Community News

Residents lose homes and bakery closed by ‘severe fire’

A young family and a pensioner lost their homes and belongings, and Chanters Bakery business was put out of action following a fire in a flat in South Molton on July 19th.

Dozens of firefighters from crews across North and Mid Devon were drafted in to help

Photo by Karolina Andreasova

the South Molton team tackle the ferocious blaze, which saw town centre roads closed to traffic for several hours.

“A huge thank you to everyone from the bottom of my heart,” said the mother who escaped from the fire, who asked not to be named. “Words fail me to describe how grateful we are to the amazing fire crews.”

“If not for the community support, we wouldn’t be able to cope, so thank you. We are so glad no one got badly hurt and our thoughts are with the Chanters Bakery team too,” she added.

A fire service spokesman said, “The flat was severely damaged by fire and the bakery damaged by fire and water. The cause of the fire was confirmed as accidental.” One person was treated for injuries at the scene before being taken to hospital for checks.

The fire, which it reported to have started in a microwave, also spread to the loft of a neighbourting flat. Crews finally left the scene at 5am, 12 hours after the fire started.

Chanters Bakery began an urgent search to find new premises to work from so they could resume baking again. A Crowdfunder appeal has been set up to help the family get on their feet again: crowdfunder.co.uk/newstart-after-a-housefire

Police are appealing for witnesses to a collision involving a car and a lorry near South Molton that left a 58 year old man from Bideford dead.

It happened on the B3226 near the North Aller roundabout outside South Molton, at around 1.40pm on Monday July 19th.

The male driver of a silver Hyundai Ix35 car was pronounced dead at the scene by the ambulance service. The lorry driver was uninjured.

Police would like to hear from anyone who witnessed the incident, or has any information or dashcam footage which may have captured either vehicle prior to the collision that could help with their enquiries. Please email 101@dc.police.uk or call 101, quoting log number 0496 of July 19th.

Meanwhile, two people were airlifted to hospital with serious injuries following a collision on the A361 on June 23rd.

Three cars collided in the 40mph speed limit zone between South Molton and Landkey, leaving the link road closed for several hours.

A361 photo courtesy Devon & Cornwall Police

Work is finally underway to repair the sections of road on the A377 at Kingford near Umberleigh, where the embankment has been eroded by the River Taw.

Traffic lights will be in place, and there may be temporary road closures over the next three months. Natural stone will also be placed alongside the river bank to try to prevent it being undermined in future.

Boys’ skateathon raises £600 for teen cancer charity

Bertie Walker and Reuben Burgess (pictured right) braved the searing heat on July 17th to ride their scooters for four hours at South Molton skatepark, all in the name of charity.

They managed to raise just under £600 for the Teenage Cancer Trust through their sterling efforts. The two lads thanked everyone for their support.

The first ever Skate Jam is scheduled to be held at the town’s skatepark on August 21st. Organisers say everyone is welcome, and they are planning a fun day for all the family. The aim is to raise funds for maintenance and improvements to the facility.

Look for Skate Molton on Facebook.

Photo by Karolina Andreasova

Organisers send a big thank you to everyone who attended and took part in the July Deep Roots Festival events, and to the small team of volunteers who helped hand out leaflets, setup venues, made refreshments and made the weekend a great success.

Arts Destination South Molton are now looking forward to their third Deep Roots Festival weekend on September 25th and 26th. It will include Katy Lee’s book launch for ‘Ode to the Ash Tree Poetry Project’, and the film premiere of ‘Capturing South Molton in Your Words & Images’ - compiled by filmmaker Gordon McKerrow. Both projects have involved our local community over the summer months.

The festival will feature talks and workshops with North Devon artists Hester Berry, Beth Pedlar and Joseph Witchall; music performances by Arquebus Folk Trio, 3 Pint Rule and a concert by South Molton Town Band performing with Harmony4.

More details about all the events and how to book on their website: artsdestination.co.uk/deep-roots-festival/ Or join the Facebook page for updates and discussion: facebook.com/drfsouthmolton

Like so many other organisations South Molton u3a have had to curtail their activities during the Covid-19 ‘lockdown’.

But that didn’t stop them keeping in touch as they made the most of the available technology. Monthly get togethers moved to Zoom online with talks covering a wide range of topics including ‘Time through the ages’, ‘North Devon Ambulance’ and a fascinating tour of ‘Hidden London’. With restrictions now lifting the plan is to start monthly get-togethers at Filleigh Village Hall from September.

“The u3a is a wonderful organisation open to all in their ‘3rd age’, which is defined not by a particular age, but by a period in life in which full time employment has ceased,” said local u3a promotions officer Gill Saunders. “The ramblers are back making the most of local footpaths and there are numerous other activities starting again. We would love to see members, new and old joining in again.”

If you would like to find out more about what is going on and join the fun, email: PR@southmoltonu3a.co.uk or call on: 01769 572005 (Gill Saunders - South Molton u3a Promotions Officer)