Tavy Links Dec-Jan 2016

Tavy Links Tavistock • Mary Tavy • Kilworthy • Moortown Whitchurch • Horndon • Lamerton • Grenofen • Brentor Gulworthy • Peter Tavy • Horsebridge • Milton Abbot

Dec / Jan 2016

The Dartmoor Hill Pony Christmas Church Services Wine Choices for the Festive Season

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CONTENTS

A time to reflect and enjoy...

Whilst I write this introduction in early November, I was surprised but perhaps not shocked, to hear my first ‘Christmas’ song on the radio. Each year our festive period seems to start increasingly early with everyone trying to cash in and extend, what is for most, the busiest time in our calendar year.

It is at this time that we should all perhaps try to stop, reflect and offer some of our own time and expertise to those who need it most. Rosemary recently spent some time with the Devon and Cornwall Refugee Support centre in Plymouth to find out more about how the centre operates and how we can all in some way or other do our bit to help.

It is also a time to get out and about and enjoy all the festivities on offer – most of which are included in our What’s On section.

However, it is bursting at the seams and there are a few we’ve been unable to include so do check all the websites of our various local visitor attractions, hotels and restaurants to get the full picture or follow us on Twitter or join our Facebook page.

One such local attraction that has something for every member of the family is Buckland Abbey Garden & Estate. This year they are remembering their Elizabethan Christmas with many costumed activities, a wonderful floral display by members of NAFAS, as well as Father Christmas in all his original glory.

All of us here at Olijam Communications Ltd have had a wonderful year, creating our lovely magazines (Moor Links and Tavy Links), meeting so many interesting people and being able to join in with the success of our extremely area and the myriad of WEvibrant DON’T activities, clubs and organisations that are available. A big thank JUST PUBLISH you to our advertisers for their continued support over the years making the magazines possible.

We are greatly looking forward to MAGAZINES! We year are very wellkeep known our magazines next – so usforposted with all- Tavy thatLinks you and have planned and Moor Links, but we also provide additional marketing support we’ll share it with others. services to many local businesses.

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas!

From a full-blown magazine to a brochure,

leaflet, a new logo or business cards as well as design for your social media sites.

Lizzie, Tim and all the team.

We can provide you with full design, copywriting and print services ensuring you get the right message to your target audience.

Best of all - we can do all of this at affordable prices that won’t break your piggy bank!

editorial@tavylinks.co.uk 01822 853110

CONTENTS

4. Community News

Catching up with some of our local organisations and their plans for next year.

10. Superfast Broadband

Plans from a new provider ‘Airband’ for everyone to benefit from Superfast broadband speeds.

18. Charity Focus

Devon and Cornwall Refugee Support centre – Rosemary visits and finds out more.

22. Health & Beauty

Dr Harriet Doyle from Tavyside Health Centre helps us spot the signs of a Panic Attack and how we can help alleviate the symptoms.

24. Gardening

Sue Fisher shares her tips for getting the best from our winter gardens and planning ahead for the spring.

30. What’s On

Bursting at the seams with activities for the festive period and beyond.

40. Christmas at Buckland Abbey A time of Elizabethan joy!

48. Feature

The Dartmoor Hill Ponies and their vital role on Dartmoor.

56. Walking with Elaine and Finlay Magnificent views from Brent Tor

58. History

Dr Ann Pulsford delves into the fascinating lives of local poet Mary Colling and Anna Bray

design&print WE’Dfor LIKE HELP… in the February/ TheContact deadline anyTO inclusions Lizzie or Tim for more information 01822 853110 www.olijam.co.uk lizzie@olijam.co.uk March issue is Friday 8th January 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.

ALL Advertising enquiries

THE OLIJAM TEAM: Editor: Lizzie Watt Publisher: Tim Randell Deputy Editor: Rosemary Best Publishing Assistant: Liz Whitwell Writers: Rosemary Best, Nichola Williams Design: Terri Reeves, Julian Rees Advertising: Jane Daniel

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 Tavy 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.

All rights reserved copyright © 2015

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Contact Tim or Jane on 07450 161 929 / 01822 615627 to disuss your advertising enquiries.

Email: advertising@tavylinks.co.uk or visit our website: www.tavylinks.co.uk to view our rate card.

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COMMUNITY NEWS

The Ramblers Big Pathwatch The Ramblers has recently launched the Big Pathwatch, the nation’s biggest ever footpath survey, following new research that reveals path problems in England, including the South West, are on the rise.

The Ramblers are asking as many people as possible in the South West to take part in the Big Pathwatch, which will for the first time build both a national and regional picture of the state of the path network. It will also investigate the impact these problems are having on people’s ability to use their local paths and the effect this has on their walking experience.

By getting the complete picture, the Big Pathwatch will help the Ramblers develop long term strategies to keep paths clear for the future, boosting tourism, the economy and the nation’s physical and mental wellbeing.

The Big Pathwatch is the first time we’ll be asking everyone to help us walk every right of way in England and Wales and tell us what they find so we can protect and celebrate our amazing 140,000 mile path network - one of the nation’s biggest assets.

With a 29 percent cut in the workforce looking after our paths in the South West over the last five years, it’s no surprise that

these problems appear to be mounting and that we’ve now reached this crisis point.

The easiest way to take part is to download the free Big Pathwatch app. The app allows people to share their experiences as they walk every right of way within a specific grid square of an OS Map. They’ll be asked to note any problems they encounter, as well as share the positive features, the beautiful views or interesting landscapes they see.

The results of the Big Pathwatch will allow the Ramblers to create a comprehensive report on the state of the path network, which will be used to help inform a range of solutions to ensure its upkeep. Where possible, Ramblers’ path maintenance teams will be heading out to fix problems found through the survey, clearing brambles and other overgrown vegetation, improving path surfaces and fixing bridges and gates.

Those who don’t have a smartphone can still get involved by downloading materials from the Ramblers website. To find out more, or to take part in the Big Pathwatch, visit www.Ramblers. org.uk/bigpathwatch.

A New Day Care Centre You Can Trust...

Camplehaye House Day Care Centre Due to the closure of Harewood House we have welcomed their clients and staff to our day care centre.

At Camplehaye House you will find A beautiful house and gardens Homemade meals, made on the premises Experienced staff Client-led activities Therapies All rooms and gardens accessible Dementia friendly Visiting Health professional

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COMMUNITY NEWS

Tavistock Farmers’ Market is the Best!

Tavistock Farmers’ Market has won the Devon Life Food and Drink Awards – Best Farmers’ Market 2015. The judges from Waitrose said they were blown away by the quality and range of produce, and the knowledge and friendliness of stallholders.

The market is open every other Saturday or visit www.tavistockfarmersmarket.co.uk for more information and special demonstration days.

Tavistock Townscape Heritage Initiative – Competition The Tavistock Townscape Heritage Initiative (a Heritage Lottery funded project) main objective is to restore buildings within Tavistock, however it also aims to widen the understanding of our beautiful towns heritage.

A ‘digital’ competition will be launched in January entitled ‘TELL THE STORY OF TAVISTOCK’ and will run through to April

2016. This competition is a chance for young people to not only win an iPad but to also have their entry translated into a digital format and displayed on Tavistock’s future Digital Wall.

Within the national curriculum, primary school children often cover Tavistock’s early history up to the medieval period, and secondary school children cover medieval times to the present day. With this in mind entrants can use any medium they choose, but work should be able to be presented in 5 minutes.

The competition will be launched in schools and to local children in January. We will give more details in our February/March issue of the magazine. For further information on this and the Tavistock Townscape Heritage Initiative see:

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COMMUNITY NEWS

Tor and Tavy WI Tavy Links magazine covers some of the villages in the catchment area for the Tor and Tavy WI, and we thought it was time to update readers on the activities of our group and hopefully appeal to more village ladies.

Every WI has to have an Annual Meeting and this year after the inevitable business matters we had a social evening with the inclusion of nibbles and drinks. We are also members of the Four Rivers group of local WI’s and each group takes a turn to host an evening for the others. It was our turn this year and we were entertained in the village church by The Tamar Valley Male Voice Choir, with a packed church followed by refreshments.

One of our most interesting talks this year was by a former John Lewis Manager, John Parker, who was very entertaining and imparted many unknown facts about the John Lewis partnership. We have had exercise in the form of belly dancing with Ameera who showed us how to move and use our stomachs to good effect!

Reiki is a very controversial topic but our speaker changed many of our opinions the evening she visited and even the most sceptical among us were amazed at the demonstration that she performed on one of our members.

Dartmoor Guide, Paul Rendell, was another visitor and delighted us with the Secret Nature of the Tamar Valley.

The New Year brings our annual quiz night followed by line dancing, a speaker with the topic, Alphabetical Dartmoor as well as visits by Quickes

Cheeses, a garden plant evening, Simon Dell and his ‘three murders and one suicide’ and a Caribbean Cookery evening - all booked for next year. If any of these appeal to you do come and join us.

We also have trips arranged for the coming year, which will include TR2 (the working and planning part of the Plymouth’s Theatre Royal), St Ives and the Barbara Hepworth Gallery, Exeter’s Underground Passages and many more!

We have just celebrated our Centenary Year and would love to welcome new members to start our new chapter with us, we meet on the fourth Thursday of every month at Brentor Village Hall from 7.30pm and we look forward to seeing some new faces.

For more details please phone Lucie on 01822 810840 or Judi on 01822 614198.

Save Our Community Orchards Can you spare just a few hours to breathe life back into Tamar Valley’s Community Orchards?

Many of the orchards throughout the Tamar Valley are suffering from a lack of maintenance and care, but with a few extra pairs of hands, they could once again become thriving centres of the community. Some of the jobs throughout the seasons may include harvesting, pressing, pruning, grafting or strimming; whatever help you can offer would be greatly appreciated.

get in touch if you would like to offer your time next spring. Help is needed at a number of community orchards, including Stoke Climsland, Luckett, Harrowbarrow, Buckland Monachorum and Denham Farm.

If you would like to help, please contact the Tamar Valley AONB team – 01822 835030, volunteering@tamarvalley. org.uk

With the Helping Hands for Heritage project drawing to a close in March, we are looking for groups of volunteers to continue important surveying work, recording the variety of biodiversity that makes orchards their home. Please 6

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COMMUNITY NEWS

Delicious Drakes Trail

Lions and tigers, colourful clowns, strong men, ring masters and a stripy Big Top lined up side by side at the National Trust’s Buckland Abbey to tackle the Delicious Drake’s Trail back in October.

The fancy dress fun-run stopped at a dozen pubs hotels and cafés along the route giving participants the opportunity to sample a stomach stretching variety of locally produced food and drink. Participants crossed the finish line at the Moorland Garden Hotel where a food festival with stalls, demonstrations and side-show games kept hundreds of spectators busy all afternoon.

Helen Grimsmo, from Yelverton said: “Great food, great course.

I have lived in this area for years and saw parts today I have never known about.”

The event raised over £3000 for CHICKS, a charity based in Devon and Cornwall which provides free week long respite breaks for disadvantaged children from across the UK. Event founder, Kate Treleaven, said: “Thank you to everyone who entered in to the Delicious Drake’s Trail with such wonderful spirit and to the event volunteers and local businesses who supported the event, without whom it simply couldn’t happen.”

The Delicious Drake’s Trail sister event in South Devon, the Delicious Dart Trail, will take place on Saturday 5th March next year. Email hello@deliciousdarttrail.co.uk for details.

Photos courtesy Guy Harrop

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Cyclists and Walkers welcomed as we are alongside the Drakes Trail/Route 27 Family friendly Dogs welcomed Free Wifi OPEN 8am - 5pm, 7 days

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COMMUNITY NEWS Photos courtesy of Peter Swain

moor to its confluence with the Tavy at Double Waters, the Walkham passes through an astonishing variety of landscape.

From bleak blanket bog, through wild open moorland, past impressive rocky tors and dense ancient woodland, the walks reveal the landscape and history of this wonderful valley.

The remains of Neolithic burial chambers, stone rows and circles, Bronze Age settlements, peat extraction, quarrying and mining are all contained within the 52 square kilometres of the Walkham Valley, and this book shows where to find them.

A Walker's Guide to a Beautiful Dartmoor Valley Dartmoor Search and Rescue Team (Tavistock) are proud to announce the 2016 publication of: Walkham – A Walker’s Guide to a Beautiful Dartmoor Valley by Peter Swaine The A4 size book contains over 200 photographs and detailed route descriptions of walks exploring every part of the Walkham and its catchment area. From the source high up on the north

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Peter has lived in or near the Walkham valley for most of his life and is one of the most respected members of the Search and Rescue team. He has been a member of the team for over 20 years, he is the deputy team leader and he has also previously served as the chairman. All profits will be donated to the rescue team.

Members of the public are invited to reserve their copies of the first edition of “Walkham” (limited to 500). To reserve a copy, visit www.dsrt-tavistock.org.uk and complete the form or email book@dsrt-tavistock.org.uk . The cost of the book will be £20 + p&p, but no payment is required at this time.

editorial@tavylinks.co.uk

COMMUNITY NEWS

Rotary Club Round-Up

Looking forward, the two clubs will be extremely busy all through Christmas:

It’s been an amazingly busy year for Tavistock and Yelverton Rotary Clubs.

Tony and Gillian Parker, Presidents of Tavistock and Yelverton respectively, have been able to persuade Santa to spend a great deal of time in our area! He will be visiting homes in Tavistock and the surrounding villages all through December and will be at Bedford Square on December 4, 11 and 18.

Following the success of Tavistock Club’s Charity Golf Day (we raised over £3000 for TASS and Young Devon Carers), we had great fun at Goosie Fair. Our traditional ‘Guess the weight of the Goose’ competition and our book and bric-a-brac stalls raised over £850 for charity.

Perhaps our most significant achievement was in September, when the Tavistock Club hosted a major conference on Dementia at The Wharf. Over 100 delegates shared their experiences and discussed ways in which we can support people living with dementia and their carers. This was hailed as a major success and a credit to Rotary and the Tavistock Dementia Action Alliance.

The Tavistock Heritage Festival was an even greater success in October, than the inaugural festival in 2014. Featuring guided walks, musical entertainment, arts events, talks and lectures and historic re-enactments, Tavistock Heritage Festival is now set to be a fixture in Tavistock’s calendar for many years to come.

In a special flying visit to the Whitchurch Inn, Santa will also switch on the Christmas lights and will be leading a Christmas Carol sing-song on Friday December 5th.

Rotary will also be out in force with their annual collections at Yelverton and Roborough on December 19th and in Tavistock Tesco on December 12th.

Tavistock Club’s main Christmas event, however, will be to help CHICKS children’s Charity in organising and sponsoring this year’s Santa Sprint in Tavistock on December 5th. Hundreds of people, young and old – but all dressed as Santa Claus in their free Santa outfits - will run, jog, walk, hop, skip or dance around a 1.5 mile course around Tavistock, marshalled by volunteers from 42 Commando.

Starting at Bedford Square, it’s not a race but a fun run - so everyone’s a winner! Full details and entry forms are available at www.chicks.org.uk/santasprint2015.

Lamerton Tractor Day and Country Fair 2015 The Tamar Valley Vintage Club held a cheque presentation at the Copper Penny Inn from the proceeds of their very successful day in September. A lovely sunny day brought in a great crowd of visitors who came to enjoy all the rural activities we provided – Shire horses ploughing, corn from cutting to threshing to flour, lots of tractors and cars from vintage to modern, great food and the ever popular dog show.

relax. On behalf of the committee I would like to thank all of our volunteers without whom we would not be able to help these charities.

We are already planning next year’s event which will be held on Sunday 18th September. We will be choosing different charities all of which have helped members of our community and hope you will all join us for another great Country Fair.

Thanks to their generosity we were able to present cheques of £800 to each of our four charities namely Myeloma UK, the Brain Tumour Research Campaign, East Devon Cystic Fibrosis Quality of Life Fund and St. Peter’s Church, Lamerton. We were also able to give £350 to the West Devon Explorer Scouts who did a magnificent job with car parking and running the children’s games.

Following the presentation we had a most enjoyable evening of skittles, food and liquid refreshment which gave our team of helpers a chance to www.tavylinks.co.uk

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COMMUNITY NEWS

Superfast Broadband for Devon Earlier this year it was announced that Airband had been selected to deliver the superfast broadband programme for Dartmoor and Exmoor. Airband specialises in innovative, overground wireless technology to provide high speed broadband solutions for remote rural areas and has already delivered a superfast broadband programme in the Welsh hills. So what does this mean for residents and businesses, and most importantly when will we all have access to faster broadband?

‘Connecting Devon and Somerset’ (CDS) is responsible for delivering superfast broadband infrastructure to the areas of Devon and Somerset that are not currently covered by commercial investment. It is a local authority led partnership including Somerset, Devon, North Somerset, Torbay, Plymouth, and Bath and North East Somerset. The CDS programme aims to bring superfast broadband to 90% of premises in its area which means that most residents and businesses in Devon and Somerset will have broadband speeds of over 24Mbps by the end of 2016 and all premises within the programme area will have a broadband speed of at least 2Mbps.

Phase 1 of the wider rollout for Devon and Somerset is

being delivered by BT using a fibre connection, which means properties within the rollout area will be able to access a superfast service via a telephone land line. This will mostly be carried out using FTTC (Fibre to the Cabinet - broadband is delivered from the telephone exchange through fibre optic cables to new green cabinets next to the existing roadside cabinets and then connected to premises with copper cables).

In some areas it may be necessary to use FTTP (Fibre to the Premises - fibre optic cables connect a property directly to the telephone exchange). Within West Devon 33 cabinets are already live and a further 27 are expected to go live by April 2016.

It is estimated that phase 1 of the project will deliver superfast broadband access to 60% of premises within Dartmoor. The ‘Connecting Dartmoor and Exmoor’ superfast broadband project delivered by Airband forms part of phase 2 of the programme and will involve a public sector investment of £4.6m. This stage of the project is expected to result in 96% of homes and businesses in the two National Parks having access to superfast broadband by the end of 2017, although most people

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COMMUNITY NEWS

be used and wherever possible new masts will be located with buildings and other structures. Airband currently uses church towers in Worcestershire to broadcast signals and has already been contacting some Dartmoor parishes to understand if a mast could be sympathetically incorporated into any of the local church buildings.

Airband are exploring the possibility of using local churches to sympathetically incorporate their masts

will probably have the opportunity to benefit from superfast coverage in 2016.

Airband specialises in delivering superfast broadband to remote areas with geographically challenging terrain. Their wireless solution uses state of the art data radio technology with radios capable of up to 100Mbps and works by transmitting a signal from a mast to a small device (smaller than a satellite dish) attached to the end-user’s building. A cable then takes the connection into the building allowing connection to the internet in the same way as via fibre or an ADSL connection. Airband has been surveying Dartmoor to find suitable sites for the masts to ensure as many people as possible receive coverage; the masts will mostly be timber poles less than 10m tall and approximately 30 to 40 masts will be required in and around the Dartmoor National Park area. Existing commercial masts will

Once the superfast broadband infrastructure is in place, it will then be the responsibility of the end-user to have the wireless receiver device installed on their property and at this stage other broadband providers will be able to quote for individual customers’ broadband business. The current BT landline telephone service will not be affected. However consumers will also have the option of using voice over the internet ( VoIP) and saving line rental charges by moving their phone to run over the internet as well as their broadband. Broadband speed and cost will depend on which bundle and which provider you select. Wireless technology can be deployed relatively quickly and with less expense and disruption than fibre optic cables so it is possible that the Dartmoor phase 2 section will complete before the end of phase 1. However as the process is constantly evolving it is difficult to tell yet which properties will fall into the estimated 4% which will not be covered by phase 2 wireless technology; these properties will be considered in the next stage of the programme which it is hoped will be completed by 2020.

If you would like more information about the ‘Connecting Dartmoor and Exmoor’ programme then visit the Dartmoor National Park website at www.dartmoor.gov.uk/aboutus/ connecting-dartmoor. If you would like to know more about Dartmoor National Park’s involvement in Connecting Dartmoor and Exmoor, then contact Jo Rumble, Communities Officer on 01626 831024. You can also register on the Airband website to receive regular updates at www.airband.com

Rosemary Best

Sales are held at Parade Business Park, Tavistock, fortnightly on Mondays.

Viewings held from 12 - 5pm on the Sunday preceding sale.

See our website for the full auction calendar.

Antiques • Collectables • Jewellery • Quality Furniture • Household Appliances • Garden Furniture • Tools & Machinery We offer house clearance and valuation services, and take in goods at our office, every Monday to Thursday 9.30am - 4pm and Saturday 9am - 12 noon.

For more information call us on: 01822 616992

www.drakesauctions.co.uk Unit 6 Parade Business Park, Pixon Lane, Tavistock PL19 9RQ www.tavylinks.co.uk

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LOCAL PEOPLE

Peter Clement Decorator by day, award winning Actor by night!

Peter Clement may be better known to many as the Pirate King, Pooh-bah, Alfred Doolittle or Bill Sykes, to name but a few of the many acting and singing roles he has taken in the last 18 years. When he is not walking the boards, he runs a painting and decorating business, as well as maintaining the beautiful garden he and his wife have created from a waterlogged field.

Peter is one of the principal singers for Tavistock Musical Theatre Company and the Plymouth Gilbert and Sullivan Fellowship (PGSF) and last year picked up an award at the International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival in Harrogate for Best Character Actor for his role as Wilfred Shadbolt in The Yeomen of the Guard. You might think that this was the result of years of training in his youth but Peter didn't really start singing until he was 35 years old.

He grew up in Fulham and when he was eleven a music teacher at school realised he had singing potential and she persuaded him to join the choir, even paying his bus fare

so he could come for free singing lessons. However, when he moved to a new school in Hounslow the resident music teacher, Mr May, was not so encouraging; he screwed up the letter of recommendation from his previous teacher, told Peter that 'there were no favourites here', and gave him no further encouragement or vocal training.

When Peter left school he secured a painting and decorating apprenticeship with the local authority, won Apprentice of the Year and progressed to become area manager at the age of 25. It was at this point that Peter and his wife decided they didn't want to bring their young family up in London and bravely bought a house in the Devon countryside. Peter eventually set up his own decorating business and life settled to a new pace, until one day his two daughters came back from the Mary Tavy pantomime rehearsal announcing there was a vacancy for a Jabberwocky and their dad would fit the bill perfectly.

That was the start of a steady stream of principal parts as

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he went on to join Tavistock's local operatic society (now Tavistock Musical Theatre Company) for a production of Pirates of Penzance and then auditioned for the part of Pooh-bah with Plymouth Gilbert and Sullivan Fellowship's production of The Mikado at the Theatre Royal. Peter sought out a vocal coach and continued the singing lessons he had had to abandon at the age of eleven, first with Ian Conboy when he joined Opera South West and then more recently with Helen Haviland. Plymouth Gilbert and Sullivan Fellowship was started in 1923 and is the oldest Gilbert and Sullivan company in the UK. Peter has played a principal baritone role with the company every year since he joined and will soon be auditioning for next May's production of Iolanthe at the Devonport Playhouse.

Peter sometimes wonders what it would have been like to pursue a career in show business, but he now has the best of both worlds with the opportunity to play great principal roles on stage while also running a successful company which his son Luke has just joined. He was thinking it might be time to start slowing the business down a bit but his son has other ideas!

PGSF will be presenting 'Ring Forth Ye Bells' on 5th December 2015 at

Tavistock Town Hall in aid of CLIC Sargent - for more details contact 01822 617232.

If you are interested in joining a light opera group then you can find out more details at www. tavistockmusicaltheatrecompany.webs.com and www. plymouthgilbertandsullivan.com

JOY It’s time to book your Christmas Party.

Murder Mystery 4th December £39.95 per person Race Night 5th, 12th, 18th December £32.95 per person Casino Night 11th, 19th December £32.95 per person Festive Lunches & Dinners Throughout December Lunch: £21.50 per person Dinner: £29.95 per person

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13

LOCAL PEOPLE

Pat Carey A loveable rogue with a passion for wildlife

Pat Carey is either an infamous countryside champion akin to Robin Hood, a colourful character with a twinkle in his eye and a tale to spin, or a cunning rogue and occasional outlaw. Either way he’s a bona-fide menace to rabbits!

Born and raised in Tavistock, he was asked at an early age what he wanted to be when he grew up and declared with audacity that either a bank robber or a poacher would do.

Asked to leave school at 15 he found he could make a little money through catching and selling game, and soon became known as Pat the Poacher – a name which has stuck and of which he is proud. He lived with Romany gypsies for two years, honing his countryside knowledge of animal behaviour and mimicry before returning to Devon where his reputation preceded him.

The Tavistock Woodlands Estate offered him a months’ probation to catch the rabbits which had decimated new

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Pat has an uncanny skill at animal imitation and uses this to his advantage to get close to wild animals.

saplings planted in the Tamar valley. After just a week Pat and his ferrets had caught enough rabbits to prove his worth and he remained in the post as Warrener and Deerstalker for 34 years, protecting 2500 acres of forestry and 2000 acres of farmland.

Pat has an uncanny skill at animal imitation and uses this to his advantage to get close to wild animals. He has made a DVD illustrating his skills, with beautiful, intimate footage of deer, hares and foxes in the wild. He is selling his DVD with proceeds going to the Macmillan Trust.

He has given many lively talks and demonstrations of his bush craft knowledge and poachers past to rapt groups all interested to hear more about his adventures. One such tale involves a dark night “lamping” rabbits when his torch caught the shiny buttons of a policeman. Running away he climbed a tree only to be undone by his faithful dog sitting at the bottom.

Enthusiasm for his stories has led Pat to begin writing an autobiography. Tentatively entitled “We were the Tavy boys” it will tell of a lost way of life, living off the land and of the scrapes and skirmishes in his youth which Pat describes as “wild and free”.

LO D CA VD L

Lately Pat has put his skills to good use hosting “poachers suppers”, fundraising for the Macmillan Trust twice a year.

His wife Sue was diagnosed with throat cancer five years ago, and after the wonderful support that they received from the Macmillan Trust, Pat felt he wanted to give something back. Each February he takes over the Fox and Hounds pub near Sourton. It is an invitation only affair and those lucky enough to attend are treated to delights such as Pat’s venison chilli, cooked with beer and his rolled pork belly, stuffed with

squirrel, rabbit and pheasant. In September he organises a grand game BBQ near Lamerton where he serves whole hot smoked salmon and venison sausages. This year over 100 attended his BBQ and he and his wife Sue raised over £300.

He is very grateful to Paul and Jenny Howell who generously provide the meat at cost price.

Undoubtedly as a disreputable scoundrel in his youth, I imagine he caused his parents, teachers and the constabulary many a sleepless night, but now aged 68 he seems to have mellowed and his mischievous tales of a bygone age entertained me handsomely one nostalgic afternoon. I hope he finishes his book; it will make for terrific reading.

Nichola Williams

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LOCAL PEOPLE

Richard Handy Scientist turned Novelist Richard Handy has spent much of his life working as a scientist and up to now has been better known in publishing circles for his academic works of non-fiction such as Ecological and Environmental Physiology of Fishes. However his latest book is a complete departure from his usual genre and takes his readers into a world of wartime espionage, deception and intrigue.

Richard grew up in Kent and went on to study at Birmingham University; he then worked in London for a short time before escaping to live in a small village in Scotland where he spent ten years working on the biomedical applications of fish biology, eventually working as a Fellow for the British Heart Foundation at Edinburgh University. He became a full-time academic at Plymouth University in 1997; Plymouth had been granted university status in 1992 and it was a time of exciting opportunities for the academics in charge of shaping the new university.

So with a background so firmly rooted in science and academia you might wonder what drew Richard to try his hand at fiction? It all started four years ago when he had been reading about the life and works of Albert Einstein. One day as he was working on a scientific paper for one of his students, he started to speculate on what might have happened if Nazi Germany had discovered nanotechnology; as his imagination rolled on he considered stretching his writing skills to create a historical thriller. He has always been interested in history, particularly the events leading up to the Great War and WW2 and when he was young his father told him stories about his time in the army. Later on his father worked in the London embassy circuit looking after ambassadors; the secrecy around this work and the fact that Richard sometimes helped to wash the bullet-proof limousine fuelled his interest all the

more. As an academic he also travelled extensively visiting Alaska, Eastern Europe, Iraq, the Bahamas and even a Russian submarine base. Over time he absorbed the intrinsic details of the cultures and lifestyles of the many people he came across.

The Reich Device is set in the 1930s as Hitler builds his powerbase in Germany. It features a slightly unwholesome hero, Danny Nash, who is working undercover in Germany for the fledgling British intelligence service.

Initially Richard wrote the plot as a short story combining his wealth of scientific knowledge with his interest in history and people, to weave an exciting thriller. After attending a writing conference in Winchester he resolved to expand the story to a full-length novel. He sent his first draft to a literary agency, and undaunted by the volume of suggested changes, including his omission of a heroine, he set about redrafting The Reich Device and completed it last year. Since then he has been bitten by the bug and in addition to drafting a sequel, he is also now writing a love story set in the Great War. The Reich Device can be purchased as a paperback or ebook at the following link: http://www.troubador.co.uk/book_info. asp?bookid=3303 Rosemary Best

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CHARITY FOCUS

Devon & Cornwall Refugee Support The plight of refugees is a huge dilemma as thousands of families continue to flee from war and persecution in Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Eritrea and other countries.

More than 600 thousand people have risked their lives to cross the Mediterranean and Aegean this year in the hope of starting a new life in the safety of Europe. The scale of the current crisis is immense but ever since the 1951 Refugee Convention following World War II, when millions of people were displaced, national organisations such as British Red Cross, The Refugee Council and Refugee Action have been trying to help asylum seekers who have escaped from horrific conditions.

Many local charities have also risen up in response to the needs of refugees and asylum seekers in their community.

One such charity is Devon & Cornwall Refugee Support (DCRS) based at the Masiandae Centre in Plymouth. Samuel

Moinina Kallon founded DCRS in 1999 with his wife Isetta, when refugees in the neighbourhood started knocking on their door asking for advice. Sam and his wife had fled to the UK and been granted asylum after escaping from Sierra Leone when civil war erupted in the 1990s, so they understood all the issues facing asylum seekers. In 2000 Plymouth became a Home Office dispersal centre for asylum seekers so a group of committed local supporters helped Sam to formalise DCRS as a charity and secured premises for a centre at Wesley Methodist Church. Sadly Sam died of cancer in 2002 but his legacy continued and DCRS now has a centre in Whimple Street where it aims ‘to provide a culturally sensitive practical response to the needs of the refugee community’.

Exceptional Residential Care Set in the peaceful and tranquil surroundings of traditional Devonshire life, Redmount is a quaint family Residential care home offering a variety of care services to our local and surrounding communities. Redmount can offer long term permanent accommodation and short term respite stays as well as day care services to people living at home who may require a little extra support and companionship. Here at Redmount we pride ourselves on providing exceptional standards of individually tailored packages of care for all our Residents ensuring that not only do people enjoy a safe and supportive environment but also a continuation of their preferred lifestyles and quality of life.

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An asylum seeker is someone who has fled persecution in their homeland, made themselves known to the authorities in another country and has a legal right to stay in that country while they apply for asylum. A refugee is someone who has been granted asylum and is allowed to stay in another country having proved it is not safe for them to return home.

There are an estimated 126,000 refugees living in the UK, which represents 0.19% of the total population. Asylum seekers in the UK are interviewed by the Home Office and then dispersed to a number of towns where they are given free but basic accommodation and ÂŁ36.62 per week to cover food.

Six to eight people share a house and often the occupants come from different cultural backgrounds. If their initial claim is refused and they appeal, then the same weekly amount is issued on a card, which they can use at a restricted number of shops. Plymouth receives 20 to 30 new asylum seekers each month and the Home Office aims to process their application within 6 months, but this is not always the case.

When asylum seekers first arrive in Plymouth, the Red Cross organises an orientation programme to show them where to find the police station, the post office, shops etc and then they bring them to the DCRS centre as it is the locally recognised support network for asylum seekers and a place of safety to come for help and advice or just coffee and a chat. One of the most important aspects of DCRS’s work is one-toone interviews with clients to support them in submitting a successful asylum application and help them find appropriate evidence to substantiate their case. Approximately 60% of first applications in the UK fail, very often because there is insufficient evidence to prove the case rather than because the reason for claiming asylum is invalid.

DCRS has two registered members of staff who provide OISC (Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner) level 1 immigration legal advice to asylum seekers and it can also

provide help with housing, financial, health, education and cultural issues. The centre offers English conversation classes with ESOL trained staff, as refugees are not entitled to formal ESOL courses until they have been in the country for six months. Asylum seekers can access internet facilities at the centre to keep in touch with relatives in their home country as well as research evidence to support their asylum application.

DCRS also organises sports and fitness activities, craft and music workshops and local events such as Bonfire Night in Calstock, or environmental work parties at Lopwell Dam. In addition the centre runs a food and clothing programme to support refugees, so that at times of special need a Project Support Worker can authorise the collection of an emergency food parcel.

DCRS works closely with a number of other charities in Plymouth such as British Red Cross, Start(Students & Refugees Together) and Plymouth Hope Festival who all endeavour to improve the lives of refugees living in Plymouth. DCRS does not receive any government funding and depends entirely upon the generosity of the community with donations of cash, food and clothing in order to continue its work.

Rosemary Best

If you are able to make a cash or food donation (clothing is not presently required) or are interested in being more involved in the work of DCRS then please contact: DCRS, 7 Whimple Street, Plymouth, PL1 2DH; Tel 01752 265952; Email dcrsc@btopenworld.com; Website: dcrs-plymouth.org (Drop-in service open Mon, Wed, Thurs, Fri 10am-1pm) www.tavylinks.co.uk

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BOOK REVIEW

Sweet Caress by William Boyd William Boyd (A Good Man in Africa, Any Human Heart, Restless) has always been a great storyteller and is firmly established as one of the best of his generation. In this exquisite tale of Miss Amory Clay, compellingly written in the first person, he presents us with much more than a great story. On the one hand it is the story of a life or, as the subtitle has it, the “Many Lives of Amory Clay” as daughter, lover, wife and mother and as society, art and war photographer. On the other it is a tale of the Twentieth Century, its wars, upheavals and social transformation. Amory is everywhere, from the brothels of Berlin between the wars to a British Union of Fascists march in the East End, from the unreality of wartime New York to the grim reality of the conflict in Vietnam. And throughout we are treated to snapshots of Amory’s professional and personal life with samples of her photography. What makes this novel such an achievement is its effortless movement from one momentous historical event to the next without seeming in any way contrived. This is a moving and entirely convincing portrayal of a woman’s adventure in a quite extraordinary century.

Hardback: £18.99; Publisher: Bloomsbury

BOOK STOP RECOMMENDS FOR CHRISTMAS: 1 Dictator by Robert Harris - Historical fiction at its best as Cicero witnesses the rise and fall of Julius Caesar - £20

Book Review by Simon Church, Book Stop, Tavistock

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2 Illustrated Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by JK Rowling - Brand new beautifully illustrated version of the ultimate children’s classic - £20 3 Summer on the River by Marcia Willett - Local favourite’s latest novel set in Dartmouth - £16.99 4 Dartmoor’s Earliest Photographs by Tom Greaves Fabulous collection of mid-C19 local photography - £18

6 Buckland Monachorum & West Devon Colouring Book by Richard Mabey - Yes, really! - £7.99 7 The White Road by Edmund de Waal - Follow-up to the critically acclaimed Hare with the Amber Eyes - £20 8 Grandpa’s Great Escape by David Walliams - Another children’s classic from Walliams - £12.99 9 Knight of the Seven Kingdoms by George RR Martin Brand new illustrated fantasy set a century before Game of Thrones - £20

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5 The Road to Little Dribbling by Bill Bryson - The hilarious Bryson’s first travel book in over a decade - £20

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10 A Year of Good Eating – Nigel Slater Wonderful new cookbook in the style of Slater’s Kitchen Diaries - £30 www.tavylinks.co.uk

21

HEALTH & BEAUTY

PANIC ATTACKS With 1 in 10 of us suffering from Panic Attacks, Dr Harriet Doyle explains some of the symptoms to look out for and how we can help those who suffer.

At least 1 in 10 of us experience panic attacks, and it is highly likely that you will be aware of someone who suffers from them. Panic attacks can affect anyone at any age. They may occur for a short period of your life or be a problem for many years.

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The physical symptoms of a panic attack are driven by adrenaline released by your body in a fight or flight response to a situation you find alarming or frightening. Your body is actually trying to help you by breathing faster to take in more oxygen, and speeding up your heart rate to make sure the oxygen reaches all the essential parts of your body. Your muscles become tense in readiness to react appropriately.

However for panic attack sufferers, these natural responses can become extreme making them feel numb, sweaty and dizzy. They might feel chest pain or become aware of palpitations and feel confused. These symptoms can be overwhelming and quite terrifying.

The best way to deal with panic attacks is to avoid them! Understanding what might trigger them and learning to recognise the early warning signs will help.

However if you miss the clues there are a few things that can help settle you down 1.

Regain control of your breathing by doing the opposite of what your body is trying to do. Instead of sucking breathing, try blowing out for as long as possible

2.

During an attack your brain believes you are in danger, so look around and tell yourself that you are safe and that nothing here is going to harm you

3.

Distract yourself by focusing your attention on something else, such as watching TV or listening to music. Have a panic busting playlist on standby!

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4.

Exercise can help to channel the adrenaline into a positive outlet.

Life events such as menopause, puberty, divorce, work stress, exams and moving home, may trigger panic attacks.

In addition to the above immediate treatment there are many therapies that might help long term management and exploring your emotions, thinking pattens, diet and exercise will all be constructive.

Seeing someone struggling with an attack can be really frightening and we can feel helpless, especially if it is a child. We want to help them to see they are safe and that there is no need to be afraid because we can see that the fear is irrational. But no matter how irrational the fear may seem to us, it is a very real threat to the sufferer. If you find yourself in this situation, stay calm and use gentle tones and plenty or reassurance Point out they are safe and encourage them to look around and describe non threatening aspects of their environment. Remind them to

take slow steady breaths focusing on blowing out.

Attacks usually last for between 5 and 20 minutes so let them know too that it won’t last much longer and that it might already be beginning to subside.

It is important to let your doctor know if the attacks last longer than 20 mins, or if they become more frequent or leave you feeling unwell.

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GARDENING

Winter gardening The winter months are ideal for planting pretty much anything that’s hardy and deciduous: trees, shrubs, roses, fruit, perennials and hedging.

Soil conditions are ideal for rooting, particularly in the early part of the season whilst still warm and usually nicely moist.

Plants can start establishing a good root system without struggling to make top growth at the same time, and will be settled in ready to burst into growth next spring. Another benefit of winter planting is that once leaves have fallen, plants are dormant and you’ll be able to buy bare rooted (also known as field grown) stock which is lifted from nursery fields and despatched immediately. These are usually excellent value for money: cheaper than container grown

plants and in a wider range of sizes too. When it comes to evergreens and anything that is borderline-hardy, though, aim to plant in early to mid-spring, as these plants are more susceptible to frosts and cold winds.

Thorough soil preparation is the secret to long-term success with garden plants. Don’t just dig a hole, chuck in a handful of fertilizer and stick the plant in – this is something akin to building a house without any foundations! Digging to at least one spades’ depth, clearing weeds, adding organic matter over the whole planting area, not only sets up your plants for

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years to come but is hugely beneficial to garden wildlife as well-managed soil teems with life. 2015 is the International Year of Soils, aiming to raise awareness of the importance of soils and their sustainable management: the topic has even made it on to Radio 4’s The Archers. Every gardener can do their bit to care for the soil: dig in lots of organic matter when preparing ground and mulch bare soil with more of the

same – ideally home-made garden compost – to keep plants nourished and the soil in good heart. But do avoid working the ground if conditions are wet and the soil is so claggy it sticks to your boots, as you’ll damage the soil structure. To protect bare ground from winter rains, cover veg beds with cardboard, landscaping fabric, or sow a ‘green manure’ cover crop.

SEASONAL JOBS • Trim deciduous hedges well in advance of bird nesting season.

• Overgrown deciduous shrubs can be rejuvenated by cutting out a third of the oldest growth near to the ground. Repeat over the next two winters to gradually replace all the mature stems with new growth.

• Aerate lawns where ground is compacted or liable to waterlogging.

• Put out a regular supply of fresh water for birds as well as food.

• Order seed catalogues for a leisurely spot of armchair gardening.

Sue Fisher is a garden designer and writer based on the Bere Peninsula.

Tel 01822 841895.

Email: suefisher@talktalk.net Website: www.suefishergardens.co.uk

Plants looking good this season Hellebores: Christmas and Lenten roses (1) bloom from mid-winter to spring, ideal for shady spots.

1

Golden evergreens: bright leaves cheer up dull winter days. Good varieties include Libertia ‘Gold Lace’ (2); Euonymus ‘Emerald n’Gold’; Lonicera ‘Baggessen’s Gold’; Choisya ‘Sundance’ (3).

2

3

Christmas box (Sarcococca): compact little evergreen with strongly scented flowers.

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FARMING DIARY

A hard year comes to an end at Greenwell Farm on Dartmoor It always amazes me how different the seasons are on the farm and it seems that sometimes our routine changes every week, as we prepare and deal with the next hurdle in the life cycle of a farm. The winter months however are slightly different, with the shorter daylight hours and all the cattle being in the barns and the yards - the routine of feeding and tending to the cattle at close quarters makes a nice change. At other times of the year we tend to move from one big job to the next not really having time to appreciate the animals. In spring the cows can’t wait to get out, during summer they want to be as far away from us as possible and once autumn turns to winter they know that the best place to be is in the yard with plenty of feed and a dry shed to shelter in.

We are now clear of TB. All farms have to read two full clear or negative tests, sixty days apart, to be classified as ‘clear’ and it was a massive relief for us when the last cow went through.

It has been a horrible year for us with a great deal of stress on both the cattle and ourselves but after ten month and four full herd tests later we are finally ‘clear’. That is until our next test in six months time …. This means we can now sell our animals to other farms and achieve their full value. It has not been an easy time and as a business is has had a major affect on our cash flow for the year. When you have a TB breakout it is safe to sell cattle direct to slaughter but not to sell cattle on the open market. It is possible to sell to other farms with TB under a license, but usually at a lower price. As a Dartmoor hill farm with thin soils and high rain fall we are not able to ‘finish’ all our cattle and so traditionally rely on selling younger cattle to other farmers for breeding or for them to grow on and ‘finish’.

This clear test now frees our hand and gives us the ability to put

some cash in the bank at last.

We will be selling prime lambs through the winter usually until early February. These lambs are subject to the market and prices so far this year have been disappointing. As I mentioned last time, it has not been a good year and so far we are about £10 per lamb down on last year. Let’s hope that prices improve as the season goes on. Lamb is a very seasonal product and traditionally the price will rise from Christmas until Easter when the new season lamb hits the market. Fingers crossed the price comes up and balances things out.

The ewes should now be well in lamb and the rams removed to have a well-earned rest. In January we will scan all the ewes to find out how many each one is carrying. We do this to enable us to manage the ewe’s diet to give the lambs and the ewes the best chance of survival. Any ewes with triplets need almost as much good feed as they can eat, those with twins will also need looking after well. The ones carrying singles will have limited rations to stop their one lamb getting too big.

Over Christmas we will shut down as much as possible to spend time with the family, but even on Christmas day the animals will still need feeding and checking. We will do all we can to reduce the work load to tick over, however it is always lovely to go into the yards around the cattle and sheep when all around is quiet.

An afternoon stroll around the yard often helps the turkey dinner go down too….! From all at Greenwell, we wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy and prosperous New Year!

Mat Cole Greenwell Farm

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Offices also located at Mutley Plain & Torpoint, but if you are unable to attend at the office, we offer HOME VISITS!

NATURALIST

The Holly and the Ivy Two plants that have had seasonal associations over the centuries.

One is well known and loved, the other is certainly less appreciated and possibly even feared! Some common questions answered: Why does our holly tree never have berries?

It is probably a male tree. Unlike many plants that we are familiar with, the two sexes are segregated and it is only the female flowers on a female specimen that will have the facility to fruit. Look for the bunches of small white flowers that appear on both trees in May/June. A bit of elementary biology, and maybe a magnifying glass will allow you to distinguish between those bearing stamens and those with a central stigma and ovary!Why do some trees lose their berries quickly while others keep them well into the new year? They are a favourite food supply for many birds and mammals, especially once the windfall apples have been consumed. Members of the thrush family(including blackbirds) are the culprits/beneficiaries, depending upon your point of view! I have yet to hear a convincing explanation of why some trees are ‘picked upon’ first, though it may relate to territorial behaviour or the migration of more birds (including redwings and fieldfares) from further north and east that swell our local population.

Are there two kinds of ivy?

Ivy goes through two distinct phases during its growth. It spreads out across the ground in all directions at first and has tough but flexible horizontal stems with the true ivy-leaf pattern to its foliage. Once it makes contact with a vertical surface (a tree or wall) its life is transformed. Climbing upwards it hangs on by sucker-like growths from the stem but eventually becomes woody and self-supporting. By now the leaves have a more regular outline and it is here that it will flower in October and November. Does it kill the tree? Theoretically no. If the tree falls, the ivy is back to its starting point too! However, if the tree is old and weak, the top growth of the ivy can overshadow the crown of the tree, depriving it of light. For valued specimen trees judicious management of ivy will certainly be required. Natural systems though, do naturally regenerate and achieve a balance www.tavylinks.co.uk

between species, unlike the ‘us or them’ approach of much gardening practice!

‘So are there any good points about ivy?

By this time in the season the upper wooden branches carry spherical shaped bunches of green fruits which gradually ripen to deep purple/black fat fruits. Just 4-6 weeks ago ivy was still in flower in our garden, balls of pale green/yellow flowers with prominent stamens. It is the latest native shrub to flower, a welcome end-of-season source of nectar for many insects.

There was an audible hum of bees on sunny afternoons and even a few late maturing butterflies put in an appearance.

Ivy even has its own bee whose life cycle is timed to achieve adulthood as the flowers reach their peak. It only arrived in the UK in 2001 but is apparently thriving (I admit that I have yet to see one!) so look up Colletes hedera if you see an unusual bee of slightly waspish appearance!

The fruits will last well into the new year. I have seen blackbirds, fieldfares and jays, amongst others feeding on them. Having consumed the windfall apples, nuts, holly and all the other red hedgerow fruits, these large-billed omnivores need some fresh fruit to supplement their diet. We should also consider the cover provided by the network of leaves and branches. They are just as effective as those of the host tree in providing protection from predators, and plenty of nesting sites too. The close-fitting stems add extra nooks and crannies to the tree trunk and are a haven for all sorts of invertebrates and even act as a climbing frame for small mammals.

Holly and Ivy share a long history in our midwinter folk-lore.

Of the two, the ecological role of ivy has probably been undervalued. Perhaps this could be a theme for a New-Year’s resolution?

Pete Mayston 29

WHAT’S ON

REGULAR

DECEMBER

2nd Tuesday Monthly

27th November – 6th December

GREEN DRINKS

CHRISTMAS TREE FESTIVAL

For anyone interested in the environment, come and have a natter each month.

7.30pm to 9.30pm, Union Inn, King Street, Tavistock. Just ask for us at the bar

The Friends of St Eustachius' are holding their 7th Christmas Tree Festival in Tavistock Parish Church. There will be 65 trees in the church, all decorated

by local schools, organisations and businesses. The variety and originality of the decorations have to be seen to be believed. There is always fierce competition to be voted the 'favourite tree'.

The end of the Festival will coincide with the lovely Christingle Service, held

Every Thursday until 17 December

LATE NIGHT SHOPPING – DRAKE CIRCUS

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In true Victorian spirit, each Thursday night Drake Circus has invited local choirs to sing in the centre and bring delight to customers. Primary Schools will perform between 5.45pm and 6.15pm, Secondary Schools between 6.30pm and 7pm and Adult Groups 7.15pm – 7.45pm. Shopping until 9pm

A range of bikes, clothing and accessories to suit all needs • • • • •

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Wishing all of our customers a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

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30

editorial@tavylinks.co.uk

WHAT’S ON in St Eustachius church. As well as the beautifully decorated trees, there will be a programme of music in the church throughout the Festival, lunches, coffee, tea and cakes will be served, and homemade chutneys and marmalade and many other items will be on sale, including Vintage Green and other handicrafts. In addition, by popular request following last year's success, Amanda Randell, Master Florist, will again be creating a Christmas concoction to be raffled during the festival.

Opening hours will be 10.00am – 4.00pm, services permitting.

1 – 20 December

CHRISTMAS AT BUCKLAND ABBEY

Discover traditions old and new as we step back in time inside the Abbey and uncover a festive surprise in our Great Barn. 11am – 4pm, normal grounds charges apply www.nationaltrust.org.uk, 01822 853607 Daily until 31 December (closed Christmas and Boxing Day)

5 December

855700 or heritage@swlakestrust.org.uk

CHRISTMAS CONCERT – MOUNT KELLY CHORAL SOCIETY

7 December

Featuring John Rutter’s Gloria with excerpts from Bach’s Christmas Oratorio.

7.30pm at Tavistock Methodist Church www.kellychoralsociety.com 5 December

MISTLETOE FAIR - BRENTOR VILLAGE HALL

Original handcrafted high quality gifts & produce are available at our friendly annual event. Coffees, lunches, teas, 10am - 3pm, free admission www.brentorvillage.org 6 December

WOODLAND CHRISTMAS CRAFTS - BURRATOR

Join the Family Wildlife Watch group at Burrator Reservoir with SWLT. £1 per person. – 10.30am-12.30pm Hot chocolate & biscuits provided! Please contact 01822

TALK – BURRATOR

Pre-historic Wonders of the Burrator Area’

by Dr Tom Greeves.

7pm arrival for refreshments, 7.30pm8.30pm talk. £3 per person. Please book your place in advance on 01822 855700 or heritage@swlakestrust.org.uk 7 & 14 December

TAVIJIVE ROCK ‘N’ ROLL DANCE SESSIONS

Dancing to Rock ‘n’ Roll from the 1950s or music of that style. Great fun, terrific exercise and relaxed atmosphere, informal tuition available.

Entry £4 (every 10th session FREE), Tavistock Town Hall, 7.30 – 10pm Malcolm White 01822 615894 or 07443539490

‘CHRISTMAS GARLAND & ‘SNOWFLAKES’ AT COTEHELE

The Christmas Garland and music by a variety of local choirs in the Hall. Also an exhibition filled with unique gifts for Christmas 11am-4pm, winter admission charges Adults £6, members and under 18s free. 27-31 December free entry to neighbours with a PL postcode (bring a utility bill), 01579 351356 www.nationaltrust.org.uk/cotehele Daily until Christmas Eve

SANTA’S MAGICAL GINGERBREAD GROTTO – DRAKE CIRCUS

This year Santa’s elves have built him a fantastic gingerbread themed grotto in Drake Circus where little ones can meet Father Christmas and share their wish lists with him. Each visit costs £5 with 50p going to charity. All children, regardless of good behaviour, will be rewarded with a special memento from Santa and parents will have the chance to buy a photograph of their kids enjoying themselves in the grotto.

Book online at: www.drakecircus.com www.tavylinks.co.uk

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WHAT’S ON 4 – 10 December

UNDER MILK WOOD (15) – PLYMOUTH ARTS CENTRE

Dir. Kevin Allen, UK, 2015, 88 mins. Cast.

Rhys Ifans, Charlotte Church, Julian Lewis Jones, Steffan Rhodri. A lyrical and lovely film version of Under Milk Wood.

01752 206114 www.plymouthartscentre.org 5 December

CHRISTMAS CONCERT – MOUNT KELLY CHORAL SOCIETY

Featuring John Rutter’s Gloria with excerpts from Bach’s Christmas Oratorio.

7.30pm at Tavistock Methodist Church www.kellychoralsociety.com 5 December

CHRISTMAS WREATH MAKING WORKSHOP – HOTEL ENDSLEIGH

A festive class with Amanda Randell

MDPF, creating a door wreath from the estate’s foliages. 10am-3pm, £40 including a two course lunch.

01822 870000 / mail@hotelendsleigh.com 5, 6, 12, 13, 19 & 20 December

AUDIENCE WITH OLDE FATHER CHRISTMAS – BUCKLAND ABBEY

9 December

CHRISTMAS FAYRETAVISTOCK COLLEGE

6pm-8pm in the Main Hall. Craft stalls, hog roast from Downings, raffle, mulled wine and mince pies. All are welcome. To book a stand call 01822 853634.

10 December

Rediscover the Christmas magic as Olde Father Christmas arrives in the Great Hall.

12-3pm, normal admission plus £4 per child (includes gift) www.nationaltrust.org.uk 01822 853607

ADULT EVENING FELT SESSION – BURRATOR

7 December

12 December

WREATH MAKING AND AFTERNOON TEA

Christmas Wreath Making Workshop and Festive Afternoon Tea with local florist Flowers Going Green at Moorland Garden Hotel. 2pm. £34.00 per person To book please contact the Events Team on 01822 852245 or events@moorlandgardenhotel.co.uk

7pm Join Claire Packer from the Wet Felting Company and get creative!

Book a place on 07938387838

TAVISTOCK FARMERS MARKET

Lamb Butchery demonstrations throughout the morning from Lydford Farm Shop, plus all our regular producers. 9am – 1pm, Bedford Square www.tavistock farmersmarket.com

The

RACEHORSE INN A gastro-pub with rooms on the eastern edge of Bodmin Moor Sunday Lunch at the Race Horse Gastro INN is different: Firstly, our lunch is not Carvery but a choice of two specially prepared roasts using Warrens locally sourced meat, freshly produced on a hot plate with several roasted vegetables and superb roast potatoes and gravy on the side.

The food tastes as it should, exquisite, with fresh flavours attacking the taste buds.

Served all day but please book to be sure of a table!

Spanish Night 3rd December: This is proving a very popular night complete with live Spanish music – book now!

Christmas and Boxing Day: Open for Lunch, Special 6-course menu. Please call Flori to make your reservation.

Christmas Sunday 27th December: Open for a very festive lunch.

New Year’s Eve: A magnificent 10-course banquet awaits you, including drinks with live music to wind up the year and herald in 2016.

Burns Night Supper Saturday 30th January: We will be piping in the Haggis – come and join us!

Please make a reservation by phone, or message us via our Facebook page to ensure a table is available DOGS WELCOME IN THE BAR

CLOSED MONDAYS

01566 786916 (after midday) • North Hill Village PL15 7PG

www.racehorseinn.co.uk • www.facebook.com/racehorseinn.launceston • email: info@racehorseinn.co.uk 4 miles off the A30 and 5 miles past Launceston www.tavylinks.co.uk

33

WHAT’S ON 12, 13, 19 & 24 December

19 December

19 December

CHILDREN'S CHRISTMAS SPECIAL - MORWELLHAM

ANNUAL XMAS TREE WALK – BURRATOR

LET'S WASSAIL - COTEHELE

Visit Santa in his underground grotto, listen to a Christmas story, dress up in Victorian costume, make Christmas Crafts and indulge with mince pies.

The all-inclusive special Christmas price for adults and children includes a free child’s present soft drink, mulled wine and mince pies.

Children & Adults £8.95 (Members £4.95) to include train ride. For further details go to www.morwellhamquay.org 13 December

PRACTICAL CONSERVATION VOLUNTEER DAY – BURRATOR 10.30am-3.30pm. Practical conservation volunteer day at Burrator Reservoir with SWLT. Hot drinks and biscuits provided!

Please contact 01822 855700 or heritage@swlakestrust.org.uk

34

Walk and chance to cut down your own Christmas tree. Places are limited – please book on 01566771930 19 - 23 December

AT HOME WITH MOTHER AND FATHER CHRISTMAS

Come and meet Mother and Father Christmas in their grotto at Cotehele.

1-3.30pm, winter admission charges Adults £6, members and under 18s free + £3 (includes a gift). 27-31 December free entry to neighbours with a PL postcode (bring a utility bill), 01579 351356 www.nationaltrust.org.uk/cotehele 19 December

TAVISTOCK FARMERS MARKET

Fresh, local produce direct from the farmer, Bedford Square 9am – 1pm www.tavistockfarmersmarket.com

Get out your fancy dress, dig out your loud instruments and come and help us scare away the evil spirits in the Cotehele Orchards. 11.30am-12noon, free entry, 01579 351356 www.nationaltrust.org.uk/cotehele 23 December

TAVISTOCK FARMERS MARKET

Fresh, local produce direct from the farmer, just in time for Christmas! Bedford Square, Tavistock, 9am – 1pm www.tavistockfarmersmarket.com 23 December

DOGWORTHY’S MAGIC CHRISTMAS SHOW

Jacolly Puppet Theatre bring their show full of the joys of Christmas ~ especially for children aged 3-9 but fun for grown-ups too. See What’s On Extra for full details.

editorial@tavylinks.co.uk

WHAT’S ON 29 December, 2 January

9 January

17 January

45 YEARS (12) – PLYMOUTH ARTS CENTRE

TAVISTOCK FARMERS MARKET

TALK - BURRATOR

Another chance to see this popular film which sold out in October. It is without doubt one of the best British films of the year. 01752 206114 www.plymouthartscentre.org

Make buying local your New Year’s resolution! Fresh, local produce direct from the farmer, Bedford Square, 9am – 1pm www.tavistock farmersmarket.com 11 - 24 January

30 December, 2 January

AMELIE (15) – PLYMOUTH ARTS CENTRE

Keep the holiday spirit going by coming to see the last of our LOVE season films.

The film that catapulted Audrey Tautou onto the world stage and possibly the most beautiful, fanciful, funny poem to unrequited love and to Paris ever made.

Come and fall in love with Amelie and Paris all over again 01752 206114 www.plymouthartscentre.org

JANUARY

JANUARY WELLNESS CAMPAIGN – DRAKE CIRCUS Drake Circus will be hosting a community wellness campaign, with everything from free workout sessions to health and cookery advice. Please see www.drakecirucs.com for details 15 January

PHOTOGRAPHY, FILM & TALK By acclaimed photographer Chris Chapman, Dartmoor finest chronicler of rural life – photographing since 1975. At Clearbrook Village Hall, 7.30pm, tickets £4 in advance only, from 01822 854411

‘Cists, cairns, huts and rows – Some pre-historic wonders of the Burrator area’.

Guided walk lead by Dr Tom Greeves. £3 per person. 10am – 1pm. Please book your place in advance on 01822 855700 or heritage@swlakestrust.org.uk 21 January

VOLUNTEER RECRUITMENT DAY

Volunteering at Cotehele can be a very rewarding experience and a way to learn new skills and make friends. Join us for a chat, meet the team, have some tea and cake and find out how we might work together in 2016.

11am-3pm, 01579 351356 www.nationaltrust.org.uk/cotehele

4, 11, 18, & 25 January

TAVIJIVE ROCK ‘N’ ROLL DANCE SESSIONS

Dancing to Rock ‘n’ Roll from the 1950s or music of that style. Great fun, terrific exercise and relaxed atmosphere, informal tuition available.

Entry £4 (every 10th session FREE), Tavistock Town Hall, 7.30 – 10pm Malcolm White 01822 615894 or 07443539490 6 January

BOTANICAL ART TALK & EXHIBITION

An introduction to botanical art and a little history of how it developed, also a great opportunity to find out if my forthcoming classes are of interest to you (Wednesdays at 6.30 pm, at Nicholls Hall, Lydford, from 13 January). The talk starts at 8 pm at Nicholls Hall, Lydford, tickets £5. For further details contact Trisha Webb, 01837 810269 trishawebb818@gmail.com www.trishawebb.weebly.com

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35

WHAT’S ON 23 January

FRUIT TREE GRAFTING TAVISTOCK FARMERS MARKET

Join Adrian of Endsleigh Gardens Nursery for expert demonstrations in fruit tree grafting. Plant stock available to purchase along with our usual fresh, local produce direct from the farmer. Bedford Square, Tavistock 9am – 1pm www.tavistock farmersmarket.com 27 – 30 January

THE HAPPY PRINCE BUCKLAND MONACHORUM DRAMA GROUP A touching musical based on the wellloved story by Oscar Wilde.

Box office 01822 855336, www.bucklandmonachorum.org.uk 31 January

FAMILY WILDLIFE WATCH – BURRATOR

‘It’s all about the Birds’ with the Family Wildlife Watch group at Burrator Reservoir with SWLT. £1 per person. 10.30am – 12.30pm. Hot chocolate & biscuits provided! Please contact 01822 855700 or heritage@swlakestrust.org.uk

FEBRUARY 1 February

TEACHERS WORKSHOP – BURRATOR

‘Wonder in Woodlands’: a free halfday workshop for teachers and outdoor educators by Plantlife at Burrator Discovery Centre. For more information or to book a place please contact Alison at: alison.smith@plantlife.org.uk 20 February

AUCTION OF PLEDGES - CHILDREN’S HOSPICE SOUTH WEST

anniversary in 2016 and the Yelverton Friends Group would like your support! Neil Woolcock from Ward and Chowen is donating his time to provide a professionally run auction at Walkhampton Village Hall. Doors open at 6.45pm and the auction starts at 7.30pm.

Food and drink will be available and there is plenty of free parking. For more information and pledge donation ring Linda on 01822 852142 or Sheila on 01822 859215

All event listings are FREE Send us event details for our next issue (February/March) by Friday 8th January

CHSW are celebrating their 25th

Please get in touch: editorial@tavylinks.co.uk or 01822 853110

For an exquisite C h ristmas...

Hotel Endsleigh

01822 870000

Festive lunches available from the 4th – 23rd December for parties of 6 or more. £25 per person There is no place like Endsleigh to experience the magic of a country house Christmas.

Gather close friends, family or colleagues and join us to celebrate this festive season.

Booking essential.

mail@hotelendsleigh.com www.hotelendsleigh.com 36

editorial@tavylinks.co.uk

WHAT’S ON

LUNCHTIME LECTURES TAVISTOCK WHARF Organised by Dr Ann Pulsford, in aid of Friends of the Wharf

Every Monday at 2pm-All Welcome

DECEMBER 2015

FEBRUARY 2016

7th December DOUGLAS HERDSON DARWIN

1st February ANDREW THOMPSON TAVISTOCK & THE DUKES OF BEDFORD

14th December TOM GREEVES DARTMOOR’S ANCIENT TRACKS

JANUARY 2016 4th January DR ANN PULSFORD HISTORY OF SNOWMEN & PIEMEN 11th January JOSEPH TOLAND TIDAL ENERGY FOR THE SOUTHWEST

8th February NEILL MITCHELL THATCHER THE IRON LADY: BEHIND CLOSED DOORS 15th February BARBIE THOMPSON MILL PRISON PLYMOUTH: HISTORY 22nd February CHRIS BURCHELL DUNTERTON CHURCH HISTORY

18th January DR TOM GREEVES DARTMOOR PHOTOGRAPHY IN THE 1860s & 1870s 25th January DR RUPERT GUDE OPPOSITION TO THE FIRST WORLD WAR

www.tavylinks.co.uk

37

Now on show at Yelverton OUR BEDS LOVINGLY MADE ON THE EDGE OF DARTMOOR

for lovers of Dartmoor and lovers of sleep

Our brand new Dartmoor-inspired locally-made exclusive ranges offer superb luxury, personalised support and soft comfort to help you regain your nights and to sleep better than you have ever slept before. With all-natural fillings including wool from our partner hill-top farm just five miles from Dartmoor’s northern edge, our hand-crafted pocket-sprung mattresses are complemented by a range of beautiful divan-bases, headboards and accessories in an extensive and inspiring choice of contemporary or traditional styles and fabrics or, indeed, your own.

Buying one of these finest quality beds will support local craftspeople working together all around Dartmoor to create your individually designed bed. What’s more, you can enjoy a very special showroom experience by calling us to arrange an appointment to choose your next bed whilst relaxing in complete privacy.

1-2 Moorside Court Yelverton Business Park PL20 7PE

01822 853636

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Why not call Mike, Roger or Mikaela now for an appointment and enjoy our introductory offer from a range of complementary accessories worth up to £1000?* Hotels, Guest Houses and Hotel Groups: do please ask about our contract models for your most discerning guests and our Partner Hotel Scheme. *Offer applies to pre-booked viewings only and is based on purchase of a 4-drawer 215x215cm Tamar divan-set in Crombie fabric

WHAT’S ON

Christmas Church Services

at Tavistock Parish Church, St Paul's (Gulworthy) and Christ Church and St Michael de Rupe (Brent Tor) December 2015

Sunday 13 December

6.30 pm

Carol Service – St Paul’s,Gulworthy

Sunday 20 December

9.45 am

Carol Service – Christ Church, Brentor

Sunday 20 December

6.00 pm

Carol Service – Tavistock Parish Church

Thursday 24 December

3.30 pm

Crib Service – Tavistock Parish Church

Thursday 24 December

5.00 pm

Crib Service – Tavistock Parish Church

Thursday 24 December

11.00 pm

Midnight Mass – Christ Church, Brentor

Thursday 24 December

11.30 pm

Midnight Mass – Tavistock Parish Church

Friday 25 December

9.30 am

Family Communion – Tavistock Parish Church

Friday 25 December

11.00 am

Carol Service – CHICKS, St,Michael de Rupe, Brent Tor

Friday 25 December

11.00 am

Holy Communion – St Paul’s, Gulworthy

Friday 25 December

3.00 pm

Carol Service – St Michael de Rupe, Brent Tor

www.tavylinks.co.uk

39

NATIONAL TRUST From 1-20 December, Christmas arrives inside the abbey as the ground floor is transformed into an Elizabethan inspired Christmas home. Imagine the pots and pans in the kitchen bubbling away with delicious winter feasts, enjoy a moment of peace in the chapel and immerse yourself in the magic of the season in the great hall. On Tuesday 1, 8 and 15 December see our costumed guides prepare a festive dinner in the kitchen between 11.30am-3.30pm. Olde Father Christmas comes home over the weekends, giving children young and old the chance to rediscover the Christmas magic within the great hall.

Throughout the last few days of November the elves from the National Association of Flower Arranging Society have been busy preparing the Christmas celebrations within Buckland’s great barn. Join us from 1-20 December as the society unveils their grand interpretation of the twelve days of Christmas.

Christmas at

Buckland Abbey

Add a personal touch to your festivities with a series of drop-in workshops at Buckland. Highlights include creating felt decorations with the Wet Felting Company on 6 and 13 December (normal admission plus £3 per person) and indoor woodland craft making with the Naturemake team on 19 and 20 December (normal admission plus £2-£8) per person. Please visit Buckland Abbey’s website for more details of our festive schedule.

a Christmas at Buckland Rediscover the Christmas magic at Buckland Abbey this December 1 - 20 December, 11am-4pm Buckland Abbey near Yelverton nationaltrust.org.uk/buckland | 01822 853607

© National Trust Images/Grant Wyness.

The National Trust is a registered charity, number 205846.

40

editorial@tavylinks.co.uk

This December experience Christmas at Buckland Abbey as the National Trust property near Yelverton reopens for the festive season with a winter wonderland full of treats and seasonal delights for everyone to enjoy.

What could be better than a walk through the woods on a frosty winter’s day? Buckland’s four way marked trails across the estate are available as usual during December and offer some spectacular views across Dartmoor and the Tavy valley. Four legged friends are welcome on the walks too – just ask for a map when you arrive at Visitor Welcome.

The gardens are also open, and are a wonderful place to enjoy a moment of peace and quiet, surrounded only by bird song and the crunch of leaves underfoot. If you need a haven of calm away from packed shopping centres and queues of traffic, look no further.

Our restaurant will be running a festive menu throughout December this year. Treat yourself to a mince pie or a warming mulled cider, or meet friends for a home cooked lunch before adventuring out on a woodland walk. Head upstairs to pick up some extra special gifts in our shop before you go. With beautiful items to suit all budgets, we have everything from cards and decorations to food and drink, books and homeware, so no matter who you’re buying for, you’re bound to find that perfect present.

Buckland Abbey re-opens between 27 December – 3 January (closed New Year’s Day) for post-Christmas walks with family and friends around the gardens and estate and for warming hot chocolates within our restaurant.

For more information about Christmas at Buckland Abbey please visit our website www.nationaltrust.org.uk/buckland, call us on 01822 853607 or follow us on Facebook and Twitter. www.tavylinks.co.uk

41

NATIONAL TRUST

Take an energising walk to a waterfall this winter As winter approaches the usual seasonal jobs begin at Lydford Gorge. The main parts of the gorge are closed while this work is carried out but the walk to the waterfall remains open. Alongside the annual maintenance work this winter the bridge at the base of the waterfall will be replaced. This doesn’t happen very often. The work is expected to take around 6 to 8 weeks if the weather is OK. Vertical Technology who previously have carried out rock face inspections and associated work in the gorge will be taking the existing bridge down, except the bottom lintels before building the new bridge in-situ. The short walk to the White Lady Waterfall is still open throughout December and January so visit before Christmas to take a look at the bridge replacement work. The shop is open Wednesday to Sunday, 11am-3.30pm until 20 December. The Waterfall tearoom is open, Saturdays and Sundays, 11am-3.30pm until 20 December.

a walk to a waterfall Sat and Sun 7 Nov to 20 Dec, 11am-3.30pm Enjoy an energising walk to the White Lady Waterfall.

Pop into the Waterfall tearooms for cuppa on your way back or browse in the shop for Christmas gifts.

Lydford Gorge www.nationaltrust.org.uk/lydford-gorge | 01822 820320

Š National Trust Images/Holly Jones The National Trust is a registered charity, number 205846.

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WHAT'S ON EXTRA

Dogworthy’s Magic Christmas Show “Pure quality entertainment ... the ideal Christmas treat.

Over the years Jacolly Puppet Theatre has toured far and wide on both sides of the Atlantic. This December there is a chance for families to see their Christmas show locally. One of their most endearing characters is Dogworthy ~ the dog magician who loves to entertain with his magic tricks, performing with his human sidekick, Holly. With his ever-popular Christmas show, he will bring his special box full of magic tinsel, which spills and sparkles as it is conjured into his favourite Christmassy things ... twirling decorations, Christmas trees and a snowman.

Dogworthy is planning some tasty refreshments to be available at each show. At the Watermark Theatre in Ivybridge, there will even be lunch ~ with basket meals and mince pies plus mulled wine for the grown-ups. As well as Ivybridge, the show is playing at Tavistock Town Hall and St Paul’s Church Hall in Yelverton. See the What’s On listing for dates, times and prices.

Children under 12 to be accompanied by a grown-up. Advance booking recommended. Tickets: £5 each; £18 family. From the Cornish Riviera Box Office by calling 01726 879500 and online at www.crbo.co.uk; or in person from Book Stop, 3 Market Place, Tavistock.

Winter Walks Devotees of The Garden House keen to get their horticultural fix during the winter months can now take advantage of a brand new programme of guided walks.

The popular English garden attraction at Buckland Monarchorum closed for the current season on November 1 and will re-open to the public on March 1 next year.

But for the first time, the charitable trust which runs the garden is introducing a Winter Walks schedule on the last Thursday of every month in the closed season – led by Head Gardener Nick Haworth.

The programme is an opportunity to see the garden during the winter months and into early spring – as well as finding out what planting is planned for 2016.

The walks cost £3 per person, but are free to Friends of The Garden House.

Anyone wishing to take part should meet at the entrance at 2pm.

DEC: Thurs 31. JAN 16: Thurs 28. FEB: Thurs 25 For more information about The Garden House visit www.thegardenhouse.org.uk or tel: (01822) 854769 www.tavylinks.co.uk

43

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Open Tuesday to Saturday

MUSIC & ART

Merry ChristmART! Yes it’s festART time again!

Last year we talked about buying original presents for family and loved ones from the makers themselves. The Bank Square Arts Market was originally a regeneration project for Tavistock and in 2013 it changed to Tavistock Arts Market on the Bedford Square and continues to go from strength to strength.

We took the opportunity to catch up with some originals and TAM regulars recently. There will be another opportunity for you

to see them on 5th Dec in Tavistock where visitors to the market will find unique products not found on the high street and have a chance to meet the artists and makers themselves! Also Sunday 13th Dec there will be a fabulous Christmas Arts Market at Ocean Studios, Royal William Yard, with fairy stilt walkers, Military Wives Choir and Father Christmas arriving by boat!

Their Christmas Show will be on too and we hope to see Laure Bury and Tessa Jane exhibiting there.

A Botanical Art Talk & Exhibition 6th January - Nicholls Hall, Lydford A Botanical Art Talk & Exhibition at Nicholls Hall, Lydford on Wednesday 6th January at 8 pm by Trisha Webb. Trisha has a background in garden design and an RHS Advanced Award and a Design Diploma. Trisha also studied Ecology at University and has painted all her life as well as teaching botanical art at Hatherleigh.

The short talk will be about the history and development of botanical art and the exhibition is a small example of her work, it will also show an artist’s workspace and discuss the materials used.

area, and the group will hold their own yearly exhibition. Free refreshments are provided during classes.

Details of the courses, venue dates and times are on the website, or contact Trisha at trishawebb818@gmail.com or 01837 810269 Entrance £5. Booking is required for the classes.

The talk will include an overview of the course starting the following Wednesday 13th at 6.30 pm. It is especially designed for beginners and starts with graphite techniques which are transferable to watercolours, which the course continues on to.

It shows that watercolours are not difficult to use and beginners can achieve wonderful results, with the help of weekly handouts and individual tutoring during class sessions. The course mainly covers painting plants and the relevant botany, but also includes wildlife, and ecology that connects the two. There are visits to open gardens, nature reserves and exhibitions in the local www.tavylinks.co.uk

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MUSIC & ART

20 Years for Stannary Brass Band!

Saturday 12th December - Gala Concert This year sees the 20th Anniversary for Stannary Brass Band of Tavistock. Chairman of the band, Stephen Gray, said: “The Band has gone from strength to strength over this time, encouraging new players and supporting experienced musicians in their growth and development.

The emphasis in the band is that music should be fun and free for all and with this in mind we do not charge membership or subscriptions, and we try to give new players the free use of an instrument.

We play an active part in Tavistock, taking part in Remembrance Day, the annual Carnival as well as performing at various charity events and fetes. We have close links with the Lions Club of Tavistock who support our events on a regular basis.

We meet each week at the Wortham Hall, Mount Kelly Prep on Wednesday evenings, with our beginners and Training Groups starting at 6:15pm under the baton of our newly appointed Training Band MD Lydia Tanner. This is followed by our main band with our MD Peter Jones at 7:30pm.

Our next concert will be on Saturday December the 12th in St Eustacius Church, Tavistock and will be hosted by our Patron Angela Rippon. Our special guests for this event are the ever popular Tamar Valley Male Voice Choir. Tickets are available from Ward & Chowen in Tavistock – one of our supporters – and cost £7 per adult and £2 for under 18s.

We generate income from performances, grant applications and sponsorship. To date we have raised over £50,000 to enable us to purchase new instruments, thus freeing up our older ones for beginners to use. We operate an open door policy and players of all levels are welcome to come along.

Further details are on our website or by phoning 01822 854888

Plymouth Philharmoic Choir and Orchestra Sunday 6th December Felix Mendelssohn: Elijah Conducted by Christopher Fletcher Soloists: Catherine Hamilton (soprano), Alison Kettlewell (mezzo-soprano), Christopher Lemmings (tenor), Darren Jeffery (bass-baritone).

Elijah has many outstanding qualities: imaginative orchestration, spontaneity of the counterpoint, dramatic impetus, and the sheer beauty of many of the arias and choruses. Above all, there is no mistaking the work’s considerable dramatic impact, epitomised by the vivid characterisation of Elijah himself.

The concert is being held at Plymouth Guildhall, Armada Way, PL1 2AD. For tickets visit www.plymouthphilchoir.org or www. wegottickets.com. Ticket Manager: 01822 853791 FUTURE CONCERTS IN 2016 Sunday 20 March Bach: St John Passion, Sunday 3 July John Rutter: Feel The Spirit, Morten Lauridsen: Lux Aeterna. www.tavylinks.co.uk

47

FEATURE

In defence of the Dartmoor Hill Pony The article by Tony Brewington of the Dartmoor Pony Society in the last issue of Moor Links and Tavy Links caused quite a stir. As such, Graham Goddard, Vice Chairman of the Dartmoor Hill Pony Association (DHPA) writes in strong defence of the Dartmoor Hill Pony and the vital role they play on Dartmoor.

The Dartmoor Hill Pony is the true indigenous Dartmoor Pony as they live a healthy and free life out on Dartmoor all year long and have been doing so for very many generations. These hardy and loveable ponies have been very important to Dartmoor, along with cattle and sheep, in maintaining the Dartmoor landscape so beloved of both locals and the many visitors to Dartmoor.

The Dartmoor Commoners Council, in conjunction with the Dartmoor Hill Pony Association, run a stallion inspection and approval scheme which ensures only approved stallions run on the open moor thus ensuring the continued hardiness, thriftiness and soundness of the ponies are all maintained.

The DHPA has also recently been leading the way with regard to consultations with DEFRA concerning transportation, pass porting and ensuring that we are still able to brand our ponies for identification purposes. It was the Dartmoor Hill Pony Association that won approval for DEFRA allowing pony keepers on Dartmoor to transport ponies to market without firstly having to microchip and register them before leaving the home farms.

The Dartmoor Hill Pony Association actively promotes the annual Chagford pony sale which is a very important market place for 48

all Dartmoor Ponies. There is also a smaller summer sale of halter broken ponies. The DHPA keeps a list on their website of ponies for sale direct from the home farms.

The Dartmoor Pony Society states that the Dartmoor Hill Pony has no breed standard. This I would strongly take issue with as their most important standard is their hardiness, thriftiness and soundness which allows them to withstand the harsh Dartmoor climate, which to all Dartmoor Hill Pony keepers is extremely important. Their value, as I stated earlier, comes from their use as conservation grazing tools on the moor, the importance of which cannot be overstated.

The Dartmoor Hill Pony has never been bred purely for meat and over the years thousands have found loving homes all over the UK, Europe, Canada and beyond as excellent childrens’ ponies, with classes at many one day and County Shows.

The Dartmoor Hill Pony Association and its members along with the Dartmoor Commoners Council have been working very hard to remove any unmarked ponies from Dartmoor thus reducing the overall numbers and this, in turn, is reducing the number of foals produced each year. We have also been involved with contraception trials for mares out on the moor. editorial@tavylinks.co.uk

Importantly the Dartmoor Hill Pony Association has introduced an on farm disposal scheme which means any unwanted ponies can be humanely destroyed on the home farm.

The Dartmoor Hill Pony Association would like to point out that it was particular Dartmoor Hill Ponies which were chosen as the basis for the Heritage Pony Scheme, something which we feel, as an Association, gets forgotten and we are pleased and proud that they chose our Hill Ponies for the basis of their project.

Taking all these factors into account, the Dartmoor Hill Pony, its Association and the enormous voluntary effort to ensure the future of ALL ponies on Dartmoor, we feel that these ponies deserve a great deal of respect and support from all those who live, work, value and enjoy the stunning landscape of Dartmoor.

Graham Goddard Vice Chairman – Dartmoor Hill Pony Association www.tavylinks.co.uk

For further information visit our website: www.dartmoorhillponyassociation.co.uk You may also like to visit the website of Friends of the Dartmoor Hill Pony, where you will find details on how to support or buy ponies for riding, driving, companion or conservation grazing: www.friendsofthedartmoorhillpony.co.uk or www.wildtowonderful.org With thanks to Sarah-Jane of Friends of The Dartmoor Hill Pony for supplying all these lovely images.

49

FOOD & WINE

Mincemeat Frangipane Tart A delicious seasonal tart, perfect for any occasion over the festive period.

For the pastry

8oz butter 1oz flour 8oz ground almonds 4 eggs 8oz caster sugar Almond essence Mincemeat * Improve your mincemeat with disaronno, Cointreau, lemon zest, orange zest and juice and leave for 24hours (this is optional but recommended) * Cream your butter & sugar till light * Slowly add eggs one at a time while still mixing * Mix in almonds and essence * Spread the mincemeat (as generously as you wish) into the blind baked tart case * Pipe or spread the frangipane mix over the top of the mincemeat to fill the tart * Sprinkle with flaked almonds * Bake on 150C for approximately 30mins until golden or until a knife comes out of the top clean * Allow to cool

250g flour 90g icing sugar 125g unsalted butter 1 whole egg

RHS CHELSEA GOLD MEDALIST 2014

For the frangipane

50

* Mix the flour,icing sugar & butter together until a fine breadcrumb * Add the egg to form a dough * Allow to rest before use * Roll out on floured surface * Line the tart mould with the pastry, cover with baking parchment then add baking beans and bake for 12mins * Allow to cool 1 pre baked tart case (see above) Best served hot with clotted cream or custard next to a roaring log fire with a cheeky glass of mulled wine!

If your not a mincemeat fan you can just as easily substitute the mincemeat for any kind of poached or roasted fruit or jam.

Mike Palmer Chef, Two Bridges Hotel

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www.amandarandell.co.uk editorial@tavylinks.co.uk

Charles’ Christmas with Wine With Charles’s selection of wines for every taste and every pocket, to go alongside each scrumptious delicacy that makes up our extravagant Christmas meals, you can’t go wrong!

It is all too apparent that for many, wine is wine, whether we are cracking open random bottles to wash down a BBQ or selecting to impress at a family wedding or, maybe, as in this case choosing wines to enhance jollifications over Christmas.

Some still regard wine as confusing and as such the selection as a chore. There is one grape that I consider to be inseparable with Christmas it is the Pinot Noir, regarded as the Noble Grape.

I start with this red as it conjures up the image and expectation of cosy candlelit evenings, tables laden with Christmas fare, open fires and delicious fruity Pinot Noir swilling around in over generous wine goblets. Christmas is not Christmas without turkey. Whilst the restrained flavours of a white meat can be hijacked by the more dramatic influences of dried fruit stuffing, ham and sausages, the Pinot Noir grape can bind all these flavours without overwhelming.

There is no doubt that if price is not a consideration, Burgundy and Pinot Noir are insurmountable; Volnay, Cotes de Beaune are always worth an extravagant punt. That said, the smart money is on New Zealand, South Africa, Australia and our top budget beater rocks in from Romania – ‘Paparuda’ at £6.50, just voted the ‘Best Value Pinot Noir in the Country’ ... so true in every way. We are delighted to have acquired an allocation of the official ‘Best Pinot Noir from New Zealand’. ‘Greystones’ from Waipara Valley is sublime and at £24.95 mimics a £40 Burgundy.

Mid-priced and right on the money at £8.90 is our Klippenkop from Robertson, South Africa ... it is stunning.

I would not be doing my job as a Vintner if I did not mention Beaujolais. Be they the everyday youthful, ridiculously over fruity and juicy Beaujolais or the more sublime Fleurie Cru Beaujolais. Boxing Day is Beaujolais day! So well suited to

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take on pickles, cold meats and the like. Serve slightly chilled to add an extra dimension.

It’s true to say whilst the vast array of white grape options can be overwhelming, it is the classics that come to the fore over Christmas. Gewurztraminer is a must with smoked salmon; racy, scented Riesling from the Mosel, often light in alcohol and subtle any time before during or after a meal; Kiwi Sauvignon, if you favour drama and big flavours of gooseberry, asparagus, elderflower, these are for you. Maybe the more elegant pure style of Sauvignon from the Loire such as our star of the moment, Les Anges 2014, a Sancerre look-a-like is only £7.99.

And yes ... Chardonnay, the true classic white grape, the grape of Burgundy, with or without oak influence and from virtually every country and indeed at every price point.

And ... the essential part of Christmas… Pudding Wine, or Dessert Wine, call it what you will. Whilst primarily sweet, their levels of sweetness are as variable as the colour and price. Every year one wine in particular dominates, ‘Rutherglen Muscat’. Fortified like a Port, this wine has been nicknamed ‘Liquid Christmas Pudding’, the perfect accompaniment with all types of Christmas pudding. So ridiculously moreish and a bottle will fit into a Christmas stocking! For those who want a more restrained and less sweet wine, Casa Silva GewurztraminerSemillon at £8.50 is so well suited for all desserts.

Editor says stop! I haven’t even mentioned Champagne, Cognac, Armagnac and so on .....

Happy Christmas!

Charles Steevenson

51

BUSINESS

IT FAQs

Gidon from The Technology Company answers your technology questions

Q. I have no mobile phone coverage at home so can’t be contacted on my mobile or send and receive texts. What are my options?

The free option for text messaging if you have a smartphone, is to use an app like WhatsApp. This uses your home’s Wi-Fi for a textlike messaging service. You’ll have to encourage your friends and family to also download the app.

Other options depend on your network provider. Vodafone offers the best option (but at a price) called Sure Signal that creates a 3G hotspot in your home using your Wi-Fi router. EE offer something similar called Signal Box. O2 offer a free solution called TU Go – an app you download to your smartphone that you can use for phone calls and texting over Wi-Fi when you have no signal.

viewable through the app, but you have space to take more. The only disadvantage is you really need a Dropbox Pro account to make the most of Carousel, which costs £8 per month and gives you 1000GB of space.

Q. I’ve heard there’s a feature on new iPhones which can use up your data allowance? Is this right?

Any newer Apple iPhone (or cellular iPad) with the latest iOS 9, has a feature called Wi-Fi Assist which automatically uses your cellular data connection if your Wi-Fi speed is slow. This can quickly use up your limited data allowance and is on by default.

To turn it off, go to Settings > Mobile Data and scroll all the way down and tap Wi-Fi Assist.

Q. What’s your favourite smartphone app this month?

Carousel (iOS and Android) is a photo and video gallery app for your smartphone. It automatically backs up (and organises) all your smartphone’s photos and videos at their original quality, and allows them to be easily shared and viewed across all your devices.

My favourite feature of the app is its ability to free up space on your phone once the media has been backed up. Everything is still

Gidon Reid The Technology Company, Tavistock If you have any questions now or for a future column, and for all previous articles, please visit thetechnologycompany.co.uk/linksqa.

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BUSINESS

Saving Our Rural Pubs Geoffrey Cox MP on plans to help support our local pubs In our rural communities pubs are an essential asset, acting as the centre of our local social network, creating community cohesion, and performing a range of important social, economic and community functions in maintaining village life.

They are important places to meet and talk; acting as selling hubs for local producers, who use them for placing their products; meeting places for many local clubs and groups; and vitally, generating part-time and casual employment which is essential to our rural economy.

Despite this the number of pubs has consistently declined during past decades; impacting greatly on the communities they once served. It is therefore essential that more is done to stop this trend from continuing, and to support these pubs to serve their communities for generations to come.

With this in mind, the Government has launched a new £1.5million Pub Loan Fund to enable local communities to take control of pubs at risk of closure, meaning that local people will be able to apply for small loans to help restore their pub, to help pay for feasibility work or lawyers’ fees. £350,000 has also been provided to ‘Pub is the Hub’ and the Plunkett Foundation to help local residents buy and run pubs and to enable pubs to provide community services.

The last Labour Government’s planned 10 percent tax rise on cider has also been scrapped and the beer duty escalator has been removed altogether. The duty on beer has been cut by one percent and I welcome the fact that beer is now 8p cheaper. The introduction of the Live Music Act, also makes it easier for pubs to play live music. www.tavylinks.co.uk

In addition, the introduction of a national list of Assets of Community Value has seen many pubs protected from redevelopment. Communities are able to nominate any pub as an Asset of Community Value and then if it comes up for sale, the community has six months to raise the necessary funds in a bid to buy it. Over 800 pubs have been listed in this way.

But we have not stopped there, the Government has also doubled small business rate relief and increased the temporary business rate discount for pubs

with rateable values below £50,000 to £1,500 for 2015-16, cut corporation tax and National Insurance for employers, given pubs greater flexibility over weight and measures, allowing beer and wine to be served in different sizes, and given publicans tied to pub companies new rights under a statutory Code of Practice.

Supporting our local pubs is a key priority for the Conservative party. Their longevity will without question have a positive impact on our rural communities across the country.

Geoffrey Cox MP

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53

BIKE RIDE

On your Bike…

Gawton was built to attract the more commited mountain bikers to the South West, giving them an alternative to travelling to the traditional home of purpose built mountain biking in South Wales.

On arrival at Gawton you are met by the cosy looking wooden cabin where at the weekend Carol helps hungry cyclists refuel on home made sarnies, drinks and bacon butties. You can also pick up spare parts and club memberships in the cabin.

To ride at Gawton you must pick up either a £5 day ticket or an annual membership (currently £40 for adults with junior concessions) the funds going towards paying the land rent, insurance and maintenance costs.

Christmas savings club now open.

Drop in to reserve your bike now!

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We are staying close to our Tavistock home and visiting Gawton Gravity Hub near Gulworthy and exploring the easiest graded track - HSD Tickets and memberships can also be bought from local bike shops, Dartmoor Cycles, Rockin Bikes and Cogs.

On the other side of the road you'll find the gate that leads to the start of the trails. Gawton has 4 distinct routes, all with there own personalites, so you should find one that fits yours!

From the start mound we'll head off down the easiest graded track, HSD. This is a great warm up for more experienced riders or a really entertaining run for intermediates. Fully surfaced from top to bottom there are no nasty suprises such as ‘gap jumps’ or ‘drop offs’ to catch the unaware. From the top, the track throws you into a series of fast fun and flowy banked corners that set the tone for the rest of the track. The more time you ride HSD the more fun little sections you find, sections you can link together in one leap, corners you can try different lines, bits to the side you can turn into jumps. At the bottom of the track you turn right and take the wide open fire road "Rode to Knowhere" to get you back, to the top for another run.

If you are feeling more adventurous then give Proper Job a spin, the start is very similar to HSD but then you are soon presented with more challenges, a rough rock garden leads to a series of rolling jumps, all which can be ridden over if your jumping isn't quite on point yet! Further down the track there are drop offs, although intimidating to look at, they can all be ridden without your wheels leaving terra firma. That's the beauty of Proper Job, the clever construction means that you can progress your skills without feeling that sections are defeating you. Again, a loopy of Rode to Knowhere takes us back to the top. Egypt and Super Tavi are left to conquer...

you have a full face helmet and extra padding put it on now!

The tracks were built to test the best riders - many of the world famous superstars of the sport have ridden Super Tavi and commented on what an impressive and surprisingly technical track it is. The 10fft high and 15ft wide road jump near the top gives you a good idea what to expect on the rest of the track. Steep, rocky and fast would be a good guide.

Egypt takes away speed but adds technicality. For me, it's my favourite track in the UK and a great place to master the skills you'll need if you are planning a mountain bike trip to the Alps next summer. The surface is a mix of mud, roots and difficult traverses, you'll feel on top of the world if you get to the finish without putting a foot down!

Of course, a site like this doesn't just happen, there is a volunteer team that look after the tracks at Gawton. They always need more willing helpers to work on the many dig days that happen throughout the year. More details can be found at www.gawtongravityhub.co.uk

A word of warning - Egypt and Super Tavi tracks are tough! If

Andy Boyle Dartmoor Cycles

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DOG WALK

Brent Tor

a Tor to aspire to!

My previous walk featured a tor with a significant cross, so for this walk with Finlay, it seems a natural progression to feature a tor which has even more to it - a church and a legend to boot!

Nestled betwixt Lydford and Tavistock on the western edge of Dartmoor, it attracts keen interest from walkers, as it stands alone in the distance, widely visible on high even from the more remote heights of Dartmoor. Typically, as with most legends, there are variations, but my favourite account attributes the elevated location of Brentor church as the result of a lucky escape from a violent storm at sea by a wealthy merchant. As the storm raged he vowed to the Lord, that upon his survival, he would build a church (dedicated to the patron saint, St.Michael de la Rupe) that could be seen for miles around to mark his grateful thanks for reaching the safety of land.

Subsequently, this ancient church stands at 1,110 ft above sea level and although still in use to this day, it is often locked out of hours for its own protection. However, the view from the church is simply spectacular; a 360â—Ś landscape view across Dartmoor and Devon, with Dartmoor to the east, Plymouth Sound and Whitsand Bay to the south, the Tamar Valley and Bodmin Moor to the west, and the hills

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of Exmoor to the north. There is also a pleasant short walk around its base, which is contained by the boundary of an iron age hill fort, so, no need for instructions or navigational skills on this one, but if you wish to significantly up the heart rate after your visit, Gibbet Hill/Black Down(East) and Lydford Gorge(North) are on the doorstep, just a short drive away, to extend your walk.

Brentor Car Park is signposted on the western side of the church....a cautionary note...ensure you lock your car and remove valuables for safety and please watch children and dogs when crossing the road to the church.

Ref and more info on Brentor church: www.brentorvillage.org

Wishing You All A Wonderful Christmas & Prosperous New Year Elaine from Love Dartmoor is a Dartmoor Guide and Personal trainer, who takes groups and individuals on the moor.

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For this walk: OS Map (OL28) and compass skills are required in case of poor visibility and for your own safety, avoid crossing rivers in full flow.

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HISTORY

A Literary Christmas 1836 at Tavistock Vicarage

Anna Bray

Anna had begun her career as a writer after touring parts of France with her first husband, the artist, Charles Alfred Stothard, and her first book, Letters written during a tour through Normandy, Britanny and other parts of France in 1818, was published in 1820.

In 1821 Charles died in a tragic accident at Bere Ferrers church, when he had fallen from a ladder while tracing a portrait from one of the stained glass windows. Anna married the vicar of Tavistock, the Reverend Edward Atkyns Bray in 1822, and her second book Memoirs of Charles Alfred Stothard was published in 1823.

Christmas week of 1836 was a very special time at the vicarage in Tavistock. The vicar’s wife, the writer Anna Eliza Bray had invited the Poet Laureate Robert Southey and his son Charles to stay. There must have been much excitement in the household as they prepared for this important Christmas visit and Anna’s forty sixth birthday on Christmas Day.

domestic servant in a house near the river not far from the vicarage, owned by the Hughes family.

Mary had been born in Tavistock on 20 August 1804 to Edmund and Anne Colling. Edmund was a farm labourer and the family were very poor, but Mary did attend the local dame school, where she was more interested in books than domestic crafts.

Her maternal grandmother, Mary Philp, was later said to have been one of the greatest influences on Mary’s early life, although she had died when Mary was only four. Mary had been inspired to write a long poem about her, and when she

Most of Anna’s literary work was completed while she lived in Tavistock. Her most enduring work, A Description of the part of Devonshire bordering on the Tamar and the Tavy was published in three volumes by John Murray in 1836. The idea for this work on the people, customs, and folklore of West Devon had emerged from discussions by letter with Robert Southey and it was published as a series of letters. These volumes can be found in the Tavistock Subscription Library. The book proved very popular and was republished in 1879 as a two volume edition.

In 1830, Anna became acquainted with a young woman called Mary Maria Colling, a member of the congregation at St Eustachius church, where her husband preached unfathomable sermons. Anna recorded in her Autobiography (published posthumously in 1884), that she had noticed Mary Colling at church; she was intelligent, of neat appearance and had written some poetry. Mary, then 25, was employed as a 58

Tavistock vicarage where Rev. Edward Atkyns Bray and Anna Bray entertained the poet Laureate Robert Southey. editorial@tavylinks.co.uk

was older she was able to fund a gravestone for her beloved grandmother. This headstone remains in the churchyard in front of St Eustachius Church in Tavistock, but does not mark the original grave.

Mary submitted some of her writing for Anna Bray to read and she was so impressed, that in 1831 she had a selection of Mary’s poetry Fables and other Pieces in Verse privately published. Robert Southey, who had been consulted about the merit of Mary’s poetry, became a patron of the publication, and there were also other notable subscribers, such as William Wordsworth.

Mary Colling’s talent as a poet was considered quite curious and remarkable at the time as, for someone of her class, but also slightly inappropriate, because it might disturb the natural (class) order. Although Mary Colling and Anna Bray both had interests in writing it was mutually agreed that they occupied rather different places in life, as ordained by God. During the Christmas week of 1836 it had snowed heavily and

Anna was not able to take her guest Robert Southey around the local attractions of Tavistock and Dartmoor, mentioned in A Description of the part of Devonshire bordering on the Tamar and the Mary Colling Tavy. However, being the season of goodwill, Mary Colling the poet was invited to join the Brays and Southeys in the evenings for their readings and discussions.

Southey, the ‘king of poets’ enjoyed Mary’s artless company and Devonshire accent during that Christmas week. He remarked that Mary – with her pretty appearance and intelligence – would have been a ‘sweet creature’, if only she had been brought up in a higher sphere in life.

Sadly, towards the end of her life Mary developed some extraordinary behaviours, which might have been due to alcoholism or an undiagnosed illness, possibly Tourette’s syndrome, and spent some time in an asylum before she died on 6 August 1853.

In 1873 (by which time she was living in London) Anna Bray, in editing her memoirs for publication, came across a letter she had written, forty years before to Robert Southey, describing Mary Colling in glowing terms as her ‘friend’. Anna with hindsight revised this letter before publication, deleting the inappropriate sentence referring to Mary as a friend. However, during that snowy Christmas week of 1836 the ‘natural’ class order was temporarily forgotten.

Dr Ann Pulsford

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LAST WORD

to Mary with the good news that she is to bear a child. Angels also appear to the shepherds on the hillsides of Bethlehem who then go to see the baby. While, in Matthew, it is the wise men who make a long journey to find the Christ child.

A message for Christmas One of the joys of the approach to Christmas is the number of nativity plays in schools, playgroups and Churches. They are always well attended and those who see children and young people taking part see something which is very special and precious. I am sure many of you will have attended such occasions and seen the story of the birth of Christ retold with familiar words and actions.

In the Bible, both St Matthew and St Luke tell the Nativity story, although they do so from different perspectives. In both, angels play a significant part. St Matthew tells the story from Joseph’s view point. Joseph has a dream in which an angel tells him to take Mary as his wife. It is an angel who appears to Joseph in a dream and tells him to take his wife and child to Egypt because of Herod’s attempts to kill the child. St Luke, tells the story from Mary’s perspective and begins with the birth of John the Baptist.

Luke’s account also tells of the involvement of angels. An angel speaks to Zechariah the priest, Elizabeth’s husband, and then

In the Nativity plays we will see over the coming weeks, the accounts of Jesus’ birth, as recorded by both St Matthew and St Luke, are combined to give the story we know so well. All the plays we shall see also contain “added extras” – the Innkeeper (at least one, sometimes many more – often with a speaking part), the ox, the ass, and three kings rather than wise men.

We make additions all the time and we interpret the story in different ways because there is a timelessness to it. It invites us to use our imaginations, to think, to wonder, and to become part of the story ourselves. What is most beautiful is that at the heart of the Nativity story is a God who comes to us. God takes on our humanity and makes himself known to us. God chooses to enter into a new relationship with human beings, with shepherds and wise men, and with you and me.

St John, who does not have an account of the birth of Christ in his gospel, says: “In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God …. And the word became flesh and dwelt amongst us”. As Christmas approaches, we are all invited, once again, to celebrate God who makes himself known to us. He comes to us to show us how to live and how to love. All human life is part of this story, it is a story of care and concern, and of involvement with the world in which we live.

Jesus comes into all the complexities of human living to show us through his birth, life, death, and resurrection, that things can be different, things can be changed. As Mary, Joseph, the angels, the shepherds, and the wise men play their part in the story of pointing to Jesus and the new life he offers, so too, we are invited to become part of this story once again this Christmas.

May the joy, peace and love of this season be yours.

Very Revd Dr Christopher Hardwick Vicar of Tavistock

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