Community News

Sad to be closing down

The North Devon Animal Ambulance service is set to close down on August 31st. Founder Diana Lewis (pictured right) said the “difficult decision” had been made partly because of trustees retiring, but also because of rising costs making it hard for them to continue to afford to keep running.

The Cobbaton Combat Collection at Chittlehampton has also announced it will be closing to the public from the end of September. The team said they will continue to host special events, open days, military vehicle restoration and militaria fairs, stating, “This has been a monumental decision and we will really miss the familiar faces of our many visitors.”

Hoping for good weather

The 2024 North Devon Show is nearly upon us, with the event taking place at its usual location at Barton Farm, Umberleigh on Wednesday, August 7th (advert page 12).

Celebrating the region’s rural life with new family friendly attractions this year, show secretary Theresa Soanes says they hope “the weather will be back to normal” after a freak storm caused problems last year.

Santas in summer!

Photo by Ross Standen

You might have thought your eyes were deceiving you if you saw Father Christmas riding by on a motorcycle in summer! But on Sunday, June 30th the ‘Santa’s on a Bike’ group stopped off South Molton’s Quince Honey Farm - they were raising funds for Children’s Hospice South West.

Fete move

Chittlehampton’s annual fete and dog show on Saturday, August 10th (advert page 16) will be held at the cricket ground due to ongoing renovation work at the village hall.

Vintage thank you

The chairman and committee would like to say a big ‘thank you’ to everyone who took part in the 2024 South Molton Vintage Rally. “There had been much planning and hard work getting ready for the event. We were very lucky and were blessed with warm June sunshine all weekend,” said Linda Regan. “A special thank you to all of the exhibitors, the stall holders and our many visitors.”