Ladies Group
News from the Ladies Group
BERRYNARBOR LADIES' GROUP
Fifteen members attended the Meeting on 5th October when Deri Rundle came to speak about her work in Rwanda.
She became aware of the enormous need for help to bring water to the remote villages in Western Rwanda on the borders of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and it was then the David Rundle Trust was started in memory of her late husband.
Over the last few years huge progress has been made with the help of the David Rundle Trust and the Rwandan people themselves who are positive about the future for themselves and their children. They are now learning to use bono cookers which use 50% less wood than open fires and this helps to save the mountain gorilla's habitat. It also reduces carbon emissions by 80%.
Deri visits Rwanda frequently and with money donated takes with her clothing, cooking utensils and other articles necessary for the well being of the villagers, particularly the school children. She lives amongst them and has no special privileges. After her talk, members asked various questions and said how much they admired her for the work she is doing to improve the lives of these people.
On the 2nd November, Michael Mant from Barnstaple Rotary Club came to speak about Shelterbox. Back in 1999 Tom Henderson from the Rotary Club in Helston was looking for a humanitarian project and that is how the idea of the Shelterbox was born.
After the tsunami in 2004, 7,000 boxes were dispatched with Richard Branson supplying the transport. It is very important to distribute the boxes fairly between the various religious groups and to oversee the distribution. At present there are 200 boxes stored in various places around the world, i.e. Melbourne, Dubai and Miami. This is to enable them to be delivered quickly to the affected areas.
Most of the contents are made in China and are of good quality and relatively cheap. 22,000 boxes have gone to Haiti and a total of 50,000 have been sent around the world. In addition to the green box, there is a blue box which contains school items for 200 children. Each green box contains a tent, which is now white and much thicker than the original one and is guaranteed to last at least four years. It is large enough to accommodate eleven people. Also in the box are waterproof ground sheets, cooking utensils, water filters, cutlery and back packs for children containing paper and pencils. Each box costs £590. At the end of the Meeting, donations were given towards another box. The raffle was won by Ann Williams.
Back in September, some members met for a cream tea at Pipcott in West Down. This 'get together' was enjoyed so much that subsequently it was suggested that the group should discontinue the monthly meetings at the Manor Hall and in future meet together for various outings and coffee mornings to be arranged by individuals. It is getting increasingly difficult to find new speakers who charge moderate fees and the majority of members agreed that this new venture would be a good idea.
The December Meeting will now be the Christmas lunch at the Ring of Bells, Prixford. Early in the New Year an outing will be arranged.
On
behalf of members, I should like to thank everyone who has helped to run
Berrynarbor Ladies Group over the last few years.
Doreen
Prater
2
BERRYNARBOR
LADIES GROUP
After the summer break, the speaker on 7th
September was David
Nochar from the Citizens Advice Bureau. His talk was both informative and at times
amusing.
David is based at the Bideford office
which covers Bideford, Torridge, mid-Devon and Bude. The
CAB is an independent organisation receiving funding from the lottery, local
government and local fund raising, but receives no funds from the government. In 1935 the government felt there was a need
for this kind of service and the CAB was established in 1939. During the war the CAB operated from all
sorts of places, including a horsebox, and until the 1950s was government
funded. When money became tight, they
lost their funding. In 2010 the CAB
became computerised. The CAB provides
free, independent, confidential and impartial help and advice to everyone. At the
Bideford office there are eight case workers dealing with consumer rights, debt,
homelessness, income tax, breakdown of relationships and unemployment. They
are now receiving funding for a court desk to deal with home repossession. They also offer family support and advice
for cancer sufferers and their families in association with Macmillan
Nurses. Currently they are seeing
people with terrible debt problems due to unemployment as well as dealing with
increased redundancy and unfair dismissal cases. They can offer legal aid and have contact
with a legal advisor where necessary, and offer other languages when dealing
with cases involving migrant workers. The
Bideford office has twelve trustees, paid staff and volunteers as well as
specialist information which can be sought on-line. David said that although at times the work can
be very harrowing, he loves doing the job.
The vote of thanks was given by Rosemary
Gaydon. It was agreed to have a cream
tea at Pipcotts Tea Room in West Down on Tuesday, 2lst
September. The raffle was won by
Margaret Weller.
On 5th October, the speaker will be Deri
Rundle speaking about Water Aid in
Marion Carter and Doreen Prater
2
BERRYNARBOR LADIES' GROUP
Twelve members and three
visitors attended the Meeting on 1st June. Tim Davis, of Harpers Mill, came along to
tell us abut the bird sightings in the
Some birds, like the robin, wren and dunnock can be seen all
year round, while the fieldfare and redwing [both thrushes] are winter visitors
and the swallow, swift and willow warbler summer visitors. The majority of birds seen in gardens are,
in fact, all woodland birds but as the woodlands have been replaced by housing,
gardens have become increasingly important in helping the species that have
successfully adapted, to survive. Birds
that prefer the coniferous woodlands are goldfinches and siskins, where they
both winter and breed and chiffchaffs, blackcap and whitethroat are summer
visitors from African wintering grounds.
The most common birds of
prey seen in the village and valley are the buzzard, sparrow hawk and tawny
owl. Red kites can sometimes be seen flying over
the village owing to reintroduction programmes.
Tim illustrated his talk
with a disc of the various birds together with the different birdsongs, some
were very melodious - but others not!
I should like to thank Tim for giving me the above
information recently as I had mislaid my notes.
I appreciate his assistance as he had only
just come home from holiday and had lots of e-mails to answer!
Member, Margaret Crabbe, was the speaker on 6th July. She had been due to speak at our January
Meeting that had been cancelled due to the bad weather. Her subject matter was the Special
Constabulary, the origins of which date back several hundred years to Anglo
Saxon times when the people policed themselves. In 1673 King Charles II ruled that any
citizen might be sworn in as a temporary peace-officer for a special occasion,
particularly when there was a threat of great disturbances.
The government passed a
Special Constables Act in 1831 and this Act still forms the basis of the
constitution today. There were no women
special police officers in 1831 and if any man refused to serve he could be
fined five pounds! Today the Special
Constabulary is a voluntary, part time organisation , paying only expenses and
is a closely integrated part of police forces around the
It was into this organisation that Margaret joined in 1969. She gave us a very amusing insight into her
experiences. After leaving college she became personal
assistant to a managing director but felt she would like another interest as
well. An uncle was a special constable
and suggested she joined, so she went to the local police station, made
enquiries and came away with an application form. After an interview with the Inspector she was
subsequently sworn in at the Magistrates' Court. Her next step was collecting the uniform. She set off to the
Her first duty was at Wells Carnival and, with no training, found
herself controlling traffic at a cross roads.
During the first few months she
heard language she had never heard before!
In March 1970 she went to Canons
Grove for practical training. As a female "special" she was often required
to look after children, with whom she had little experience being an only child
herself. The City of
As usual the Meeting ended with tea, biscuits and chat. The raffle was won by Joyce Simpson. There is no Meeting in August. Stephen Davies from Citizens Advice Bureau
will be coming on 7th September and
Deri Rundle talks about
Water Aid in
The Group congratulates the Newsletter on 21 successful years
and thanks Judie for all her hard work putting it together.
Doreen Prater
3
BERRYNARBOR LADIES' GROUP
The Speaker at the April Meeting was
Bernard Hill, known as
the Fox Man because of his ability to imitate wild animals to catch foxes.
He was born into a farming family in Langtree in 1932 and
during the war years loved to join his father trapping rabbits, which they sold
locally.
It was during the 1950's that Bernard discovered he had a
gift for making foxes come to him.
Before long he used his skills to help local farmers who were losing
lambs daily. Over the course of a few
weeks he had lured more than twenty foxes by imitating birds, mice and other
animals hunted by them.
His love of the countryside has not diminished since he was a
boy; he is a skilled Devon stone wall
builder, thatcher, rick maker and Devon hedge layer, to mention a few of his
attributes - no wonder he had no time to get married!
Fourteen members and three visitors attended the Meeting on 4th
May which was chaired by 'yours truly' as Janet Gibbins had to stand down due
to her many other commitments. Janet Gammon suggested an outing to Hartland Abbey in
June. Fifteen members were needed to
fill the minibus to make it viable but unfortunately numbers were not
forthcoming. She is now looking into an
outing to the Woody Bay Railway to include lunch and/or a cream tea. Members' cars could be used for this short
distance.
Tom Bartlett then showed slides of postcards of old
Berrynarbor. He and Inge came to
Ilfracombe in 1964 - they were the youngest hoteliers in the town. They
bought Tower Cottage in 1973 and moved there permanently a few years later.
Tom blames Inge for his interest in postcards as she bought
five for him from the market in 1971 and his collection now contains 56,000!! Mr. Garratt, the photographer, took nearly
200 photos of Berrynarbor - did he have a girlfriend in the village?! It was
interesting to see how it looked in the early 1900's - Miss Muffet's was a shop
and Langleigh House was the post office.
There was a photo of Jim Dart, the knife sharpener, who travelled around
the area staying a few days in each place.
Rosemary Gaydon thanked Tom for his interesting presentation
and the raffle was won by Janet Gammon. Tim Davis, from Harpers
Mill, will be speaking about birds in and around Berrynarbor on the 1st June
and Marilyn Richards explains acupuncture to us on 6th July.
As usual there will be no Meeting in August. Meetings
recommence on 7th September when Stephen Davies from the Citizens Advice Bureau
will be coming to talk to us. It would be nice to see a few more ladies at these Meetings.
so please come along - first Tuesday in
the month in the Manor Hall at
Doreen Prater
3
BERRYNARBOR LADIES' GROUP
The February meeting was taken by Vice Chairman Margaret
Crabbe and commenced with a short
Margaret then welcomed Lani Shepherd, who designs and makes
contemporary stained glass panels at her local studio. Her
designs have been commissioned for public spaces and private homes worldwide.
Lani originally came to
On 2nd March, Sarah Curtis came from the Dogs Trust [formerly
the National Canine Defence League] and brought with her a Bassett hound called
All the dogs are checked by a vet, neutered and an identity
chip inserted. Much effort goes into
matching a dog to its future home and there is a one-week trial period before a
final decision is made. If the new owner
experiences a problem, the Trust guarantees to take the dog back.
The facility at Ilfracombe was rebuilt in 1996 and handled
600 dogs in 2009. There are fourteen
staff and it costs £200,000 a year to run with no government funding. There is a charity shop in Ilfracombe, which
raised
£37,883 last year. Sarah illustrated her talk with colourful
slides. Janet Gammon suggested various
ideas for this year's outings and asked for comments. The
suggestions were a visit to Woody Bay Railway to include a cream tea in the
cafe,
The raffle was won by Ethel Tidsbury. The Meeting ended, as always, with tea,
biscuits and a chat. The speakers at
the next three Meetings will be: 6th
April - Bernard Hill [the fox man], 4th May
- Tom Bartlett [Old Berrynarbor in Pictures]
and 1st June - Tim Davies [Birds of Berrynarbor]. Do come along! Everyone is welcome and meetings start at
Doreen Prater
3
6
BERRYNARBOR LADIES' GROUP
Nineteen members attended
the October meeting, when birthday cards were given to Betty Brooks, Janet
Gammon and Ann Williams.
Mr. Roger Groos then began his talk on Reflex Zone
Therapy. The principle is well judged
pressure on the soles of the feet, which helps to alleviate anxiety and poor
sleep patterns and also beneficial effects on other parts of the body. This therapy dates back many years. The
Egyptians used foot massage for healing around 2330BC. Roger gave each member a diagram showing
which part of the foot relates to parts of the body.
At the end of the meeting, members enjoyed the usual tea and
biscuits. The raffle was won by Jenny
Cox.
The November meeting was held on the 3rd when eighteen
members attended. A birthday card was
given to Joan McCallam.
Unfortunately, the
The speaker was Mr. Barry Webb who is the Station Commander
in Ilfracombe for the
There are less house fires now than there were 25 years ago
when Barry joined the Fire Service and this is due to the construction of new
houses, installation of smoke alarms and fire retardant furniture. The greater risk now is of flooding. The call centre is situated in Topsham,
The raffle was won by Janet Steed.
The next meeting will be the Christmas Party on 1st December,
when sherry and mince pies will be on offer!
This will be the usual time of
This will be a good start to the new year, so please come and
join us in the Manor Hall. Happy
Christmas and New Year to you all.
Doreen Prater
2
BERRYNARBOR LADIES' GROUP
After the August break, we
started off the new season with a visit from Peter Christie talking about
'unexplained phenomena'. Fortean Times, 'The World of Strange Phenomena', is a
British monthly magazine devoted to anomalous phenomena popularised
by Charles Fort. The Loch Ness monster,
or Nessie, is one such phenomena. The first written account was made by the
Viking Adamnan in 565 AD. He described how St. Columba
heard about the monster. In 1934, an
English surgeon named R. Kenneth Wilson took what is perhaps the most famous
photo supposedly showing a head and neck above the water and indicating a very
large creature. Sea monsters have also
been reported in
The
most famous land creature is the Yeti. It is a large, hairy man-ape which reportedly
inhabits the mountainous regions of
Another
topic highlighted by Mr. Christie is 'weird rain'. There have been accounts from all corners of
the globe of frogs, fish, squid and worms dropping from the sky. The logical explanation is that a tornado or
strong wind picked up the animals from a shallow body of water and carried
them, sometimes hundreds of miles, before dropping them. There have been amazing cases of living
frogs, toads and lizards being found encased within solid rock.
The
last account was human phenomena.
Spontaneous human combustion is a name used to describe the burning of a
living human body without an external source of ignition. In many of the more recent cases it is
alleged that there was an external source and nothing occurred
spontaneously. In rare instances,
children are born with body hair, additional nipples and occasionally with a
small tail-like protrusion at the base of the spine.
Some
of the above reports were illustrated by photographs and members found Mr.
Christie's talk very intriguing.
The
raffle was won by Janet Gibbins, birthday cards were given to Joan Garbett and
Margaret Weller and the Meeting ended with the usual tea and biscuits.
The
October Meeting will be on Tuesday 6th, when Roger Groos
will be explaining reflexology [a form of therapy
in alternative medicine in which the soles of the feet are massaged]. On November 3rd, a member of the Devon &
Somerset Fire & Rescue Service will be coming. The Christmas Party will be on 1st December.
Visitors
and new members are very welcome to attend these Meetings.
Doreen Prater
2
BERRYNARBOR LADIES' GROUP
The
June Meeting was held in the Manor Hall on Tuesday 2nd when the Secretary,
Marion Carter, took the Meeting in the absence of both the Chairman and Vice
Chairman.
It
was reported that the outing on the Stuart Line Cruises along the River Exe on
12th May had been enjoyed by all and thanks were expressed to Janet Gammon for
making the arrangements.
The
speaker was Brenda Farley who came to talk about Talking Newspapers for the Blind. This began in North Wales in 1970 from an
idea in
The
vote of thanks was given by Rosemary Gaydon, the raffle won by Ann Williams and
the meeting ended after tea and biscuits.
Before
the Meeting on 7th July, Fenella Boxall spoke to members about the Beaford Arts
Centre and the possible workshops for various arts in the village. The
plan is to create a new tradition for the village based on Bishop John Jewell
who was born at Bowden Farm. It is
envisaged to hold a party on the 3rd October, which will tie in with the Harvest Services, and
with a parade through the village.
The
Meeting was then reminded of the Berry Revels taking place on Tuesday evening, 4th
August and St. Peter's Church Summer Fayre on Tuesday evening, 18th August, and
a request for cakes, raffle prizes and bric-a-brac for both events.
Darryl
Birch continued the afternoon by talking about the ecology of Wistlandpound Reservoir. It was
commenced in 1950 and dams a major tributary of the River Yeo. The land surrounding the reservoir was
originally open moorland and now has extensive
Mr.
Birch was thanked by Rosemary Gaydon and the raffle was won by Janet Gibbons. With all business done, everyone adjourned
to "Miss Muffets" for a cream tea!
On
Tuesday, 1st September, Peter Christie will be talking about 'Unexplained Mysteries'
and on the 6th October, Roger Groos will be joining us to tell us about his
subject - reflexology.
Marion
Carter & Doreen Prater.
2
BERRYNARBOR
LADIES' GROUP
Eighteen
members attended the Meeting on 7th April.
Birthday cards were
given to Edna Barnes, Margaret Crabbe and Janet Steed, and the raffle was won
by Jenny Caswell. Mr. Tony Wright gave
an interesting talk about the life of bees.
A colony of honeybees at the
height of the summer contains 50,000 bees.
There is one queen, capable of laying 2,000 eggs per day, about 600
drones [males] and the rest are workers [sterile females]. The queen is reared in a queen cell and
receives a richer and more plentiful diet of royal jelly or brood food. The workers are responsible for cell
cleaning, collecting food and processing nectar into honey. The drone's sole function is to mate with
virgin queens, after which act he dies.
Drones still alive in the autumn are no longer required and are
killed. In the spring, the old queen
leaves with half the colony and a virgin queen hatches from one of the several
queen cells. She then kills the other
queens. The colony needs 36lbs of honey
to keep going through the winter. Britain produces some of the best honey. Mr. and Mrs. Wright kindly
gave some jars of honey to be raffled which were won by Nora Rowlands and
Margaret Crabbe.
The May Meeting took place on
the 7th with 20 members attending. Birthday cards were given to Marion Carter,
Jenny Cookson and Rosemary Gaydon whilst the raffle was won by Janet Gammon. The speaker was Mrs. Bernice Putt, who came
to talk about the RNLI.
In 1824 Sir William Hillary
recognised the need for a co-ordinated lifeboat
service and his appeal to the nation led to the foundation of the National
Institution for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck, later to become the
RNLI.
There are 231 lifeboat
stations in
There was the usual tea and
biscuits at the end of the Meeting and time for a chat. Janet Gammon has arranged an outing to
Exmouth on 12th May with a boat trip in the afternoon.
Brenda Farley will be
explaining about Talking Newspapers for the Blind on 2nd June, and on 7th
July, Darryl Birch will be speaking
about the Ecology of Wistlandpound.
Please come and join us at 2.00 p.m.in the
Manor Hall. There will be no Meeting in
August.
Doreen Prater
3
BERRYNARBOR LADIES' GROUP
Unfortunately, due to the snow and icy
weather, the February Meeting had to be cancelled. Hopefully Mr. Bernard Hill, the fox man, will
be able to come to talk to us at a later date. Twenty
members were present at the March Meeting, when birthday cards were given to
Janet Gibbins, Doreen Prater and Betty Richards, and Marion Carter won the
raffle.
Janet
Gammon has arranged a river trip on the Exe on 12th May at
The
total daily calories required by females is 2,000 -
only 1600 if you are less active.
Carbohydrates produce energy for the body, especially the brain and
nervous system, but they pass through the stomach fairly quickly and are
digested in the intestines, which leaves the individual feeling hungry after a
short time, whereas proteins [meat, poultry, milk, eggs and cheese] stay in the
stomach to be digested, so are more satisfying. An enzyme called amylase helps break down
carbohydrates into glucose [blood sugar], which is used for energy by the body.
To
increase healthy nutrients, eat more fruit and vegetables, rice, bread and
cereals, beans, lentils and dried peas.
Dark leafy green vegetables are a vital part of a healthy diet as they
are packed with nutrients such as calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium, zinc and
vitamins A, C, E and K. Fats
are another vital part of a healthy diet but it is the type of fat that
matters. Foods such as salmon, herring,
mackerel, anchovies and sardines are rich in Omega 3 which supports brain and
body functions. It is best to cook with
olive oil or butter and put sunflower and rape seed oil on salads. Drink
plenty of water and avoid sugary drinks as they are an easy way to pack
calories and chemicals into your diet.
As
you can imagine, during Mr. Groos' talk members asked
numerous questions about their eating habits!
Doreen Prater thanked him for all this interesting information.
The
Meeting ended with the usual tea and coffee and biscuits and purchases from the
sales table.
Tony
Wright will be coming on 7th April to talk about the Life of Bees and on the
5th May, Bernice Putt will be speaking about the RNLI. All Meetings are in the Manor Hall at
Doreen
2
BERRYNARBOR LADIES' GROUP
The Christmas Party was held in the
Manor Hall on the 2nd of December. Members
enjoyed a glass of sherry or fruit juice, sausage rolls, mince pies and
chocolate biscuits - a good start to the festive season! There
was a competition about places in
The Annual General Meeting was held on 6th
January. Eighteen members were present and Janet
Gibbins began by thanking all who had helped in any way during 2008. Birthday cards were given to Jenny Cox and
Joyce Simpson and passed on to Nora Rowlands and Joan Wood who were not at the meeting.
Janet
Steed, as Treasurer, presented the accounts.
After giving donations to the North
Devon Hospice, Cheshire Homes,
The
Officers for 2009 are as follows:
- Chairman - Janet Gibbins
- Vice Chairman - Margaret Crabbe
- Treasurer - Janet Steed
- Secretary - Marion Carter
- Programme Secretary - Jenny Cookson
- Outing Secretary - Janet Gammon
- Refreshments and Berrynarbor Newsletter Report - Doreen Prater
- Sales Table - Jenny Caswell and Jenny Cookson
- Vote of Thanks to Speakers - Rosemary Gaydon and Doreen Prater.
After
the business section was completed, member Margaret Crabbe was warmly welcomed
and she spoke about her roll in the WRVS co-ordinating
books-on-wheels for housebound people in Combe Martin. She is hoping more folks will avail
themselves of this service as at present few people are on the list for
visits. Elderly and disabled people who
are housebound do appreciate the personal contact.
In
1939 there were 165,000 members in the WVS, helping during air raids, the evacuation
of children, staffing hospitals and welfare work. The first travelling
library was in 1940 and by 1941 there were one million members. Meals on Wheels began in 1943 in Welwyn Garden City .
In
1966 Her Majesty, the Queen, became patron so the 'Royal'" was added to the
WVS. There is an emergency section
which has helped in various disasters -the Canvey
Island flooding, the Lewisham train crash, the
Lockerbie air disaster and Hillsborough, to name a few.
At
present there are 60,000 volunteers all of whom have had CRB checks and an ID
card.
The
WRVS now has a 'vision' - a world where every older person has the opportunity
and choice to get more out of life and a 'purpose' - WRVS to deliver practical
support through the power of volunteering so these opportunities can be
achieved. At the end of her
interesting talk, Margaret was thanked by Rosemary Gaydon.
On
3rd February Bernard Hill [not a stockman, sorry!] will be talking about his
work with foxes. We shall be learning about
healthy eating on 3rd March and hearing about the life of bees on 7th April. All Meetings are at
Wishing you
all a very happy and healthy 2009.
Doreen Prater.
4
BERRYNARBOR LADIES' GROUP
The
October meeting took place on Tuesday, 7th, when Janet Gibbins opened the
meeting by giving birthday cards to
The
practice of promoting healing or positive development in any way is known as
hypnotherapy. It aims to re-programme
patterns of behaviour within the mind, enabling irrational fears, phobias,
negative thoughts and suppressed emotions to be overcome. The technique does not involve the patient
being put into a deep sleep and the patient cannot be made to do anything they
would not ordinarily do. They remain
fully aware of their surroundings. The
important thing is that the patient wants to change some behavioural
habit or addiction and is highly motivated to do so. Hynotherapy is
used to relieve pain in surgery and dentistry and has proved to be of benefit
in obstetrics. It has been shown to
help people to overcome addictions such as smoking, alcoholism, chronic asthma
and stammering. Mr. Pugsley said each therapy session takes about one to one
and a half hours. At the end of his
talk he invited members to relax while he spoke to them in a soft and calm
voice which induced in them a feeling of wellbeing.
As
usual the meeting ended with a chat over tea and biscuits with the raffle being won by Phil Walden.
Jan
and Bill Butcher came to the November meeting and after demonstrating encaustic
art, encouraged everyone to have a go!
Encaustic art is decorating by fusing wax colours to a surface. The word "encaustic" comes from the Greek enkaiein - to burn in.
Each member was given a small iron, pieces of white card and wax in
various colours. When the iron was hot
the colours were added to the surface and then ironed onto the card. Everyone made a great effort, but the
results were more abstract than pictorial!
Nevertheless, we all agreed it was great fun. A birthday card was given to Joan McCallam and the raffle was won by Janet Steed.
The
Christmas Lunch this year will be on the 8th December in the restaurant at
Chambercombe Manor. We are very sorry
that Lyn from The Lodge is suffering so much with her hip and hope she will
soon have the operation to ease the pain.
[A sentiment echoed by us all, Lyn. Ed.]
The
Meeting on 2nd December will be the Christmas Party when sherry, fruit juice,
mince pies and tea and coffee will be offered.
The programme for 2009 is now being compiled and the first meeting, on
6th January, will be the AGM which will be followed by a talk about the WRVS
given by member, Margaret Crabbe. At
the February meeting, on the 3rd, Bernard Hill, a Stockman, will be coming to
speak to us. We look forward to
welcoming all existing members and hopefully some new ones!
Doreen Prater
2
BERRYNARBOR LADIES' GROUP
After
the summer break [what summer?] the September Meeting took place in the Manor Hall on the 2nd. Birthday cards were given to Joan Garbett,
Ann Hinchliffe and Margaret Weller.
Members were invited to take
part in the World's Biggest Coffee morning in the Manor Hall on 26th September,
organised by Vi Davis. All proceeds go
to the Macmillan nurses. Janet Gammon had organised
a cream tea at Fremington Quay on Wednesday 17th September and has suggested a
Christmas shopping trip to
Janet Gibbins then welcomed
Dave Webb to the Meeting. He gave an
interesting talk about silver mining in Combe Martin. Mining became popular in the 16th Century
and evidence of these silver mines is still present. Several disused mines are located on the
eastern ridge and evidence of tunnels can still be seen, as well as the remains
of a wheelhouse used to lift ore from the mine. There are items in the Crown Jewels made
from Combe Martin silver. Enthusiasts
have been exploring the old mine workings since 1999.
In the reign of Edward I,
337 men were brought from Derbyshire, where they had been working in silver
mines, to work the Combe Martin ones, which are said to have furnished money
for the wars in the reign of Edward III.
The mines were again worked successfully in the reign of Elizabeth
I. Unsuccessful attempts were made to
work these mines with profit in the 19th Century, but were finally closed in
1880 as silver was being mined in the colonies less expensively. Any silver found today would legally belong
to Prince Charles.
The archaeological finds
from the site will go on display at
The next Meeting, on 7th
October, will include a talk on Hypnotherapy given by Mr. Pugsley. Jan and Bill Butcher will be demonstrating
Encoustic Art on 4th November and the Christmas Party will be on the 2nd December - surely it's not that time already?
All Meetings are in the
Manor Hall on the first Tuesday of the month at
Doreen Prater
2
BERRYNARBOR LADIES' GROUP
Twenty
members attended the meeting on the 3rd June with Janet Gibbins presiding. The Coastguard Line Manager, Ian Lyndsay,
gave an
interesting talk. He is responsible for
the coastal area from Woolacombe to Bridgwater. There are six teams to look after, made up
of 60 volunteers. Eighteen rescue centres are manned
continuously, with the Maritime Rescue Service organising the rescues. If a
person is lost overboard, computers work out which direction he or she will be
drifting due to the tides.
Each
merchant ship has a beacon to show its location and so can be contacted to
assist in the rescue. Our
coastguard organisation is the best in the world, with 3,600 volunteers
nationwide but there are big challenges ahead, not least the fact that all
volunteers will require medicals. Coastguards are also responsible for the
recovery of pollution at sea.
The
Meeting ended with the usual tea or coffee and biscuits with Joan Wood winning
the raffle. On
the 9th June some members visited Chambercombe Manor in Ilfracombe. After an interesting tour of the house, they
enjoyed a delicious cream tea and a walk around the garden. Helen
Latham made a welcome return on the 1st of July. This time she spoke about Leonard Cheshire
and his involvement in the Cheshire Homes.
Leonard
Cheshire was born in August 1917 and during the Second World War was a pilot
with Guy Gibson. He met and married
Constance, who was the first American war bride. She
eventually returned to
Observing
how injured service men and women were treated, Leonard was concerned and so he
bought a manor house from an aunt and fitted it out with the help of the matron
from a local hospital. It was difficult
to run it properly, due to lack of finances, but this improved after obtaining
a £50,000 grant and the appointment of trustees.
Civilians
were also accepted in the home and one old lady always wore a hat with a red
feather, so a red feather was adopted as the emblem of the Cheshire Homes. Leonard
spent the next few years renovating old buildings in
About
this time Helen wrote to him suggesting he came to
He
later married Sue Ryder [Sue Ryder Care] but the two organisations operated
separately. Helen remembers him as a
very caring man. He made you feel wanted, treated the
handicapped well and had a dirty laugh!
He died in 1990 of motor neurone disease. There are now hundreds of Cheshire Homes.
After
Helen's interesting talk, there was the usual time for a chat and refreshments. Janet Steed won the raffle and Marion Carter
made a plea for cakes for the cake stall at the Berry Revels on the 19th
August.
There
is no Meeting in August so the next Meeting will be on 2nd September when Dave Webb will be telling
us about mining in Combe Martin and on the 7th October Mr. K. Pugsley will be
talking about hypnotherapy.
These
Meetings take place in the Manor Hall on the first Tuesday of each month at
Doreen
2
BERRYNARBOR LADIES' GROUP
Twenty-three members and one visitor
attended the Meeting on the 1st April when Mr. S. Hoddinett
gave a talk about the work of the North Devon Hospice.
In 1981, a local doctor stressed the need for
a local hospice. Subsequently Mr. Vivian
Moon offered Webbers Estate Agents' old offices at
The
nurses at the Hospice require a lot of special training to keep up to date with
treatments and some are Macmillan trained.
There are a variety of activities available on a day-care basis, from
In
the bedded unit there are 8 individual rooms and a guest room. There are 24 nurses in attendance for 8
patients and 8 community nurses for patients able to live at home but need
help. There are 5 doctors and trained counsellors. There is no charge for the care so the
donations raised by individuals and groups are very
welcome.
After
Mr. Hoddinett's talk there was an opportunity for
questions and then general "chat" over a cup of tea or coffee and biscuits
before the end of the Meeting. The sales
table, run by the two Jenny's, is well supported each month and brings in extra
funds for the Club.
On
the 28th April sixteen members and friends enjoyed an outing to Castle Drogo, organised by Janet Gammon and Liz Paget. The weather could have been better but we
dodged the showers! The castle was
actually the 20th century home of self-made millionaire, Julius Drewe (Home and Colonial
Stores) and was the last castle to be built in
Marion
Carter took the Meeting on 6th May in Janet Gibbins' absence. She read a letter received from the Hospice
thanking the Group for the donation given last month and Janet had raised
£91.50p on the recent Night Walk, also in aid of the Hospice.
Following
the 'business' part of the meeting, Mr. and Mrs. L. Tovey
put on their Combe Martin Gardening Club hats.
Mr. Tovey showed some lovely slides of gardens
the Gardening Club has visited, which included Orchid Paradise near Newton
Abbot, Sutton Seeds' trial beds at Ipplepen, Bicton College Gardens,
Knightshayes Court,
Rosemoor Gardens, the Lost Gardens of Heligan and Marwood Hill Gardens - all well worth a visit.
The Gardening Club meets in Combe Martin
Church Hall on the second Wednesday of every month at a cost of £6 per
annum. Two outings per year are
arranged.
During
chat and cuppa time, the raffle was drawn and won by
Joan Garbett. There
will be a visit to Chambercombe Manor on the 10th June at
The speakers at the next two Meetings will be:
- 3rd June - Mr. I. Lyndsay - Coastguards
- 1st July - Mrs. Helen Latham - Cheshire Homes.
There
will be no Meeting in August.
Doreen
Prater
2
BERRYNARBOR LADIES'
GROUP
On
the 5th February, we welcomed Rosemary Cooke who brought along various baskets
made of willow and other materials from the hedgerows and demonstrated how they
are made. They make natural and
attractive containers and can be used for a variety of purposes. The raffle was won by Ethel Tidsbury.
The
March Meeting, on the 4th, was when Gerry Marangone
enthralled us with an account of his early childhood living in a small village
in
The
raffle was won by Rosemary Gaydon. Mr.
S. Hoddinett, from the North Devon Hospice, will be
coming to talk to us on 1st April, and Mr. L. Tovey
will be visiting us again on 6th May.
This time he will be showing slides of gardens he has visited.
Fourteen
members are visiting Castle Drogo on Monday, 28th
April. Janet and Liz are organising
this and have booked a 15 seater mini-bus, so there
is still one seat available. The
annual subscription has been kept at £12 and there are now 28 fully paid up
members.
New
members and guests are always very welcome.
Meetings are held on the first Tuesday of each month at
Doreen Prater
2
BERRYNARBOR LADIES GROUP
The Christmas Party held on 4th December was enjoyed by all. Norma and Tony Holland entertained us with songs and poems and everyone joined in singing Christmas Carols. During an interval, there were sausage rolls, mince pies, chocolate biscuits and sherry to enjoy! The raffle was won by Ursula Rouse.
22 members sat down to a Christmas lunch at The Lodge on Monday 17th and it was, as usual, "scrumptious". Our waistbands were decidedly tighter as we departed!
The Meeting on January 3rd was the AGM which was followed by a talk and slide show by our Secretary, Marion Carter, entitled "Not Another Elephant!" She related her experiences when on safari in Kenya last year, which were very interesting.
As our Chairman, Janet Gibbins, was unable to attend the meeting, Marion stood in for her and she thanked each member who had had a particular roll during the past year, all of whom were willing to continue during 2008, apart from Margaret Weller, the programme secretary, who expressed her wish to resign. Marion thanked her for booking some interesting speakers over the last few years. We are now looking for some one to take over this job.
It was decided to keep the individual yearly subscription at £12 plus 50p per meeting to cover raffle prize and refreshments. Visitors would be asked to pay £2 per visit.
Jenny Caswell and Jenny Cookson were in charge of the sales table, which brings in a welcome amount of revenue each month. They, too, are willing to continue but request the donation of more items as the table is beginning to look a bit empty! The raffle was won by Joan Wood.
As mentioned in the last Newsletter, Mrs. Cooke will be coming to demonstrate hedgerow baskets on the 5th February; Gerry Marangone will be telling us about his early years living in Italy on 4th March and representatives from the North Devon Hospice will be with us in April. All these Meetings take place in the Manor Hall at 2.00 p.m. Visitors or new recruits are very welcome.
Doreen Prater
3
BERRYNARBOR
LADIES' GROUP
At
the October Meeting we were lucky that Mrs Diana
Lewis, accompanied by Mrs. Pauline Bussell, was able
to come at short notice to talk about the North Devon Animal Ambulance
Service. The demonstration of hedgerow baskets, to be
given by Mrs. Cooke, was postponed as her husband had to go into hospital. The Animal Ambulance service is strictly a
Marion
Carter had a successful coffee morning at her home on 1st November when £142
was raised. Half this amount will be
donated to the Mission Aviation Fellowship and the remainder to the Pattaya Orphanage in
A
cookery demonstration was given on the 6th November by Lesley Nicholas and
Carmen Lethaby.
They prepared a three course meal
showing the versatility of puff pastry which included various hors d'oeuvres, beef
Wellington with vegetables and Dauphinois potatoes followed
by mince pies and mille feuilles. Members enjoyed sampling the finished
products! The raffle was won by Sylvia
Yates.
Fourteen
members enjoyed a day in
The
December Meeting will be the Christmas Party when sherry and mince pies will be
on offer, as well as tea and chocolate biscuits! Norma and Tony Holland will be giving musical
entertainment. Members are looking
forward to the Christmas lunch at The Lodge on 17th December.
Because
the first Tuesday in January is New Year's Day, the Meeting has been
transferred to the Thursday afternoon, 3rd January, when the speaker will be
our own Marion Carter. Her talk will be
entitled "Oh no - not another elephant!"
There will also be a short annual general meeting.
Mrs. Cooke will be coming with her hedgerow
baskets on 5th February and Gerry Marangone will be
telling us of his early years living in
All
these Meetings take place in the Manor Hall at
Doreen Prater
3
BERRYNARBOR LADIES' GROUP
After the August break, the
Autumn Meetings began on September 4th when Helen Latham gave an interesting
talk about her life in the 20's and 30's.
She was educated at a convent school where she learnt to read, write and
behave impeccably - but little else! Fearing
that she might be put to work as a "skivvy", she went to live with her aunt and
uncle. During this period she was
introduced to life in the theatre but her aunt guided her towards the more
rewarding profession of nursing. After
training and working on the wards in hospitals, she became an industrial nurse
and eventually married the son of the managing director!
The raffle was won by Mavis
Pesic and birthday cards were given to Joan Garbett, Ann Hinchliffe and
Margaret Weller.
On 2nd October Mrs. Cooke
will be demonstrating Hedgerow Baskets,
and a Cookery Demonstration will be given at the meeting on the 6th
November. The Meeting on 4th December
will be a Christmas party. Trips have been arranged
for shopping in
Meetings are held on the
first Tuesday of each month at
Doreen
Prater
2
BERRYNARBOR
LADIES' GROUP
The June Meeting was well
attended when Di Hillier spoke about the Mission Aviation Fellowship. This is a
Keith Pugsley came to the
July Meeting. He gave an interesting
and amusing account of his entry into the
There were two raffle
prizes this month won by Vi Davies and Edna Barnes.
On Tuesday, 10th July, 21
members visited the Calvert Trust. They
were shown the various facilities provided for the disabled on holiday with
their families. Included is swimming,
in a heated indoor pool, horse riding, abseiling and canoeing on the lake. They are cared for by a dedicated team. After partaking of an excellent cream tea,
some members walked down to the lake - fortunately it did not rain!
There will be no meeting in
August.
The next two Meetings take
place on Tuesday 4th September when Helen Latham will tell us about 'Life in
the 20's' and Tuesday 2nd October when Mrs. R. Cooke's subject will be
'Hedgerow Baskets'. Both meetings take
place at
Doreen
2
BERRYNARBOR LADIES' GROUP
The
April meeting was well attended when Mr. Mandrey gave an interesting talk about
the shipwrecks around the
The
hall was filled with lovely aromas on the 1st May when Susan Coles from the
Tarka Clinic introduced us to the various treatments using the pure, natural
essential oils extracted from flowers, leaves, wood and bark of plants. Aromatherapy is an ideal treatment to relieve
stress and promote relaxation. The
raffle was won by Jan Gammon and Ethel Tidsbury raffled another doll
which was won by Joan Wood. Joan kindly
donated this to St. Peter's Church to raise funds. We were pleased to welcome Vi Davies as a member, bringing the total membership to
29.
On
the 5th June, our own Di Hillier will be talking about the Mission Aviation
Fellowship - her interest comes from the fact that her son, Geoff, works for
the
On
the 25th April, twelve ladies enjoyed an outing, travelling by mini-bus, to the
National Trust property Cotehele, near Saltash. Other than a few spots of rain, the weather
was fine which enabled most to walk down to the Quay as well as
visit the house. Cotehele, the first
house owned by the National Trust, is medieval with superb collections of textiles, armour
and furniture. The restored Tamar
sailing barge, Shamrock, is moored alongside the Quay.
There
will be a visit to the Calvert Trust on the 10th July. This will include a tour around the complex
and a cream tea. A
trip to
A
reminder, meetings are held on the first Tuesday of each month [excluding
August] at
2
BERRYNARBOR LADIES' GROUP
The
first meeting, on 25th January, got off to a fine start with 27 ladies
attending. The meeting was held to
discuss the yearly subscriptions, monthly entrance fee and future speakers. It was agreed that the yearly subscription should
be £12.00, with a 50p entrance each month to cover tea or coffee, biscuits and
a raffle. As the Manor Hall is still
available on the first Tuesday in each month, it was decided to hold meetings
on that afternoon - it is easier to remember!
The
February meeting was on the 6th when the speaker was Karen Barker from the
Calvert Trust. There are three centres
in
David
Gayton from the RSPB was the speaker on 6th
March. He showed photographs of birds
to be found in local gardens. Because
of the mild winter, the birds can still find all the food they need in the
woods and hedgerows so fewer can be seen in the gardens at the moment. The raffle was won by Joan Wood. Ethel Tidsbury raffled a doll she had knitted
and this was won by Ursula Rouse. Four
more ladies became members at this meeting, bringing the total to 28.
Our
next meeting is on 3rd April when Mr. Mandrey will be
telling us about local shipwrecks, and on the 1st May, Susan Coles, an
aromatherapist, will be with us.
All
monthly meetings now begin at
Doreen Prater
2
BERRYNARBOR LADIES' CLUB
By
the time you read this, the first meeting of the above Club will have taken
place. It is to be held on the 25th
January and it is hoped that ladies, previous members of the Women's Institute
and others, will attend when the future programme of meetings, outings,
subscriptions, etc., will be discussed.
The
monthly meetings will run on similar lines to the W.I. but there will be more
time for discussion and may be the occasional competition. It is hoped to continue with the sales
table, and tea, coffee and biscuits will be offered during the meeting.
I
hope to be able to report in the next Newsletter that the new Club is off to a
flying start! Come on ladies, give it a
go! In
the meantime watch out for posters giving details of the next meeting.
Happy
New Year to you all!
Doreen Prater
4