Oke Links May/June 2018

OKE LINKS

May / June 2018

Issue 9

Okehampton • Moretonhampstead • Chagford • Chichacott • Stockley • Belstone • Bondleigh • North Tawton • Sampford Courtenay • Taw Green • Sticklepath • South Zeal • Throwleigh • Wonson • Lydford • Lewdown • Bridestowe • Gidleigh North Bovey • Sourton • Meldon • Boasley Cross • Bratton Clovelly • Portgate • Lewtrenchard

d n a s p u o Gr s n o i t a s i organ e l p o e p g for youn

YOUNG FARMERS’ CLUB, A FAMOUS AUTHOR AND CELEBRATING LOCAL FOOD AND MUSIC WITH OKEHAMPTON FESTIVAL INSIDE: LOCAL PEOPLE • EDUCATION • WHAT’S ON • GARDENING • HISTORY • NOTICEBOARD WHAT’S ON

The Food and Music festival, May Fair, Leafy Lanes and loads more...

LOCAL PEOPLE A famous author, caring professionals and a specialist entertainer

FEATURE

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WELCOME & CONTENTS

It’s a youthful edition this time ...

Young people, organisations and the individuals involved with them form the focus for this edition of Oke Links. Our local people were all fascinating to meet, involved as they are in working with children and young adults. It’s an exciting time for Dartmoor author Philip Reeve, who will see his work being brought to life on the big screen at the end of the year; two foster carers told me about the highs and lows in their challenging but rewarding roles and performer Rob Pudner described how no two days were never the same in the life of a drama practitioner.

Our charity subject on page 24 is Farms for City Children, founded by author Michael Morpurgo in the 1970s. I was hugely impressed at the work done by this organisation, deep in the heart of rural Devon, which can actually be life-changing for the children who visit Nethercott Farm.

And in our feature on pages 54 and 55, I met two members of the Young Farmers’ Club who explained the broad appeal of the YFC - a great youth organisation which isn’t just for farmers or those involved with farming.

Parents may be interested in our education pages - Hazel Fox, the vice chief executive officer of the new Dartmoor Multi Academy Trust who I met at the end of last term, explains how the trust was set up and what the next steps in its plans will be. There is also an interesting move in the battle to combat the growing problem of sexting - you can read about it on page 5 in our Noticeboard Section.

And as for things to do this spring, it’s been very difficult fitting it all in - it seems the Okehampton area is going to be abuzz with events, not least of which is the annual food and music festival find out what’s being planned on pages 34 and 35.

Let’s hope the steady Dartmoor drizzle falling as I write will have will have run its course by the time you read this edition - and the sun shines on all those great days out!

Jane

CONTENTS 5 NOTICEBOARD The campaign to combat sexting, an appeal for volunteers and a new memorial 12 SPORTS NEWS Okehampton Table Tennis Club and Okehampton Running Club 14 LOCAL PEOPLE Foster carers, a famous author and a performer and arts practitioner 21 EDUCATION The latest on Dartmoor Multi Academy Trust, a new toddler group and news from Boasley Cross 24 CHARITY FOCUS Farms for City Children 27 HEALTH AND WELLBEING Sun safety and light touch therapy 30 GARDENING Top tips for the spring garden from RHS Rosemoor 34 OKEHAMPTON’S FOOD AND MUSIC FESTIVAL What’s going on at this year’s event 48 MUSIC AND ART All about the Okelele Band and the Dartmoor Vision project 54 FEATURE The Young Farmers’ Club 70 TRADE SECRETS What’s life like as a primary school teacher?

Jane Honey – Editor.

Please contact me via email at: jane.honey@linksmagazines.co.uk or 07971 917071.

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The deadline for any inclusions in July/August issue is 1st June.

We would like to take this opportunity to say a big thank you to our many contributors for so kindly giving us their time and expertise, in helping keep our magazine so interesting to all.

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Please note that the opinions expressed in this magazine do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the editorial team.

We have done our utmost to ensure that all the content is correct and accurate at the time of print, but we emphasise that Oke Links or Olijam Communications Ltd accepts no responsibility for any mistakes or omissions. All data contained in advertisements are subject to the Advertising Standards Authority guidelines and are accepted by us in good faith at the time of going to press. Reproduction of editorial is strictly prohibited without prior permission from the publisher.

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NOTICEBOARD

Multi agency campaign to combat sexting Police in Devon and Cornwall – together with forces from Avon and Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire - have joined forces with a leading child protection charity in a campaign to tackle growing demand for sexual images of children online.

The regional campaign represents a multi-agency approach to tackling the growing demand for sexually explicit images of children. It will bring together robust law enforcement work with work already being undertaken by UK child protection charity, The Lucy Faithfull Foundation.

The charity works to prevent people from viewing such illegal material in the first place; and to get them to stop if they have already started.

Viewing and sharing indecent images of children online is a serious and growing problem. In 2013 the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP) estimated that as many as 50,000 individuals in the UK were involved in downloading or sharing sexual images of children. Police estimate that the number of offenders has grown since then.

In 2017, 427 people from Devon and 137 people from Cornwall visited the Lucy Faithfull’s online self-help resources or called the confidential helpline to get help with their own viewing of

sexually explicit images of children, or that of a loved one.

Detective Chief Inspector Sheon Sturland of Devon and Cornwall Police said: ‘Police in Devon and Cornwall have been working extensively to detect and prosecute people who are downloading and sharing sexual images of children online.

‘By raising awareness that potential and existing offenders can seek help for their unacceptable behaviour, we hope it will help prevent them seeking out and distributing indecent images and reduce the harm caused to victims and their families.’

Donald Findlater, child sexual abuse prevention expert and spokesperson for The Lucy Faithfull Foundation, said: ‘Too many people, especially men across all age groups, seem to think it is okay to view sexual images of under 18s online. It is not. Not only is it illegal, but it causes great harm to the children whose images are used. It also causes harm to those offending and to their families.

‘Whether arrested or not, we want online offenders to stop their illegal behaviour and to stay stopped. Our specialist staff have helped thousands to do this over recent years. We have also helped thousands more family members come to terms with the fact that someone they know and love has engaged in this behaviour.’

For more information go to www.get-help.stopitnow.org.uk/ that hosts online self-help resources, as well as the Stop it Now! confidential helpline - 0808 1000 900.

Spreading the Fairtrade message The Okehampton Fairtrade Group works to promote trade justice for Third World and local farmers.

The Fairtrade Town signs erected last autumn are in recognition of Okehampton’s Fairtrade Town status, the group’s activities help to maintain this prestigious award.

Group secretary Cynthia Higbee said: ‘Recently during Fairtrade Fortnight we held a fair and local market where local producers were able to show case their wares and Fairtade refreshments were served - it was especially good to see Kevin Cotter there promoting the Harvest Workers’ Co-operative.

‘On Monday March 5th during the fortnight, two Kenyan Fairtrade tea farmers, Victor Biwot and Esther Chepwony, visited Okehampton. Victor visited local supermarkets and was impressed with the range of Fairtrade goods on sale. Esther spoke at a teatime event telling us about the impact of being

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part of the Fairtrade scheme has had on her life and the life of her community.’

It is important for the group to keep reminding shoppers that their choice of Fairtrtade goods , even just one or two items a week, can have a big impact on the life chances of small third world farmers.

Anyone interested in joining the steering group to help with ideas to keep the message about Fairtrade live should please contact the secretary Cynthia Higbee 01837 861194.

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NOTICEBOARD

Okehampton Remembers Okehampton Remembers is an innovative and challenging project that has now reached its development stage to provide a new focus for remembrance in Okehampton town centre.

I live in a privately rented two-bedroom house and the damp in the living room is aggravating my three-year-old daughter’s asthma. I’ve told my landlord but she’s not taking action. What can I do?

Resolving damp issues can be difficult - especially as the cause of the problem is not always obvious. Also, by raising any disrepair complaint to a private landlord it’s important to realise that there is a risk of retaliatory eviction.

First, make sure you’re not doing anything that could be contributing to the damp, such as drying clothes indoors or blocking vents. Once that’s done, you have two potential routes available. The first is to report the problem to the Environmental Health department at your local authority. This route is best if you’re unsure about what’s causing the damp, but it’s also an option if you think your landlord is responsible. Tell your council the damp is causing your daughter’s asthma to worsen and provide evidence, including letters from your GP, photos of the damp, and a copy of your tenancy agreement. The local authority can issue an awareness notice, which tells your landlord there’s a hazard in the home and what she needs to do to fix it, although it does not require her to take action. The authority can also serve the more serious improvement notice, which requires your landlord to carry out the work and also offers you some protection from retaliatory eviction.

Alternatively, you could take her to court. Your landlord may be held responsible for repairing the damp but this will depend on the cause – such as a broken heater or window – and the terms of your tenancy agreement.

If she is responsible, the court can grant an injunction and possibly award compensation. Seek advice from us before going down this route because the legal process can be complex. You may also be entitled to legal aid.

For the most up-to-date advice, please visit www.citizensadvice.org.uk pop into your local office or call Adviceline on 03444 111 444 Okehampton Citizens Advice (Ockment Centre) Tues & Weds 10-4pm and Fri 10-1pm www.ruraldevoncab.org.uk 6

The aim is to provide a visible and lasting focal point, which acknowledges the suffering of all those affected by natural disasters, accidents and conflict.

Project chairman Allenton Fisher said: ‘This is not just another war memorial, the town already has a memorial on which the names of those who have fallen in various conflicts are inscribed and this will remain an important focus for remembrance, especially on Remembrance Sunday and other significant anniversaries.

‘However, this project aims to provide an additional focus of remembrance in the heart of the town with the intention that the two memorials can compliment one another. This new sculpture will embrace human suffering in all its forms; from major disasters to personal loss. It will meet the needs of future generations and It has the potential to become a significant example of modern remembrance brought about by the people of Okehampton.

Most importantly, it will show that Okehampton cares.’

The imaginative sculpture has been specially produced by local artist Susan Eckles. The sculpture will sit on a granite plinth in Fairplace, the design specially commissioned to express the suffering of those affected by tragedy. It demonstrates compassion, tenderness and sensitivity, reflecting a more contemporary approach to remembrance that should be acceptable for future generations.

The site is considered highly visible, is easily accessible for those with limited mobility and it would be particularly suitable for continuous and individual acts of remembrance.

It will provide a focal point that can be used as a personal or collective haven for compassion and will allow the community to show sympathy for the suffering of others.

The cost of this project is £48,500 and the community is now being asked for help in funding it. Pledges of support can be made by email to: okehamptonremembers@hotmail. com or sent to Okehampton Remembers, 2 Church Meadow, Okehampton, EX20 1LP.

NOTICEBOARD

What is On The Edge?

On The Edge is a church and community sponsored youth project based in Chagford and the surrounding communities which has been active for nearly 12 years. Originally OTE started as a youth work placement for students whilst training for their degrees, before moving on to employ a youth worker part-time in 2012. Starting from scratch meant that for a number of years, the project operated from local village halls and churches running weekly sessions for young people in the area. In 2011, through local support and funding, we were able to open our first premises, ‘The Mess’, which is still running in Chagford as an after school drop in for years 6 and up. OTE was set up to be a gift to the local communities and provide good quality youth work for young people in the area.

As part of our weekly schedule we run a number of secular sessions for different age groups in the community and offer a safe space for them to meet with their friends. We also provide support for all those who attend and look to challenge them and help them as they grow and develop in their understanding of self.

Most recently, we have run information sessions for young people and their parents specifically around drugs and their effects and have had positive conversations with all those who chose to engage.

Other recent notable past projects include fundraising and a sponsored abseil to help pay for an extension to the Chagford Skate Park, an activities camping trip to Cornwall with 28 teens and a two-day musical workshop and performance with a group of young people.

As well as a lot of secular and community work, we are also a faithbased project and offer sessions for young people to explore the Christian faith in a relaxed and fun way. Each month, this allots to around 25% of the work we do in the community.

We think it is important to continually offer a space for young people where they can feel welcome and safe: a

place they know they will be listened to, supported by trusted adults and challenged, where appropriate, to think differently. We want to help grow and develop community amongst young people and encourage them as they engage with our wider communities.

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NOTICEBOARD

Cash for Khazi Since the 13th Century, St Mary’s Church, Belstone, has served the local community, apart from one essential element – a much needed toilet!

Three years ago, the church council decided it was time to do something about this, hence the ‘Cash for Khazi’ campaign was launched to raise sufficient funds to install a lavatory in the church’s vestry. As there are no public facilities in the village, this addition would be hugely beneficial and enable the church building to be used for concerts and community events.

The fund raising started with a supper concert in the village hall consisting of singers from Okehampton College, individual musicians/singers from the village, a dance from the Belstone Ladies Dance Troupe, and a turn from the vicar! The hall was packed, consequently this was followed by three further concerts, including another miscellany, music from Flanders & Swan and the Bondleigh Barn Band.

In addition, there have been a range of generous donations from local residents, The Belstone Players, the village hall, tips from The Old School Tea Room, a quiz and collection box

at The Tors, a Zumba workshop and two legacies. Generous grants have been awarded from the Claude Pike Family Trust, the All Churches Trust, Garfield Weston and Awards for All, part of the National Lottery. In total just over £32,000 has been raised, but the real pleasure has been the overwhelming support and enthusiasm from the whole community in being able to realise the facility which will benefit the church and the village for generations to come.

Hopefully, work will start by early summer. However, fundraising will continue as costs may increase. With an arboriculturalist and an archaeologist on site during the work, who knows what may be uncovered?!

For further information or to donate, please contact Simon Herbert on 01837 840 693 or Sue Cruickshank on 01837 840 492.

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NOTICEBOARD

The Cinnamon Trust The Cinnamon Trust is the national charity whose wonderful volunteers help people over retirement age and those in the latter stages of a terminal illness by offering all kinds of pet care.

The Trust, which has a base at Lewdown, urgently needs volunteers in the Okehampton and surrounding areas. They are particularly keen to find someone willing to walk a beautiful and well behaved Parsons Jack Russell terrier for an elderly lady with long term mobility and health problems, to ensure she is able to keep her beloved companion at home.

Tressa Herriott of The Cinnamon Trust said: ‘As an appeals coordinator - and a devoted dog mummy of two elderly but still lively Springer Spaniels myself - I believe in the immense comforting power our pets bring us and this is certainly the case for many of the elderly or chronically ill pets owners we are aiming to help.

‘We have built up a database of volunteers, but at times some of our wonderful walkers, who come from all ages and backgrounds, are inundated with walking dogs and so we look to recruit and welcome new volunteers to help exercise dogs or care for other pets for elderly residents.

‘It is sadly the case for many elderly or terminally ill people that they do not have a family or friends living close by who are able to help. We aim to match our volunteers up with those elderly and unwell residents and their pets in the area, enabling owners to keep their furry companions with them as long as possible, safe in the knowledge their dogs are getting plenty of exercise.

The Cinnamon Trust is the only specialist national charity which seeks to relieve the anxieties, problems, and sometimes injustices, faced by elderly and terminally ill people and their pets, thereby saving a great deal of human sadness and animal suffering. The Trust was founded in 1985 by Mrs Averil Jarvis whose determination and dedication has ensured that the manifest need is fully addressed.

If you would like a chat about volunteering please call 01736 758707 during office hours or email appeals@cinnamon.org.uk or check out www.cinnamon.org.uk

‘Many volunteers say they benefit from exercise, make new friends or simply have the chance to bond with a dog when they are unable to have a pet of their own.’

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NOTICEBOARD

Time to make a splash!

Moretonhampstead Swimming Pool, situated at the top of Court Street, is open from May 26 through to September. The fabulous 25m outdoor pool is heated by both solar panels and air source heat pumps, so you can swim comfortably even when the sun is hiding behind the clouds.

The community-run pool offers a grassed social area, hot and cold refreshments, and a timetable that offers a daily general swim for all, lane swimming up to three times a day, aqua fit sessions, swimming lessons, technique coaching, and water polo.

Each season the Trustees try to introduce new opportunities for improving fitness and confidence in the water for all

ages. This season they will be introducing junior water polo sessions, plus evening social events.

The pool is also available for hire. You can keep up to date with the season on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter plus a full breakdown of the pool timetable and events are available at www.moretonpool.co.uk.

Come and join us!

The Okehampton and District Committee of Cancer Research UK has been in existence for many years - about 64 in fact but sadly, in Okehampton itself the membership has become very small, and we would very much like to encourage some people who have a desire to help this worthy cause to join us.

At our recent meeting our area volunteers manager told us of some of the achievements of the charity during 2017 - various groups and committees had raised £7.46 million; research is saving more lives - and finding more cures.

Our main function is to raise money to aid research into causes and treatment of cancer, also for prevention.

Cancer Research UK funded the Can Test Collaborative, which aims to bring cancer diagnosis test to GP surgeries. We also heard that the rate of people dying from bowel cancer in the UK has plummeted by more than 30% in the last 20 years and 2017 saw the launch of a new prostate cancer drug developed

by Cancer Research UK.

As a committee we have raised a considerable amount of money and would like to continue doing so. In 2017 we were able to forward £6,000.00 to the headquarters of the charity.

North Tawton holds a bumper event each year, also Exbourne and Inwardleigh.

We only meet about three or four times a year to arrange events such as coffee mornings, a flag day, house to house collections and there is an annual general meeting, usually held in March.

Over the years many achievements have been made because of the generosity of many people.

If you would like to be a member of the fundraising team which helps support such important work please contact Brenda Hockridge at brendahockridge@btinternet.com Brenda Hockridge

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NOTICEBOARD

Learn Devon – learning for work and leisure Learn Devon provides adult courses to help develop skills, pursue passions and improve wellbeing. The organisation offers courses in English, maths, arts and crafts, languages, employability,

Medical Centre, introduces you to some NHS roles. Hear from professionals and have a chance to learn practical skills.

Music and Numbers This course, at Wren Music, helps build confidence in maths, through music.

By focusing on practical activities like playing an instrument and reading music, you will identify how maths helps count time or read beats on the music sheet.

Gardening and Numbers Delivered at the Okehampton Community Garden, this course shows how maths plays a role in gardening. You will be sowing seeds in- and outdoors, pricking out seedlings for transplanting and working out a planting diary.

English for speakers of other languages and courses for adults with learning difficulties and disabilities.

Some exciting courses are coming to Okehampton: Skills for Working in Healthcare Are you unemployed, thinking about returning to work or working for the NHS? This FREE course, at Okehampton

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DIY and Numbers You may already do DIY, but have you considered how much maths is involved?

This course, at Okehampton’s Men in Sheds project, allows you to do practical tasks and identify maths you already use, like measuring and cutting lengths.

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11

SPORTS CLUB NEWS

Okehampton Table Tennis Club Okehampton Table Tennis Club is a fully inclusive sports club.

In the late 1980s the club was playing in the Old Market Hall, but after a successful National Lottery bid, it moved to its current location on Castle Road. This has enabled additional playing opportunities, offering eight tables in the main hall and two tables in the practice room.

Since 2008, Mike Hugh has been a full time coach at the club. He is responsible for running the sessions available. On Tuesday mornings and Wednesday afternoons the club is open to those who wish to play during the day. It is also open on Monday and Wednesday evenings for players of all experience wishing to enjoy table tennis. Coaching is available at all club sessions and at a time agreed with Mike.

Club teams enter the Okehampton league which offers players of all ages the opportunity to compete locally. There are also teams competing in the 1st and 2nd divisions of the Exeter Table Tennis League. At the time of writing the Okehampton ‘B’ team is top of Division 2.

The last few years have seen some outstanding success for the youth teams as a result of Mike Hugh’s coaching. The Okehampton College Girls’ Team has won the prestigious

‘English Schools Table Tennis Association’ team competition at under 13s and has just come second in the under 16s event.

The Okehampton Primary boys’ teams have also been very successful over the years. There have also been individual successes within the youth squad winning national titles and competing in England and beyond at the highest level. The youth squad train at the club on a Tuesday night.

The club is looking forward and wants to encourage more people from the local community to get involved. As a sport, table tennis offers something for everyone - a way of keeping fit, both mentally and physically and a way of making new friends in a welcoming and friendly environment. So, if this sounds like the sport for you, even if you have not tried table tennis before, feel free to come along - the first session is free for new players!

For information call John Squire on 01837 840311 or go to oketabletennisclub.co.uk

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SPORTS CLUB NEWS

Okehampton Running Club Anyone who has been out and about in Okehampton on Tuesday or Thursday evenings will have become familiar with the sight of groups of runners in high-vis clothing around the streets.

Okehampton Running Club was formed in 2009 when Andy Vallance and some friends got together and decided to try and get a club going in the town. The first club night took place on a snowy February evening and considering the weather, it was surprisingly well attended and many of the runners who came that night are still with the club.

Meeting at the Pavilion in the Park, the runners are grouped by ability, with four or five groups going out both nights, but people can change groups according to what they want to do or how they are feeling. Tuesday evening is a social run, while Thursday nights are more structured training nights with interval sessions of different distances or hill repetitions, all designed to improve the runners’ speed and stamina.

A qualified leader is in charge of each group and everyone has to follow a code of conduct to ensure the safety of the runners and members of the public. In the summer there is also a group of mixed abilities who run on the moors on Tuesdays, to take

advantage of the wonderful running country there is on the doorstep of this club. Every September there is a beginners’ course to encourage new people to take up running and over ten weeks, this takes them from non-runners to a level where they can run three miles without stopping.

Members also help out at the monthly Run In The Park in conjunction with OCRA and, with a view to encouraging more children to get active and start running, the club is in the process of setting up a junior section.

The club is renowned for its friendly atmosphere, making sure new members feel welcome and being supportive of people’s efforts, no matter what their ability. While some run and train with the aim of being a competitive runner, others never race at all but still enjoy the friendship and company of other runners while getting fit. Running is addictive though - and many who never think they will take part in a race become totally hooked, competing in events up to and even beyond marathon distance.

For more information on the club visit www.okehamptonrunningclub.com

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13

LOCAL PEOPLE

Sarah and Pauline Caring people with a huge love for children, singing the praises of fostering...

Fostering is an incredibly important role, offering children and young people a stable home when their own family is unable to do so.

Sarah and Pauline (not their real names) are both foster carers living in the Okehampton area. They speak passionately about their jobs, for it is a job, for which they are paid, but it is so much more than than that. It’s a real vocation and not one to be taken lightly.

Sarah has two children of her own and her youngest was eleven when she and her husband took the big decision to become foster carers. She explains: ‘We thought about it for a long time and I think we eventually decided to become foster carers because we wanted to make a difference. If you can help even just one child to have a positive outcome in life it’s got to be good. I can take my children out anywhere now and I don’t think anyone would be able to tell they aren’t mine, they are part of the family,

they’re treated in exactly the same way as my own children.’

Sarah has two foster children, one of them has been with her just over eight years, the other five and a half years.

She said she has been through some hugely challenging times but it has been great to see children which haven’t had the best of starts in life begin to grow and flourish in a loving, caring and stable environment.

‘You speak to a lot of people who say “I couldn’t do what you do” but to see how children change is wonderful,’ she said.

‘A lot of children come to you because of neglect. The way it was described to me was like a wall, you have to build good foundations, however these children are like walls full of holes, you are taking them back and teaching them things, filling in the missing bits.’

Sarah admitted it could be unnerving to invite a stranger into your life and

your home, especially a confused child that had already had six placements in as many years but with very good support and training from the Fostering Foundation, she too has grown as a person.

Pauline, whose own children are now young adults, differs from Sarah in that she has had short term placements - in addition to a foster child who has now been with her for nearly nine years.

She said it was incredibly difficult to say goodbye to a child and that she had been through some tough times, but that it was important to maintain a positive outlook.

While Sarah believes the fostering experience has had a very positive impact on the way her own children have grown up, Pauline feels, certainly for her, that it was good to wait until her children had flown the nest before she started fostering.

‘I still felt I had love to give children and I couldn’t imagine not having children around,’ said Pauline, who agreed with Sarah that training and good support were vital to the success of a good fostering experience, plus a proactive social worker and a helpful and understanding school.

She explained that while foster carers were given as much information as possible by the local authorities about a youngster’s background, the full extent might never be known. She’s noticed

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LOCAL PEOPLE

that her foster child ‘starts playing up’ at certain times of the year, which she believes coincides with the anniversary of changes in placements. Repeated upheaval and emotional rollercoasters obviously have a huge and ongoing effect on young and impressionable minds.

Sarah and Pauline place great emphasis on the importance of being honest with their fostered children and stress how important it is to create boundaries in terms of expected behaviour and family rules. ‘Sticking to your guns’ was a

phrase that cropped up several times during our conversation but more than anything else was the word ‘rewarding’.

As Sarah said: ‘It’s a 24/7 job - you can’t go sick but at the end of the day you have to care, you need to have sympathy and empathy and you have to have a certain ability to not get drawn into their past, but to look to their future. It is very challenging but extremely rewarding.’

Jane Honey

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LOCAL PEOPLE

Philip Reeve From sci-fi fantasy to fat flying ponies - a writer whose imagination runs riot!

Author and illustrator Philip Reeve was brought up in Brighton but came to live in Devon - or more specifically, the eastern side of Dartmoor, in 1998 with his wife Sarah and where their son Sam was born in 2002. Philip has now written well over 25 books - although he’s a bit vague on the specifics, as he always has several projects on the go - but perhaps his most famous being ‘Mortal Engines’ Philip started his career as an illustrator after studying art in his home town of Brighton and also in Cambridgeshire - but had been scribbling stories from a very young age. ‘I always

enjoyed writing, but Mortal Engines was the first thing I wrote that I believed was worth trying to get published.

“To start with I couldn’t find an agent to even look at it as an adult novel, nobody was even replying to me which was a bit disheartening, then I thought “I have all these contacts in children’s publishing, why not go down that route” and luckily they went for it,’ he said.

That was in 2001. Many books down the line - including the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize-winning A Darkling Plain,

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He believes the hardest part about writing successfully is getting all his ideas to gel into a cohesive story: ‘I could happily be writing away for three or four months, then bin the lot of it,’ he said.

‘I guess a lot of the time I am trying to recreate the sorts of things I enjoyed reading when I was between the ages of about ten and 18. All the things I liked then have found their way into my books - what you do within the framework is the interesting bit.’

Philip generally sits down to work about 9am once the washing up is done and Sam’s gone to school, but his days vary depending on where he is in the writing process. He admits he’s not really one for hobbies, they always turn into jobs he remarked wryly, but he does love to get out on the moor for a walk every day. ‘I still draw a little bit but when you do it for a living, it loses its charm a bit!’ sci-fi novels Railhead and Black Light Express and Here Lies Arthur, which scooped the Carnegie Medal in 2008 - Mortal Engines is about to hit the big screens, as a major movie project filmed in New Zealand.

Philip said: ‘At some point it landed on Peter Jackson’s desk, but then it went quiet for about ten years. They got back in touch about two years ago and it’s all happened very quickly since then, without me having to do anything really.’

I would have thought to have your work recreated on film would be nerve-wracking at the very least, especially when it involves such a major player as Lord of the Rings and Hobbit film creator Peter Jackson, but Philip appears remarkably nonchalant about it all. ‘I think it’s probably harder for readers - if you love a book you have a very firm idea about it, but every time I read Mortal Engines I changed it, I was constantly taking characters out and changing events, so really it will just be like reading another draft.’

Philip said he was not the kind of author who got lightbulb moments in the middle of the night, feverishly reaching for an ever-ready notebook to write his ideas down. He’s just as likely to be working in the garden or out walking when inspiration hits. As he said: ’I tend to think if your idea is any good you will remember it - and if I forget it, they would be forgettable to a reader!’

While appearing quite blasé about the fact his work will be shown to millions throughout the world on the silver screen this December, he becomes positively animated on his latest project, The Legend of Kevin, on which he is working with illustrator Sarah McIntyre. Its star is a character which may well have been developed during one of those moorland walks - Kevin - a roly poly flying pony. While he might have been inspired by a fat Dartmoor hill pony, he won’t be known as one - as Philip said, ‘Kevin needs to be a generic fat flying pony for international sales purposes!’ However, anyone who knows Dartmoor will recognise the hills, tors and twisty trees of Kevin’s home and as if to demonstrate he still does draw, he borrows my pen and a Philip Reeve original illustration of Kevin appears in my notebook in a trice!

He said working collaboratively, coming up with ideas together as he does with Sarah McIntyre, was one of the most enjoyable aspects of the creative process, sometimes finding a story veering off into completely unexpected directions.

Kevin is due to be launched on an unsuspecting world in September - Station Zero, the third book in the Railhead Trilogy, is published in May. Mortal Engines, starring Robbie Sheehan, Hera Hilmar and Hugo Weaving and directed by Oscar-winning Christian Rivers is due to be released on December 14, this year.

Jane Honey 17

LOCAL PEOPLE

Rob Pudner Cupid, a magician - what character will he be next? A freelance expressive-arts practitioner, Rob works all over the Westcountry providing a wide range of drama based experiences.

Meeting Rob Pudner for the first time you get the feeling that his default facial expression is an enormous grin! A freelance expressive arts practitioner based in Okehampton, he lives with Sarah his partner of 15 years, and their two young boys. Rob works all over the Westcountry and further afield, providing a wide range of drama-based experiences to schools, youth groups, festivals - you name it and he seems to have done it!

Born and brought up in Plymouth, he left school and enrolled on a countryside management course at Duchy College, but this didn’t work out and Rob switched direction, completing qualifications in childcare and education, activity leadership and group management. He spent several seasons working for activity holiday company PGL, where as well as being a group leader and instructor he also led drama courses and acted as entertainments manager at various locations around the country. Tiring of his somewhat itinerant lifestyle, he applied for ‘a proper job with the civil service’ - but about to accept the steady income and pension prospects, prospects, he had

at Lakeside, Roadford Lake

a change of heart and decided to register as self employed drama practitioner.

After much hard work and door-knocking, he began to build up a regular client base, working in a variety of schools providing drama-based workshops. Rob became the director of the Plough Youth Theatre, building up the group from a handful of children to a membership of well over 100, staging two to three shows a year, taking some on tour - on one occasion even as far afield as Poland. After more than nine years with the Plough, Rob took the decision to move on, growing his company, Entertainingly Different, by increasing his team to the point he can now call on around ten practitioners and performers to take on projects that range from staging the children’s festival at the Dartmoor Folk Festival, to dramatic collaborations with RHS Garden Rosemoor and the Big Sheep.

He explained that his love of drama and theatre stemmed from a boyhood trip to Plymouth’s Theatre Royal: ‘I went at the age of five to see Bonnie Langford in Peter Pan. I remember being

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completely overwhelmed by the size of the theatre, by the spectacle, by the lights, scenery, costumes, the sheer magic of it!’

Rob is currently working with youngsters at Pathfield School, which caters for children with Special Educational Needs. He also facilitates drama workshops and therapeutic sessions for adults with learning difficulties and has recently finished an amazing year of weekly visits to Made-Well, Hatherleigh.

His school-based workshops and visits are generally topic/ curriculum related and often involve dressing up as a character.

‘I have already walked Tobias to school dressed as a pirate, a knight, an explorer and a magician - there’s never a dull moment. I love inspiring, engaging, entertaining and educating young people. There is so much pressure on children these days and sometimes just having jolly good fun and actually being a child is equally important. My trade name is Entertainingly Different and I like to think my workshops are exactly that - a different way of teaching, using well thought out characters, stories, puppets and specially developed

games and activities that really do inspire and enthuse children so they don’t actually realise they are learning.’

Rob said he feels very lucky to have been able to work in so many of the fields in which he had long term ambitions: ‘I always wanted to do a radio show. I was forever making recordings when I was a boy and now I have a fortnightly show on Soundart Radio. I wanted to write for a newspaper and I now make regular contributions to local papers. I remember going to the theatre with my Mum and seeing people in the press area and wondering what it was all about and now I get invited to press nights myself!’

From playing Cupid on the streets of Bideford, acting as a master of ceremonies for the Devon Youth Games, to working with young people with quite serious and challenging issues and directing community productions it seems life for Rob Pudner is varied, unexpected, challenging, fun sometimes extremely hard work but most importantly, always entertainingly different!

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SCHOOL EDUCATION SPOTLIGHT

Trust that hit the ground running Dartmoor Multi Academy Trust is now five months into its stride as the body responsible for providing schooling for some 5,000 pupils - and the employment and training of 750 adults.

Its creation must count as possibly the biggest change in the education sector in this area in a generation - breaking free from the shackles of local authority control and becoming autonomous, while still encompassing the values of the Cooperative movement and the Church of England.

The Trust currently comprises 15 schools - Okehampton College, Tavistock College and Holsworthy Community College and primary providers Boasley Cross, Black Torrington, Bradford, Bridestowe, Bridgerule, Chagford, Exbourne, Lydford, Northlew and Ashbury, North Tawton, Okehampton and South Tawton. Geographically, they are spread over a large rural area and range from tiny village primaries to the biggest secondaries.

The Trust has a leadership team headed by chief executive officer Daryll Chapman, the former principal of Okehampton College. Hazel Fox, former headteacher of Okehampton Primary School, is the vice CEO. The team is supported by a team of trustees and the trust itself has several partners including Exeter University, Plymouth Marjon University, The Diocese of Exeter, Dartmoor Teaching Alliance and the Schools Co-operative Society.

Hazel Fox says she is really pleased with the way the Trust has taken off, possibly due to the enormous amount of advance preparation work that went into its creation.

‘One of the first things we did was to undertake a major consultation with the parents, staff and children, to make sure they were involved in the decisions we were taking.

‘We feel it’s really important for schools to retain their own identity - there’s such a diverse range of schools within our trust, it’s very important that each local community is reflected,’ says Hazel, who believes there are huge advantages

to working collaboratively. Sharing resources and expertise can be a real life-saver to tiny schools like Lydford Primary in financial terms, but training, retention and development of staff is also boosted.

Hazel says Dartmoor MAT is ‘very unusual’ in that it started with a big membership of 15 schools, many of whom were already used to working together co-operatively. But that’s not to say the number will stay at 15 - the trust has the capacity to expand and Hazel hopes it will provide a strong voice for a very rural mid Devon area which she feels is slightly forgotten in terms of service provision.

Now it’s firmly established, the trust is looking to develop an IT strategy to cover the next five years, the provision of apprenticeships and standardising curriculums throughout each of the member schools.

Hazel says: ‘I firmly believe that the quality of teaching will be raised. We are all like-minded about high standards, increasing opportunities for children, supporting each other and making sure our children are getting the best possible deal. And one of the really important aspects of the trust is that we are completely committed to working cross phase, from primary to secondary, to make sure there are no dips in enjoyment or standards.

‘The fact we can improve things for children is what drives me.

The trust is very different, it feels almost private sector, but it’s very exciting.’

Jane Honey

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SCHOOL SPOTLIGHT EDUCATION

The messier the better!

Lew Trenchard Primary School would like to offer you the opportunity to welcome you to their warm and welcoming baby and toddlers’ group which runs every Thursday, term time, from 9.15am until 11.15am in the school hall. Each week is led by our wonderful, qualified practitioner, Justine who plans exciting and educational activities for you and your child to participate in. Her ethos is - the messier the better!

This term Justine has planned Spring sensory play, using real carrots, blossom painting and coloured pasta sorting.

Whether you live in the village or further afield, you are welcome to join in with the sensory and creative activities she plans. A fantastic way to meet new friends for you and your children, it’s also a great opportunity to begin transition to our wonderful pre-school which has recently joined our foundation unit. Pre-school children often join us for a story and singing towards the end of session.

The cost of the baby and toddlers’ group is £2 a session per family, tea and coffee are supplied for parents. Please bring a snack for your children to enjoy.

Our head of school, Sally Powell, often pops in to the session to say hello and this is a good opportunity to get to know our Lew Trenchard Primary School.

We look forward to meeting you!

For more information on sessions and activities please join our Facebook page ‘Lew Trenchard School and Pre-school’.

Lew Trenchard Toddler Group

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SCHOOL EDUCATION NEWS

Getting creative at Boasley Cross Primary With an increasingly confining national curriculum and growing pressure on schools to achieve great results in English and Maths, Boasley Cross is taking a creative approach to learning which not only results in excellent outcomes but inspires our children to love learning.

learning. Guy Claxton’s 5 Rs of learning have creativity at their centre – resilience, risk-taking, resourcefulness, readiness, reflectiveness – and underpin the ethos of our school. Effective use of our outdoor area is the perfect space for mindfulness and to evoke reflective learning in our pupils.

A growing demand in recent times on a wider range of knowledge and skills among children means there is an even greater need for creative teaching than ever before. At Boasley Cross, creativity is central to learning through making time to critically reflect; giving the freedom to learn from mistakes and the confidence to try again; creating a culture of collaboration through carefully designed lessons that allow children to be active participants in their own learning.

We go back to our roots by using outdoor learning to enhance and deliver the curriculum. From shape hunts to forest school, outdoor cooking on the fire pit and peer reading in our willow domes, Boasley embraces the outdoors as the perfect arena for effective learning. The ethos of our school is rooted in our environment with views sweeping across Dartmoor and local farms; our children’s love of learning is able to grow and develop in the heart of this breath-taking landscape.

Our creative approach houses a creative curriculum. At Boasley, creativity is not a bolt-on of arts subjects such as music, art and drama, but is an integral part of the life of the school. Inspirational and motivational learning experiences – sculpture workshops, storytelling, peer massage, cross-phase work in drama - help the pupils to express true and meaningful

Carefully designed learning experiences to improve children’s outcomes is at the heart of our small, rural setting. Creativity is a risk we are willing to take!

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CHARITY FOCUS

Farms for City Children It’s a truly transformational experience Founded by children’s author Michael Morpurgo and his wife Clare at Nethercott House in Devon in 1976, Farms for City Children offers urban children from all over the country a unique opportunity to live and work together for a week at a time on a real rural farm. The charity has three working farms, where approximately 3200 primary school children and 400 teachers from approximately 90 schools visit each year.

The three farms comprise Nethercott House, a traditional mixed dairy, beef and sheep farm at Iddlesleigh in the heart of Devon; Lower Treginnis, a 700 year old Welsh sheep farm on the Pembrokeshire coast which welcomed its first children in 1989 and Wick Court, a Tudor manor house and livestock farm on the River Severn with a speciality of bee-keeping, was opened in 1998.

Each farm aims to welcome up to 40 children supervised by four of their own teachers and the farm staff for a full week of activities. Typically, they are divided into three groups and given highly structured hands-on tasks to perform ranging from looking after and feeding the animals to packing eggs, planting seeds - to picking and cooking their own food, some for the very first time.

The experience stretches them physically, emotionally and intellectually in ways not possible in the classroom, building their confidence and nurturing a real sense of achievement. No

‘screens’ are allowed and the children find themselves talking to each other and discovering new social skills.

Tim Rose, farm school manager in charge of Nethercott House, said: ‘It is so rewarding to see the changes in the children from when they arrive, rather nervous off the bus on the Friday, to when they leave the following Friday, more confident, with rosy cheeks and with a new bunch of friends. Whilst we are teaching the children about farming, where their food comes from and the physical work that goes with all that, the real work is evident when, for example, an elective mute child starts to talk, the school bully becomes a team player and the shy child leads the way with a task.’

The set-up at Nethercott is supremely well organised. Strict care is taken with health and safety, food handling and preparation - in the cloakroom area the children have to step up over a barrier when leaving their outdoor boots and coats behind and head straight to the hand washing area. The dormitories have been refurbished, all have their own en-suite shower room and they are bright and light. Yet downstairs, the Victorian character of the gothic-style manor house is very much in evidence, with wood panelling, high ceilinged rooms and a wonderful tiled floor.

Amanda Heron, lead teacher at Kelvin Grove Primary in Sydenham, London, who was staying at Nethercott House

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CHARITY FOCUS

when Oke Links visited, said: ‘We have been visiting Nethercott House for thirteen years and it is a truly transformational experience for my pupils, who come from a totally different world in Lewisham, London. Many children have never been near any animals and felt nervous. By the end of the week, they were more confident and eager to get out to work. One child wants to be a farmer when she grows up but all of our children have benefited from spending a week on a farm in Devon. They all have their own little success stories.”

The true cost per child, per week, for a visit to one of Farms for City Children’s bases is £550 - the amount of subsidy provided for every single child’s visit is £300, which means the charity needs to raise £1 million every year.

Jan Goffey, Mayor of Okehampton, was visiting the farm on the same day as Oke Links. Jan said: ‘I’ve known of the Farms for City Children charity for many years although never before had the chance to visit and see their work for myself.

‘Almost a hundred thousand children have been to our farms. But it should be millions. It’s a week that builds their self-confidence and self-worth as they work on the farm, a week full of fun too, the most memorable week of their young lives. It is as important as literacy and maths.

What we do is more necessary than ever as children become ever more disconnected from the countryside, the environment and the source of the food they eat.’ – Michael Morpurgo, author, founder and trustee.

‘I was watching a group busy in the stable yard and then when we were shown around the kitchen garden and the animal areas - excited children told us of the best bits, picking, cooking and eating the vegetables - even kale - working as a team, problem solving, and working with the animals.

‘Teachers see a transformation in pupils because they are totally out of their normal environment, out of their comfort zone. I came away thinking that not only inner city children need this experience, there are many children in our own locality who would benefit from it.’

For more information visit www.farmsforcitychildren.org

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Caring for People in the Community

HEALTH HEALTH & WELLBEING & BEAUTY

Backache, headaches or musculoskeletal problems ?

Light Touch Therapies may be able to treat the real cause of pain As we go about our work or leisure, such as exercising in the gym, running, playing golf or any other sport, some of us find that we start feeling stiffness and pain.

Most of the time the reason for this discomfort is that our posture is out of alignment.

Invariably the muscles around the sacrum are involved. As a rule, pain moves downwards, from the twisted hips to the legs and upwards into the vertebrae, the neck, the head and the shoulders. It is for this reason that we see so many people suffering from back-pain, sciatic pain, shoulder pain, neck-pain, headache and general aching. This kind of discomfort requires a specific remedial treatment.

It was back in the 1920s that a chiropractor and engineer developed the first ‘light touch’ therapy as Aquarian Age healing. He combined physiology and acupuncture meridians as well laws of leverage to develop a re-alignment treatment which never failed to heal patients’ suffering. Such a therapeutic re-alignment helps the body come back to its correct position, thus eliminating the real cause of pain.

Postural changes may result from falls, from slumping in sofas, from lifting heavy objects, using too many pillows or sleeping in a strange position. In addition, poor diet and nutrition as well as various illnesses can play their part in contributing to postural imbalance. Finally, strong emotions such as anxiety, disappointment and grief can also have a dramatic impact on postural balance.

Individualising the treatment Because everybody has a unique ‘fingerprint’ of postural change, a Spinal Touch session always begins with an assessment at a plumb line, which enables the practitioner

to individualise the treatment to the particular needs of the client. This requires an experienced practitioner to assess the postural changes of the patient.

The treatment itself involves a light touch ‘rub-out’ technique applied to the muscles of the lower back, working up the spine to the neck and head area as well as to the abdomen.

In the process, the spine is guided back to alignment. The session is deeply relaxing and many tend to nod off as it progresses. In being guided back to postural normality, the body is being enabled to eliminate accumulated acidity and tension from the muscles and this in itself can offer very rapid - sometimes instantaneous - pain relief. The effects on the body of correcting misalignment can be truly remarkable. In most cases Bio-Stress Release - another gentle treatment - is applied to release any persistent sore spots. Patients offer refer the instantaneous pain relief as ‘magic’.

Who can Spinal Touch and Bio-Stress Release help?

Although it is best known for helping with back ailments and associated disorders, Spinal Touch, which is often complemented by Bio-Stress Release, can be of benefit in a far wider range of conditions. It is especially effective in conditions which are stress-related. There are no contraindications to the treatment. As it is so gentle it can safely be used on children, the elderly and pregnant women.

Patients with the following conditions have been helped

by Spinal Touch: back pain, balance problems, digestive problems, headache, infertility, jaw problems, joint pain, low energy, neck pains, repetitive strain injury, sciatic pain, sports injuries and more.

Susanna Terry LCCH, Dip ST 01837 840718 susanna.terry1@gmail www.lightouch.co.uk

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HEALTH HEALTH & WELLBEING & BEAUTY

Sun Safety Sunburn not only causes considerable pain and discomfort in the short term but can increase your risk of developing skin cancer in later life. Dr Emma Chapman gives some advice for adults and children on sun safety in the UK and abroad .

Sun Safety tips Make sure you: spend time in the shade between 11am and 3pm cover up with suitable clothing and sunglasses take extra care with children use at least factor 15 sunscreen

How to apply sunscreen Most people don’t apply enough sunscreen. As a guide, adults should aim to apply around: two teaspoons of sunscreen if you’re just covering your head, arms and neck two tablespoons if you’re covering your entire body while wearing a swimming costume If sunscreen is applied too thinly, the amount of protection it gives is reduced.

If you plan to be out in the sun long enough to risk burning, sunscreen needs to be applied twice: 30 minutes before going out and just before going out Sunscreen should be applied to all exposed

including the face, neck and ears (and head if you have thinning or no hair) but a wide-brimmed hat is better.

Sunscreen needs to be reapplied liberally and frequently, this includes applying it straight after you’ve been in water even if it’s ‘water resistant’ and after towel drying, sweating, or when it may have rubbed off.

Children and sun protection Take extra care to protect babies and children as their skin is much more sensitive than adult skin. Children aged under six months should be kept out of direct strong sunlight. From March to October in the UK, children should cover up with suitable clothing and hats, spend time in the shade (particularly from 11am to 3pm) and wear at least SPF15 sunscreen. Apply sunscreen to areas not protected by clothing, such as the face, ears, feet, and backs of hands.

How to deal with sunburn Sponge sore skin with cool water, then apply soothing aftersun or a simple moisturiser. Painkillers, such as paracetamol or ibuprofen, will ease the pain by helping to reduce inflammation caused by sunburn. Seek medical help if you feel unwell or the skin swells badly or blisters. Stay out of the sun until all signs of redness have gone.

Hay fever reminder!

As with most allergies, the best way to control hay fever is to avoid the triggers. But it’s difficult to avoid pollen, particularly during the summer. Before going to see your GP, you could visit your pharmacist and try to treat your hay fever symptoms with over-the-counter medications, such as antihistamine tablets, nasal sprays and eye drops.

Dr Emma Chapman Okehampton Medical Centre

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See our new community website www.dartmoorlinks.co.uk

GARDENING

Adding colour to the garden Sally Newbrook, Horticulturalist at RHS Rosemoor, shares some ideas for late spring and early summer interest for the garden.

Chelsea Chop Credit: RHS/Sarah Cuttle

The beginning of May and June are exciting months for any gardener with a herbaceous border. Fresh spring colours and lush green foliage help us forget the hardships of winter and we now eagerly anticipate the vibrant summer months to come. However, there is often a time after the daffodils die back but before summer kicks in where the border needs a bit more colour and excitement. With good planning it is possible to inject some interest while we wait for the Asters, Sedums and grasses to fill in the gaps.

Here are a few of my favourite flowering plants for May and June: Allium - These ornamental onion relatives are great architectural features in the border. One lovely cultivar we use at Rosemoor is ‘Cristophii’, a large yet delicate variety with floating clusters of purple star shaped flowers, good for the midfront of a border.

Allium Ambassador

Another is Credit: RHS/Sarah Cuttle

‘Ambassador’, an impressively bold variety with thick green stems and dense purple flowers making it ideal for the midback border. In drier weather their attractive seed heads will be preserved long after flowering but you will want to make sure the leaves, which fade and die early on, are hidden behind other plantings.

Bearded irises - Elegant and elaborate in appearance this group of Iris gives an impressive display in May and June.

They thrive in a well-drained soil with little competition to allow the rhizomes to bake in the sun. There are so many varieties to choose from, we use the pale blues of ‘Jane Phillips’ and two-tone purple of ‘Braithwaite’ to compliment pink and purple shrub roses. Position them next to later flowering perennials such as Lavandula angustifolia that continue the display once the irises have faded.

Camassia leichtlinii subsp. leichtlinii - These majestic bulbs produce clusters of creamy white star shaped flowers on spikes just over a meter high. Originating from North America they prefer a moist but well-drained soil in full sun or light shade. Try them as an early focal point for the border.

Astrantia ‘Roma’ is a beautiful pink variety of Astrantia, a low growing semi-shade tolerant perennial with a long flowering season that comes in flushes. Once the first set of flowers and leaves are looking tired cut back to ground level fairly early and you will be rewarded with another.

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GARDENING

Allium cristophii AGM and Astrantia ‘Roma’ Credit: RHS/Sheila Dearing

Primula Harlow Car hybrids – These large showy primulas are a great for a moist soil in a sunny spot. Their whorls of flowers come in rich shades of pink, yellow and orange.

Iris ‘Braithwaite’ Credit: RHS/Sheila Dearing

of plants try staggering the cutting back to prolong the display even further.

Planting: It’s a good time to get in new arrivals before hotter temperatures dry the soil out too much - just make sure they’re hardened off before planting in case of late May frosts.

Staking: At Rosemoor we use a combination of metal link stakes, bamboo and natural hazel stakes for taller perennials. These are best put in place early in spring to avoid damaging new growth but you might still be able to squeeze in some emergency stakes and it is a good time to check if taller plants such as Delphiniums have outgrown their supports.

Chelsea chop: Some late flowering perennials such as Sedums, Phlox and Heleniums can be cut back at this time to produce stockier plants and delay flowering into late summer and autumn.

Use shears to cut back suitable plants by one third or if you have several clumps

Dividing bulbs: If your daffodils have been in place for some time they may have become congested which can reduce bloom number and quality. If you have the time, now is an excellent opportunity to rejuvenate them or transplant to a new location. Once

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the flowers have faded but before the foliage dies completely carefully dig them up, split into sizable bunches and replant straight away to the same depth.

Weeding: If you put down a winter mulch earlier in the year you will likely have been enjoying its weed smothering effects up until now, but not for much longer! Now is an excellent time to start hoeing, particularly when the summer perennials have yet to fully get going and there is soil exposed.

Sally Newbrook Horticulturist, RHS Rosemoor

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spring sensation

National Gardening Week 30 April - 4 May BBC Radio 4 Gardener’s Question Time 1 May Spring Design For Living Fair 5 - 7 May Spring Plant Fair 12 & 13 May Rosemoor Live! entertainment - see full page advert May & June Get Set Grow - Halkf Term Family activities 26 May - 3 June Re-enactment Weekend and 1940’s Dinner Dance 16 & 17 June Rose Festival including Rose Weekend 16 June - 22 July Visit us for a late spring riot of colour and sensational events.

RHS Garden Rosemoor, Devon, EX38 8PH For information and garden tickets rhs.org.uk/rosemoor RHS Reg. Charity No. 222879 / SC038262

FARMING DIARY

Lambing is over - now it’s time for the calves Interesting statistics in the cattle shed Hello again everyone. Hopefully the winter monsoon season is over by the time you read this. If it’s still raining you can rest assured that we will have our animals safely loaded on an ark.

On a more serious note, a friend of mine at the Met Office told me that the first cold spell at the end of February was the coldest weather we have experienced for 27 years. Add to that the fact that Devon was been the wettest place in the country in March with Okehampton the wettest place in Devon, you can imagine farmers have had many problems to deal with - also remember that this is the most important time of year for livestock farmers and that very young animals are much more vulnerable in bad weather.

While our farm has not fared too badly in the spring weather, I understand that there are some very sad tales in the local farming community.

The news from our farm recently, other than the weather, is we have sold a good number of bulls to other farmers, which has been great after our trials with TB. One of the most pleasing things was that one farmer rang us after reading this publication and came to buy one.

Lambing time is now over - other than the hard work, it has been a great time. Many hands make light work. As well as the lads on the farm, my wife, parents, sister and children all leant a hand. Because farming has become so mechanised, many of the jobs where everyone pulled together are now done by one man and one machine, which means farming can be at times a very lonely profession. It is such a nice

feeling for everyone to work together like the old days.

As a result of all the help on the farm the animal care in the lambing shed was exceptionally good, I don’t think we lost a lamb that was saveable. When you consider over 1,000 lambs were born in a short space of time that was some achievement. The only downside of this was that we had nearly 60 lambs being reared on a lamb feeder.

We are now into calving season; it hasn’t been the best of starts but at the moment thing are looking up. Yesterday we have had five calves all fighting fit and today we had the set of twins that are in the photo.

Twins in cattle are not uncommon, they account for about three percent of births. A cow gestation is the same as a human, nine months. The average birth weight of a calf is about 40kg with twins usually being lighter. With these facts considered, this cow has done an amazing job. The total weight of her two babies is 85kg, that means she has produced the same weight as me in nine months. One interesting fact with twins in cattle, is that if they are mixed sex, which these are, there is a 90% chance that the female will be affected by the male hormones and be infertile, the calf is then neither a bull or heifer but a freemartin.

We are busy preparing a couple of bulls for the showing season which is a great feeling. We were washing them with my children a few days ago when our old friend Tiny, our senior bull, made it very clear that felt he needed a wash

too. He practically put his own halter on and rushed down to the washing area. In don’t think I have ever seen a bath being enjoyed so much, bless him.

At the shop, business seems to go from strength to strength, since Christmas we have been much busier than we expected, this coupled with the extension is giving the whole place quite a buzz. The current estimate is that the extension will be up and running sometime in July.

Stuart Luxton

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SENSATIONAL SMELLS, SIGHTS AND SOUNDS TO ASSAIL THE SENSES! Okehampton Festival of Food and Music returns once again on June 30th, providing a wonderful day’s entertainment to appeal to residents and visitors alike.

It is the sixth festival to be organised by Okehampton and District Chamber of Trade, who will be welcoming old friends and established exhibitors as well as a range of exciting new local food producers and musicians.

The atmosphere in the town will be buzzing as people drift around soaking up the atmosphere. Visitors to the festival will be able to browse around stalls manned by a huge variety of local food and drink producers, offering tempting delicacies from cheese to chocolate, cider to sauces, to try and buy. They will be set up in Red Lion Yard, the pedestrianised shopping precinct in the heart of the town, around St James Chapel in the high street and behind the chapel in St James Street.

While the producers will be based locally or regionally, some of their products have their origins in areas much further away. India in Jar

34

(with a dash of Devon) will be offering spicy pickles and chutneys, pastries and snacks; World Food will be tempting festival visitors with their saffron chicken and falafel and Dartmoor Chilli Farm will have preserves, sauces, oils, salts and seasonings ranging from fiery to furnace-like.

New exhibitors at this year’s event include Marion’s Deli, which will be preparing German-style street food; Taw Valley Brewery with their caskconditioned ale made in a medieval thatched threshing barn and Teignworthy Gin with their latest offerings, Black Dog and the Beast of Dartmoor.

Not forgetting the younger visitors to the festival, The Harvest Workers’ Cooperative are offering a range of familyfriendly activities including story-telling and creative play.

The stalls will be open from 9am until 3pm - and to complement all those tempting treats, a wide range of musicians and singers will be entertaining the crowds between 10am and 3pm.

An eclectic mix of music will be playing across the town, with buskers playing in various nooks and crannies, while dance groups will showcase their skills in street performances throughout the town centre. There will be three musical venues at this year’s festival - St James’ Church and Street, Red Lion Yard and the more intimate venue of the Museum Yard. Here, there will be a complete programme of quieter music and it is hoped there will also be some food demonstrations and activities.

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Some of the performers appearing include father and daughter duo Meand’er, who play guitar and mandolin; guitarists Brian Higbee and Tim Randell, Dartmoor Harmony and Okehampton Choral Society and also Okehampton’s very own ukulele band, Okelele.

The Courtenay Players will also be entertaining and there will be dancing from the OCRA Dance Project and Cogs and Wheels, a friendly ladies’ Morris side from Sticklepath.

Many of the group performers welcome new members so it will be a great opportunity to see what they do and how you could be part of the fun!

Linda Harper, chairman of Okehampton Chamber of Trade, said: ‘Okehampton Festival of Food and Music aims to boost the local economy through the development of a sustainable food and music festival in Okehampton. It aims to support local and regional producers and musicians and highlight the strong connection between the town and the surrounding countryside.

‘Most of all the project seeks to engage the local community to unite and celebrate their rural location on the edge of Dartmoor, helping to make Okehampton a

35

vibrant and sustainable place to live and work.

‘There is so much food diversity around Okehampton and the festival connects local people with small local food suppliers.

There is a thriving creative core to Okehampton that engages young and old alike through music and dance, traditional through to modern and all of this is embraced and celebrated at the festival.

‘Mish Flexman has been coordinating the festival of food and music on behalf of the Chamber of Trade for the past three years. Mish made a terribly difficult decision this year and decided to step back from her role as co-ordinator. The chamber would like to say thank you to Mish for all her hard work, she has done a tremendous job of bringing Okehampton alive with this midsummer festival and also through her work with the Christmas and Easter farmers’ markets.’

More stalls and acts are still signing up to join this wonderful festival – for up to date information www. everythingokehamptonco.uk/ event/food-music-festival/ go to Okehampton Festival on Facebook or contact okehamptonchamber@ gmail.com

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WHAT’S ON

Regulars MONDAYS PHYSIOTHERAPIST LED PILATES Morning classes at the Ockment Centre, Okehampton, run by Louise Towl, Chartered Physiotherapist and APPI trained. Please ring 07779 663989 or e-mail louise@louisetowlvetphysio.co.uk for more information LAST SUNDAY OF THE MONTH OKEY FOLKY FOLK SESSIONS At the Plume of Feathers in Okehampton.

Singers, musicians, poets, step dancers and audience all welcome! The fun starts at 8pm. For more information call Debbie Jessop, 07773 479375.

May 9 MAY HISTORY TALK A talk by Ghee Bowman - ‘Crossing the Imperial Colour Bar, Muslim Indian Soldiers in Devon in WW2’, hosted by the Okehampton and District Local History Society at 7.30pm in the Ockment Centre, Okehampton. Visitors welcome, £3 entrance.

10 MAY - 21 JUNE FOREST CHI TAI CHI Mindfulness and nature classes based at the Pavilion in the Park, Okehampton, Thursday mornings; May 10th, 17th and

24th and June 7th, 14th and 21st. Relaxed and friendly sessions, drop in or come for the whole course. For more information contact Kate Dixon on 01837 840959, email kate@forestchi.co.uk or visit www. forestchi.co.uk

information call 01837 318050 or go to www.harvestworkerscoop.org.uk.

11 MAY FOOD AND FILM SCREENING REAL FOOD FILM SHORTS Join the Harvest Workers’ Co-operative for their fourth film night at the Ockment Centre. Come along from 6.30pm for food or 7.30pm for just the film. This particular night highlights varying topics around food through some award winning film shorts. £5 just film, £10 film and food. Call Harvest Workers’ Co-op on 01837 318050.

16 MAY MUSEUM TEA AND TALK A talk at the Museum of Dartmoor Life, Okehampton, by Jane Marchand (former senior archaeologist for Dartmoor National Park) entitled ‘Crossing the Centuries Dartmoor’s Medieval Crosses’. Suggestion donation £4 to include refreshments. The talk starts at 2pm.

12 MAY COFFEE MORNING The Forget Me Not Café will host a coffee morning at the Charter Hall, Okehampton between 9am and noon. This is an awareness event for people with memory problems and their carers. There will be information and advice from community groups and the emergency services, with refreshments and a raffle.

13 MAY GARDEN TOUR Join the Okehampton Harvest Workers’ Co-operative for a garden tour at Down Farm and learn about ‘no dig’ growing on a commercial scale, as well as a spring walk through an ancient, bluebell carpeted woodland. Noon until 2pm. For more

13 MAY LEAFY LANES WALK See What’s On Extra for more information.

16 MAY AN EVENING WITH ADAM HENSON Adam Henson is perhaps the best known farmer in the UK, presenting his own section on BBC’s country file. Join Adam at RHS Rosemoor near Torington, as he shares stories about his farming life, his television career, and the running of the Cotswold Farm Park, together with his thoughts on British agriculture, plus a chance to ask your own questions. There will also be a book signing after the show.

Performance begins at 8pm. For tickets go to rhs.org.uk/gardens/rosemoor 18 MAY QUIZ AND PUDDING EVENING Starting at 7.30 pm in Sampford Courtenay Village Hall. It is £5 to enter a team of up to five people for the quiz and then £5 per person to sample the puddings. Please

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WHAT’S ON bring your own drinks. To book a table (essential) please ring 01837 851269 or 82743.

18 MAY SUMMER CONCERT - HALDON STRING QUARTET The Haldon are four musicians rooted in Devon, united in their desire to play the classics and newer works of the string quartet repertoire to audiences in the area and further afield. See them at Bratton Clovelly Parish Hall at 7.30pm, doors and bar open at 7pm. Tickets £10 (16 years and under £5), to book email brattonclovellyfestival@gmail.com or phone: 01837 871696.

18 MAY A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM The performance is part of the Museums at Night Festival and takes place 6pm until 8pm at the Museum of Dartmoor Life, Okehampton. £4 per child, accompanying adults free.

19 MAY DAD’S ARMY RADIO HOUR Celebrating 50 years of Jimmy Perry and David Croft’s quintessential sitcom, two actors play 25 characters in this brilliant staging of classic radio scripts based on favourite episodes from the original TV series at The Plough, Torrington. 8pm, box office 01805 624624.

20 MAY BLUEBELL SUNDAY At Okehampton Castle. See What’s On Extra for more information.

23 MAY HISTORY TALK The Time Traveller’s Guide to Restoration England - a talk by Dr Ian Mortimer, the best selling author and broadcaster.

Hosted by Moretonhampstead History Society 7.30 pm Parish Church, Moretonhampstead. Admission £3 on the door with proceeds being donated to the upkeep of the society’s archives. Tel 01647 441 083 or email williamjhardiman@gmail. com 26 MAY FAMILY WORKSHOP - SPRING BLOSSOM Seasonal cooking, craft, play and storytelling for all ages with the Okehampton Harvest Workers’ Cooperative, between 2pm and 4pm. For more information call 01837 318050 or go to www.harvestworkerscoop.org.uk 26 MAY - 3 JUNE HALF TERM FUN AT THE CASTLE Hunt around the grounds of Castle Drogo to find the boxes to identify seeds and their flowers (£1 per trail, between 11am and 4pm). On May 29, join the crafty castle capers (prices vary).

27 MAY OKEHAMPTON MAY FAIR See What’s On Extra for more information.

Dartmoor’s Music Festival coming to a venue near you

Concerts in Ashburton, Buckfast, Clearbrook, Okehampton, Postbridge, Princetown, South Tawton and Tavistock Tavistock Classical, choral, folk, jazz, medieval, with several world premieres

EXCLUSIVELY DARTMOOR MUSIC Information and tickets from the

Dartmoor Society

www.dartmoorsociety.com/drmf See our new community website www.dartmoorlinks.co.uk

27 MAY ROADFORD LAKE OPEN DAY The Open Day, which will run from 10am – 4pm, will include a variety of local stall holders and activities for the whole family to enjoy. Have a go at a range of activities including, kayaking, canoeing, paddleboarding, water zorbing, high ropes, archery, bushcraft and fishing taster sessions. Face painting will also be available as well as giant games, a bouncy castle, nature crafts, family fun with Entertainingly Different and much more!

28 MAY CHAGFORD TWO HILLS RACE Hosted by Chagford Running Club, the event starts at 10am at the Pavilion at Chagford War Memorial playing fields, with the race beginning at 11.30am.

30 MAY JAY RAYNER: THE TEN (FOOD) COMMANDMENTS As the chair of BBC Radio 4’s The Kitchen Cabinet, he’ll explain why thou shalt always eat with thy hands, why thou should most definitely worship leftovers, and why thou must celebrate the stinkiest of foods. See Jay Rayner at 8pm at RHS Rosemoor near Torrington. For tickets go to www.rsh.org.uk/gardens/rosemoor

June 2 JUNE OPEN GARDEN Ockment Centre Open Garden in aid of Hospicare. 10.30am to 4.30pm. Cream teas, plant stall, cake stall and raffle.

Admission £2 per person children free.

Dogs welcome on leads.

2 & 3 JUNE ENGLISH COUNTRY GARDEN FESTIVAL At Combe Trenchard House. See What’s On Extra for more information.

3 JUNE NO DIG PRACTICAL WORKSHOP At Hilltown Organics (Northlew Road, 37

Tavistock Pannier Market Re-opens on the 18th May After extensive building work on the roof and structure of the building our fantastic traders are moving back into the Pannier Market.

Themed Days Open 9am - 4.30pm Tuesdays

Antiques & Collectables

Wednesday

Crafts and mixed market

Thursday

Crafts and mixed market

Friday

Traditional Charter Market, fresh produce

Saturday

Regular themed markets- 1st Saturday of the month is Aladdins Cave collectables, 2nd Saturday is crafts, others are mixed.

Every day is different!

You are invited - the community is invited to an official Pannier Market and Butchers Hall launch celebration on the 14th July.

To see and read about the next stage of developments for the Pannier Market go to tavistock.gov.uk

FIND US just behind the high street and town hall in the heart of Tavistock FIND OUT MORE 01822 611003 www.tavistockpanniermarket.co.uk

WHAT’S ON Okehampton) from 2-6pm, the workshop will explore the method of organic growing where you don’t need to dig! Event is only £5 per person, £3 reduced option. Call Harvest Workers’ Co-op on 01837 318050.

13 JUNE TEA AND TALK A talk by Lucy Mackeith at the Museum of Dartmoor Life, Okehampton, entitled ‘Devon’s Slave Ownership. Suggested donation £4 to include refreshments. The talk begins at 2pm.

13 JUNE HISTORY TALK A talk by Ian Varndell - ‘The Exeter Dissenters’ Graveyard - the first 270 years’, hosted by the Okehampton and District Local History Society at 7.30pm in the Ockment Centre, Okehampton. Visitors welcome, £3 entrance.

16 JUNE SAMPFORD COURTENAY GRAND FETE Crafts and food stalls, fancy dress, live music plus much more in the grounds of Culverhayes, Sampford Courtenay. For more information see What’s On Extra.

17 JUNE EGGESFORD HUNT SUPPORTERS CLUB COUNTRY SHOW Fun and affordable entertainment for all at Crooke Meadow, North Tawton, including a terrier, lurcher and family dog show, plus

music from The Honest John Band. Gates open at 11.30am, the dog show starts at 12.30pm.

16 - 24 JUNE DARTMOOR RESONANCE MUSIC FESTIVAL A musical evocation and journey through time marking the 20th anniversary of The Dartmoor Society. This nine-day festival will use a wide variety of venues, events and partners to celebrate the remarkable diversity of composers and performers of sacred and secular music, from prehistory to the present day, all inspired by Dartmoor. See www.dartmoorsociety.com for the full programme.

18 JUNE ‘WHITE BIRD’ The Dartmoor Resonance Festival String Orchestra performs at St Andrew’s Church, South Tawton, conducted by Simon Ible.

Music by Clive Jenkins, Andrew Wilson and John woolrich. Soloist Suzanne Manuell. 7.30pm. Tickets £17/children £5 from www.dartmoorsociety.com/drmf 21 JUNE ART DAY At Castle Drogo, between 10.30am and 3.30pm. Celia Olsson helps with colour mixing and how to create a sky scene watercolour painting. £35, booking essential on 01647 433306 (includes coffee and light lunch).

22 JUNE COSGRAVE AND BANKS This highly talented multi-instrumental duo plays a wide range of music from different cultures and genres at Sampford Courtenay Village Hall. Starts at 7.30pm, tickets cost £8 each and are available by contacting 01837 851269, 82743 or 89168.

22 JUNE - 24 JUNE ROSE WEEKEND AND CRAFT MARKET At RHS Rosemoor near Torrington.

Featuring specialist rose advice, rose idents, free guided walks around Rosemoor’s stunning rose gardens and a floral-themed craft fair in The Garden Room, there will be something for everyone this weekend. 10am until 4pm.

Free guided walks of our magnificent rose gardens. Timed tickets available on the day.

23 JUNE ROMEO AND JULIET HandleBards performs the classic Shakespearean romance at Farms for City Kids’ Nethercott House near Iddesleigh.

The all female troupe will be arriving by bicycle with all the set, props and costumes. In usual HandleBard’s style, you can expect riotous amounts of energy, a fair old whack of chaos and a great deal of laughter. The grounds will be open from 5pm so please bring your own picnic, rugs and chairs. There will be a bar serving drinks only. The play starts at 6.30pm and will last approximately two hours with a

The Tors Inn Serving well-kept Devon real ales, good food and providing comfortable accommodation on Dartmoor, The Tors Inn is well known as a haven for locals and visitors alike.

The Cogs & Wheels Morris dance team - 10 May 7.30pm Open Mic night - 5 June 8.30pm Quiz - every month, please contact us for details 01837 840 689 • Belstone EX20 1QZ • information@thetorsinn.co.uk • www.thetorsinn.co.uk See our new community website www.dartmoorlinks.co.uk

39

LIVE! Adam Henson, An evening with the 16 May BBC Countryfile presenter The Fisherman’s Friends from Port Isaac 18 May The Chamber Ensemble of London 19 May performing a number of garden-themed ‘shorts’ Georgie Fame,* rhythm & blues keyboard music 25 May Mark Steel,* comedian 26 May And Finally... Phil Collins, tribute band 27 May The Bootleg Beatles, tribute band 28 May Jay Rayner, “The 10 commandments of Food” 30 May The Magic Garden, Interactive Children’s Theatre 1 June The restaurant will be serving special pre-performance meals each May evening, for which menus and booking information is available on line.

Box Office: For ticket prices and information except * rhs.org.uk/gardens/rosemoor/whats-on Great Torrington, Devon EX38 8PH Tel 01805 626810 * Tickets via the ploughartscentre.org Registered Charity No. 222879/SC038262

40

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WHAT’S ON 20 minute interval. Tickets £15 available from http://farmsforcitychildren.org/event/ handlebards-romeo-juliet/ or by phoning 01392 276381.

23 JUNE WILLIAM ANDREW FIDDLE DAY With Nick Wyke and Becki Driscoll. A day of workshops at Fireplace Church, Okehampton, using tunes from the fiddle player William Andrew. For information and registration go to www.wrenmusic. co.uk 23 JUNE GOTHIC DARTMOOR Songs from and inspired by the BaringGould folk song collection featuring Marilyn Tucker and Paul Wilson of Wren Music, with Sarah Owen and Jon Dyer, at 7.30pm in The Charter Hall, Okehampton.

Tickets £12/children £5 from www.dartmoorsociety.co,/drmf or www.wrenmusic.co.uk 24 JUNE MORETON MUSIC DAY See What’s On Extra for more information.

26 JUNE PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP Photographer John Howells helps you understand your camera while learning new composition ideas at this event at Castle Drogo, between 11am and 3pm. £37, booking essential on 01647 433306 (includes coffee and light lunch).

30 JUNE MOUNT KELLY CHORAL SOCIETY SUMMER CONCERT This year’s event will take the form of a ‘Bring and Sing’ featuring a varied programme of popular choruses from opera, operetta and musical theatre.

Rehearsals will run from 10.30am till 3.30pm on the day, any singer is welcome and music will be available by contacting music director, Julian Jensen, by email: music@mountkelly.com or go to www. kellychoralsociety.com The concert takes place at 4pm in Tavistock town Hall.

30 JUNE OKEHAMPTON FESTIVAL OF FOOD AND MUSIC See feature on pages 34 & 35

July 7 JULY COFFEE MORNING The Inner Wheel Club of Okehampton are holding a coffee morning at the Charter Hall in Okehampton between 9.30am and noon. On offer are home baked cakes and savouries, a raffle, and a ‘Make us an Offer’ gift stall. All proceeds donated to local charities.

7 JULY OPEN AIR FILM NIGHT Hosted by Open Air Film & Chill Okehampton at The Pavilion in the Park,

Picture Framing

11 JULY LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION Talk by Dr Janet Few, historian and author, Cosdon Room, Ockment Centre, 10am12pm. Using local examples, Janet will bring family and local history together, focussing on people, their relationships to their communities and to each other.

This is aimed at anyone interested in the history of a particular community, be it a parish, town, hamlet or a single street. £2 charge to cover room hire and refreshments, including home-made cakes! To book a place or for further details, please contact Val or Roger Bachelor on 01837 658791 or by email valrogbac81@gmail.com.

We have included as many events as possible here in the magazine but for a full and comprehensive list please see our new community website: www.dartmoorlinks.co.uk All event listings are FREE. Send details to editorial@ okelinks.co.uk or upload directly to our website by pressing the SUBMIT button y n m da pe 4p tur O m - Sa a to 10 day on M

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41

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THE DAVE HANKIN BIG BAND - Sun 13th May

For full details and how to book events visit our website: www.tavistockwharf.com Tavistock Wharf Box Office 01822 611166

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WHAT’S ON EXTRA

May 13

Leafy Lanes Walk The tenth annual Leafy Lanes walk in aid of Derriford Hospital’s Oncology Unit takes place in May. Organised by David Hocking, during the past decade these lovely spring walks have raised in the region of £30,000 thanks entirely to the wonderful people who turn up to participate, enjoy the countryside around the Lydford and Bridestowe area and raise money for a fantastic cause, POOCH, Plymouth Oncology Outpatients and Chemotherapy.

Pooch recently presented a cheque to the radiotherapy centre at Derriford for £12,500, towards four breast boards.

David Hocking said: ‘This year’s special guest is Mark Radmore. I met Mark along with the Tavistock Young Farmers on two separate occasions, each time as their chosen charity for the year. I cannot speak highly enough of Tavistock YFC and their amazing fundraising efforts - to date, they have raised £4,000 on behalf of POOCH.

‘The official starter this year is Thomas Perkins of Coryton.

Thomas gave true brotherly support to his sister Amy, who was last year’s walk starter. Thomas gained this year’s role on merit.’

Leafy Lanes is sponsored by the White Hart at Bridestowe and Sisters Hair and Beauty, Tavistock. The start time on Sunday, May 13th is 11am - registration from 10am. There is a choice of three or six mile circular routes, which start and finish at the White Hart. Registration £4 adults, £2 under 16s, £1 per dog.

For details, entry and sponsorship forms contact David Hocking, 07899 916959 or email davidthockingmsn.com Donations and cheques made payable to Leafy Lanes can be sent to David Hocking, Eastdown, Lydford, Okehampton EX20 4BP.

May 13 - October 31

Mythic Garden Sculpture Exhibition Nestling on a hillside near Chagford and Drewsteignton and open to the public year round, Stone Lane Gardens designed by local man Kenneth Ashburner and his wife June, are a lovely arboretum and a National Collection of Birch and Alder with a water garden.

Famously hosted by the gardens in the summer, ‘The Mythic Garden’ Sculpture Exhibition opens on May 13th and 2018 will be its 25th anniversary. In celebration many contributing artists will use the theme of silver and

among the highlights of this annual summer event will be sculptures by internationally-known artists Peter Randall-Page and Andrew Logan.

As a Charitable Trust, on the death of June Ashburner in 2016 the trustees fully took over the running of the gardens and this year have launched the Stone Lane Gardens Water Garden Renovation Appeal. The restoration and replanting of the spring-fed water garden is much needed and landscape designer Duncan Rice has drafted plans inspired by the original designs. Garden

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lovers can help with the water garden’s restoration by sending a cheque or by using a simple ‘Donate’ button on the web site’s Welcome page at www. stonelanegardens.com. For details of the project, contact Paul Bartlett at admin@stonelanegardens.com, or the press office at pressoffice@ stonelanegardens.com.

Stone Lane Gardens have disabled access, children are welcome to play on lawns among the trees and in a tranquil corner, visitors can sit in a ‘silent space’ next to a pond and stream. A specialist nursery is open from Monday to Friday selling saplings to gardeners and professional horticulturists. In the summer of this year a small flowering plant sales area will be open, along with a new Pop-Up Cafe serving teas.

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WHAT’S ON EXTRA

May 20

Enjoy beautiful bluebells at Okehampton Castle Okehampton Castle’s annual Bluebell Sunday celebrations will return to the castle on Sunday, May 20th between 10am and 5pm. Now in its 101st year, the special spring day invites visitors to rediscover the historic site amidst the beauty of the bluebells. Visitors will be able to enjoy free entry to the castle, special guided tours, entertainments throughout the day, and displays and activities from a range of local organisations.

The event marks the changing of the seasons and the coming of the bluebells throughout the castle’s woodlands, and has been a highlight of the Okehampton calendar since 1917 when local benefactor Sydney Simmons gifted the castle to the Okehampton Castle Trust for the inhabitants and visitors of the town to enjoy in future years.

Alongside the packed programme of activities, the star of the show will of course be the bluebells themselves. Okehampton Castle is surrounded by beautiful woodland and countryside, making it a great place for walks throughout the year. There is an impressive array of flowers and wildlife to spot whatever

the season – but the castle is particularly famous for its swathes of bluebells in late spring. Coming into bloom just in time for Bluebell Sunday, they are a delight of Devon not to be missed.

Now a picturesque ruin, Okehampton Castle was once the largest castle in Devon. Today the castle is under the guardianship of English Heritage and is open daily from April to October.

Set in the stunning gardens of this lovely Edwardian Arts & Crafts Country House on the edge of Dartmoor. This traditional English Garden Show brings together specialist nurseries, beautiful crafts and artisan food producers from throughout the South West.

G A R DEN A DM ISSION £6 CH I L DR EN U N DER 14 FR EE Coombe Trenchard Lewtrenchard Devon EX20 4PW www.coombetrenchard.co.uk 01566 783179 Dogs on lead welcome

2nd & 3 rd JUNE 2018 44

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WHAT’S ON EXTRA

May 27

The Rotary Club of Okehampton’s May Fair This year’s Rotary May Fair in Simmons Park will be held a little later in the month, on the Spring Bank Holiday weekend.

The organisers are hoping for a record attendance, particularly if the weather is fair, attracted by the broad selection of stalls, displays, music and of course, the duck races!

The official start of the day’s events will be marked by a short opening ceremony at midday, carried out by the Mayor of Okehampton and the Rotary Club president.

Come and join the fun by browsing the stalls, activity challenges for the kids, check out the dog show and prepare for the first of the annual duck races! Food and drink will be available on site, so plan to spend a few hours with family and friends - hopefully in the early summer sunshine!

Popular music provided by Richard’s Time Machine will once again provide an audio backdrop, while other live displays during the afternoon will include an Okehampton modern dance group and dog agility demonstrations. If you would like to perform to showcase your talent please get in touch at least a week before the fair at okehampton.rotary@gmail.com Duck race tickets will be on sale in the town or via Rotary members beforehand, with cash prizes to be won from each race. Extra tickets should also be available on the day.

Please remember all money raised on behalf of Rotary will be available to help local good causes. Put the date in your diary now!

June 2 & 3

English Country Garden Festival Combe Trenchard’s wonderful English Country Garden Festival celebrates the diversity and talents of the artisan makers and plant growers here in the Westcountry.

sitting on the terraces savouring the views. There will also be an eclectic variety of vintage and antique home and garden treasures .

Set amid the beautiful traditional country gardens of this lovely Edwardian Arts & Crafts style house, overlooking the rugged tors of Dartmoor, the festival extols the superb talents of our modern makers, working with traditional hand methods as would have craftspeople in years before.

Combe Trenchard’s charity of choice, the Children’s Hospice South West, will be hosting a number of games and events especially for children. Please bring your dogs - the festival, which runs from 10am until 5pm, is very dog friendly!

Spend a day meandering through the gardens, get expert advice from local plantsmen, chat to the many makers and enjoy delicious home made food, teas and coffees while

Admission £6, under 14 free. For more information call 01566 783179 or email: lorna@coombetrenchard.co.uk or go to www. coombetrenchard.co.uk

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45

WHAT’S ON EXTRA

Visit an NGS garden this summer The wonderful National Garden Scheme has for many years been providing opportunities for garden visits throughout the country, while raising large donations for very worthy charities.

places – including the gardens themselves.

Its origins go back to 1859 when Liverpool merchant, William Rathbone, employed a nurse to care for his wife. After she died he retained the nurse to help those who could not afford nursing support and raised funds for recruitment and training of more nurses. So, began the idea of district nursing – one which was taken up across the country and supported by Queen Victoria.

New this year are Blackaton near Throwleigh TQ13 8HW, opening May 26th and 27th; a lovely rural garden in a high wooded valley with mature rhododendrons, mixed shrubs and perennials. Corscombe Gardens near Okehampton EX20 1SD are opening on August 4th and 5th; two beautiful but very different summer gardens. Home-made teas – always an attraction – are available at all these openings.

By 1926 a fund was set up to train and give pension support for the nurses and, a year later, a council member, Miss Elsie Wagg, put forward the idea of using the national obsession with gardening to raise money for the nurses. Thus, the NGS was founded. In 1927, the original 609 gardens raised £8,000 for the Queen’s Nursing Institute and, over time, the list of nursing charities and open gardens has grown with the result that, in 2017, over £3 million was raised making a total of £50 million in 90 years!

Grab yourself a (free) Devon ‘yellow book’ from the library, Okement Centre, local garden centres, pubs and many other

a go Have ety of ri a v a ter at nd wa land a ctivities. a based om £4 Fr erson per p

Local gardens that have been opening for some years are; Bowdens, Sticklepath, EX20 2NL; Higher Cullaford, Spreyton, EX17 5AX; Holes Meadow, South Zeal, EX20 2JS; two Moretonhampstead Gardens, TQ13 8PW and Andrew’s Corner, Belstone, EX20 1RD which has now been opening since 1972.

For more information on these gardens and more, visit www.ngs.org.uk Robin & Edwina Hill

Roadford Lake

Open Day

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Sunday 27 May 10am - 4pm

• sailing trips • water zorbs • stand up paddleboarding • archery • high ropes • windsurfing • kayaking • canoeing • tours of the dam • hendra farm animal encounters • collytown therapy ponies • gables farm • screech owl sanctuary • fishing taster sessions • nature activites • café & bar open all day

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family fun with ‘Entertainingly Different’, face painting, giant games, bouncy castle, soft play, arts and crafts, music mash - all day drum and music session and more!

Small charges apply for some activities • Some age and height rrestrictions apply

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46

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y: Entr car r e £5 p

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WHAT’S ON EXTRA

June 16

Sampford Courtenay Grand Fête Back by popular demand, Sampford Courtenay’s Grand Fete, held in the beautiful ten acre grounds of Culverhayes on Rectory Hill, promises a whole afternoon of fun for adults and children alike. Why not try out a variety of traditional fair games set up on Culverhayes’ magnificent lawns? Children’s entertainment will include races, face painting and a fancy dress competition. There will be wellie throwing, skittles, a golf competition and Splat the Rat. Local craft and food stalls will be there to tempt visitors and a barbecue, bar, teas and other refreshments will be on offer.

North Tawton Primary School and St Peter’s Troupers will be entertaining the crowds with their singing. Bondleigh Barn Band will perform music you know, music you don’t know and music you can join in with. The Sampford Stompers will play jazz and swing – and, well, stomp!

This event, which begins at noon, is sponsored by Sampford Courtenay Parish Council. All proceeds go to Sampford Courtenay Village Hall and St Andrew’s Church. Admission is free and there is plenty of free parking.

There will be a raffle with many fabulous prizes including the first prize of £100.

June 24

Moreton Music Day The fantastic community event that is Moreton Music Day has now been running for more than 20 years and this year takes place on Sunday, June 24th.

It is a chance for local musicians who might otherwise not have many chances to perform to take to the stage, as well as better known bands to share their talents.

In St Andrew’s Church there will be choirs and other acoustic sets, and there will also be three electric stages for bands.

There are two more in The Horse public house, in the front bar and the barn, and this year for the first time another pub will be joining the fun as a stage will be set up at The Bell.

There will be more than 40 groups/bands performing including The Kit Hillbillies, Hot House Four, Glorious Chorus, Dartmoor Harmony, Five Finger Discount, The Dockneys, The Invisible String Orchestra of Tibet, Trip Advisor, Hazaar!, The Johnsons Blues Explosion, The Devon Afrobeat Collective, The Dirtbeats, Quorum Official, The Phoenix Ceilidh Band and the Moreton Sinfonietta.

See our new community website www.dartmoorlinks.co.uk

A spokesperson for the Moreton Music Day team said: ‘We are aiming for an eclectic mix of genres to satisfy a wide audience.

Music Day is a community event that happens to raise money for charity - because it is a community event we do equal billing for all, and the whole event is completely voluntary. We want to support charities that focus on helping the homeless this year, starting with St Petrock’s in Exeter.’

Two short roads in the centre of town will be closed for the day to create a pedestrian area - the music will start at around noon and will continue until 11.30pm.

As parking is restricted in the town, to help visitors a minibus shuttle will be running between Moretonhampstead and Chagford, to enable people from this direction to come without cars.

47

MUSIC & ART

Sing and play with The Okelele Band There’s nothing like playing live music to welcome in the spring and early summer months, so why not come along and join The Okelele Band?

The band’s theme song is ‘Enjoy Yourself’ and that’s what they do best.

Members play any songs from the 1960s (‘Stand by Me’ – Ben E King) to current hits (‘Perfect’ – Ed Sheeran), and most of the members started with no previous experience.

A spokesperson for the band said: ‘It’s been proven elsewhere that anyone can sing or play given enough commitment, and we take great pleasure in watching our newer members find their untapped talents for the first time. All you need is the will to learn and we’ll take care of the rest.

‘The Okelele Band was inspired by a trip to The Killerton Apple and Cider Festival a couple of years ago, where the Budleigh Strummers Ukulele Club was performing. We decided there and then that Okehampton needed a ukulele club - and the rest is history.’

Last year the band performed at Okehampton Festival of Food and Music, the Dartmoor Folk Festival and the Okey Locals Christmas Charity Show. The

48

performances went down a storm each time, and even surprised the members themselves at what’s possible in a limited time and with inexperienced players.

The band has been performing as ‘selfaccompanying singers’ with around 25 singers each time, sometimes ‘borrowing’ singers from elsewhere around the region to be able to put a set together.

The spokesperson added: ‘This year we’ve moved to Okehampton from South Tawton, and soon we’ll have enough ‘home grown’ members to be selfsufficient. We have singer only, player only and singer/players members, so there’s no excuse. Go on, give us a try!’

You can find out more at strummer@ okeleles.co.uk or https://www.facebook. com/okeleleband/ or just turn up a The Ockment Centre at 7pm on a Wednesday night, at an all-in price of just £2. You’ll be made very welcome!

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MUSIC & ART

June 21

‘Dartmoor Vision’ project Moretonhampstead-based Green Hill Arts say they are thrilled that Arts Council England has approved its bid for £33,826 to fund its ‘Dartmoor Vision’ project. Dartmoor Vision extends the work of Green Hill Arts beyond the gallery and into the local community.

This two year project will pilot a residency programme that invites artists to be inspired by Dartmoor’s unique locality.

Andrea Foxwell, chair of Green Hill Arts, said: ‘We are thrilled at the prospect of partnerships being activated to support meaningful engagement, animate public space and form a hub for the surrounding rural arts ecology.

‘The National Lottery Awards for All scheme is funding an ‘off-shoot’ of the main project called ‘Growing Dartmoor’ to the tune of £10,000 – this is based on growing and sharing vegetables and flowers, fit for two feasts which will be happening in Moretonhampstead this summer.’

Growing Dartmoor will involve community digging, sowing of seeds, weeding and tending, harvesting and sharing of recipes, working towards the first community feast street party being held on June 21st in Moretonhampstead.

Greenhill’s Georgie Lingard said: ‘We will be inspired by speakers who know about our local plant life, wild creatures and ecosystems and can unveil some of the mysteries that mother nature hides from us. There will be lots of arty stuff to join in with, one being making bugs on sticks to celebrate our insect population, making a wild and wonderful carnival entry a chance to make that flying beastie, and be part of a swarm!

‘Another strand of the project is to work on making a meaningful ceremony to mark the centenary of the end of the

See our new community website www.dartmoorlinks.co.uk

First World War on 11.11.18. This will involve clay, building a kiln and an all night outside firing. We are also working with the parish council, thinking about regenerative spaces, how we might be able to manage the graveyard in a more wildlife friendly way, whilst keeping it tidy and tended.

‘We are thinking together about planting bulbs which can naturalise - snowdrops and wood anemones, wild daffodils and bluebells, perhaps poppies, and lavender.’

In essence, the main aim of both projects is to inspire a wide range of people, bring people together and break down barriers to accessing contemporary art, workshops and performances.

49

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NATIONAL TRUST

Flora and fauna abound at Lydford Gorge Being on the edge of Dartmoor the bluebells at the gorge can be later than in other parts of the county. They start appearing towards the end of April and build to a full carpet by early May. Before long they will have disappeared until next year; so catch them while you can. Keep up to date with their progress through our Facebook page.

As the spring flowers fade, the leaves, ferns and mosses are growing, bringing nearly every shade of green imaginable to the gorge. The plants and animals in the gorge have had to cope with ‘the beast from the east’ and so like us they will be making the most of any good weather now to grow and flourish.

SPRING FLOWER WALK

May 12, 11.30am until 1pm: A guided walk to identify spring wild flowers that abound in the gorge. The walk will visit the Whitelady waterfall and finish in the Waterfall tea-room. Booking essential, normal admission applies.

HOMES FOR BUGS,

May 29, noon until 3pm: The rangers are asking for help to construct a giant bug hotel to look after all the different insects at the gorge. Then make a mini version to take away and encourage friendly bugs to move into your own garden. £2 per person, booking advisable, normal admission applies.

BUSHCRAFT WOODWORKING May 31, 1.30pm until 3pm:

Learn how to safely use bushcraft knives and tools to make your own wooden mallet or cricket bat. £5 per child, booking essential, normal admission applies.

WILD WOODLAND SCULPTURES June 2, 1pm until 4pm:

Make a piece of wild art to take home using hand tools, natural materials and your imagination. £5 per sculpture, booking advisable, normal admission applies.

For further events and details please visit our website nationaltrust.org.uk/Lydford-gorge

The gorge is full Add some colour to of yourspring weekend colour this autumn at Gibside Early May is the best time to see carpets of bluebells Go crunching through fallen leaves and discover a forest teeming with wildlife and autumn colours, with walking routes for all ages and abilities.

nationaltrust.org.uk/gibside Call 01822 820320 for details nationaltrust.org.uk/lydford-gorge When you visit, donate, volunteer or join the National Trust, your

helps usTrust to look 2017. after special <in the region> <like ©support National Theplaces National property property Y and Proeprty Z> in for ever, for everyone.

Trust isX,an independent registered charity, number 205846. © National Trust 2016. The National Trust is an independent registered charity, number 205846. Photography © National Trust #nationaltrust Photography © National Trust Images. #nationaltrust Images\Carole Drake.

See our new community website www.dartmoorlinks.co.uk

51

NATIONAL TRUST

Summer colour and a special exhibition at Castle Drogo With the arrival of the great British summer there’s lots going on at Castle Drogo. The gardens are still looking glorious as the last of the spring colour fades and the roses come into bloom. You can find out more about the garden and what it’s like growing roses so high on Dartmoor in our special tour on June 6 between 5pm and 6.30pm (£5, booking essential 01647 433306).

Inside the castle from May 11 there will be a special exhibition of drawings and prints by internationally renowned artist and sculpture Peter Randall-Page. These will join his three giant sculptures which are on display outside the castle.

Out on the banks of the river the newly restored Drogo hydro turbine is busy making electricity. You can find out more about it during the drop in day on June 17 between 11am and 4pm or by joining a guided walk on May 29, 10am to 1pm (£5, booking essential on 01647433306).

HARD HAT TOURS:

May 8 & June 12, 10.30am to noon.

Join the Castle Drogo project manager for a behind the scenes

tour of the building project to save Castle Drogo. £7.50, booking essential on 01647 433306 (restrictions apply).

HALF TERM FUN:

May 26 - June 3, 11am to 4pm: Hunt around the grounds to find the boxes to identify seeds and their flowers (£1 per trail). On May 29, join the crafty castle capers (prices vary).

ART DAY - ATMOSPHERIC SKIES: June 21, 10.30am until 3.30pm:

Celia Olsson helps with colour mixing and how to create a sky scene watercolour painting. £35, booking essential on 01647 433306 (includes coffee and light lunch).

GARDEN WALK PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP: June 26, 11am until 3pm:

Photographer John Howells helps you understand your camera while learning new composition ideas. £37, booking essential on 01647 433306 (includes coffee and light lunch).

Wander through Add some colour to the spring blooms your weekend this at Castle Drogo autumn at Gibside

The garden, castle, shop, Go crunching through fallen leaves are and discover a forest cafe and estate open teeming with wildlife and autumn colours, with walking routes for all ages and abilities. everyday. nationaltrust.org.uk/gibside Call 01647 433306 for details nationaltrust.org.uk/castledrogo When you visit, donate, volunteer or join the National Trust, your

helps usTrust to look2017. after special <in the region> <like ©support National Theplaces National property property Y and Proeprty Z> in for ever, for everyone.

Trust isX,an independent registered charity, number 205846. © National Trust 2016. The National Trust is an independent registered charity, number 205846. Photography © National Trust #nationaltrust Photography © National Trust Images. #nationaltrust Images.

52

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NATIONAL TRUST

A glimpse into the past On a bright sunny summer’s day the garden at Finch Foundry nestled in the middle of Sticklepath village, five minutes from Okehampton, is a restful place to spend a couple of hours.

There are traditional beds and borders with brightly coloured cottage garden plants to admire.

The talks and demonstrations of the large working machinery in the forge provide an insight into the edge tools that were made at the foundry, the family business and the workers who worked there. Examples of the tools made at Finch can be found in the carpenter’s workshop where the grinding shop is also housed. Tools were made for farming, the china clay industry and many local rural industries from the 1800s. Finch provides a glimpse of how edge tools were made prior to the mechanisation of many of the processes.

On a summer’s day enjoy a cream tea, slice of cake with a hot or cold drink from the tea-rooms, sit and listen to the birds singing and the sound of the water as it flows through the leat and turns the water wheels of the foundry. The National Trust shop is a great place for plants and herbs for the garden and gifts, jams and books.

For further information about the Foundry, opening times and other events please visit the website or phone 01837 840046.

Explore the Add some colour to carpenters workshop your weekend thisthe where many of autumn at Gibside tools produced at Finch Foundry are on display Go crunching through fallen leaves and discover a forest teeming with wildlife and autumn colours, with walking routes for all ages and abilities.

nationaltrust.org.uk/gibside Call 01837 840046 for details nationaltrust.org.uk/finch-foundry When you visit, donate, volunteer or join the National Trust, your

helps usTrust to look 2018. after special places <in the region> <like ©support National The National property property Y and Proeprty Z> in for ever, for everyone.

Trust isX,an independent registered charity, number 205846. © National Trust 2016. The National Trust is an independent registered charity, number 205846. Photography © National Trust #nationaltrust Photography © National Trust Images. #nationaltrust Images.

See our new community website www.dartmoorlinks.co.uk

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FEATURE

Young Farmers’ Clubs Fantastic fun for all, offering opportunities galore it’s not just about dung sales and tractor pulls …

The name Young Farmers’ Club is actually a bit of a misnomer.

This national youth organisation dedicated to fun, learning and achievement isn’t only for farmers - it’s open to any young people between the ages of 10 and 26.

the meetings start with an activity that everyone can enjoy - the committee members will save the business part of the meeting until later, when the younger members tend to go home.

There are 619 young farmers’ clubs in England and Wales providing a unique opportunity for young people in rural areas to develop skills, do voluntary work within their local community, travel abroad and take part in a huge variety of competitions in addition to enjoying a great social life!

So why did Lofty join the YFC? ‘It offers lots of opportunities - you can get qualifications, you can travel, you get to meet new people and it can look good for your CV particularly if you become an officer on the committee and take on more responsibilities,’ said Lofty, who is studying engineering at Exeter College. ‘I started working on a farm when I was about 12 and I really liked the farming lifestyle. I joined Young Farmers when I turned 14 and it was a good way to socialise with people and I made a lot of new friends.’

The first young farmers’ club was actually formed in Devon in 1921 at Hemyock, where the United Dairies milk factory set the children of the area’s milk producers the task of calf rearing, with competitions and prizes to compete for. Fast forward nearly 100 years and there are several clubs running in the Okehampton and surrounding area that form the Haldon group - including Bow, Chagford, Cheriton & Tedburn, Kenn Valley, Newton St Cyres and Okehampton.

I met up with two members of Chagford YFC, William Loftus (or ‘Lofty’ as he is known) and William Ellis, to find out more about the organisation.

Lofty explained that the Chagford club has about 20 members and they meet every fortnight on a Tuesday night at The White Hart in Moretonhampstead or the Three Crowns in Chagford.

The membership ranges from children aged just ten to young men and women in their twenties. To cater for this age range

54

Lofty, who is Chagford YFC treasurer, said there was ‘a list as long as your arm’ of the training opportunities available to YFC members - anything from masonry and stock judging to shearing and even sign language. ‘I like the educational side of the club - I got my chainsaw ticket through the YFC and I like the way it introduces you into the working world. I also think it develops your social skills and it gives you a real sense of belonging,’ he said.

The YFC is very much run by the members for its members.

Its committee officers obviously put a great deal of time and effort into ensuring the club is offering fun and educational activities for all ages.

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FEATURE

Competition is an important part of the YFC ethos. Whether it’s sports like rugby, cricket, bowling or tug of war, public speaking, drama or traditional rural crafts like shearing - clubs will compete against each other at local, regional, national and even international level. There is much friendly rivalry between local clubs which can often be seen at events like Devon County Show or the Chagford or Okehampton shows, when the YFC tents are the centre of hotly contested classes ranging from something as simple as the longest thistle to the best promotional display.

Not only is the competitions programme a great way to motivate members to try something new and broaden their experience, it’s a great way for the clubs to meet their objectives of promoting education and learning. Many clubs undertake a Countryside Action Project. These are usually based on local ideas aimed at improving the local environment or helping the community, all being eligible for local and National awards.

Young farmers members also do a lot of work for charity.

Chagford YFC recently presented Farms for City Children (which has a base at Iddesleigh) with a cheque for £250.

Whether it’s a sponsored bed or tractor pull, a dinner dance or a quiz, many of the young members enthusiastically do their bit for different deserving causes each year.

And it’s not only charities which benefit from the hard work of the Young Farmers’ Club. During the extreme cold weather which badly affected rural areas during March, club members

See our new community website www.dartmoorlinks.co.uk

FEATURE

were out and about doing their bit for their community by helping to salt the roads and pavements and clean signs which had become barely legible over the winter.

William was keen to get the message out about the YFC: ‘Anybody can join - you don’t have to be a farmer, in fact most of our members don’t live on a farm. I joined firstly because I knew it was a fantastic social life! Throughout the year there is always something going on in Devon, whether it’s a party or just an evening of bingo or a quiz.’ William is vice chairman of Chagford YFC and is proud of the fact the club managed to double its membership last year and he would dearly like to recruit even more new members again this year: ‘We want to share the experience of YFC with more people - and if we get more members, it’s easier to enter team games. Last summer we competed in the fencing competition for the first time in 19 years’.

As part of Chagford YFC’s drive to recruit more members, the club will be holding a special new members meeting on September 29th at Moreton Community Centre. There will be refreshments, games and activities and the event is likely to be rounded off with a barbecue.

If you would like to find out more about Chagford YFC contact William Ellis on 07807 810280 or William Loftus on 07552 751075 or go to www.nfyfc.org.uk Jane Honey

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WALKS DOG WALK WALK WITH WITHWINNIE WINNIE

Walks with Winnie This walk has been kindly written (and walked) for us by Denise Horner of Dartmoor Nordic Walking with her dog Winnie.

Time: Approximately 1.5 hours.

Distance: 6K (3.7 miles) Approximately: 10,000 steps.

An undulating walk with hills, moors and an amazing bluebell wood!

This is a circular walk starting at Belstone Waterworks, taking in Halstock (the bluebell) woods, Lower Halstock Farm and Cullever Steps - a great place for a wild swim.

Park at the waterworks and take the gate out onto the moors.

Up and to your left is Watchet Hill with the flag pole and Belstone Common beyond. It is safe to do this walk even if the red flag is flying.

Follow the gravel track along side the wall. When you arrive at the corner, take the grass track to your right to the opposite corner at the end of the wall and head straight down the hill.

As you come over the brow of the hill, in front of you, you will see the East Okement River below and a track crossing your path right to left. Walk over this track, heading down towards

the river where you will pick up a narrow gravel track heading down to your right. Keep on this track with the river on your left. The track slowly angles closer to the river. You will arrive at the bridge and a flat area which is very popular for camping.

Cross the small bridge by the ford and into the bluebells of Halstock Wood, an amazing sight, so try and take this walk at the right time of year - it is well worth a visit!

After crossing the bridge, turn right and follow the track which gradually starts to go uphill. It can be a bit rough in places.

Coming to a post with markers on, take the track uphill to your left, continuing through the woods and eventually through a gate and into the open. Follow the worn path along the open moor towards the right hand end of the wall. The path continues to follow the wall, which will now be on your left hand side, taking you through a gate, a small field and into the yard of Halstock Farm. You will see a footpath sign on your right, pointing to your next destination on the left (not past the farmhouse which is straight on), take this track up the hill,

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f 56

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WALK WITH DOG WINNIE WALK

Map for guide only.

through a few gates and onto the open moors at East Bowden.

Turn left and stay on this track, heading for a small stone wall with trees (don’t take the path that forks left from this track).

Walking along you will now see the open moor and Belstone Tor to your left, with Winter and Higher Tor in front of you. The track will now take you downhill towards the East Okement River once again, the ford and Cullever steps, a natural pool, great for a wild swim!

Cross the river now, staying on the track and heading left.

Continue on this track all the way back to the water works at Belstone, passing Scarey Tor on your left.

We hope you enjoy this walk, but if you prefer to walk with company, please do join us on Wednesday, May 16th. Meet at the waterworks for 10am and keep an eye on the ‘Walk with Winnie’ Facebook page. To book your place go to www. dartmoornordicwalking.co.uk and click on the ‘Book a session’ page. Dogs are welcome!

For more details please phone Denise on 07944 630677 or email denise@dartmoornordicwalking.co.uk www.dartmoornordicwalkng.co.uk www.pentranger.co.uk ‘Dartmoor Nordic Walking’ and ‘Walks with Winnie’ are on Facebook.

Jazz Lunches Sunday 8th July Sunday 26th August Join us at the restaurant and enjoy lunch whilst listening to live music. £35.00 per person for three courses

A Family Run Hideaway in Devon See our new community website www.dartmoorlinks.co.uk

LEWDOWN, OKEHAMPTON, DEVON EX20 4PN TELEPHONE: +44 (0) 1566 783 222

EMAIL: INFO@LEWTRENCHARD.CO.UK WEB: WWW.LEWTRENCHARD.CO.UK

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FOOD & DRINK

More cheese please!

According to some, we’ve been pairing wine and cheeses for many hundreds of years. The wine industry likes to use an age-old phrase that goes ‘buy on apples, sell on cheese’. Jason Mules, wine expert at Waitrose, explains more...

The wine merchants of Bordeaux discovered that if a wine still tasted good after eating a slice of apple - perfect for getting in one of your five a day - it was worth buying. Likewise, serving a nibble of cheese makes wine taste richer, rounder and smoother. So it’s not surprising cheese is often served at tastings as it helps to make sometimes an everyday wine, extraordinary!

I’ve paired up some delicious wines to serve with the nation’s top five popular cheeses.

Cheddar It won’t come as a shock to learn that Cheddar is the UK’s favourite cheese. It accounts for 51% of the country’s £1.9 billion annual cheese market. We love our Cheddar, and with so many strengths available, there is something for everyone. If you like your Cheddar strong the Black Bomber £18.50 (per kg) is the one for you! Made by the Snowdonia Cheese Company, it’s creamy, melt in the mouth and mercifully strong! It pairs extremely well with Waitrose Blueprint Californian Chardonnay, £6.49, or for a red alternative the Errazuriz Cabernet Sauvignon, £9.99, will complement this Welsh wonder!

Mozzarella Our second most popular cheese, Mozzarella is traditionally made from Buffalo milk in the southern parts of Italy. Buffalo Mozzarella tends to be a lot richer and creamier than the cow’s milk alternative. It’s a versatile all-rounder and can be used in a variety of dishes. Laverstoke Park Farm Buffalo Mozzarella, £2.80 for 125g, is superb served alongside vine ripe tomatoes in a Caprese salad, finished with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and a generous wedge of warm focaccia bread. A fresh, young and vibrantly acidic wine like Pecorino Terre di Chieti IGP, £7.99, is an incredible match for this classic salad.

Red Leicester Made in a similar way to Cheddar, Red Leicester is a hard, crumbly, dense cheese. In the 17th century farmers recognised the need for their product to look apart from other cheeses, so started adding carrot or beetroot juice to give that distinctive colour. Nowadays it’s typically coloured with annatto extract during manufacture. The robust nature of this cheese requires a full-bodied white 58

to accompany it. Waitrose Cederberg Chenin Blanc, £8.99, from South Africa, boasts flavours of peach and lime, with a long tropical finish. A proportion of profits from the Cederberg wines go into a trust to pay for educational, social and healthcare projects chosen by the farm’s workers in South Africa.

Brie This soft cow’s milk cheese is named after the French region where it was originally created - it has the nickname ‘the Queen of cheeses’. Brie has many uses in modern day cooking - sliced, baked, spread, grilled, it’s a versatile fridge essential.

Served at room temperature this creamy creation has three main types of rinds; bloomy, washed, and natural. Soft-ripened cheeses like Brie fall into the former category, owing their soft, white exterior to Penicillium Candidum, an edible mould.

Softer style cheese work better with light to medium red wines like the Brancott Estate Pinot Noir from New Zealand, £9.89. Pinot Noir is refreshing for a red wine yet retains the robust flavours of red grapes, so pairing it with the creamy subtle flavours of the brie is a delightful combination.

Stilton Stilton is the only British cheese to have a Certification Trade Mark and an EU Protected Name. This semi soft, blue-veined, Marmite of a cheese can only be made in three counties, Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire.

It usually makes an appearance around December time on a cheese board, with its life long partner, port! The salty, nutty character of the Stilton and the sweetness of the port unify beautifully together. Sandeman LBV (late bottled vintage) Port, £16.99, is a very intense well structured port, with rich dark fruits and a hint of spice.

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Jason Mules Waitrose Okehampton advertising@linksmagazines.co.uk

FOOD & DRINK

Sought after favourites at the café Sports charity OCRA continues to welcome local sports clubs to use the Pavilion in the Park as a central point for their activities and large events. As well as access to the pitches, tennis courts and sports halls managed by OCRA, participants are invited to enjoy the café facilities with its range of hot and cold dishes, suitable for both hungry sports people and those simply enjoying a stroll in the park.

The menu includes freshly baked baguettes and jackets with a range of fillings, gluten free products and all diets can be catered for with a little notice.

The menu evolves regularly and under the guidance of new food and functions co-ordinator Jackie Feeney, the specials

are becoming sought after by regular customers. The filled croissants and Welsh rarebit have really taken off and the delicious range of homemade cakes are as tempting as ever.

Pavilion in the Park’s Ale and Hearty Welsh Rarebit Ingredients - for 4 generous slices 50g/2oz flour 50g/2oz butter 250ml/9oz ale, warmed (we use Holsworthy Ales Muck ’n’ Straw) 250g/9oz Taw Valley Vintage cheddar, grated 2tsp wholegrain mustard 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce black pepper

4 hand cut slices Endacotts granary or white loaf.

Method Melt the butter in a pan and make a roux with the flour. Cook for a couple of minutes, stirring to prevent burning.

Stir in the warm ale little by little, until you have a thick sauce with no lumps.

Add the grated cheddar, mustard and Worcestershire sauce. Add the black pepper and stir until melted and mixture resembles a thick paste.

Lightly toast the bread and butter if liked, then heap the beery cheesy mixture on the toast. Cook under a hot grill for a few minutes, until bubbling and slightly brown and serve with a mixed salad.

New classes and activities for 2018 Updated menu with healthy choices Catering for your family celebrations and occasions Private venue hire

01837 318010 pavilion@ocrasport.org.uk ocrasport.org.uk

Okehampton College Mill Road, Okehampton EX20 1GE See our new community website www.dartmoorlinks.co.uk

Join us for Okehampton Run In The Park first Sunday of every month Registration from 9am 59

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HISTORY

Turning back the clock on school days Paul Rendell looks at how attendance levels in schools, over the last century and more, fluctuated dramatically in rural areas and some of the reasons why.

In the late 19th century going to school was a hit and miss affair, with some children attending school while others missed out. In 1870 the Education Act allowed ‘school boards’ to build and manage schools where they were needed - the boards were locally elected bodies which drew their funding from the local rates. Unlike the voluntary schools, religious teaching in the board schools was to be ‘non-denominational’.

The issue of making education compulsory for children had not been settled by the Act. The 1876 Royal Commission on the Factory Acts recommended that education be made compulsory in order to stop child labour. In 1880 a further Education Act finally made school attendance compulsory between the ages of five and ten, though by the early 1890s, attendance within this age group was falling short at 82 percent.

In rural areas, often parents could not afford to allow their children to go to school as they were needed on the farm to work. In some cases it was because of the weather or ill heath that they did not turn up. In a school near Brent Tor, the boys would leave home and walk three miles to school in dry weather - but then arrive at school soaking wet as they ‘fell in the river’. They were sent home again. This happened on a number of occasions with the boys being sent home.

In 1886 a new master arrived at Bridestowe School and he found ‘children with a few exceptions in a most backward condition - there seeming to be no life or little activity among them’. Part of this was due to lack of attendance of the

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Images fron: Paul Randell Private collection

children. Some were going to school only once or twice a week. A few years later things were getting very bad with numbers continually dropping - with a weekly average of 132 when it should have been near the 200 mark. The Attendance Office started to take actions against the parents with fines being issued because notices, advice and persuasions were utterly useless.

One mother who had evaded the penalty had to appear before the magistrates and after appearing twice and paying the fees, she thought that she no longer could be fined again for the offence, so continued to keep her child away from school. On the third occasion in front of the magistrates she was fined five shillings - a lot of money back then. She was told that if she did it again, she would end up in jail - her child was soon in school every day!

1891 was the year of Great Blizzard. Most of the children got to Bridestowe School with around 50 not making it because they lived in farms too far away to walk and the snowdrifts were up 25 feet deep in places. Most of Dartmoor’s roads were blocked for three months, yet the schools were still open and many children just walked to classes.

At Sticklepath School on July 9, 1900, only 42 children out of possibly 82 turned up because they were picking fruits and helping with the harvest. This is why we now have a six week summer holiday for schools, because it allowed the children to work on the farms. Also at the same school on December 5, only 30 turned up due to very heavy rain.

On June 28, 1909, all the children from the hamlets of Sandypark and Parford were told to stay at home for at least a week and not to go anywhere near Chagford School, as there were three cases of scarlet fever within the area.

In Chagford many poor children only attended in the afternoons because they were employed in the blanket factory.

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OPEN L TO AL TO FREEEND ATT

Thursday 24 May 2018 TAVISTOCK & DISTRICT CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

ANNUAL BUSINESS SHOW

Tavistock & District Chamber of Commerce are pleased to announce the return of the TDCC Business Show with an added twist... it’s not just for businesses but everyone

business stands • professional guest speakers educators • music performances • craft demos speed networking • free coffee • free prize draw and much more...

Rodgers

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Coming soon to Red Lion Yard

We are a local family business who pride ourselves on our quality food and excellent customer service.

Come and try our tasty succulent Cod coated in light crispy batter accompanied by golden crunchy chips, prepared by us from fresh locally sourced potatoes.

We look forward to welcoming you!

HISTORY

Using newspapers for family history Local newspapers are a valuable source of information for genealogy, revealing details of the daily lives of your ancestors in various ways: birth, marriage or death announcements provide details of your ancestors’ lives and where they lived; house sales often give good descriptions of houses and their contents; advertisements can offer details about a business. Your ancestor may even show up as a witness, victim or perpetrator of a crime or the recipient of a prize at a local event.

Image fron: Belstone Community Archives.

On September 8, 1914 the log book said there was a teacher short because Mr Bond had been accepted for military service. The children were also expected to do their bit for the war effort as they planted a field of potatoes about a mile from the school.

Meanwhile in North Tawton in the 1920s and early 30s the school was closed due to illness. In 1929 it was due to a diphtheria outbreak. This was a common occurrence in many schools in the countryside every time there was an epidemic of some infectious fever. The schools closed for a few days but often for a week or more. In February 1938

the school in North Tawton closed for three weeks as many of the children had measles.

Schools would also close for local events. Children had a few hours or a half day off for events such as the Kestor Races near Chagford in 1911, or the Jublilee celebrations at Lewdown and Bratton Clovelly in 1877.

It seemed a good idea for every child to go to school but in rural locations this often never happened for a number of reasons.

Paul Rendell

DARTMOOR GUIDED WALKS with

Enjoy a guided walk with local historian Paul Rendell.

Theme walks include wildflowers, history and longer walks.

Descriptions of schools, details of church and social events, local council elections and council business, accidents, local news etc. can all give an insight into the daily life of the community in which your ancestors lived. Local newspapers also offer an insight into the major national events of the day, so you know what your ancestors would have been reading, for example, the First World War, or the influenza epidemic which followed it, and how it affected their local community.

FindMyPast has a collection of British newspapers covering England, Wales and Scotland, dating from the 18th century to the present day, although most of them are for the 19th century. You can use the search box to bring up possible articles, adverts or announcements that include your ancestors’ names. For Devon you can find the Exeter and Plymouth Gazette, the Exeter Flying Post, the North Devon Journal and the North Devon Gazette, as well as newspapers with a smaller local circulation. They also have the Western times and the Western Morning News.

The British Newspaper Archive is available at local libraries and online at home by using your library card. Again, most of the digitised newspapers are for the 19th century, and for Devon they include the Western Morning News, the Western Daily Press and the Western Times.

Susan Francia, Family History Research Services 01822 820855 fhistoryresearch@gmail.com www.family-historyresearch.co.uk

01837 54727 • paul.dartmoor@virgin.net www.paulrendelldartmoor.co.uk See our new community website www.dartmoorlinks.co.uk

63

Join oin the South West We essst’s t’s fastest growing g business community y

If your business is in tech, digital, creative, health & wellbeing, e-learning, environment, media, science or e-commerce, design or engineering then you are eligible to join the Plymouth Science Park.

You can opt for our virtual service from as little as £15 pcm, or a desk in our co-working space from £150 pcm and if you are ready for an office, rent starts at £300 pcm for a 1-2 person unit.

What you get...  On-site parking  365/24/7 access and security  Manned reception  12-80Mbps Superfast Broadband  1 month’s notice rental contracts

Our contracts are extremely flexible and start at one month’s notice with no hidden costs or lengthy leases.     

On-site Bistro A community of 150 businesses 40% discount on meeting rooms On site Data Centre Showers & changing facilities

….and the best business address in the South West.

For more information contact: Christian Jenkins on 01752 762400 or cjenkins@plymouthsciencepark.com 1 Davy Road, Plymouth, Devon, PL6 8BX www.plymouthsciencepark.com

BUSINESS NEWS Thursday 24 May

Business Show returns The Tavistock & District Chamber of Commerce Annual Business Show is now a permanent fixture in the business calendar. Sponsored by Wings Accountancy and Rodgers of Plymouth, the show will bring together a collection of business specialists under one roof for you to meet and talk with.

The show will take place at Tavistock Town Hall on Thursday, May 24th between 9.30am and 4pm. Free admission ‘The show is not just aimed at business people,’ says Tim Randell, chair of the Tavistock & District Chamber of Commerce. ‘Most of the companies represented offer services to private individuals as well as businesses, so if you need a solicitor, or a car, a house, a training course, a job, a holiday, a wedding, a financial specialist, a funeral or even interested in reducing your household costs then make sure you come along and meet the trusted experts in West Devon.’

And as an added bonus you get to look around some of the great old buildings at the heart of Tavistock. As the show has expanded it needs more space so one part will be in the Town Hall, another in Butchers’ Hall (the newly opened space that has been developed by Tavistock Town Council) - this will be turned into a car showroom - and a third section in The Magistrates Court. Here, Tavistock Heritage Trust will offer tours as well as hosting some of the exhibitors who will

be giving presentations on common issues they help clients tackle.

Aside meeting people who can help you, there will be a café, practical displays by some of the exhibitors, a free prize draw for those visiting (with prizes donated by exhibitors) and musical performances on the stage.

Get to meet some of the area’s best-in-class professionals at the Tavistock Business Show.

More information can be found on www.tdcc.business

Home or office, virtual or co-working?

The opportunity to work from home, especially in this area, offers numerous advantages over an office and many people choose to do so out of choice or necessity. But there are downsides and if you have aspirations to grow your businesses – or even sustain it at a level that maintains your lifestyle, then it might need an extra boost.

Perception is everything in business and if you are trying to portray your company as having some depth and resource (to deliver your service) then using your home as your business address immediately signals to the potential client or customer that you are probably a micro SME or a one-man-band. There is also the issue of security, especially if you are selling expensive stock; publishing your address indicates exactly where your stock is likely to be located.

Another feature of working from home is the distraction.

This can take many forms, from children, walking the dog,

See our new community website www.dartmoorlinks.co.uk

doing chores, staring wistfully out of the window at the sea, moor, sky, horizon or generally finding any excuse not to work.

This is one of the most common reasons people give when they join a co-working community. Co-working is a working environment that has gained increasing popularity especially (but not exclusively) amongst the tech entrepreneurs and is almost the standard format for modern office layouts. In simple terms it is bringing together people with a cross range of skills, experiences and talents and allowing them to flourish by locating them in the same space.

Plymouth Science Park has two co-working spaces hosting twenty separate businesses and is in the process of developing more to meet the demand. The low cost and one month rolling contracts make this an attractive and low risk option, especially the 6-week trial for £75 (+VAT). The park even has views of the sea…on a clear day.

65

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The Dartmoor Bed Company MADE IN DEVON

4 Moorside Court | Yelverton Business Park | PL20 7PE | 07720 630597 www.thedartmoorbedcompany.com

R Mears & Sons

Chimney Sweeps & Stove Installation Established over 30 years

Vac Brush. Full CCTV investigations.

Pots, Cowlings & Bird Protection fitted. Chimneys Lined.

Solid Fuel Appliances, Rayburns, Woodburners, Stoves, etc serviced. Fully Insured.

WE SUPPLY STOVES @ TRADE PRICE Tel: 01840 261221 Tavistock: 01822 664554 Mob: 07737 533392

TREV&LYN COURIERS

COURIER SERVICE IN HORRABRIDGE

• SAME DAY SERVICE • LOCAL OR LONG DISTANCE • DOCUMENTS, BOXES & SMALL HOUSEHOLD ITEMS • ONE-OFFS OR CONTRACT WORK • FULLY INSURED • WEEKENDS & NIGHT WORKING AVAILABLE • SORRY NO LIVESTOCK

Call or email for quote: 01822 853698 or 07804 541882

trevyoung70@gmail.com

www.sweepdevon.com

• • • • • • •

Domestic, Industrial, Commercial & Agricultural New Installations & Re-wires For more information on Maintenance & Repairs all services available or free Visual Inspections & Advice estimates please contact us: Fault Finding 01647 441551/ 07966 024292 info@tdenmanelectrical.co.uk Safety Inspection Certificates www.tdenmanelectrical.co.uk Portable Appliance Testing (PAT)

Fully Seasoned Firewood Mixed (hardwood & softwood) Pick-Up + Trailer Loads ( = 3 cu m equivalent)

Prices start at £45/crate

(approx. 1.2m x 1m x 0.5m)

Call us on 07974 217168 or info@whitewoodmanagement.co.uk Quality local timber, planted, cared for, cut, dried & delivered

TAVISTOCK GARAGE DOORS Repairs & Servicing • New Installations Remote Electric Operators for New or Existing Doors Roller Shutters for Windows & Doors Atrium/Winter Garden Installations Remote Electric Gates

Covering North Devon, West Devon & East Cornwall

Call: 01822 612826

www.tavistockgaragedoors.co.uk

SUPPLY AND FITTING OF A RANGE OF GARAGE DOORS, AWNINGS, ATRIUMS AND ELECTRIC GATES

Call into the showroom and be inspired by the exciting new Rayburn colours for 2018

01822 614206 Unit 6 Crelake Industrial Estate,Tavistock

www.thedartmoorstovecompany.co.uk

Growing together "I’ve been advertising with Links Magazines ever since they started seven years ago and I can honestly say that I get enquiries from every magazine that is issued.

I’m delighted you are now moving into the Chagford & Moretonhampstead area where even more of my customers are based.

Keep up the great work!”

Ellis Taylor, Dartmoor Ponds

01837 55700

u r Yo You ve d k?

Ha cke an e lT Ch Oi

Local Reliable Service Call Us Today

• Heating Oil • Tractor Diesel • Oil Tank Cleaning • Lubricants • Coal • Oil Tank Replacement & Installation Moorlands House, North Road, Okehampton EX20 1BQ

Aqua Tech Water Services

www.moorlandfuels.co.uk

Wells • Boreholes Servicing • Breakdowns Control systems pumps • Filtration

Can you afford to ignore your water problems?

Acidity/Corrosion • Limescale Iron/Manganese Nitrate Removal/UV Sterilisation Staining of Sanitaryware/Laundry Sediment Private Water Engineers Free Consultation! www.aquatechwaterservices.co.uk

Tel: 01409 241312 Mob: 07825748720 Email: aquatechwaterservices@gmail.com

JTL James Tennant Ltd Est 1987

LAND ROVER & JAGUAR SPECIALIST Main dealer level Land Rover/Jaguar Diagnostics for all models of Range Rover, Evoque, Discovery, Freelander and Jaguar models 2005 onwards • Autologic Diagnostics for earlier models • Class IV MOT Bay Vamag Haweka 4-Wheel alignment • Air Conditioning Services

Service and repairs of modern Jaguar cars with Jaguar Master Technician - Richard Tennant Landymoor, Cowsen Lane, Sourton EX20 4HY • 01837 861478 • www.jamestennant.co.uk • info@jamestennant.co.uk 69

TRADE SECRETS

Trade Secrets Tilley Haley RECEPTION AND YEAR 1 TEACHER AT MORETONHAMPSTEAD PRIMARY SCHOOL What made you decide on teaching as a career?

I grew up in a large family and worked with young children in schools, in my community at youth groups and holiday clubs, as well as volunteering abroad. I find the fun and inquisitive nature of young children a joy to be around and have always felt drawn to working with them. Following practical work experience during my college course, I chose teaching for its creativity, diversity and challenge.

What skills and qualifications do you need to be a teacher?

Following my GCSEs and college studies I graduated with a BA Honours in Early Years Education with Qualified Teaching Status. However, I have seen that you also need to be enthusiastic, energetic, tenacious and positive to be a teacher.

Teaching requires you to work hard, to be a problem solver, to embrace change and to constantly reflect in order to challenge and inspire each individual child.

What made you choose primary teaching as opposed to secondary school teaching?

My specialism is early years and I enjoy playing a part in giving the children a positive first experience of school in order to set them up on their journey through education. I find it very rewarding working with children and their families as they first start school and watching them develop, thrive and make progress.

Can you describe a typical day at work?

It is impossible to describe a typical day as each day is different. Although teachers plan in detail you have to learn

to expect the unexpected and to adapt to the children’s needs, abilities and interests. As well as covering the curriculum areas it is essential to provide children with rich extra curricular opportunities. So a week could include a visit from a vicar, a bug hunt in the woods or a travelling theatre performance, for example.

What aspect of your work do you enjoy the most?

It is very rewarding to see children learn, make progress and develop and it is a privilege to be a part of that journey. I love working with children and families, building partnerships and positive relationships. Teachers get to be a consistent part of a child’s life and I enjoy the opportunity to be a positive role model nurturing and supporting children. I love the creativity of teaching and have always found school communities to be vibrant and exciting places to be a part of.

What’s the most challenging part of your work?

I think the most challenging part of teaching is managing your time and workload effectively. The role is multi-faceted and teachers are responsible for ensuring the best outcomes and learning for every child. Teachers are therefore highly accountable for the impact of their teaching. My biggest challenge is making sure I do everything I can, in the time given, so that every child gets the chance to be happy and to thrive and succeed.

What would you say to someone thinking of becoming a teacher? If you have a large capacity to love and create and are prepared to go the extra mile then teaching could be for you. Teaching is an all-consuming job and doesn’t stop when the children go home. Everyday has challenges to overcome and I constantly feel that I am growing and being stretched as a professional. Although this can be overwhelming at times, the children fill each day with laughter, discovery and fun Visit and in seven years I haven’t had a boring www.tansyricecaley.com day yet!

Commission A Portrait For Professional Pastel Portraiture

tansy.ricecaley@googlemail.com

07795 042 619 70

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