45 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out slightly
sticky. The idea is for the cake to be
slightly undercooked so it will be soft and a little sunken in the middle. Cool in the tin then carefully remove and
dust with the cocoa powder,
Actually. this is lovely served slightly
warm with cream. Mmmmm!
26
SOUP & PUD EVENING
Berrynarbor held its 2nd Soup and Pud Evening [back by popular demand] at the end of January in the Manor Hall. Another great success, the hall packed with soup and pudding lovers - a fantastic community event raising in excess of £900.
Home-made bunting, created by the Primary School, showing pictures of soups and puddings adorned the hall.
A big thank you to all who donated, helped, served, washed up and consumed. Charities supported this year are Devon Air Ambulance, the Manor Hall Trust, Jayne Morrow Stem Cell Fundraiser and Berrynarbor School.
Many thanks to all from the Soup and Pud Team.
27
RURAL REFLECTIONS - 73
John Clare
by William Hilton
oil on canvas, circa 1820-1821
Purchased, 1907
NPG 1469
© National Portrait Gallery, London
Licenced under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0
Our
washing machine recently became rather poorly.
It started to suffer from
unpredictable high temperatures and severe bouts of water retention. I
telephoned a specialist who agreed to do a home visit and run tests. The results were not favourable. He said the machine could have a programme
transplant but at a cost so high it would be kinder to help it on its way to an
everlasting heavenly hot wash. Put
simply, purchasing a new washing machine would be cheaper. Bless him, he did at least give us comfort -
no, not that type - by telling us our
machine had lasted longer than its expected life span. I thought it a curious term, especially when
one considers that our laundering device was an inanimate object. Not
that it was unique, of course; a man-made item will not last forever if it is
beyond repair, too expensive to repair, severely neglected or no longer
required.
This last example was the
focus of my last two articles, namely disused tracks and derelict buildings. Viewed
objectively neither are alive. Yet both
have not only directly terminated their shelf life; they have also indirectly
catered for a vast number of living species, present either all year round or
at certain seasons. The deterioration of
the deserted trackway and the absent abode is subtle and effected by the
weather gods imposing their extreme conditions and temperatures. It is a decline too subtle for the naked eye
to detect and is therefore unlike the delicate alterations that occur within
our rural world during the course of one year.
For we need not be intelligent or skilful to notice them. Nor do we need to possess the gift of grammar.
All that we require is a keen eye, a
notepad and a pen.
Such scrutiny does not have to be
restricted to pastoral transformations. Basic descriptions of any occurrences both
close at hand and further afield can be sufficient - and rewarding. One of the best exponents of this was John
Clare (1793-1864). The son of a Northamptonshire labourer, he initially worked
as a herd boy and then as an under gardener. Both jobs ignited a love for the wild flora
and fauna around him. So when the opportunity
arose to manage his own farm, Clare viewed it as a logical progression. Unfortunately, his instinct was to be his
undoing, failing as a farmer and subsequently living in desperate poverty.
John Clare Memorial, Helpston, Peterborough
©Rodney Burton via Wikimedia Commons
Clare was eventually committed to an asylum,
aged 44. Yet seventeen years prior to this he had begun composing poetry about his
observations on the surrounding countryside. Spirited by his discovery to possess the gift
of narration, he began drafting a number of similar-themed letters and sent
them to a publisher. Feedback was
positive, fuelling his enthusiasm. The more he witnessed, the more prolific he
wrote - this despite never learning to spell or punctuate.
A collection of his works, Natural
History Letters was published in 1825, every misspelt word uncorrected and
without any necessary punctuation marks added. One of his letters, entitled Spring
beautifully reflects his talent for spotting the most delicate facets of our
natural environment by relaying his discovery of a snail's resourcefulness. He is
amazed by its instinct, observing that despite its slowness a snail only ever
goes far enough foraging for food, secure in the knowledge that it can return
to the undergrowth and be unharmed by the sun - and only just in time. He
also describes the snail's keen perception that, unlike night time, it must
only forage close by during daylight hours so it can return to the safety of
shade if the sun were to suddenly appear from behind a cloud.
But Clare also makes a more valuable comment
on the matter: "the snail's instinct is very remarkable and worth notice
tho such things are looked over with a careless eye". Clare and I are clearly soulmates. For
like him, the book I wrote was merely an amalgamation of the scribbles I made about
what I saw whilst taking walks on the Cairn - all purely based on the
activities of its wildlife and the changing colours of its trees and wild
flowers. But also like Clare, I did not
undertake a degree or attend a course in book publishing to be an author.
So this spring, why not take a pad and a
pen with you and either sit in your garden or find a spot in the countryside. You will be pleasantly surprised at the
goings on around you; and who knows, like Clare, you might even get your collection
of notes published.
Steve McCarthy
28
SECOND CHANCE
Readers may recall my Childhood Memories in issue No. 55, August 1998, I wrote:
-
"In 1939, in preparation for what seemed likely to be World War II, the Beauclerks bought Meadow Dene for £950. They lightly furnished it to make it liveable and moved in for what they thought would be a temporary stay, thinking they would have holidays there and perhaps let it.
"However, not much later they received a Government Notice to say their house in Upminster, Essex was required for military accommodation. This being the case everything in the house had to be got out as soon as possible. Arrangements were made with farmer Jim Chugg of Mill Farm [Mill Park] to rent the mill for the storage of all our possessions. Wardrobes, chests of drawers, bookcases, everything still full was brought from Essex and stored at the mill.
"As a boy I would go down to the mill where my toys were and sometimes set up a clockwork train set or fiddle with levers on the mill in the hope of seeing the water wheel turn - it never did because the mill pond had long since gone and the only water flowing was probably draining from the road.
"One day I went there with a friend and whilst rummaging around, we found a leather cigar case, and sure enough, there was a cigar in it. Well, what do young boys do when they find a cigar? You've guessed, we smoked it! A number of years later my mother said, "I wonder what happened to the cigar Winston Churchill gave your father?" Whoops!"
Well, my second chance for a Churchill souvenir came when my Auntie Con gave me this letter, which as you can see is hand written.
Although there is no date on it, I should think it was probably written during World War II due to the size of the paper [actual size] - economy called for paper to be used sparingly!
Tony Beauclerk - Stowmarket
29
BLACK BINS - GREEN BINS
One would have thought that most, if not
all, people in this village would fully understand the difference between what
rubbish goes into a black wheelie bin and what rubbish goes into a green
wheelie bin! NOT SO! "Hello," we hear you say, "What's this
about?"
About a year ago arrangements were made
with Works and Recycling based in Barnstaple for the supply of two wheelie bins
- one black and one green - to be delivered to St. Peter's Church, at a cost to
us, and explicitly for the use of residents and the occasional visitor to take
advantage of when visiting the churchyard.
A notice was adhered to each bin to
identify what items of rubbish should be placed in them. "Why did I bother?" I ask myself. Nearly every week my wife Sue and I have to
transfer all the cellophane wrapping, plastic flowers, plastic flower pots, in
fact every b . . thing plastic from the
GREEN bin - positioned behind the church and near to the water tap - to the
BLACK bin - adjacent to the lych gate - for disposal. Sometimes we have to pick up dead flowers in
the churchyard which have been randomly strewn about and not placed in the
green bin at all! All this is plainly
ridiculous and totally unnecessary.
As mentioned above, it may be that we
have a phantom plastic visitor who is the culprit all along, and not one of our
residents, who clearly cannot read or is just lazy!
WHOEVER it is, please STOP DOING
IT! All of us involved in running our
church are working hard in an endeavour to keep the churchyard and everything there
in tip top condition. A great deal of
credit must go to Matthew Walls and family for keeping the grass cut and making
the churchyard look clean and tidy for relatives when visiting their loved
ones, and also for wedding couples who like to have photographs taken in memory
of their special day here in Berrynarbor.
We rest
our case! Stuart and Sue
30
PLEASANT & UNPLEASANT
The Valley, especially for dog walkers, makes a very pleasant stroll, but it is most unpleasant when stepping back into the hedgerow to avoid a passing car you step on a pile of dog poo!
Not cleaning up after your dog here, and also in the village itself, shows not only a lack of thought for others but it is an illegal offence in areas of less than 50mph and comes under the anti-social behaviour law attracting fines as well as being unhealthy.
Dog owners, please, please, think of others and if you are unwilling or insist in not bagging the poo and taking it home, at least 'stick it and flick it' out of the way of other walkers. Remember, it is not your dog that can be held responsible! It is YOU.
31
MOVERS AND SHAKERS - NO. 62
MISS ARUNDELL YEO
[1837 - 3rd December 1919]
Lady of the Manor, and restorer of St Peter's Church, Bittadon
"Have you been to Bittadon
Church?" asked our friend David. Next
day, a visitor from Bideford came into our shop where I was working. "Have you
been to Bittadon Church?" she asked.
This was such a coincidence that the following day, I did visit the
church and understood their enthusiasm.
'Here we have a little
parish of some thousand acres, with a population of little more than fifty
persons and a small church nestled among trees that closely embower it that it
is possible to pass it by unobserved' says the charming opening on a set of
leaflets inside the church.
If you've not been there,
take the B3230 road from Ilfracombe towards Muddiford. After passing On-a-Hill [OHG] garage, then
Centery Farm take the next sharp left turn.
Set between the parishes of West Down and East Down it is thought that
it was originally called Petit Down.
Access is a bit tricky - up a roughish cart track, but once there, all
is peace and quiet and the church remains open to visitors.
Whilst looking at the
information leaflets, I noticed 'Narbor is the nearest money order and
telegraph office, 4 miles distant', [well done, Debbie and Karen for keeping it
going!] and just below it, a brief description of Bittadon, its 51 inhabitants
and ivy-mantled 12th century church, 'perhaps one of the smallest in the
county' and its Lady of the Manor, Miss Arundell Yeo, who, it later states,
'thoroughly restored [it] in 1881.' So
here, I thought, was a definite Mover and Shaker and what is more, a woman!
Google wasn't much help to
start with, although it led me to her parents: William Arundell Yeo and his
wife Eliza [nee Fogg Bernard], both from Clifton, Bristol. He had distinguished ancestors, amongst them
Lord Clifton of Heanton Satchville near Petrockstowe and Richard Coffin
of Portledge. Thanks to Barnstaple
Records Office I was able to find that by the 1851 census William had moved his
family to Fremington House, Fremington, where he was listed as a 'Landlord
Proprietor'. By then, he and his wife
had spawned 4 children: Mary Arundell [1831], William Arundell [1836], Eliza
Bernard Arundell [1837] and Barbara [1840].
So which was Miss Arundell Yeo? And what had happened to their son and
heir, William?
I found no mention of
Barbara until searching a gravestones site, where I found she died in
1898. The Records Office said could
Miss Yeo have been Mary? They had
information about her. She married
William Bartlett in 1854. A 'Petition
for divorce' [not carried through] was made in 1864; by the 1871 census she was staying with
friends in St Minver; 1881 she was a boarder still in St Minver; 1891 with
husband at St Minver and in 1911 when she was 80, they were still together,
living in Tywardreath, Cornwall. She
died in France in 1919. Yet I had
followed Miss Arundell Yeo's Fremington household and estate/plantation
expenses from 1880 to 1885 with interest, where she had spent large sums on
timber from RGB [yes, they were already in production!], quarry stones and so
on. It must be her!
Then Google came to the
rescue. I hit upon yeosociety.com and was at last rewarded! Here I found that William senior was made
High Sherriff of Devon in 1860 [official figures give it as 1850]. He died on 4th April 1862 and is buried in
St Peter's Church, Fremington. He
inherited Bittadon and other estates in Devon and Cornwall from the Barbor
family, who were preceded by a long line of local families: the de Bittadons
way back in the 12th century, then the Loverings, Luttrells, and Chichesters.
His son William is described as a Barrister-at-Law and inherited Lord of the
Manor on the death of his father in 1862.
He died unmarried in 1880 in Ostend, Belgium, although for many years
had a mistress, Clementine Frantzen with whom he had at least 4 children. His estates then passed to his sister, Miss E
B Arundell Yeo. I'd finally found
her: Miss Eliza Bernard Arundell Yeo!
Earlier I had e-mailed the
Rector listed in the church. He'd been
posted to South Devon but kindly passed on my e-mail to the churchwarden who
told me to look at the reredo in the church.
So a second visit was made. Here
was confirmation. I found in the
gathering twilight an inconspicuous carved memorial to Miss Eliza Arundell Yeo
from her niece, and the date of her death, 3rd December 1919.
Sadly, W. G. Hoskins in his
1954 book on Devon referring to Bittadon and its church says: '[St Peter's] was
hideously rebuilt and ruined in1883-7' with no mention of its benefactor. The refurbishment must have cost a lot of
money, and once she was in charge, Eliza sold much of her property to tenants
and cottagers.
Incidentally, the
Barnstaple Records Office gave me access to the 1910 Domesday Book equivalent -
that I didn't know existed - inaugurated by the Liberals which enlarges on the
census, giving rateable value of houses as well as of their inhabitants. Cottages in Bittadon were, if I remember
rightly, around £2. Bittadon Manor and
its 500 acres was listed as £65.
As a postscript on Bittadon
Church, a visitor from Worcester in 2014 has written in the visitor's book,
'Our great grandmother played the organ in this church and eloped with the farm
hand from the Manor House window...' but
that is another story!
PP of DC
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SATURDAY 16TH APRIL
Howden Jones, singer songwriters, bring their No Halls Barred - beautiful music in beautiful places tour to Lee Memorial Hall on 16th April.
An excellent family friendly show. Bring your own drinks and food if you wish. Tickets £8.00 each, accompanied children under 16 free. To book please ring Ian and Cynthia on [01271] 863396 or e-mail Ian@leedevon;co.uk. Doors open at 7.00 p.m. for 7.30 p.m. start.
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HIDDEN
TREASURE
Watching Penelope Keith's recent
television programme 'Hidden Villages' featuring Combe Martin, it struck me
that if she had ventured just a little further, up Newberry Hill and into
Barton Lane, she would have found a 'Hidden
Treasure - Berrynarbor.
Any relocation television programme
featuring those looking for a lifestyle change in the country reveals their
tick boxes are a pub, village shop, village hall and a church, with a local
school a priority when children are involved.
We are lucky that Berrynarbor has them all, each in their own way
keeping the village alive and thriving.
When Judith and I moved here almost nine
years ago, we too had the same tick boxes.
We found facility-rich Berrynarbor thanks to a long-time school friend,
now sadly departed, who lived in this area for more than 30 years; previously
we viewed houses in villages devoid of such amenities. While the Church has literally been the
cornerstone of the village since the 12th century, two of the main attractions
of our village must be the shop and Manor Hall.
The shop is holding its own, bucking the
trend of many in other villages around the country. That said, the recent news from the British
Retail Consortium that thousands of shops could close over the next decade
makes it even more imperative that we all keep using ours. We all know the phrase ''Use it or lose it' but it's sad to know that even some who
invested in the shop as shareholders to save it from closure only 10 years ago,
don't use it today!
For the management it can't be easy
having a Tesco supermarket in Ilfracombe, one in Braunton, let alone the two
superstores in Barnstaple and a 'Tesco Local' in the High Street, not to
mention Lidl in Barnstaple and Ilfracombe; but our truly 'local' shop competes
with and often betters Tesco's prices, which it monitors every week, and,
therefore, varies its £1 special offers accordingly. I find it amazing just what is on sale, much
from local producers thus supporting the wider community.
Apart from attracting potential
customers, the convenience of the Post Office is just that;
it contributes nothing to the actual running profit of the shop; nor does just
buying a daily newspaper or such staples as milk and bread on which there is
very little mark-up. So whether it is
seen as a 'village', 'community' or even a 'convenience' shop - for those items
missing from the cupboard - it plays a pivotal role in the village and can
reduce the carbon footprint associated with jumping in the car to head for
Tesco. Most of us use the supermarkets
for our major shop but apparently, just £5 per week spent by every household in
the village will help secure the shop's future for years to come!
One of Berrynarbor's greatest attributes
is its community spirit - from the numerous Berry in Bloom 'Best Kept Village'
successes over the years, to the way people rally round to support the many
fund-raising events
that have preserved the church bells, provided additional facilities for the
school and raised essential seed-corn funding to establish the restoration
needs of the Manor Hall, to name but a few.
The Newsletter itself has been supported for 26 years.
The approval of the plans for the Manor
Hall is great news; the committee has worked hard to meet the wishes of the
village to give this rare, mediaeval building a new lease of life, enabling
expansion of the varied activities beyond the social, sporting and educational
activities it currently supports.
As
one major hurdle is cleared, another looms later this year - applying for and,
more importantly, being awarded substantial monies from the Lottery Fund to
enable the work to be undertaken. What
would we do and where would we go for the schools' activities and village
events, let alone the craft and leisure groups without it?
Finally, with four pubs shutting every
day in the UK, the highest rate for more than 100 years, we are fortunate to
have two. What changes the new ownership
of the Sawmill will bring to both it and Ye Olde Globe will be interesting to
see when the former re-opens its doors later this year. The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) encourages
local communities to apply to have their pubs listed as an 'Asset of Community
Value', thereby increasing their protection, and strengthening the 'community
spirit' in all its connotations!
According to three leading local estate
agents, it is difficult to quantify how the amenities we enjoy add a premium to
house prices; however, they all agree that compared to villages with few or
even no such amenities, a thriving village makes the lifestyle more desirable
and, therefore, houses more saleable.
One thing is for sure, we should all be
a lot worse off - and not just in financial terms - if Berrynarbor was to lose
any one of these treasured amenity assets!
Geoff Adam
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ELIZABETH'S
FOOTPRINT
Natalia Spencer tragically lost her
little girl Elizabeth, aged 5, following 18 days in intensive care at Bristol
Children's Hospital where doctors and nurses battled to save her life. Elizabeth became suddenly ill with what
seemed like flu, and then rapidly deteriorated as her body slowly shut down the
blood supply to her organs with devastating results. Elizabeth slipped away on the evening of
10th December 2015 leaving Natalia to face every parent's worst nightmare -
losing a child.
Natalia states that the bombings in
Paris shortly before Elizabeth's illness showed humanity at its worst, and yet,
the dedication and compassion of the medical staff at Bristol Children's
Hospital showed humanity at its greatest.
As therapy for her own grief and in
order to bring something good out of something so terrible, this remarkable
lady is undertaking a year long walk around the whole of the UK coast path to
raise 100k for the Wallace and Gromit Grand Appeal which is the Bristol
Children's Hospital charity. In doing this Natalia feels that she will give
purpose to her own life without Elizabeth and create a lasting memorial to her
daughter by helping other children and families.
Natalia began her walk on February 14th
from Durdle Door in Dorset. On 27th March she will be walking from Bucks Mills
to Appledore and by 30th March she will have reached Combe Martin.
As a family we shall be hosting Natalia
here on 30th March when she reaches Combe Martin.
We don't know Natalia yet, having never
met her; but we don't have to know her in order to welcome her into our home
and look after her whilst she is with us.
We're just ordinary people.
Parents to a little girl ourselves, our hearts go out to Natalia and we
just want to do what we can to help.
We are trying to get Natalia's story and
message Out There. As well as donating
to the Wallace and Gromit appeal, people can walk with Natalia for company and
support [local people know the local routes], turn out to give her a wave or
words of encouragement, sign the online visitors book and send The Word on
further ahead to anyone else that they know so that ordinary people will come
forward and do whatever they can to help Natalia as she passes through.
Please support Natalia and the Wallace
and Gromit Appeal - go to Elizabeth's memorial site @elizabethsfootprints.com.
Thank
you.
Dan
and Denny
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36
NEWS FROM THE GLOBE
I'm sure that most of you are aware, but for those who aren't, we have sold the Sawmill.
It was sad to say goodbye to the place as we had been there for almost 28 years, but we are excited for the future now that we just have The Globe to focus on.
The new owners are local business people and I am sure that they will introduce themselves to you through the newsletter. We hope they enjoy the Sawmill as much as we have over the last 27+ years.
We have a great team here to welcome you at The Globe, if you haven't been in for a while, pop in to say hello.
There are some great ideas of things to do coming up; one of which is to have regular Friday BBQ & Garden Parties. These will start on 3rd June, every Friday throughout the summer [weather permitting] we shall have live acoustic music outside with BBQ from 5.00 p.m. Look out for more details.
We shall also be serving food later until 10.00 p.m. and the Carvery will be available longer on a Sunday afternoon.
During the summer we shall also have Children's entertainment and regular Live Music in the bar.
Events for April & May include:
- Saturday 2nd: Open Mic - in the function room. The last one was a lovely evening with some great musicians. The emphasis is on "No Covers" and rather than being loud/fast music it is a very pleasant evening listening to some lovely music in a quiet, relaxing, candle-lit environment.
- Saturday, 23rd Our April "All You Can Eat Night" falls on St George's Day, so it was obvious that to celebrate this our theme must be ENGLISH. Booking Advised.
- Saturday 7th May We have a Jazz Workshop in the function room. More information will be available soon for booking a place.
- Saturday 21st May All You Can Eat' Night - Menu available by the time this newsletter is circulated.
Look out for information about Live Music on Bank Holiday weekends.
We shall be Open All Afternoon on Saturdays and Sundays from Easter, with longer opening hours to follow in May.
Our new menu will be available soon after Easter, so pop in and check it out. We are also still doing take-aways, so if you don't fancy driving in to town just 'phone us and pop in to collect your take-away. Available 6.00-9.00 p.m. The menu includes Curries, Lasagne, Burgers, Scampi, Pumpkin Tagine and more. We also do take-aways on our Theme Nights AND for Sunday Carvery.
If you would like further details of any of the above, drop me an email: yeoldeglobe@gmail.com
Hope to see you here soon.
Karen
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AT-A-GLANCE DIARY
APRIL | |
2nd | Horticultural & Craft Show: Table Top Sale & Coffee Morning, Manor Hall, 10.00 a.m. |
---|---|
11th | Academy & Primary School: Start of Summer Term |
12th | Mobile Library in Village from 11.40 a.m. Parish Council Meeting, Manor Hall, 7.00 p.m. |
16th | Howden Jones at Lee Memorial Hall, 7.00 for 7.30 p.m. |
20th | Wine Circle, 8.00 p.m., Manor Hall: Men's Night |
27th | Friendship Lunch, The Globe, 12.00 noon onwards |
MAY | |
2nd | The Car Boot Sale at Blackmore Gate has been CANCELLED. |
6th | Planning Meeting for Flower Festival, St. Peter's 11.00 a.m. |
10th | Mobile Library in Village from 11.40 a.m. Annual Parish Meeting and Annual Parish Council Meeting, 7.00 p.m. Manor Hall. |
18th | Wine Circle, 8.00 p.m. Manor Hall: AGM, Wines of Portugal - Tony Summers |
19th | Defibrillator Instruction, Manor Hall, 7.00 p.m. All welcome. |
23rd | To 3rd June: Academy and Primary School - Half term |
25th | Friendship Lunch, The Globe, 12.00 noon onwards |
28th | Joint Service at St. Peter's Combe Martin, 9.30 a.m. |
30th | Great Berrynarbor Plant Sale, Manor Hall, 2.00 p.m. |
JUNE | |
7th | Mobile Library in Village from 11.40 a.m. |
Manor Hall Diary | |
Mondays | Upholstery, 9.00 to 1.00 p.m.Craft Group, 1.45 p.m. Badminton, 7.30 p.m. |
---|---|
Tuesdays | N.D. Spinners [2nd & 4th] 3rd: Craft Art Group, 9.30 a.m. |
Wednesdays | Pilates Body Workout, 9.00 a.m. School p.m. |
Thursdays | Watercolour Painting 10.00 a.m. [10 week terms] |
Fridays | Toddlers Soft Play and Activity a.m. Primary School p.m. |
Penn Curzon Room | Pre-School: Daily Morning: 8.00/9.00 a.m. - 12.00 noon Afternoon: 12.00 noon to 3.00/3.30 or 4.00 p.m. All Day: 8.30 or 9.00 a.m. to 3.00, 3.30 or 4.00 p.m. |
Mobile Library | |
Village Shop: 11.40-12.10 p.m. Sterridge Valley: 12.25-12.55 p.m. |
School, Pre-School and Toddler Group - Term Time only
38
OLD BERRYNARBOR - VIEW NO. 160
Berrynarbour, Near Combe Martin
This
particular view was first published by Lilywhite Limited in 1937, The
card has a red one penny [1d] Edward VIII stamp and is postmarked Kentisbury
Ford Barnstaple Devon. I
have the same view published in sepia by Raphael Tuck & Sons Ltd. around
two years later in 1939.
The view shows 62 Silver Street, which had
been opened as a Post Office in 1921.
In about 1926 Mrs. A.J. Huggins took over as Shopkeeper, Draper and
Post-Mistress. She had three daughters
who all helped at various times and undertook delivering telegrams around the
village.
There
is no sign of our public telephone kiosk and I wonder when that was
installed? Opposite we see our village
school still with no footpath outside.
Note the large trees growing either side of the church steps and behind
the bus shelter.
In
the early 1940's Bertram and Mabel Rudd ran the shop, having moved from running
a business in Ilfracombe. Keith Walls
has spoken of a Captain Snoddy and then a Mr. Scrivener
taking over the Post Office after them.
Following
on for around four years were Mr. and Mrs. Roland Squires before handing over
to Betty Davis [c1958-1961]. From 1961
until 1977, Keith and Margaret Walls ran the shop and Post Office before
handing over the reins to Keith and Maureen Cooper. Maureen was the Post Mistress until 1982
when Dennis and Sylvia Barton took over until moving to Tonbridge in 1986.
Colin and Nicky Purdue then took over for a couple of years before
selling to Maureen and Graham Jones in 1988.
Six years later Nora and Alan Rowlands took over.
Alan and Nora continued running the Post Office and shop until October
2004 when it was taken over by the village Co-operative, who ran it from the
premises in Silver Street until March 2008 when the current Community Shop and
Post Office, in the car park, was opened.
Tom Bartlett
Tower Cottage, February 2016
tomandinge40@gmail.com
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