Farm Life - hedgehog care and autumn weather

by Roger Hill

The autumn colours are magnificent at this time of the year, especially if we have a spell of dry weather - this though has been at a premium this past summer.

Yes we have had an abundance of grass, but harvesting of most crops has been testing. There just hasn’t been a prolonged period of sunshine. Even our grapes were ten days late in ripening with the dampness resulting in several bouts of ‘downy mildew’. This reduced yield by 20%. Some vineyards, especially those situated in valleys, have suffered much worse.

As farmers we tend to reflect in this month on the past year and continually try to learn lessons. One consideration we can all do is check our bonfires around November 5th for wildlife before lighting. Hedgehogs especially love nestling into the shelter of a pile of wood.

I am so pleased to see our prickly friends growing in numbers again after several lean years. Our neighbour had a surprise in her house the other day. She couldn’t understand why her two cats were eating their food so quickly. Then one evening the cat flap opened and in shuffled a hedgehog proceeding directly to the cat dish!

‘Til next time, Roger #TuppertheTractor (tupperthetractor.com)

DON’T PANIC! DAD’S ARMY COMES TO NORTH MOLTON

Captain Mainwaring, Sergeant Wilson and the rest of the Home Guard are marching to North Molton’s Victory Hall this month, for what promises to be a hilarious production of the popular BBC sitcom ‘Dad’s Army’.

The performances are courtesy of North Molton Amateur Dramatics Society (NOMADS) and features all the much-loved characters and catch-phrases!

This year not only marks the 80th anniversary of D Day, it’s the centenary of North Molton’s Victory Hall, as well as being 40 years since NOMADS was formed. The play is directed by former GB News reporter Jeff Moody. “It felt like the perfect time to recreate Britain’s favourite sitcom,” he says. “I have brilliant memories of watching Dad’s

Rehearsing for Dad’s Army

Army with my parents back in the ‘70s and I l’m loving reconnecting with these legends.”

Mick Buckley plays the pompous Captain Mainwaring. “It’s daunting taking on such a familiar role,” said Mick. “But it’s such a good script and I’m loving the challenge.”

Gail Ratcliffe is playing Mainwaring’s love interest, Mrs Gray. “There’s a great atmosphere in rehearsals (pictured above). Everyone’s really enthusiastic and there’s a lot of laughter!” she said.

Ticket information is in the advert below.

Community Garden in autumn

by Rebecca Blackman

It’s been a busy autumn in South Molton Community Garden so far. We’ve been tidying up and getting ready to put everything to bed for the winter.

Our ‘Big Soup’ team day was held during October and we had a very productive session working on the composting area (photo right). The compost bins were moved along to allow more space around the pond, and we’re planning to level out the ground in front of the compost bins to make them easier for everyone to access. We had a good catch up and shared some delicious soup!

The potatoes are out of the ground and we had a fantastic crop with barely any slug damage. Our bean poles suffered in the recent strong winds. Luckily, the beans were nearly finished so it didn’t affect the harvest. We’ve enjoyed sweetcorn and the last of the raspberries this month.

We welcome new members. If you’d like to join us, visit the garden on a Thursday at 2pm (weather permitting). Alternatively, see our website: southmoltoncommunitygarden.co.uk or Facebook @southmoltoncommunitygarden

Police get ‘life saving’ drug kits

Police in Devon are making a potentially life saving overdose treatment drug available to officers to carry in their first aid kits.

Earlier this year two people died, including one from South Molton, and 10 others were hospitalised after taking drugs containing banned synthetic opioids which can be 500 times stronger heroin.

Superintendent Robert Youngman (pictured right) said, “Vulnerable people who overdose are by no means doing so out of choice. They may have obtained drugs which contain opiates or synthetic opiates of which they weren’t aware.”

Superintendent Robert Youngman with the new kit The kits include guidance on triaging a victim in an overdose situation, and a card to give to medics to notify them that Naloxone has been administered.

Superintendent Youngman added, “Having nasal Naloxone readily available to our officers ensures that we are equipped to step in and help people when they need it most. We aren’t replacing paramedics, but Naloxone helps us to stabilise victims while we wait for the medics. Lives will be saved.”

Water bill refund announced

Water firms have been ordered by Ofwat to pay back £158 million to customers across England & Wales, after missing key targets on pollution, leaks, supply interruptions and falling customer satisfaction. South West Water was given a rating of ‘average’. Final figures will be decided in December, but it’s understood South West Water’s share is £17.4 million, which means around £10 will be credited to customers’ accounts.