Reconnect 11 Feb-Mar 11

local people local events local food local health local environment visit our website: www.reconnectonline.co.uk

ISSUE 11 FEB/MAR 2011

the green living magazine for Exeter, Plymouth and South Devon

FREE

Forest to furniture Making the connection

please take one and pass it on

Warren piece

Hop over to our events pages

Local flavour

Home-made and wholesome

Meet your maker

Studios, workshops and galleries

Wellbeing pages

Pathways to good health

Electric supercar Shape of things to come?

Green house

Eco views on architecture

local people local events local food local health local environment HoLisTiC MEdiCiNE EXpERiENCEd pRACTiTioNERs WidE RANgE of TREATMENTs pRofEssioNAL TRAiNiNg

EXETER NATURAL HEALTH CENTRE Holistic healthcare in the heart of the city

Health is the fullest expression of you as an individual with the least friction with your environment. it implies adaptation, fluidity, freedom and ease and is truly a blessing.

Here at the centre, we work with you to find the most suitable ways for you to restore and sustain your health. We work from a holistic perspective and with an integrated approach. situated just off Queen street right in the heart of the city we offer a wide range of complementary therapies all provided by respected and experienced practitioners. our consulting rooms are light and airy and many of our visitors have been delighted by the tranquil ambience of the centre.

BriTisH sCHool of HoMoeoPaTHY now interviewing for new students for the academic year beginning sept 2011.

THE PRACTITIONERS: CraniosaCral Therapy Katherine Ukleja homoeopaThiC mediCine mo morrish lomi lomi massaGe, pasT liFe reGression & FUTUre liFe proGression Julie Bladon

deVon sChool oF reFleXoloGy spring course starts april 2011 nUTriTional TherapisT lesley harper preGnanCy yoGa & aCTiVe BirTh patricia or Karin

reiKi masTer, pressUre poinT massaGe & CrysTal healinG mandy Coull TransFormaTional liFe CoaChinG and nlp Therapies sue davies & Katherine Beattie massaGe, reFleXoloGy & preGnanCy massaGe lisa Tate

reiKi & massaGe deirdre richards

psyChoTherapy & CoUnsellinG Julia Collett

Core proCess psyChoTherapy & CoUnsellinG Kay luck

reFleXoloGy For preGnanCy and BirTh susan Quayle

enerGy healinG & CoUnsellinG Geoff Green

TradiTional aCUpUnCTUre anna paris

PURE FACE WORKS, BESPOKE HOLISTIC FACIALS norah mcCullagh

massaGe Therapy alice Brockington

Professional Massage Training: apnT accredited massage diplomas available: swedish, remedial, sports injury, indian head Cpd days: myofascial release & protect your Body: extend your Career www.schoolofbodywork.com info@schoolofbodywork.com 07711 656 011

01392 422555 Centre manager: ali morrish 2

Advertising: 01392 346342 adverts@reconnectonline.co.uk

exeter natural health Centre, Queens Walk, 83/84 Queen street, exeter, eX4 3rp e: info@enhc.org w: www.enhc.org www.reconnectonline.co.uk

local people local events local food local health local environment COMMERCIAL EDITOR Pete Hardy - 01392 346342 2 Withall’s Gardens, Lympstone, EX8 5JH adverts@reconnectonline.co.uk

to the February/March issue.

EDITOR Martin Foster - 01392 346204 editor@reconnectonline.co.uk 45 Punchards Down, Follaton, Totnes TQ9 5FD PUBLISHER Robin Currie - 01392 411630 robin@reconnectonline.co.uk

pages 6 - 7

We try to ensure every issue of Reconnect reflects every aspect of a greener, more sustainable, more positive way of living – so we wanted an event that would do the same.

PUBLISHED BY Reconnect Publishing Ltd, 15 Sylvan Rd, Exeter EX4 6EW

Local energy

A Reconnect event, we reasoned, should be like walking through a 3-D version of the magazine – so on June 18, that’s exactly what you’ll get!

PRINTED BY Kingfisher Print, Wills Road, Totnes TQ9 5XN. www.kingfisherprint.co.uk EARLY BIRD DEADLINE Book your advertisement in the April/May issue (out April 1) by February 18 and we’ll give you a BIG FIVE PER CENT DISCOUNT! All advertising must be booked by March 4.

To talk about advertising (no hard sell, we promise!), call Pete Hardy on 01392 346342 or email adverts@reconnectonline.co.uk.

Advert sizes and prices are on our website: www.reconnectonline.co.uk WEBSITE Visit www.reconnectonline.co.uk and you’ll find: • an online PDF version of this issue • advert sizes and prices • details of our magazine stockists • profiles of the Reconnect team To contribute, please email Martin or Pete ECO ETHOS Reconnect is written, designed, printed and distributed locally, using materials from sustainable sources. The magazine is printed using vegetable-based inks and biodegradable fount solution, and the paper is 75 per cent post-consumer waste and 25 per cent virgin fibre from a sustainable source. It is also chlorine-free and FSC-accredited (www.fsc-uk.org).

All by-products of the production and printing processes are recycled. Please recycle reconnect by passing it on to a friend

© Reconnect Publishing Ltd 2009. All rights reserved.

No part of Reconnect can be reproduced in any form without permission of the publisher. But do ask – if you’re genuinely spreading the word, we’ll do what we can to help. The publishers, editor and authors accept no responsibility in respect of any products, goods or services advertised or referred to in this issue, or any errors, omissions, mis-statements or mistakes in any advertisements or references

pages 10 - 11

You’ll read more about it elsewhere in this issue, and the full story in our next issue when more details have been finalised, but what we’re going for is: eco living, wellbeing, local food and drink, artists and craftmakers and entertainment – plus everything you’d find at a traditional village fair… Sounding good?

Picture this page13

AND, just like the magazine, it will be free – no entry charge!

EMBERCOMBE, which describes itself as a “centre of inspiration”, was a natural choice as a partner in our first event.

Going out diary

‘Engagement with the land’ is key to their workshops, courses and other projects, which attract people of all ages and from all backgrounds, and they are based within 50 acres of woodland and pasture, which includes two groups of yurts (accommodation for residential courses), a productive organic veg garden, a stone circle and compost loos.

pages 16 - 17

Embercombe wants to remind people how to enjoy themselves in the heart of the countryside; we want a day with a taste of everything you need to live a greener, more sustainable life.

Eco homes pages 18 - 21

Saturday, June 18, is the day it will all come together!

BACK to this issue – and what an issue to get back to.

For the first time, we have 36 pages - 12 more than when we first launched Reconnect less than two years ago, and we’d like to say a heart-felt thank-you to everyone who has made that possible.

More pages means more to read and this issue has something to reflect every positive aspect of the amazing community in which we live. Enjoy – and respond. We love hearing from readers, organisations and businesses with stories to interest Reconnect readers.

SOMETHING you might not have expected to see in Reconnect is the exotic sportscar on page 10. But take a closer look… that sleek bodywork conceals an electric motor.

Ok, so it’s not the sort of car many of us could afford to have parked outside our houses – it might not even be the car some of us would choose to own, even if we could afford it.

COPYRIGHT

Local food

I START my ramblings this time with some really exciting news – after hinting in the last issue that we were planning a Reconnect event for 2011, we can now reveal we are joining forces with Embercombe, just outside Exeter, to create…

The Midsummer Fair on Saturday, June 18.

But for electric cars to have a real impact on the international motor industry, they need to work in all sectors – and we are all aware of the marketing concept of producing a high performance model to increase sales of its more mundane, but more affordable, mass-market sister models.

Cars like the Lightning will appeal to the novelty-seeking wealthy but also, as project boss Iain Sanderson suggests, to a new generation of schoolboy car enthusiasts. And probably to the boy in a good few adult men too…

Wellbeing pages 27 - 35

SOMETHING that might appeal to rather more of you is Nissan’s new electric car, the Leaf – we’ll be looking at that in more detail in our next issue. We will also continue to cover community car schemes, the use of recycled cooking oil in diesel engines (mine is still… well, in the pipeline) and truly eco forms of transport like cycling and walking!

ANOTHER benefit of having extra editorial pages is the space to introduce something a little bit different… and we have plans, my dears, we have plans. Look out for some exciting new features in our next issue – out at the end of March, covering April and May.

Editor

YURT HOLIDAYS IN CORNWALL

Sustainable, dog-friendly site in wonderful countryside, near beautiful beaches. insight meditation in the buddhist tradition

Available for a weekend break, a week or longer. Open all-year round.

NEW for this year - Shepherd’s hut

Mill Valley Tipis & Yurts

See website for details, pictures, etc www.millvalley.co.uk Or call 01208 841163 / 07725 055370

www.gaiahouse.co.uk

www.reconnectonline.co.uk

Editorial: 01392 346204 editor@reconnectonline.co.uk

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local people local events local food local health local environment

Get animated!

EXETER Cathedral will form an ancient screen for a spectacular animation to mark this year’s Animated Exeter film festival which runs from February 14 - 26.

The north side of the cathedral will feature a projected film called Isca Obscura on February 18, 19 and 20.

Now in its 12th year, the festival attracts crowds of over 12,000 and, as in previous years, includes work from the hottest global animators.

Festival-goers can watch over 140 animated films as well as attend industry master-classes, career-planning days, and award ceremonies at venues across the city.

The top image is from a film called Esterhazy, from the Best of World Animation directed by Izabela Plucinska (at Exeter Phoenix on February 20, 12.30pm–1.45pm), and the knitted polar caps and unravelling leaves, right, are from Craft Animators, an exhibition at The Thelma Hulbert Gallery in Honiton (in association with Animated Exeter) until March 5.

Visitors will be able to get crafty themselves at the gallery during the exhibition by participating in an ever evolving stop motion film being made in The Special Projects Room. The Thelma Hulbert gallery is open 10am-5pm, Tuesday -Saturday.

Admission is free. Find out more at www.thelmahulbert.com.

And to get a rundown on all Animated Exeter events (there are loads at Exeter Phoenix and at other venues in Exeter and at other Devon venues too), visit www.animatedexeter.co.uk.

Green walks THERE’S a new way to meet up with environmentally-minded people in the Exeter area – green walks.

Like green drinks, they’re open to everyone with an interest in the environment and are a chance to chat, debate and share ideas while enjoying a good stroll around Exeter’s many lovely green areas.

The next Exeter green walks start outside the Cathedral at 2pm on February 27 and March 27. Visit www. transitionexeter.org.uk

Super saver IN the most recent edition of the excellent Bovey Climate Action newsletter, it was estimated readers who had followed their carbon emission cutting tips throughout 2010 would have saved £2,000-£6,750 - and cut their emissions by 10 per cent. See www. boveyclimateaction. org.uk

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Down-to-earth creativity in the shed TALKING to Richenda Macgregor you get the feeling that her feet are very firmly on the ground – pushed firmly into the Devon clay even…

Richenda is an experienced potter and teacher and runs The Potting Shed ceramics and glass studio at Ashprington, with glass specialist Natalie Elder.

“It is very important to us, and the people who attend our courses, that The Potting Shed is very much a community resource,” says Richenda.

“We make every effort to work sustainably and a key part of that is using local and recycled materials.”

‘Clay winning’ is an example of their philosophy.

Says Richenda: “We harvest clay locally – simply dig down and get it. It’s very empowering.”

The glass used in the studio comes from local glaziers and the copper from recycling electrical wiring. The studio is also going over to wood-fired kilns.

“We teach the crafts of ceramics and glass work,” says Richenda, “but also encourage people to recognise the true value of the objects they make – the actual cost to the earth.

“We’re always looking for new, less energy-hungry ways of working with materials. Crafts inform the maker – you think of an idea, make it and the result gives you instant feedback.”

Courses coming up at The Potting Shed include a raku firing day on February 26 and smoke firing workshops on March 12 and 19.

Call 01803 865033, email richenda@ottingshedworkshop. com and visit www.pottingshedworkshop.com.

Advertising: 01392 346342 adverts@reconnectonline.co.uk

www.reconnectonline.co.uk

local people local events local food local health local environment Fund boost for produce COUNTRY Markets, which runs markets throughout the UK for local food producers, has been given just over £500,000 to “explore and develop the sale of Country Markets home produce through retail outlets such as community-owned and village shops, farm shops and garden centres.”

The initiative is part of the national Making Local Food Work Project.

Find out more about Country Markets at www.contry-markets. co.uk and about Making Local Food Work at www. makinglocalfoodwork. co.uk.

LETS update IF you haven’t yet come across LETS (local exchange trading schemes), they are sophisticated bartering networks in which people trade goods and services.

We’ve just heard from LETS Kingsbridge contact them on 01752 830304 - but we want to feature more in a future issue, so email us at editor@ reconnectonline.co.uk.

Bike group CYCLISTS in the area are invited to join up with the Transition Town Totnes cycling group for monthly ride-outs. The group are also working hard to establish more cycle ways and bike stands in and around the town.

To get involved, email Julian Burn at charpentier@sailoar. co.uk

Interested in Counselling?

Exeter College offers a programme of courses from beginners to level 4, whether you want to improve your communication skills or train to be a Counsellor:

•

Introduction to Counselling (level 2) March 2011

•

NCFE level 3 Award in Counselling Skills - March 2011

•

Level 4 Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling - Sept 2011

Makers serve it up fresh THE Devon Guild at Bovey Tracey continues to bring together work from some of the best craftmakers across the area.

Running until February 27 is Get Fresh - print, wood, textiles, glass and resin works from 17 creatives, for some of whom this is their first major showcase since graduating. It’s also the first time the gallery has displayed a surfboard (above) – although it is hand-crafted.

Get Fresh is held every two years and guarantees visitors will see fresh, new work and ideas.

The Guild’s Anna Trussler said: “By putting on a regional exhibition opportunity outside London, the Devon Guild wants to encourage design talent to remain in the West Country, rather than migrating nearer the capital to find success.

“With so many young people staying closer to home for economic reasons, the Devon Guild can support local skills and business in the area while helping new makers exhibit, sell work and develop their artistic practice and profile.

All working craftspeople based in the South West region can apply to be a Member of the Devon Guild.”

Get Fresh is open 10am-5.30pm daily at The Devon Guild of Craftsmen gallery, Riverside Mill, Bovey Tracey. Entry is free.

Visit www.crafts.org.uk.

Group has a growing attachment THE Attachment Parenting International (API) monthly support group in Totnes continues to expand and has been welcoming new faces at every meeting since Michelle started the group last October.

She trained as a support leader with API after moving to the Totnes area last year and says the meetings are “relaxed and friendly with open discussion on a theme such as safe sleep, dealing with strong emotions and positive discipline”.

Vikki, who regularly attends meetings, said: “The group is

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welcoming and open to everyone, including children, expectant parents, fathers and other caregivers.”

The group also runs ‘enrichment meetings’ with guest speakers demonstrating safe babywearing and explaining good chiropractic practice for anyone handling growing children.

Meetings are held at Birdwood House in the Market Square, Totnes, 10am-12pm on Mondays, including February 7, March 7 and April 4 and May 2.

Visit www.devonapi.com.

To find out more, visit our website or email: CommunityEdAdministration@exe-coll.ac.uk

www.exe-coll.ac.uk 0845 111 6000

celebrating our 40th year

The Contemporar y College of Homeopathy B r i s t o l

Putting Health Back In Your Hands We offer an enviable training with internationally renowned teachers and supervision in our busy teaching clinics

• Weekend introductory courses • One year foundation course (part time) year professional training for • Four practitioner level (part time) CALL NOW to book a place on our next

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or chat to Kate for more information tel: 0845 603 2878 www.conhom.com Editorial: 01392 346204 editor@reconnectonline.co.uk

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local people local events local food local health local environment

www.macroschool.co.uk

Appropriately for our first issue of 2011, we have a selection of new initiatives for you this time a new home for a thriving organic nursery, a new community wholefood store and a new home-made pickle business. If you have a tasty morsel of food news for us, get in touch: editor@reconnectonline.co.uk, or 01803 868455

international

MACROBIOTIC school

Totnes, Devon

Introduction to Macrobiotics Day 4 March You will learn how to create 10 June @ £75 16 September

delicious and healthy food!

Looking After Your Health 4 day intensive

29 March to 1 April @£350 inc. lunch & supper You will leave the course with a new understanding of how to look after your health.

Tel. 01803 762598 info@macroschool.co.uk

FRESH, LOCAL & SEASONAL FOOD

Get

Real

The Growers team - now Riverford’s neighbours

Growers put down roots BACK in 2002, Joa Grower was screwing up newspaper to light the fire when she spotted an ad for a nursery to let.

After producing organic vegetables for fourteen years and having outgrown the back garden, she jumped at the chance of running a bigger business.

Today, just nine years later, she is running a thriving all-organic nursery, offering the biggest range of organic vegetable plants in the Southwest.

In fact, Growers (could she have called it anything else?), is now shifting up a gear, moving to a new site, right next to the Riverford farm shop at Yealmpton.

The business is now run by Joa and her partner Charlie, an art teacher, who works behind the scenes on Growers sales and advertising, along with three other employees.

And when you discover the breadth of their outlets, you see why she needs some help.

“We sell plants from the nursery site itself,” says Joa, “from Totnes market, which we’ll be attending on Fridays and Saturdays this year, and mail order right across the country through our website.

“We also sell wholesale to Riverford farm shops, Tuckers in Ashburton, Occombe Farm in Torquay and Avon Mill Garden Centre, near Kingsbridge.”

Growers currently offers more than 60 varieties of organic veg plants, plus herbs, and when they open at the new site, in March, they will have even more space.

“We’ll certainly be growing more,” says Joa, “and we also have plans for a strawbale office. Also in 2012 we will be running country craft courses, including organic gardening.”

Call Joa 01752 881180 or 07966 581145, and visit www.growersorganics.com.

Café, Bakery & Store Opens March 2011 Paris Street, Exeter www.realfoodexeter.co.uk 6

RF ad.indd 1

Advertising: 01392 346342 adverts@reconnectonline.co.uk 17/1/11 22:52:36

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local people local events local food local health local environment

Open time for city store THE hard work of fundraising has finished and the dream of a community-run food store in Exeter is about to become a reality.

Two adjacent shops in Paris Street have been knocked together, a new frontage has been fitted and the store, called Real Food, is expected to open during March.

As we went to press, the team behind the £150,000 project were preparing for their annual meeting, on February 26, 4pm, at the Southernhay United Reformed Church Hall in Dix’s Field.

Anyone is invited to attend but only members of the Community Benefit Scheme that supports the store will be able to vote. In total nearly 300 people agreed to invest in the project.

David Mezzetti, one of the five directors, said they would be aiming to appoint some more directors at the meeting.

He said they had now appointed a manager and assistant manager for the store and their names would be announced at the AGM. They would also be discussing the results of a survey asking the people of Exeter what produce they wanted to see available in the store.

All food in the store will be sourced from local producers working within a 40 mile radius of Exeter.

in a pickle Home made pickle & chutneys Produced in St. Marychurch, Torquay, using top quality ingredients, with no artificial additives of any kind.

73 Fore Street, St Marychurch, Torquay

Tel: 0775115 6325

Ashburton’s Upmarket Market!

NOW OPEN 5 DAYS A WEEK Real Food will also feature an artisan bakery and a small cafe. As well as local homes, they also hope to attract business from the 3,000 or so office workers within 500 metres of Paris Street.

The appeal for shareholders exceeded the £135,000 needed to fund the store, making it one of the largest community benefit shemes of its kind in the UK. Visit www.realfoodexeter.co.uk

TUESDAY TO SATURDAY Open all day

By popular demand, our well-established, under - cover Local Produce Market is now open 5 DAYS A WEEK in Tuckers Yard, Chuley Road, Ashburton TQ13 7DG. Come along and enjoy an easy, friendly shopping experience...there’s a host of award winning locally produced meat, organic vegetables, cakes, bread, cheese, flowers, preserves, ice cream, fresh fish, Fairtrade goods, handmade baskets, jewellery, textiles, greetings cards and even more.

TEAS/COFFEES every day, LIGHT LUNCHES on Thursdays, BARBEQUE LUNCHES on Fridays and Saturdays. Free parking right outside the door!

Hazel Glaves, maker and vendor of fine pickles and chutneys

Pickle varieties are the spice of life PICKLES aren’t just for Christmas – that’s the message from local pickle maker Hazel Glaves.

Many of us will have brought out the pickles to liven up yet another cold meat dish over the festive holiday, but a visit to her shop, In A Pickle in St Marychurch, Torquay, is a yearround treat.

Hazel and her husband Steve make and sell more than 40 varieties of pickles and chutneys, all free of artificial additives, including traditional

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favourites (onions, piccalilli, eggs, etc), the more exotic (like chilli pickle and banana and coconut) and new products, the latest being wholegrain mustard.

The shop is open 9am-4.30pm, Wednesday-Friday, and 9am-3pm on Saturdays. Hazel also has stalls at Bovey Tracey market and other local food and drink events.

In A Pickle is at 73 Fore Street, St Marychurch. Call 0775 115 6325.

Editorial: 01392 346204 editor@reconnectonline.co.uk

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local people local events local food local health local environment

Come and take a walk through a 3-D version of the mag!

Midsummer Fair, Embercombe, near Exeter, Saturday, June 18 IF you enjoy reading Reconnect, just imagine walking through a living 3-D version of the magazine…

In fact, don’t just imagine it - put Saturday, June 18, in your diary and visit the Midsummer Fair at Embercombe, near Exeter!

Reconnect is joining forces with Embercombe to create the ultimate day out, with everything you love about the magazine, plus all the fun of the traditional country fair – all spread across the beautiful rolling acres of Embercombe estate.

And entry is FREE! The day will include (deep breath): outdoor activities for all ages; local food producers; renewable energy stands; artists and craftmakers; live music and entertainment; natural health taster sessions; rural crafts; organic home-baked food (including BBQ and pizzas from outdoor bread ovens), plus stalls, workshops, talks, demonstrations, tours, tractor rides and surprises!

You’ll also be able to meet the Reconnect team and find out more about Embercombe and its work with people of all ages, and from all walks of life, inspiring them to contribute energetically towards the emergence of a socially just, environmentally sustainable and spiritually fulfilling human presence on earth.

We’ll have lots more details for you in the next issue, we will also run updates on the Reconnect and Embercombe websites over the coming months - www. reconnectonline.co.uk and www.embercombe.co.uk. * IF you would like to book a stand or stall at the Midsummer Fair, or get involved in any other way, please get in touch – email editor@reconnectonline. co.uk, or call Martin on 01392 346204 or Pete on 01392 346342.

YOU know what Reconnect is all about - stir in some Embercombe action, pictured here, and it’ll be one very special event - and it’s FREE!

So just how green is YOUR workspace?

WE can all be more energy aware at home, where we pay the bills and can take steps to be more careful, but how green is your place of work?

The South West TUC Green Workplaces project, funded the the South West Regional Development Agency, is working with unions to promote energy saving schemes.

They hope to bring together practical suggestions from both workers and management to reduce the environmental impact of the workplace.

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The collaboration aims to stage awareness-raising events, staff surveys and training workshops to encourage union members to become champions on environmental issues in the workplace and to stand as environmental reps who can take forward ideas or concerns to management.

Martin Roberts, Learning Organiser for the BECTU, the Broadcasting Entertainment Cinematograph and Theatre Union South West, has already taken the lead with TUC project workers,

in devising theatre-based awareness raising events in both Northcott theatre in Exeter and the Bristol Old Vic in Bristol.

Martin is project manager for the Technical Workshops in Theatre project and has been responsible for knocking nearly a thousand pounds annually off the electricity bill for the Princess Theatre in Torquay.

Some of the areas for savings included in the theatre project included: • Making sure the heating and air conditioning are not on at the same time;

Advertising: 01392 346342 adverts@reconnectonline.co.uk

•C onsidering if areas could be zoned off when not in use; •T urning down the temperature settings in the summer; •R egular maintenance; • Dripping taps; •C hecking efficiency of the boilers.

In regard to office equipment and recycling, the project suggests the following measures: •T urn off monitors, printers and computers.

Remember stand-by does not save energy;

•P rint on both sides of paper; • Use recyclable materials; • Cut down on waste; •S plit up wastepaper, plastics, glass, batteries and food; On lighting, they suggest the following action: •C hange to low-energy lights where possible; •U pdate timing on outside lighting throoughout the year and look at possibly changing to LED; •R eplace stage lanterns with lower wattage.

www.reconnectonline.co.uk

local people local events local food local health local environment Draw produces two new bards for city BASED on records dating back at least 200 years, Exeter is one of just 30 locations with the right to elect their own Bard or Bardic Chair each year. And now it’s elected two.

The 2011 competition was judged by a secret ballot from the audience, and when a tie was reached between Clive Pig and Jackie Juno, at the suggestion of them both and with the hearty approval of the audience, the Grand Bard of Exeter, Mark Lindsey Earley,

and outgoing Bardic Chair Liv Torc, decided to elect them both as Bards of Exeter.

During her year as Bard of Exeter, Liv has performed at charity events, helped run Exeter’s first poetry

festival last October (of which she was the poet in residence), hosted a regular open mic night at the Phoenix, and ran a slam to find Exeter’s best local poet.

Jackie said: “I am thrilled to be made Bard of Exeter, along with co-bard Clive Pig. It is a great honour to be chosen - all the contenders gave powerful performances with strong material.”

Find out more at www.myspace.com/ jackiejuno and ntlworld. com/huw.sperryn/wots/ temp.htm.

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shiatsu

film hortbsite s a 3 Year see ur we on o Professional Training

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Shiatsu Diploma Next Foundation Years: April or Sept 2011

part-time study one weekend a month

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Shiatsu Discovery Weekends Buckyette Farm, Totnes TQ9 6ND Tel 01803 762593 Email: info@devonshiatsu.co.uk

Two inspiring days of learning and experiencing Shiatsu Next: 12/13 Feb & 21/22 May

Ten new spaces on youth music project

CRAMP creates more music lab places A PROJECT that could open the door to a new career for young would-be musicians has taken on 10 new students.

The weekly music-making workshops called Band Lab are run by CRAMP, the Crediton Rural Arts & Music Project. The first intake of young musicians began work last September with sessions taking place 4-6pm every Monday during term time.

Set up as a seven-month project supported by Devon Community Foundation’s Grassroots Fund and the Youth Opportunities Fund, CRAMP has made 10 further places available for youngsters aged between 11 and 17 who started work in January.

The sessions are held at Studio 69 in Crediton and are aimed at young people from rural communities who may lack creative opportunities.

A limited budget helps with travel costs for those who live in remote places.

The young musicians are required to form small bands with a view to composing original material over the course of the term with support and guidance from professional music leaders.

The songs are then rehearsed and polished before being recorded in a professional studio for a CD. The project culminates in April this year with a live performance in front of a public audience.

The cost of the project is heavily subsidised by the funding and fees are £40 per term (or £3.50 per session).

For information call Marie Belsten on 01363 772 598. info@crampdevon.org

Sustainable Ottery bangs the drum SUSTAINABLE Ottery is holding another of its popular drumming workshops on Saturday, February 5 - beginners at 2pm, more advanced drummers at 3.30pm.

Drums are available to borrow,

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everyone over 11 (accompanied by an adult up to 16) is welcome, and the cost is £7.50 per session.

The venue is the Station Youth Club, Ottery St Mary.

Call 01404 814217.

Editorial: 01392 346204 editor@reconnectonline.co.uk

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local people local events local food local health local environment

LOW carbon forms of car transport take over the opening spread of our local energy section - turn the page for news of wood-powered stoves and boilers

Iain Sanderson with Lightning CEO Tim Martin

Shape of things to hum

Fantastic

earnings with

the Feed-in tariFF

PIONEERING in the 21st century no longer means reaching the north pole or climbing Everest now it’s a case of who can find a realistic alternative to the internal combustion engine.

And a businessman well-known to Devon is aiming to make a serious impression on the prestige end of the international electric car market.

Iain Sanderson moved to Holne on Dartmoor as a young boy and attended Totnes School. He then moved with his family to East Devon before attending Exmouth Comprehensive School and Exeter Technical College.

He still visits his parents in Woodbury, but life is pretty busy for him these days - he’s three years into a project to design, build and market a luxury electric car.

The Lightning GT is definitely a looker as you can see from the

prototype, which has been unveiled in a bid to raise the £15 million Iain needs to start production.

After a successful career in marketing, his attention is now all focused on the Lightning.

Said Iain: “I wanted to give kids at school something to aspire to in the green world.

“How something looks plays a massive part in its success, so I created a beautiful car that would also deliver performance, looks and style.”

Having finished the prototype, Iain is committed to raising the money he needs to take the car to production in Coventry in the spring of 2012.

He plans a low volume production of 250 cars a year.

The current technical battle is to produce an electric car that can travel 300 miles on one charge.

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local people local events local food local health local environment The Lightning engineering team aims to produce the first new British prestige automotive marque for mainstream car production in Britain since the 1940s.

Hotel signs up to new eco car club

The initial launch Lightning will be a rear-wheel-drive car, driven by a German-sourced powertrain with twin inboard-mounted electric motors. This will deliver 400 BHP, with an acceleration of 0-60mph in under five seconds and a governed top speed of 125mph, making The Lightning one of the fastest electric vehicles on the market.

E-cocars, the newly formed car club co-operative, has two energy efficient Toyota Aygos parked at Totnes railway station.

Advanced 44kWh Lithium Titanate batteries provide a touring range of over 150 miles, which can be boosted to 225 miles with an optional range extender.

The prototype Lightning was launched in the summer of 2008 at the British Motor Show by a small start-up team of automotive design, engineering and marketing experts.

The UK Government is demonstrating its support for electric vehicles with a range of initiatives such as: The Plug-In Car Grant; vehicle excise duty reductions; congestion charge exemption and subsidised parking.

What could be easier for hotel customers than to arrive by train and drive out to Dittisham for their hotel reservation?

E-cocars was formed last year by members of Ashburton Co-operative Transport, which already runs a highly successful rural car club called Moorcar, providing vehicles in five towns across South Dartmoor and South Devon.

Jeremy Farr, project manager for E-cocars, said the hotelier could see the advantage of encouraging his guests to travel by train and then

use one of the Toyotas for their short journey.

The Totnes project has now been running three months and has eight members who each paid a one-off joining fee of ÂŁ25 plus ÂŁ3.95 per hour and 15 pence per mile for fuel.

There are no other on-going charges and because of the project’s sophisticated computer system, bookings and reservations can be made inside the car using a smart card.

The popularity of car clubs is growing daily. Said Jeremy: “One car club can replace up to 20 privately owned cars. There are now over 104,000 car club members in the UK using 2,322 car club vehicles.�

For help and advice about joining E-cocars call 07753 325 014, or email info@e-cocars.com

NOT quite as exotic as the Lightning, but a lot more likely to end up outside our houses is the new Nissan Leaf, left.

It’s all-electric (not hybrid petrol/electric like the Toyota Prius) and comes with what Nissan call “a Government incentiveâ€? of ÂŁ5,000.

It’s already been voted 2011 Car of the Year by Auto Express and doesn’t even go on sale until March.

Look out for a roadtest in the April/May issue of Reconnect.

A new Leaf

The company has since grown as an Automotive Design Engineering and Prototype Technology Studio, bringing together partners from across mainland Europe and the US.

ONE Devon hotelier was quick to join the new car share scheme in Totnes - for the use of his customers.

Visit www.lightningcarcompany.co.uk.

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Jim Morris in the new showroom and, right, his wife Lucy with a Westfire model

How to see wood burners for the trees THE rise in the popularity of wood burners has been so rapid that finding the right one to suit your needs is more difficult than ever.

Jim Morris of Devon Fires has now opened a new 750 sq ft showroom near Exeter to showcase as many stoves as possible.

The bright modern showroom has dozens of models, many of which are lit, and features some of the most popular makes such as Charnwood, Westfire and Firebelly.

When you have decided on either traditional or contemporary style, which could be in either cast iron or steel, you then have to decide whether you want a straight forward wood burner or a multi-fuel unit that will also take coal.

Added to the mix is the increase in the number of wood burning cookers coming on to the market.

Jim also stocks a range of accessories, such as log baskets and companion sets.

Devon Fires, who are HETAS accredited installers, work in partnership with an MCS accredited specialist in low energy lighting and can also advise on renewable energy systems such as PV panels, solar thermal and air/ground source heating.

Their showroom is at Woodbury Business Park between Lympstone and Woodbury.

Call 01395 223777 or 07957 202024. www.devonfires.co.uk

Industry gets ready for heat incentive THE latest news on the Renewable Heat Incentive is… that it has been postponed and will not now be introduced until June 1.

As we go to press the latest Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) statement is that they will “announce the details of the scheme, including RHI tariffs and technologies supported, shortly.”

Not the end of last year as we were told before then…

For those who aren’t familiar with the RHI, it is a Government scheme that makes payments to people installing renewable heat systems – similar to the Feed-in Tarrif paid for solar PV panels.

We hope to have the full facts and figures in the next issue – no promises, mind…

Renewables will only make a real difference to carbon savings if they capture the imagination and, more

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importantly, bank accounts of the mainstream, so expect companies to be going all-out to serve up some user-friendly boilers, with wood pellet looking to come out favourite.

Elaine Ewer of Elaine’s Stoves is getting excited about a front-loading wood pellet-fuelled boiler from the French company Perge that will sit under a worktop in a utility room – a direct replacement for a conventional gas or oil boiler.

They’re still working on the finer points of the design, but it’s likely the owner will simply open a drawer on the front and tip in some pellets (from a clean 10Kg bag) every other day or so.

It will be more expensive than a gas or oil unit to buy (that’s what the RHI is for), but the calorific value of clean-burning pellets is very high, making them very cost-effective.

More in the next issue... hopefully.

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local people local events local food local health local environment

Phil’s points of view NOW every electrical device you pick up seems to have a camera built in and we no longer have to pay for film (ask your parents if you need to), most of us take enough photos to convince ourselves we’re pretty good.

Until you look at really good pictures like these. Then you realise a good photographer actually gets everything right – framing, lighting, composition… And not just now and again and by accident like most of the rest of us.

These shots are the work of Phil Hemsley (aka Morpheus 71), an award-winning photographer based in the South Hams. In fact, you might have seen his work before because it’s appeared in the local and national press on many occasions and has won a whole shelf of awards in competitions including South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty 50th Anniversary Photo Competition 2010, Torbay Geopark Photo Competition 2010, Tamar Valley Tourism Association Photo Competition 2009, Green Energy UK Photo Competition 2009, Spirit of the Southwest Photo Competition (judged by the doyen of English landscape photography, Charlie Waite)… well, you get the idea.

Says Phil: “I am passionate about using visual imagery to capture the emotions, atmosphere and action of my subjects.

My highly detailed work reflects my passion for rich light, colour and contrasting textures.”

You can buy prints of Phil’s work in a range of sizes. Even if you’re not buying, his website’s worth a visit. Check out his shop at http://morpheus71photographyshop.foliopic.com/ or visit his commercial website at www.morpheus71photography.co.uk * THE larger image, called ‘Boof!’, won the Living The View category of the South Devon AONB 2010 photo competition; right is ‘Summer’, the fields below Rypen Clump at Berry Pomeroy; and far right, ‘The Beckoning Silence’, a view from Bonehill Rocks towards Widecombe in the Moor.

Greenearth biodiesel Your local biodiesel Counting the coast of education THE coastline around Torbay is to become a classroom for local youngsters as part of a charity conservation project.

A Sea School is being set up by the Torbay Coast and Countryside Trust at its centre at Goodrington Sands, with the aim of connecting young people with their marine environment.

The school, which will be the first of its kind in the country, is to recruit volunteer Wildlife Ambassadors from deprived areas of Torbay to work for nine months alongside the Project Officer welcoming school groups.

www.reconnectonline.co.uk

The children will spend one day a week over 6-8 weeks on activities such as rockpool rambles, coastal foraging, fire lighting, seaweed breadmaking, kayaking, shelter building, raft building and team challenges.

There will also be a programme of regular public events when community groups will be able to visit, including a Wildlife Festival.

The sea school project is the result of a successful £240,000 application to Natural England’s Access to Nature fund.

More details on www.countrysidetrust.org.uk

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SELF ESTEEM & STRESS MANAGEMENT LIFE COACHING TASTER DAYS held in relaxing farmhouse setting.

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The start of your Journey A SERIES of searching questions is often the spark that draws men and women towards the South Devon countryside and the stunning centre of inspiration that is Embercombe.

The Journey is a five-day residential programme available to individuals who are looking to undertake a voyage of personal exploration.

The programme is designed and directed

by Embercombe’s founder, and author of Finding Earth, Finding Soul, Tim ‘Mac’ Macartney.

In practical terms The Journey is a mixture of shared physical activity in the gardens, woodland, kitchen and farm; deep conversation, sharing and coaching; time spent alone in contemplation and reflection, and engagement with creative processes and the expressive arts.

The next Journey runs from Sunday, April 10 through until April 15.

Call Embercombe on 01647 252983 or visit www.embercome. co.uk.

Soft option COMPUTER software can be expensive - but there is a whole host of free (and legal) software out there.

The Devon and Cornwall GNU/Linux user group provide help and advice about the use of Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) and the free operating system Linux.

The group, which started in 1999 and has expanded to over 200 people in Devon and Cornwall region, provides support for users and a way to share knowledge and keep up to date with developments in the industry.

The group holds regular face-to-face meetings and is open to all ages. A free email discussion list can be accessed via the group’s website http:// www.dcglug.org.uk.

Signing up is easy.

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Rabindranath Tagore was the inspiration behind The Dartington Hall Trust

Festival marks Tagore’s life OVER 100 authors, poets, artists, activists, musicians and dancers will celebrate the life of Rabindranath Tagore in May at Dartington Hall, as part of a year-long celebration to mark the 150th anniversary of the Nobel Prize winner’s Deepak Chopra birth.

Tagore was the inspiration behind the establishment of The Dartington Hall Trust, set up as a pioneering institution for education, regeneration, arts, sustainability and social justice.

Satish Kumar Resurgence Trust is co-ordinating the festival with the support of the Dartington Hall Trust and the Temenos Academy.

The week-long festival runs from noon on Sunday, May 1, through to the evening of Saturday, May 7, at Dartington Hall.

The festival will feature visionaries and artists from the UK, the US and India. Speakers include Deepak Chopra, former Poet Laureate Sir Andrew Motion, broadcaster Mark Tully and ‘happiness expert’ Geoff Mulgan.

Other speakers include Rob Hopkins, founder of the Transition movement, the politician Clare Short, Eden Project’s Tim Smit, author Michael Morpurgo, Sufi master Coleman Banks and many poets, including Alice Oswald. Music will come from world class Indian and British artists, including Wajahat Khan, Sangeeta Datta, Chloë Goodchild, Seize the Day and Kangaroo Moon.

Satish Kumar is the artistic director of the festival and it‘s his love of Tagore that has brought such an amazing list of contributors to one place for a very interesting week.

Call 01803 847060, email tagorefest150@ gmail.com, or see www.tagorefestival.com.

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local people local events local food local health local environment Quest starts to reveal its 2011 secrets ONE of the biggest local events for us and many readers is QUEST, and details of the 2011 event are now gradually being revealed.

We said in the festival round-up in our last issue that this year’s QUEST will run from July 7-10.

And, as always, it will be at the Newton Abbot racecourse, which will this year feature some new decking and trees.

The show itself will be the usual heady mix of complementary health and personal development practitioners (stands, talks and workshops), plus daytime and evening entertainment and craft and food and drink stalls.

Workshops to look out for include those with Barbara Micklejohn-Free (Shamanic drumming and journeying), Jules WIngfield (ecstatic dance and tantra) and David Hamilton (author of Why Kindness Is Good For You).

We’ll have more details in the next issue of Reconnect – or visit www.questuk.co.uk.

Teaching creativity with sustainability COMING UP Raku firing day Saturday, Feb 26, 10am-4pm Smoke firing workshops With Bridget Arnold Saturdays, Mar 12 & 19 The Potting Shed, Western Barns, Ashprington TQ9 7EE 01803 865033 www.pottingshedworkshop.com

Body, Mind, Spirit Fair

Imperial Hotel Torquay, 5-6 Feb 2011 Come and join us to experience a whole range of therapies, readings and craft stalls designed to enlighten, relax and free your mind.

Full details at www.bodymindspirit.org.uk Tel: 01803 664827

Plymouth Holistic Doctor Practising integrative whole-person medicine More than 25 years clinical experience Comprehensive assessment integrating mind and body

Common problems:

Bike course follows coastal co-operation THE coast and countryside of the South West is a beautiful resource, under huge demand from the public for a variety of uses - not just simply walkers and bird watchers.

But to ensure we preserve this valuable and delicate resource from these conflicting demands users need to compromise and work together.

An excellent example of how this collaboration can work is the establishment of the mountain bike trail in Scadson Woods, Paignton.

Currently, illegal trails and uncontrolled biking are threatening the woodlands and its wildlife.

The Torbay and Countryside Trust has joined forces with the local mountain biking group TQ3 to set

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up a bike trail in a 13-acre area of Scadson Woods. The trail will be to a professional standard with an entrance close to Occombe Farm, which is also managed by the Trust. All other illegal trails will be dismantled and returned to their natural state.

To keep control of the trail, its use will be for TQ3 members only, with membership costing £20 for over16s and £15 for under-16s.

TQ3 riders are looking for sponsorship from local businesses to help with the building costs and materials such as timber, stone and tools.

Interested sponsors can contact Dan Fisher at danfisher_faith@hotmail.co.uk.

• Stress

• Overweight

• Chronic pain

• Fatigue

• IBS

• Depression

• Anxiety

• Not wishing to take tablets

• Tried everything

Possible solutions:

• Better nutrition - what you eat and how much • Exercise - getting body and mind moving • Education - learning what makes YOU tick, what works for YOU • Using your mind - guided imagery, hypnosis, dealing with the past, creating the future • Environment - understanding the role of your environment in creating illness and what to do about it • Relationships - understanding how interactions with family, spouse, colleagues can harm or heal • Therapies - including acupuncture, healing touch, hypnotherapy

Peverell Clinic, 202 Peverell Park Road, Plymouth, PL3 4QE www.plymouthholisticdoctor.co.uk email: rmcgill@doctors.org.uk tel: 07709 110579.

Editorial: 01392 346204 editor@reconnectonline.co.uk

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local people local events local food local health local environment

THE GRANARY at WoolsGRovE CouRT the complete Mid Devon workshop/conference venue

RECONNECT’s diary brings together green, community and other non-mainstream events from across the area - if it’s interesting, we’ll tell you about it. But first we need to hear about it, so if you’re involved in an event coming up during April or May, and you think it will interest Reconnect readers, send details to: editor@reconnectonline.co.uk.

FEBRUARY TUESDAY 1

Glorious Mid Devon location * Traditional building full of character * Modern facilities * Kitchen and reception areas * Plenty of parking * B&B for residential courses * Excellent public transport links * Perfect for workshops and conferences * Available by the hour, day or week/end * Two minutes to country inn

UNTIL MAR 5 Crafty Animators, free admission, includes public participation project using recycled materials, TuesSat 10am-5pm, The Thelma Hulbert Gallery, Dowell Street, Honiton, 01404 45006, www.thelmahulbert.com UNTIL SUNDAY 27

Woolsgrove Court Health Centre, near Crediton

01363 84226 www.woolsgrovecourt.co.uk

Material Actions, exhibition, Centre for Contemporary Art and the Natural World, Haldon Forest Park, Exeter, 01392 832277, www.ccanw.co.uk UNTIL SUNDAY 27 Get Fresh, exhibition of crafts by new makers, The Devon Guild of Craftsmen gallery, Riverside Mill, Bovey Tracey. Entry is free, 10am-5.30pm, www.crafts.org.uk.

THURSDAY 3 Flower Club meet, The Flavel, Dartmouth, 1-5pm, www.theflavel.org.uk FRIDAY 4 Sustainable Crediton Spinning Circle, Crediton Arts Centre, 2-4pm, www. sustainablecrediton.org.uk

SATURDAY 5

WEDNESDAY 9

Grow Your Own Veg, talk by Occombe’s head gardener, 10am–4pm , 01803 606035, www.countryside-trust. org.uk

Introduction to Hedgelaying, Cockington Country Park, 10am-3.30pm, booking essential on 01803 606035

Transition Plymouth – get together, 01752 772359, clarehamon@ blueyonder.co.uk.

Mark Thomas’s Extreme Rambling, comedy at Exeter Phoenix, 8pm, 01392 667080, www.exeterphoenix.org.uk

Devon & Cornwall Linux user group meeting, Shoreline bar & bistro, Paignton seafront, 2.30-5pm, www.dcglug.org.uk/events SUNDAY 6 Transition Totnes blacksmithing workshop - make a heart-shaped toastingfork for your Valentine, with Spencer Larcombe, Bridge Farm workshops, Harberton. 10-4pm, 07762 198169, www. transitiontowntotnes.org MONDAY 7 Mountain Man, US folk at Exeter Phoenix, 8pm, 01392 667080, www.exeterphoenix.org.uk TUESDAY 8 Transition Totnes film night: Walmart - the high cost of low price, Dartmouth Inn, 8pm, www.transitiontowntotnes. org

THURSDAY 10 Mark Thomas’s Extreme Rambling, comedy at Exeter Phoenix, 8pm, 01392 667080, www.exeterphoenix.org.uk Habitat management day with Friends of Andrew’s Wood, organised by Devon Wildlife Trust, 01392 279244, www. devonwildlifetrust.org FRIDAY 11 Until March 20 Edwina Ashton – out with the hammers, drawing, sculpture, video and performance, Exeter Phoenix, 01392 667080, www.exeterphoenix.org.uk SATURDAY 12 Fruit tree pruning day, Hazelwood orchards (Loddiswell), 10.30am4.30pm, all welcome, wendystayte@yahoo. co.uk, 868305, or Holly hollytiffen@yahoo.co.uk

WHILE you’re putting dates in your diary... turn to June and make a note to keep Saturday, June 18, clear for the Reconnect/ Embercombe Midsummer Fair. It’ll include everything you love about Reconnect plus a feast of traditional village fair activities - see you there!

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local people local events local food local health local environment SATURDAY 12 cont

SATURDAY 19 cont

Seedy Saturday – 5th Annual Seed Swap from the Seedy Sisters, Birdwood House, Totnes, 10.30am-3pm, £1.50, see YouTube video for more info.

Animated Exeter special – Isca Obscura, Exeter Cathedral, www. animatedexeter.co.uk

Seedy Saturday, Bovey Climate Action’s Community Garden Group at Methodist Hall, Bovey Tracey, audrey@ boveyclimateaction. org.uk, www. boveyclimateaction.org.uk Woodland activity day, Railways Woods, South Brent, 01364 649490, www. sustainablesouthbrent. org.uk SUNDAY 13 Sale of all goods and furniture due to closure, Newton Abbot Natural Health Centre, 14a Union Street, 11am, 07896 968518 Topsham Folk Club, Globe Hotel, Topsham, Exeter, 01404 44498, www.topshamfolkclub. co.uk MONDAY 14 UNTIL SATURDAY FEB 26 Animated Exeter, festival at venues in Exeter and beyond, 01392 265200, www. animatedexeter.co.uk WEDNESDAY 16 Wondermentalist: taking the mic, poetry and cabaret, Exeter Phoenix, 8.30pm, 01392 667080, www. exeterphoenix.org.uk FRIDAY 18 Animated Exeter special – Isca Obscura, Exeter Cathedral, www. animatedexeter.co.uk SATURDAY 19 Dowsing workshop, Crediton Arts Centre, 10.15am-4pm, 01392 426692

SUNDAY 20 Animated Exeter special – Isca Obscura, Exeter Cathedral, www. animatedexeter.co.uk MONDAY 21 UNTIL SATURDAY 26 Animation Lab, exhibition at Spacex gallery, Preston St, Exeter, 01392 431786, www.spacex.org.uk TUESDAY 22 Rockpool Expedition, The Seashore Centre, Goodrington Sands, Paignton, 1-3.30pm, 01803 606035, www. countryside-trust.org.uk WEDNESDAY 23 The Scottish Falsetto Puppet Company, “songs, sketches, socks and violence”, The Flavel, Dartmouth, www.theflavel.org.uk Bird feeder making, Berry Head, Brixham, £3.50/£2.50, booking essential - 01803 606035 Transition Totnes presents: Whose land is it anyway? Totnes Methodist Church, 8pm, £4 (£2 conc.), www. transitiontowntotnes.org THURSDAY 24 Developing the insight for optimum health, free talk by The Barefoot Doctor, 7.30pm, St John’s Church, Bridgetown, Totnes, 01803 814338, raminthebarefootdoctor@ gmail.com Uncut Poets Nights, Exeter Phoenix, 7.30pm, 01392 667080, www. exeterphoenix.org.uk

FRIDAY 25 Willow planting with Trees for Health, Wayfield Nurseries, East Portlemouth, 10.30am-3.30pm, www. treesforhealth.org SATURDAY 26 Seedy Saturday, Ermington School Hall, 1.30-4pm, 01548 830964, gardeninggirls@ triad.fsbusiness.co.uk Screen night, Spacex gallery, Preston St, Exeter, 7pm, www.spacex.org.uk SUNDAY 27 Green Walk, meet Exeter Cathedral, 2pm, kloe. wood@hotmail.com, www. transitionexeter.org.uk Sustainable Crediton event – train from Crediton, then Tarka Trail Walk, www. sustainablecrediton.org.uk

MARCH SATURDAY 5 Mortonhampstead Festival of Food, Drink and Arts, free, 01647 440855, www. moretonhampstead.com SUNDAY 6 Fairtrade Flapjacks, Occombe Farm community kitchen, 11am-3pm, free, no booking required, www. countryside-trust.org.uk

WEDNESDAY 23

SUNDAY 13

Dartmouth Comedy Festival, The Flavel, Dartmouth, www.theflavel. org.uk Newton Abbot Museum, opening and start of 2011 exhibition, notable Newtonians, 01626 201121, www.museumnewtonabbot.co.uk THURSDAY 10 Habitat management day with Friends of Andrew’s Wood, organised by Devon Wildlife Trust, 01392 279244, www.devonwildlifetrust.org Matt Harvey, part of Dartmouth Comedy Festival, The Flavel, Dartmouth, 7.30pm, www.theflavel.org.uk

Caring for your patch!

Tips on grassland management, with rural skills expert Jonathan Ansell, Lower Kellaton Farm, Dartmouth, 01548 511325, www. southdevonaonb.org.uk TUESDAY 15 ‘No Dig’ organic gardening with Charles Dowding, Occombe Farm education centre, 7-9pm, £5 per person, 01803 606035, www. countryside-trust.org.uk FRIDAY 18 UNTIL APRIL 3 Vibraphonic music festival at venues across Exeter, 01392 665885, www.2020vibraphonic. co.uk

SATURDAY 12 UNTIL APRIL 30 The Tourist, exhibition of painting and sculpture by Tim Ellis, Spacex gallery, Preston St, Exeter, 01392 431786, www.spacex.org.uk Sustainable Crediton Waste Action Group Eco Fashion and Clothes Swap Day at Boniface Centre, 11am-3.30pm, www.sustainablecrediton. org.uk

Sustainable Crediton AGM, Congregational Church, High Street, Crediton, www. sustainablecrediton.org.uk THURSDAY 24 Health and disease: what it is and what works, free talk by The Barefoot Doctor, 7.30pm, St John’s Church, Bridgetown, Totnes, 01803 814338, raminthebarefootdoctor@ gmail.com SATURDAY 26 Hedgerow medicine, with herbal medicine expert Henrietta Job, meet Slapton beach 10.30am, £4/2, www.southdevonaonb. org.uk SUNDAY 27

SATURDAY 19

Green Walk, meet Exeter Cathedral, 2pm, kloe. wood@hotmail.com, www. transitionexeter.org.uk

Sustainable Saturday, Reading Rooms, Church Rd, Ermington, 01548 830964, gardeninggirls@triad. fsbusiness.co.uk

The Kitchen Garden in Spring, with horticulturalist Stevie Rogers, Ash Tree Farm, Dartmouth, 01803 712437, www. southdevonaonb.org.uk

SUNDAY 20

Sunday Shopping Fair, Exmouth Pavilion, Exmouth seafront. 10am to 4pm. Free entry. Tel: 01395 263495 www. exmouthcraftfairs.com.

Tree nursery day with Trees For Health, Sharpham Estate, Totnes, www.treesforhealth.org

MONDAY 7 Transition Totnes & Schumacher College present: This is Rubbish: with Caitlin Shepherd (campaign co-founder), www.thisisrubbish.org.uk, johnlcrisp@ googlemail.com TUESDAY 8 Transition Totnes film night, The Corporation, 2004 exploring nature and rise of coporations, www.transitiontowntotnes. org

CAITLIN ROSE, left, comes from that home of country music, Nashville, but you can expect an edgier twang when she plays at Exeter Phoenix on Friday, March 4. Get booking details from the booking office on 01392 667080 or visit www. exeterphoenix. org.uk.

www.reconnectonline.co.uk

WEDNESDAY 9 UNTIL SATURDAY 12

Sunday Shopping Fairs 2011

The Exmouth Pavilion The Seafront, Exmouth 10.00 am to 4.00 pm Sunday 27th March Sunday 17th April Sunday 1st May Sunday 29th May Sunday 26th June Sunday 24th July Sunday 21st Aug Sunday 25th Sept Sunday 16th October Sunday 20th November Sunday 4th December Art, Crafts & Gifts Presented by LOCAL craft workers A real change from the high street

FREE ENTRY A Shopping Experience Exmouth Craft Fairs 01395 263495 www.exmouthcraftfairs.com

Editorial: 01392 346204 editor@reconnectonline.co.uk

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local people local events local food local health local environment

Eco homes

ECO Homes was becoming so crowded we had to build an extension, so over the next four pages you’ll find a very special eco house, green oak furniture, insulation advice and a secondhand furniture social enterprise...

Crafting a connection WHEN you buy furniture, it’s good to know the wood has come from a sustainable source. But when you buy from Glenn White, he can often tell you which part of the wood it came from – and who cut it.

“It’s important to me I keep that connection to the woodland,” says Glenn, who prefers to do a lot of

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the work, splitting and cutting the wood roughly to size, right there in the woods before he takes it back to his workshop.

Glenn also buys green oak, rejected by timberframe building companies, for whom he used to work himself.

He said: “They might reject wood because it’s got a split in it, but for furniture, where the stresses are far less, it’s fine. And I think splits are to be celebrated - I prefer to work with what’s naturally there, rather than force forms.”

Glenn’s customers share his love of the wood’s tactile qualities.

“They don’t always realise they’re doing it,” he says, “but people can’t resist touching it. Using chunky timbers in a house or to make furniture helps us to regain our tactile relationship with our homes – something we’ve lost over the years.”

Glenn started working with wood after “too many years in academia”.

“I just needed to be working with my hands,” he said.

As well as making furniture for his company, Whitethorn Woodcraft, Glenn also teaches bushcraft and wilderness skills on woodland in Devon, Wiltshire and Wales.

“That connection to woodland runs through everything I do,” he says.

Call 07546 552 880, email glenn@whitethornwoodcraft.co.uk and visit www.whitethornwoodcraft. co.uk.

A home as efficient as it is beautiful THERE’S a simple, undeniable ‘rightness’ about modern green building. It just makes sense.

Putting aside all the wholesome connectedness of it all for the moment, it’s really hard to find fault with a practice that takes the practical and, it must be said, very attractive, techniques and materials used in traditional building and combines them with the latest technology – to create something that is as efficient as it is beautiful as it is sustainable as it is… well, right.

A new family house recently completed in South Devon illustrates the point perfectly: how contemporary architecture can combine local materials with new green technologies to achieve excellent environmental credentials - making it what the Devon Sustainable Building Initiative believe to be the first home in Devon to achieve Level 5 (out of 6) of the Code for Sustainable Homes (subject to final certification).

The brief given to designers LED Architects Ltd of Totnes (the clients want to remain anonymous) was for a large, open-plan family home that also met the highest levels of environmental design and construction. And the design had also to integrate with the landscape.

LED director Andrew Kirby, a committed champion of green architecture, represents that new generation of architects who understand the need for low energy buildings that connect with their environment.

He said: “The connection to the site and general locality is achieved through the careful selection of materials, such as locally sourced stone, a variety of timber cladding, a rammed earth wall and careful

consideration of the building form. The way the traditional materials are used creates a unique and contemporary aesthetic, while carefully avoiding a pastiche of nearby historic structures.”

The logic behind modern green energy systems is simple: build a house that doesn’t need much heating; then heat it with renewables.

The former is achieved by creating high levels of airtightness and insulation using, in this case: breathable timber frame construction (super insulated with recycled newspaper); a rammed earth ‘thermal mass’ wall; a double insulated concrete and screed sandwich floor; and a nifty heat recovery ventilation system that controls the flow of air through the house by taking warm used air (from the kitchen and bathroom, for example) and removing odours and moisture, while retaining the heat, before using it to ventilate the house with warm fresh air.

Any additional heating required is provided by a woodpellet biomass boiler and solar thermal panels. Power is provided by solar photovoltaic panels, which also generate money through the ‘feed in tariff’. All surface water drainage is either recycled for re-use in the house (for flushing toilets), or filtrated back into the ground.

As well as using locally sourced materials, every effort has been made to make the building itself a part of the historical

landscape, with p reinstatement of species orchard, meadow planting banks to improve biodiversity.

So, it meets the c it’s won Level 5 B sustainability stat have reached ca Level 6 if the clien for triple glazing very hi-spec doub makes a lovely h Call Andrew Kirb on 01803 86737 info@LEDdevon. www.LEDarchitec

Ramming it h

Architect Andrew Kirby, left, with expert Rob Buckley during the rammed earth bonding session!

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WESTCOUNTRY WATERBEDS Guildhall Shopping Centre, Exeter Call Brian on 01392 411212 Learn more on www.water-beds-uk.com

WELLNESS THERAPY COUCH. More information?

Call Susie at Sienna Therapies on 01326 218021.

Special discounts for therapists and Reconnect Readers.

plans for the an historical natural g and Devon e the overall

clients’ brief, BREEAM tus (and would arbon neutral ents had opted rather than ble)… oh, and it home. by at LED 77, email .co.uk or visit cts.co.uk.

TOM HILLIARD

ltd

the craft of building excellence

• contemporary & traditional materials & techniques • renovation / refurbishment / extension • conservation / eco tecnologies - biomass, solar • high standards contributing to a sustainable future

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m of quite rare e building c rams to a building earth wall thermal just as philosophy ng together al methods nce. To that ame very ging together the Dorset he builder, the ew (yes, an roll up his ds dirty!).

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01803 762807 | info@tomhilliardltd.com

www. t o mh illia rdlt d. c o m Editorial: 01392 346204 editor@reconnectonline.co.uk

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local people local events local food local health local environment

Eco homes

IF you are involved in creating any aspect of sustainable homes, providing skills or products, or maybe building a place of your own, we want to hear from you. Email editor@ reconnectonline.co.uk, or call 01392 346204

Come and see a wide range of eco-friendly household & natural beauty/skincare products, plus second-hand toys, equipment and clothes for babies and children.

Also, a selection of beautiful artwork by local artists. Do you have something you would like to display, donate or sell?

Email: littlegreenshopbow@gmail.com

The Little Green Shop

Tel: 01363 82464 Marsh Lane, Bow EX17 6LB (Opposite the Co-op on the A3072 and along Burston Lane)

Open Wednesday to Friday 10am - 2pm

ReFURNISH...

your home with furniture and appliances at prices you can afford* Making space for new furniture?

Don’t dump it, donate it!

Ivybridge Newton Abbot

01752 897311

Units 4 & 5, Redlake Trading Est. Bittaford, Ivybridge PL21 0EZ

Tavistock

01822 618822

Plymouth Road Industrial Estate.

Tavistock PL19 9QN REFURNISH with ample parking

Turn right by Recycling Centre

Wills Road

Babbage Road Burke Road

TOTNES INDUSTRIAL ESTATE

Charity Registration No. 1129455

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01626 362313

Forde Road, Brunel Ind. Estate Newton Abbot TQ12 4AD

(opposite Jewsons)

Are you paying to heat the sky above your home?

HOME insulation? Surely that’s something we all think about when it starts to get chilly in the autumn? Exactly – that’s why we’re looking at it now...

THE recent cold snap has focused many people’s minds on fuel bills.

As costs continue to rise, the British can’t be as blase about energy and the efficiency of their homes if we keep experiencing these exceedingly cold winters.

But the good thing about insulating is that most of the work is either free or heavily subsidised, depending on the area you live.

In Exeter, Torbay, Plymouth, North Devon, West Devon and Torridge, cavity wall insulation and loft insulation is free for the over-70s, for anyone on benefits and for people aged 60-69 with an income under £18,000 a year.

In South Hams, Mid Devon, East Devon and Teignbridge, there are small subsidised charges for cavity wall insulation and loft insulation for people in the 60-69 age group with income of less than £18,000, and slightly higher charges for those aged under 60 with an annual income higher than £18,000.

Whatever category you fall into, you will not pay more than £200 and in many cases it is much less.

About one third of all the heat loss in an uninsulated home is through the walls and around a quarter is lost through the roof.

We can spend as much as we like on renewable energy heating, such as solar thermal panels, highly efficient gas or biomass boilers and double glazing, but if the heat we generate is being lost through the walls or the roof it’s all for nothing.

Heat will always flow from a warm area to a cold one, so in winter, when it is much colder outside, the warm heat from your home escapes into the surrounding air outside.

Insulating your home will help you heat it more efficiently because less heat escapes, keeping warmth indoors - where you need it.

Apart from saving you money, reducing the amount of energy used

to heat your home you will also be doing your bit for the planet.

High levels of CO2 emissions is one of the biggest causes of climate change.

Insulating an uninsulated loft and cavity walls on a standard gas heated three bedroom semidetached house could save around £420 per year with prices based on current levels - so insulation will pay for itself over and over again.

If every household in the UK that is suitable for cavity wall insulation had it installed, the country would save around £690 million and four million tonnes of CO2 every year!

Even homes that already have insulation, probably don’t have enough. If you have 100mm or less of existing loft insulation you qualify for additional insulation up to a depth of 270mm.

The best way of finding out what depths you already have is by lifting your loft hatch and measuring the depth between the top of the insulation and the board below with a ruler or tape measure. If the insulation reaches the top of the joists, you are likely to have at least 100mm existing.

Here at Reconnect Towers we opted for the top up of insulation and were told that the loft space would have to be cleared in preparation.

Like many lofts, ours was full of 18 years of memorabilia and empty cardboard boxes - stuff you could not bring yourself to throw away but had no real use for.

We decided to build shelves at waist height to accommodate storage, but if you already have fixed flooring in your loft, as long as no more than a third of your loft is boarded and used for storage you can have the remainder topped up to the recommended depth of 270mm through CosyDevon.

There are three simple checks you can do yourself which should tell you if your house has cavity walls.

Again, you can check these out on the CosyDevon website, www.cosydevon.co.uk.

Pics: Energy Saving Trust

Totnes

01803 868389

Wills Road, Totnes TQ9 5XN

Paignton

01803 559065

Units 3/4, Victoria Square Paignton TQ4 6PE *Discounts available on proof of benefit entitlement Free collection of reusable furniture, appliances and other household goods

www.dff.org.uk

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Whitethorn Woodcraft

Traditional and Contemporary Designs in Wood All wood from local/ sustainable sources Commissions taken

07546 552880

whitethornwoodcraft.co.uk

Finding furniture the planet can afford YOU really do have to take your hat off to Refurnish.

First, it’s a charity set up to provide safe, clean and affordable secondhand furniture and electrical items - all fully checked and tested by their experienced team of electrical appliance engineers.

And not only do they give us all the chance to refurnish and re-equip our homes at affordable prices (without contributing to that mad scramble to consume new stuff) – if you’re on benefits, you get a very useful 20% discount.

But that’s not all. Refurnish also provide training and employment opportunities for the long-term unemployed.

And, having just received funding from the J Paul Getty Jnr Charitable

Trust, they are now employing a Volunteer Manager and support worker to help volunteers with a wide range of support needs to fulfill their potential and improve their self-esteem.

Refurnish has volunteering vacancies for people of all ages and abilities at their centres in Ivybridge, Totnes, Paignton, Newton Abbot and Tavistock.

If you would like to donate, they will collect furniture, electrical appliances and other household goods. And if you want to buy stuff, just call in.

For more info, call 01803 868389 (Totnes), 01752 897311 (Ivybridge), 01626 362313 (Newton Abbot), 01803 559065 (Paignton), or 01822 618822 (Tavistock), or visit www.dff.org.uk.

Eco products and a charitable side AS a wannabe shopkeeper, Sarah Annaly could not have found a more out of the way place to start her business.

But for Mid Devon mums looking to buy inexpensive second hand toys and equipment, Sarah’s Little Green Shop in the village of Bow, is well worth seeking out.

What began as a retail outlet for Wikaniko eco-friendly products has become a source of income for local charities.

The shop is a showcase for Wikaniko’s 650plus products but now has two more sections, one raising funds for a local girl who is a missionary in Rwanda and a third section

selling secondhand children’s toys, clothes and equipment.

Single mum Sarah charges a 15% commission on the children’s toys and equipment but even then she donates 5% to local charities.

The store (called the Little Green Shop “because it is painted green”) is open Wednesday, Thursday

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and Friday between 10 and 12 and can be found in Burston Lane opposite the Co-op on the A3072.

Said Sarah: “ I started at the beginning of October and have only advertised by word of mouth. I’m hoping to set up a website soon.”

Call Sarah on 01363 82972 or email: littlegreenshopbow @gmail.com

LEADING ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN CONTACT: Andrew R Kirby RIBA 01803 867377 info@leddevon.co.uk www.LEDarchitects.co.uk

CONTEMPORARY DESIGN FOR LOW IMPACT LIVING Editorial: 01392 346204 editor@reconnectonline.co.uk

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local people local events local food local health local environment oFQUAl ACCREDItED CoURSES (on the new Government Framework)

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PSYCHOPHONETICS “ALL HUMAN CHALLENGES ARE OPPORTUNITIES FOR SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT” Psychophonetics is a new form of holistic counselling, coaching and psychotherapy. It is a unique method of enhancing self-awareness and renewing the whole human being - body, life energy, soul and spirit.

“Psychophonetics will clearly become a major new therapeutic discipline” Dr Rosy Daniel Bsc. MBBCh. Medical Director, Health Creation, Bath

For details of upcoming talks, workshops and master classes in your area as well as the training course (new intake starting March 17 - March 20, 2011) go to the website below or contact:

uk@psychophonetics.com - Tel 07920 100794

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London (Oxford Circus), West Sussex, Scotland, Cumbria, Blackpool, Manchester, Birmingham, Glastonbury, Marlborough, Totnes

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Self Portrait (above) by Kingsbridge Community College student Harry Oelmann and (below) Taxi, from the college photography exhibits

Students show their intense emotions FOLLOWING the success of their Primary Colours exhibition, which featured the work of primary school children, Harbour House gallery in Kingsbridge is turning its walls over to the students of Kingsbridge Community College.

A range of art and photography produced by Year 12 students will be on display from March 1-6.

A spokesman for the gallery said: “Drawings, paintings and lino prints have been produced by art students on the theme of Intense Emotions and inspired by the works of Lucien Freud, Alison Lambert and Francis Bacon.

“Art students have also researched the work of Peter Randall-Page, Barbara Hepworth and Andy Goldsworthy, and have developed mixed media sculptures using materials including chicken wire, willow, string, material,

raffia, Modroc, plastic and other recycled materials.”

Other exhibitions at the gallery include: ‘Recent drawings and paintings’ by Jeremy Scrine (February 19-27); ‘Bless-ed, art in engagement with the enigmatic sayings of the teacher Jesus’ (March 8-20); and ‘Workshops Work’, an exhibition of the work by the students of Keith Stott.

Visit www.harbourhouse.org.uk.

Plan your shopping to cut food waste WHEN national transport ground to a halt during the recent freezing weather, it emphasised the importance of local food - but even local producers had their problems.

They battled valiantly to get veg to market (we heard of one grower who was having to thaw leeks before they could be washed) – but customers too had their problems getting to the shops and markets, and some food was wasted.

So, given that Mr Waste is the archenemy of sustainable living, what’s the solution?

Noni Mackenzie, of the local produce stall on Totnes market, says planning is the key.

“I’d like to encourage anyone who’s committed to supporting local food production to take the trouble to plan their shopping in advance.

“Get a veg box or order your fruit and veg in advance, or at the very least build-up a regular relationship with a retailer. It puts your money into producing the food you eat,

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and not the bankers’ pocket or the compost bin!”

If you live in the Totnes area, Noni or Frankie will deliver fruit and veg to your home - email Noni at noni-m@supanet.com or call Frankie on 01803 862304.

• More local food news - page 6

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local people local events local food local health local environment The Vibraphonic mix THE Vibraphonic festival in Exeter brings together a heady and eclectic mix of music, from electro, through big jazz bands to world music – all served up at venues across the city and on the Vibraphonic radio station.

You can get the full rundown at www.2020vibraphonic.co.uk, and check out the Exeter Phoenix events at www. exeterphoenix.org.uk, but to whet your appetite, try: Brazilian samba-jazz singer Joyce (left), making a rare visit to the UK, on Wednesday, March 23; massively influential reggae band The Abyssinians, on Saturday March 26; or how about Dizraeli and the Smalls Gods, who capture the spirit of the whole festival with their extraordinary mix of classic folk music and hiphop? Like the other two listed here, they’re at the Phoenix, this time on Saturday, April 2.

If you don’t wear it, swap it STATISTICS show that sales of clothing increased by 300% between 1999 and 2009 – and yet 20% of the clothes we buy we don’t even wear.

So what to do with those infrequently, or even never, worn garments?

Sustainable Crediton have one answer – an Eco Fashion and Clothes Swap Day. Everyone is invited to take along unwanted dresses, trousers, tops, jackets, jewellery, handbags and shoes and swap them for a brand new wardrobe.

“Contributions must be delivered between 10-11am, be clean and in good condition, on hangers and clearly marked with size, where appropriate,” says one of the organisers, Paula Mossman.

“Then you can relax with a coffee and watch a free demonstration

on how to update your wardrobe without spending a fortune.

Swapping then begins from 12 noon onwards once the clothes and accessories have been sorted.”

Admission to the event, 10am3pm on Saturday March 12 at the Boniface Centre in Crediton, costs £2.50.

For an additional £2.50 there are 20 places in one of two ‘hands-on’ workshops where you can begin the process of updating an item of your own clothing under the supervision of young fashion designer Lucy Ponsford from Tavistock.

“These workshops are aimed at 16-25 year-olds,” says Paula, “and sewing machines, thread, etc, will be provided.”

Places for these workshops must be booked. Call 01363 866106 or email paula.mossman@ lineone,net. Visit www. sustainablecrediton.org.uk.

Talk asks, whose land is it anyway?

TRANSITION Totnes are hosting a talk about what a sustainable future for rural areas might look like and how we can make it happen, with Simon Fairlie, editor of The Land and author of Low Impact Development: Planning and People in a Sustainable

Countryside and Meat, a Benign Extravagance.

Whose land is it anyway? is at Totnes Methodist Church, on Wednesday, February 23, at 8pm (£4, £2 conc). Visit www.transitiontowntotnes.org.

Left to right: Sustrans chief exec Malcolm Shepherd, SW director Adrian Roper, award winner Graham Heysett and Katie Aartse-Tuyn and Tony Ambrose of the Sustrans volunteer team.

Graham cycles off with volunteer award CYCLISTS in the Exeter area have a great deal to thank the charity Sustrans for with the expansion of the National Cycle Network. But the charity relies on a team of 3,000 volunteers across the UK to promote their work, encouraging us out of our cars and onto our bikes.

Exeter cyclist Graham Heysett is one of those volunteers, and so great has been his contribution that he has been selected as one of only five volunteers in the country to receive an award for outstanding services to cycling and walking.

Graham, 53, of Exwick, a volunteer ranger, has only been involved with the charity for just over a year but he has organised community cycle rides, attended local events on

behalf of Sustrans and raised money for them, including a collection at St James’s Park, Exeter City Football Club’s ground, in September as part of celebrations for the 15th anniversary of the National Cycle Network.

Graham said: “It has certainly made me more active and, although I have lived in Exeter virtually all my life, I now know the city, local countryside, villages and towns of Devon much better because I walk, cycle and catch the bus and trains more.”

The contribution from the volunteers is equivalent to the work of 102 full-time staff every year. To find out more about volunteering for Sustrans, visit www.sustrans.org.uk

Campaign makes meal of food wastage THIS Is Rubbish is an arts-led campaign to make feasts out of waste food and campaign for waste reduction and reuse throughout the food chain.

On Monday, March 7, Transition Totnes are joining forces with Schumacher College to present

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the campaign to Totnes, with This Is Rubbish co-founder Caitlin Shepherd.

Visit www.thisisrubbish.org.uk to find out more about the campaign, and email johnlcrisp@googlemail.com or visit www.transitiontowntotnes.org to find out more about the event.

Editorial: 01392 346204 editor@reconnectonline.co.uk

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Keep watching those dark skies

for that all-important chink of light...

Bad news sells, say the mainstream media. But while Robin Currie agrees tougher times can be fascinating, he argues there’s still a case for optimism ‘SPRING in the air’ is one of those lovely phrases that comes up when I look out of the window despite having just heard the news on the radio, which is nearly always about negative stuff.

It’s always interested me that news reports are so frequently about dodgy experiences, questionable activities and nasty exploits, because they seem to be more stimulating than positive stuff.

And that suggests negativity is more stimulating that optimism.

This particularly applies to the financial sector.

We’re hearing interest rates will stay low, based on the argument that putting them up would affect the recovery of the economy, but also that keeping them low will stimulate inflation. And so many prices have already risen considerably, including oil and gas, food and clothing - and everything affected by VAT. However, if you are borrowing money, there’s a huge advantage in that it’s considerably cheaper than previously. Remember the phrase ‘credit crunch’? Well, it’s still extremely difficult to get loans, but if you can, they’re considerably cheaper than hitherto.

So low interest rates are great for you and, while the negative interpretation is about keeping your money on deposit, why would you do that anyway? The interest you receive will always have been considerably less than if you put it into things like National Savings. These are not traded on the market so the capital is guaranteed and the money would be instantly accessible. That is, it’s almost exactly the same as a cash deposit - but better.

Although, for some interesting reason, banks tend not to promote this type of holding…

I’m a bit cynical about banks at the moment.

Not so much about the huge bonuses which have been paid, but because a number of them offer ‘independent financial advice’ (which is what I do) and often say that they won’t charge a fee and won’t take a commission if you take up their recommendations (which I would).

Now that sounds great. It’s just that their recommendations nearly always happen to be

to invest in holdings provided by companies who (goodness, what a coincidence!) happen to be owned by the bank they work for.

So yes, they’re not charging a fee and not taking a commission. But you’re investing in a company which they will benefit from. Independent? Not quite the word that comes to mind…

Presumably this is all sufficiently negative to be increasingly interesting? No? Well let’s look at the positive stuff then…

At the time of writing, the equity market is trading at above 6,000, a level it never reached throughout the whole of last year. And there are predictions that it is likely to stay up in the foreseeable future. Not guarantees, you’ll appreciate, but expectations.

And while I like the increasing number of environmental non-traded funds, the vast majority of ethical holdings are in the stock market so it’s quite important that they perform well. And they are doing rather nicely, having increased by up to 20% in the last 12 months!

Look at it this way… Driving home last night, it was dark and rainy, but as I headed west there was a beautiful, pure white streak of light across the sky - a hole in the clouds through which you could see the light of the setting sun.

And because it was the way I was heading, it felt like the future - a beautiful and positive way forward. Having noticed that, my perception of the dark clouds above me started to change. ather than seeing them as negative and downbeat, they started to become beautiful and complex. And the combination of both a beautiful dark present and a wonderful glowing future became delightful and felt like a real generous gift.

And that’s a way of saying that, while our perception of the current changes may feel negative, there is a feeling the outcome is going to be really positive - and viewing the former in perception of the latter, they both look fascinating…

Having said which, the market remains fairly volatile so the trading prices will probably fall and rise on a short-term basis, although it is likely to remain high in the medium-term.

And that’s one of the areas of the stock market that I regard with some cynicism, especially after it’s dropped and is now recovering - because the trading price has nothing to do with the actual value of the firm, just it’s immediate desirability.

And market traders often make a personal profit by manipulating a company’s share prices which isn’t normally done with any consideration about what effect it may have on the organisation.

So they’ll benefit but the companies they’re trading may not. But they’ll get a substantial bonus anyway. Cynical? Moi? Ah, yes, more and more negative, so presumably more and more attractive if Reconnect was part of the mainstream media. But I’m delighted it’s not. And also that I’m not – and that I’m instead rather different. Rather weird and intuitive, with a different view of the stock market than mainstream investors.

Robin Currie is an Independent Financial Adviser and a specialist in green, ethically-screened and environmentally-sensitive funds.

For an appointment, call Robin direct on 01392-411630 or e-mail robin.currie@barchestergreen.co.uk.

Details about the workshop Making Friends with Money are available at www.makingfriendswithmoney.co.uk or by calling Sharn Kern on 01392-346336

Feedback from the latest workshop in Plymouth Very well run!

Has crept up on me in a really powerful way!

Profound for us all!

Unusual and extremely enlightening!

Very worthwhile for exploring ‘self’!

Fun and interesting!

Excellent to look at psychological problems through the lens of money – and very helpful!

Interesting, engaging, creative, confusing, intriguing, tiring (!) fun, sad and lots all together..

Surprising! Fun! Obviously it connected as I came to tears!

Next workshop details? Check out the website at

w w w. m a k i n g f r i e n d s w i t h m o n e y. c o . u k 24

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local people local events local food local health local environment

A different kind of burial THERE is a growing movement for farmers, local authorities, wildlife charities and others to establish natural burial grounds.

These sites, also known as green or woodland burial grounds, are a natural and less austere alternative to the ancient traditional grounds with their various headstones.

The Natural Death Centre now lists nine natural burial grounds in Devon, the latest being in Exeter.

The Exwick natural burial ground alongside Exwick Cemetery, offers a tranquil and simple space for people who want an environmentally friendly burial.

The newly created woodland walk allows access to a separate area also managed for nature conservation.

The burial ground is set in a secluded glade surrounded by mature trees on a hillside offering views across the city and includes a non-denominational chapel.

As well as being a green option, a natural burial is also an economical move. You are free to plan the ceremony of your choice, which could involve a minister or may be simply an informal gathering of friends and family.

The chapel has a small kitchen, moveable seating, facilities for playing recorded music and the use of an electronic organ. You can have the chapel the whole of the day of the funeral if you wish. Alternatively, you can have a simple graveside service.

For more information, contact Kath Murphy at Exeter City Council on 01392 265129, or email: kath.murphy@exeter. gov.uk Information about natural burials is available from www.naturaldeath.org.uk

Fountain International Conference 16th - 17th April 2011, Torquay. £50.00

St Anne’s Hall, Torquay TQ1 3SN

Inspiration for Healing and Earth Energies For info contact: Fountain Conference, 35 Padacre Road, Torquay, Devon TQ2 8PX. or Tel 01803 316146 evenings or weekends

SpEakErS InCludE: Paul Broadhurst, Julie Soskin, Giles Bryant, Joe Hoare, Tim Walter, Colin Kingshott, Mike Shinton, Sig Lonegren Subjects include; Healing, dowsing and Sacred landscape

Grow your business

Promote your business in Reconnect An advertisement this size can cost less than £30 a month 5% discount if you book before our Earlybird deadline (February 18) 5% discount for prompt payment FREE editorial and FREE ad on our website

Find out just how easy it is

call us now on 01392 346342 or email adverts@reconnectonline.co.uk

THE Devon Wildlife Trust (DWT) has been awarded more than £25,000

by SITA Trust to help finance major restoration of hedgerows at Woodah Farm (above), near Doddiscombsleigh. The 65 hectare farm is home to the charity’s nature reserves team. Find out more at www.devonwildlifetrust.org.

www.reconnectonline.co.uk

Editorial: 01392 346204 editor@reconnectonline.co.uk

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local people local events local food local health local environment

Connecting with the earth - without hair straighteners

How to meet your maker BUYING a unique gift is great, but meeting the person who made it is really special.

For 25 years, crafts people from all over Devon have been selling at Exmouth’s Pavilion - it is now officially the oldest craft fair continuously operating in East Devon, with over 300 to date.

Rob Longhurst, who is celebrating his quarter century as operator of the fairs, says they have a great tradition and a great following, with people travelling from all over the county.

Said Rob: “Even after all this time it’s amazing how many people come in and discover it for the first time and they live in Exmouth!”

“The quality of the work is very high and covers the complete spectrum of jewellery, art, knitting and sowing, bag making, toys, wooden items, etc.”

The fairs are on Sundays and entry is free. Call 01395 263495 or visit www.exmouthcraftfairs.com.

WE should all go there for a weekend, we said excitedly…. they didn’t look convinced.

We’d just come back from a wonderful week living off-grid in a yurt at Mill Valley, near Wadebridge in Cornwall – you might remember reading about it in Reconnect – and we loved the idea of the whole family (us and five adult kids and their partners) going there together.

They probably all hoped we’d forget about it, but our evangelical enthusiasm was unabated so we finally found a weekend when almost everyone was free (London-based couple couldn’t get away and it seemed unreasonable to expect the Sydney residents to make the journey).

That it was in October did cause rumblings of alarm, and there was a few (ironic, I’m sure) questions about where the girls might plug in their hair straighteners…

But we were confident that they’d love it – and they did. They’d seen our pictures from the first visit, but it doesn’t prepare you for the impact these yurts make when you first see inside them – large, light and beautifully detailed.

Even the compost loos weren’t as scary as they feared and the baths,

housed in a wood cabin divided into two, were a big hit, with both sections occupied by relaxed, candle-lit bathers, while their partners stoked the woodstove outside to keep the water hot.

Lighting fires, keeping fires going and cooking over fires all play a large part of the off-grid experience, and it brings out the primal fire worshipper in us all. Like some people’s fascination with barbecues, but without a house to run into if it rains.

And it did rain. And it was frosty too. But there’s nothing like a bit of weather to further hone the fire-making skills and although we could have spent evenings sat around a log stove in a yurt (they all have log stoves and the largest yurt was easily big enough to accommodate all eight of us), we chose to sit outside around an open fire, cooking, eating, talking and burning our mouths with toasted marshmallows.

Dogs are very welcome at Mill Valley and our two spent all four days exploring, developing an understanding with the neighbouring pigs and Hoovering up any fire-to-plate casualties.

New to Mill Valley since our first visit was a shepherd’s hut, a cross

between a log cabin and an old-style gypsy caravan, which was every bit as cosy as the yurts (it too has a log stove) but somehow doesn’t leave you feeling as connected to the big outdoors.

We’re planning another holiday there this year – I suspect the kids will want to come too… MF

Complete Holistic Healthcare …and how you

can afford it

Finding your way to natural wellbeing in today’s demanding lifestyle is not easy.

There’s no quick fix.

The Barefoot Doctor’s Complete Holistic Healthcare treats the whole person, so at last you can enjoy total health. It includes: n Acupuncture - supported by… n Qigong for self-healing n Dietary guidance n Emotional support n Meditation groups

and qigong

for energy and well being

Bristol Open Day 6th February, 11am - 4pm, FREE.

The Pierian Centre, Bristol BS2 8SA Drop in anytime, refreshments and healthy snacks available. Workshops on the half hour all day.

Simply Tai Chi – Finding Fluidity in Life 25th to 27th February, from £199.

Sharpham House, Totnes, Devon A weekend of peace, great food and great teachers.

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Relax, Sink, Empty with Luke Shepherd 12th to 13th March, £85.

Buckfast, South Devon Tai Chi workshops with leading teacher (30 years experience).

And to ensure everyone can afford it, all The Barefoot Doctor’s treatments and support groups (which are held in Totnes and Dartington) are by donation only.

Call Ramin, The Barefoot Doctor, to find out more

Freephone 0800 434 6595

Instructor Course Starts 19th March, £83 per month.

Kingsbridge, South Devon

Try a free class with us anytime.

www.taichination.com T: 0845 257 2142

Advertising: 01392 346342 adverts@reconnectonline.co.uk

FREE TALKS: Meet The Barefoot Doctor and find out more about Holistic Healthcare at St John’s Church, Bridgetown, Totnes, 7.30pm, fourth Wednesday of every month

thebarefootdoctor PuT Ting Your HealTH in Your Hands

www.reconnectonline.co.uk

local people local events local food local health local environment Liz’s good company

WELCOME to Wellbeing, We set out to make Wellbeing THE place to go for natural health and personal development - and judging by the number of people who want to be involved (just check out the next few pages), we’re heading in the right direction!

It’s got advertising, of course (these good people want to get their message out there for you - and we need to make our business work too).

And there are also the unique Reconnect stories that we are so well-known for,

providing insight and depth - in grounded language you can understand.

So read on, enjoy, get involved with these people and change your life for the good.

If you want to appear in our Wellbeing pages, call

Louise, above, on 07866 013 637, or Pete on 01392 346342, or email adverts@ reconnectonline.co.uk.

It’s simple - but not easy IT is uplifting in this complex world to hear that something is simple – although that doesn’t necessarily mean it is easy…

Acupuncturist Ramin, also known as The Barefoot Doctor, is adamant there is “no great mystery” about how to achieve good health, wellbeing, or even enlightenment.

Says Ramin: “Most of us have spent years in highly pressured lifestyles and the inevitable result is dis-ease. To return to wellness, we first need to respond to the needs of our bodies, rather than the preferences of our minds.

“Most people live in their heads, which means they live in the past or the future – we can only be in the here and now when we drop into our bodies. It’s that simple.”

But making that transition is not so simple.

“It needs practice, lifestyle changes and support – there is no pill or even a single therapy that will do it for us,” says Ramin.

His solution is Complete Holistic Healthcare – pain-free acupuncture in conjunction with Qigong, dietary advice, emotional support and meditation. And because that could get expensive, Ramin operates on a donations basis.

Call Ramin on 0800 434 6595, or hear a free talk at St John’s Church, Bridgetown, Totnes, at 7.30pm on February 23 and March 23.

Walking back to fitness IF you enjoy walking but want more upper body exercise, Nordic Walking, using Nordic sticks, could be for you.

Qualified instructor Fiona Swan said: “It’s a fitness class held outside. It’s a great way to build up aerobic capacity without any

Core Process Psychotherapy An approach that draws on modern Western Psychotherapeutic understanding and the wisdom and compassion of Buddhist psychology Mark Craig MA

Colin Sutton MA

01803 865672

07811 285875 01392 758107

Totnes

Registered Psychotherapists

www.reconnectonline.co.uk

Exeter & Plymouth

damage to your joints – ideal for the elderly and those who have not done much exercise recently.”

Fiona currently holds classes at Haldon Forest, near Exeter, but is looking at other venues across the area. Call her on 01626 890120 or 07531 729383.

HAVING the security of your own home is a blessing but sometimes living alone can leave you feeling isolated.

Loneliness can also be a problem for the elderly living in residential homes.

Liz Allen is committed to relieving that isolation and, having worked for home help companies in Totnes and in Sheffield, she has now launched her own business called Good Company.

Her befriending service offers conversation and listening, a partner to play cards and board games, someone to read aloud, music appreciation, computer help and more.

For 22 years Liz has taught Alexander Technique and more recently psychotherapy working with elderly people in their home as a home help and befriender.

She also works in sheltered housing teaching an exercise class for the elderly.

Said Liz: “I spend one hour with the individual and I find out what they want. Obviously we can just talk. People just love to talk and I do a lot of listening.

“If they wanted I could play cards or board games, reading aloud or listening to music.”

Liz says that a memory box containing photos or other mementos provides a good talking point.”

Give Liz a call on 07505 901390.

Take a deep breaTh...

Learn how to use the power of your own breath to overcome stress and re-energise your body

Transformational breathing Les Elms • leselms@f2s.com www.breathsouthwest.com

07828 566553

Editorial: 01392 346204 editor@reconnectonline.co.uk

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local people local events local food local health local environment

Good Company Are you or someone you know feeling isolated or in need of company?

I can offer conversation and listening, reading aloud, computer help, music appreciation or be a games partner.

Totnes area Free initial interview • Reasonable rates • CRB checked

Liz Allen - 07505 901390

Lynda Newman-Miller, a Shiatsu practitioner at the Herbs & Honey therapy centre (left), Helen Stewart of Herbs & Honey (centre) and Rachel Geary from Torbay Acupunture Centre.

Centre complements shop A JEWEL in the crown of the busy and friendly shopping precinct of St Marychurch, Torquay, is the unique Herbs & Honey health food store.

As well as selling a huge range of health products, the 30 year-oldstore is also the base for a therapy centre offering a multitude of treatments.

Helen Stewart, manager of the shop, says the therapies available complement the shop.

She added: “The centre has two tranquil and inviting rooms where fully qualified, experienced and established therapists offer professional treatments, help and advice, compassionately and considerately suited to your needs.”

Therapies are available from Tuesday to Saturday during normal opening hours, with one evening

currently hosting a meditation class. Mondays are dedicated to the Torbay Acupuncture Centre’s Multibed Acupuncture Treatments.

The therapy rooms are also available to hire, for limited times, on an individual basis or when opened out into a single room for larger capacity workshops, meetings or classes.

The shop itself offers a broad range of natural products, supplements, vitamins, homeopathic remedies, organic goods, gluten, wheat, and dairy free foods, crystals, Nag Champa and Japanese incense.

There are vegan and vegetarian products and an expanding range of natural toiletries, including Burt’s Bees, also some exclusive to Herbs & Honey.

Call 01803 314 901, or visit www.herbsandhoney.co.uk

Nurturing the demons within you THE next time you feel depressed or just down about something, it may help to confront your demons rather than suppress them.

That’s the basis for the carefully designed process of Buddhist teacher Tsultrim Allione called Feeding Your Demons.

Vajralila and Sudakini have trained with Tsultrim Allione and are currently the only certified UK facilitators. hey are also both fully qualified and registered psychotherapists and ordained Buddhists.

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The method, which combines ancient wisdom with western psychology, involves turning towards your demons (the disowned or shadowy parts of ourselves) with compassion and nurturing them rather than fighting them.

This prevents emotions becoming repressed and surfacing elsewhere in our lives, sometimes in blame or anger.

They are offering day-long Feeding Your Demons workshops at various locations in the UK. Go to www. feedingyourdemons.co.uk Call 07917 644942.

www.reconnectonline.co.uk

local people local events local food local health local environment Sad final days for natural health centre IT’S always sad when a business has to close, but particularly so when it’s a natural health centre that has offered such a personal and supportive service for many years.

We hear from Anne Ashton that, 10 years after she first opened Newton Abbot Natural Health Centre (originally known as Newton Abbot Healing Centre), she has not been able to negotiate new terms on her lease and the centre is closing.

“It’s very sad for everyone involved,” said Anne.

Some of the centre’s therapists and group leaders are looking for rooms in the area, so if anyone has space to rent, call Anne on 07896 968 518.

She is also selling all the furniture and equipment from the centre so if you are interested, visit www. newtonabbotnaturalhealthcentre. co.uk or call in there on Sunday, February 13.

Reconnect wishes Anne and everyone involved the very best for the future.

Psychotherapy Plymouth ‘Learning is ever in the freshness of its youth, even for the old’

Waterloo Well-Being Centre, 191 Devonport Road, Stoke, Plymouth PL1 5RN.

Aeschylus

THERAPY ROOMS TO RENT IN PLYMOUTH Rooms to rent in newly refurbished therapy centre in Plymouth.

Suitable for both individual and group therapy.

We welcome therapists who are passionate about their work and looking for a dedicated and professional therapeutic environment.

To rent space call 07966003872 or email info@psychotherapyplymouth.co.uk

Supporting your journey to greater awareness 25% off your first appointment with this advert

Personal Transformation - Healing - Spiritual Growth 07738 681 483 iessaiah@yahoo.co.uk

www.iessaiah.com www.witnesstobeing.com

Gentle support for Tai Chi newcomers IF you’ve been meaning to get into Tai Chi, but that first step has so far seemed a little too big to take, Robert Byrnes promises the beginner “gentle and supportive coaching”.

Having trained with Chen Master Liming Yue, Robert now runs a Chen Masterclass in Exeter.

For beginners the class includes warm-ups, raising bodily awareness, postural correction, qigong for health, silk-reeling and a highly accessible 11-posture short form.

The more experienced attendees will be able to “uncover deeper insights into how and why Tai Chi works”.

The Chen Masterclass also includes a detailed study of the power house of Chen Style Tai Chi – namely, Silk Reeling Energy, an exercise used to develop one of the fundamental powers used in Tai Chi. Students may learn to apply the art form with a partner by using ‘pushing hands’ practice.

Classes are held at Exeter Phoenix Art Centre on Thursdays, 5.30-6.45pm, and cost £6. Call 07973 263049, or visit www.blacktigerkungfu.com, where you can find more information and a link to demnstration videos, including a Tai Chi warm-up and a Tai CVi taster.

Chen Tai Chi Masterclass Exeter Phoenix Art Centre Special Offer: Attend by 10th February and receive your first two sessions FREE

Thursday 5.30pm to 6.45pm Robert 07973 263049 FREE Taster video please visit www.blacktigerkungfu.com

www.reconnectonline.co.uk

Editorial: 01392 346204 editor@reconnectonline.co.uk

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local people local events local food local health local environment

TRAINING/CPD FOR BODYWORK THERAPISTS With top professional tutor Michael Newman D.Ac,L.C.S.P (Phy)

FORTHCOMING COURSES INCLUDE: Advanced Massage Techniques - March 19 Pressure points and moxibustion therapy - May 14 Rehabilitation exercises for specific injuries - July 2 All courses in Exeter or Totnes - full details at www.devonschoolofsportsmassage.co.uk

DEVON SCHOOL OF SPORTS MASSAGE

01803 866259 / 0784 6614420

info@devonschoolofsportsmassage.co.uk

Integrated Acupuncture Mark Edlund-Plater M.B.Ac.C Totnes and Teignmouth Donations in Totnes (Tues) Introductory offers 01803 862803 07506 179 808 mark.edlundplater@gmail.com

PsychotheraPist anorexia - DePression - Phobic anxiety

Andy White

bsocsci (Psych) Dip rF. Dip Psychosynthesis.

Dip adv hiPs. Dip adv ex Psych. andy is a highly qualified psychotherapist with over 20 years’ experience. andy is a published author - Going Mad to stay sane. a psychology of self- destructiveness (Duckworth 1996) and the Living Dream (self and society 2001). andy is also an internationally recognised teacher and is currently director of the Gnostic circle, a school of philosophy and psychology based in exeter, which runs a variety of workshops for the general public and a one-year diploma in transpersonal Psychology. andy has premises in chulmleigh and exeter 01769 581 720

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New programme for councillors IN today’s fast moving world, more and more of us are turning to counsellors to help us survive the turmoil.

A chat with a qualified counsellor could be the tonic we need - but could it also be the career you are looking for?

Exeter College has released a new programme of counselling qualifications, including a level two, three-day taster starting in March for those who are unsure if it is the career direction they are looking for.

This is a qualification in itself, but it can lead on to a Certificate in Counselling skills, which is a level 3, 150-hour course run over an academic year with one weekend residential. This starts in October.

There is also an 80-hour Award in Counselling Skills and Theory, which runs over 12 weeks and starts in late March this year.

Course lecturer Jane Hancock, who has a private practice in East Devon, said: “These two initial qualifications are useful in their own right for perhaps someone interested in the subject or who wants to enhance their current career position.”

They can lead on to other qualifications, such as a Foundation Degree in Health and Social Care, or a level 4 Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling.

The Diploma is a 400-hour course over two years - the next starting in September - which would allow the successful student to set up in practice.

Said Jane: “The advantage of taking a course through Exeter College is that there is support in the way of access to a library,and e-books, free workshops on essay writing if they are required, and student status, which allows you to be part of the NUS.” All the courses are taught by experienced counsellors. Full details on the college website www.exe-coll.ac.uk/courses.”

Sig to speak at conference LEADING dowser Sig Lonegren is one of a long list of inspirational speakers who will be addressing this year’s Fountain International Conference in Babbacombe.

Sig has a masters degree in the study of Sacred Space and has studied Archaeoastronomy, Sacred Geometry and Earth Energies, and was taught dowsing by his mother in the late 1950s.

Sig is a past trustee of The American Society of Dowsers and has also served on (and is now Honorary Life President of) the Council of the British Society of Dowsers.

Sig, also a Geomancer, which includes cleaning “sick houses” from geopathic stress, has written several books, including Spiritual Dowsing, Labyrinths, and The Pendulum Box. The conference, entitled Inspiration for Healing and Earth Energies, is on April 16 and 17 at St Anne’s Hall, Babbacombe, Torquay.

Other speakers include Paul Broadhurst, Giles Bryant, Mike Shinton, Julie Soskin and Tim Walter.

For information call 01803 316146 evenings and weekends, or go to www.fountaininternational.org

Advertising: 01392 346342 adverts@reconnectonline.co.uk

Answering your calling FOR Kimberley Jones, who lives and works near Newton Abbot, the last 12 years have been a period of discovery, learning and development as she moved from what she calls her ‘”spiritual awakening” to using her newly discovered abilities in a positive and constructive way.

Some of you may remember her from her work at the Arcturus Centre. Now she’s working “to help others sense of what’s happening to them” with the e-Wakening Academy.

Working from her new website, www.ewakening.com, Kimberley has also produced a free ebook called ‘Soul Whispers – is your calling calling you?’

Said Kimberley: “The Academy is aimed at those experiencing the early symptoms of their awakening – a developing sensitivity and a calling.

“I am passionate about keeping it all grounded, about helping people to recognise what’s happening to them, understanding it and then developing it and using it in a practical way.”

Kimberley has trained with, among others, Amit Goswami Ph.D, who featured in the film What The Bleep? And her story features in Catherine Lucas’s new book, In Case of Spiritual Emergency (out in July from Findhorn Press).

Visit www.e-wakening.com.

www.reconnectonline.co.uk

local people local events local food local health local environment

Stop holding your breath BECAUSE it happens automatically, breathing is something most of us take for granted most of the time – although I have become very aware of it since I started work on this story (pause for deep breath).

In fact, the majority of us use just 15-20% per cent of our breathing capacity, because our systems gradually, or sometimes not so gradually, shut down over the years as we literally hold our breath in response to fear and anxiety (time to fill your lungs again, dear readers).

Consequently, the benefits of breathing more fully are, says transformational breathing therapist Les Elms (right), immense.

“Drawing a fuller breath oxygenates our bodies, so we feel both more energised and more relaxed,” said Les, “and it gives our immune system a dramatic boost. Almost every condition can be improved by learning to breath properly.” (Sorry, you have taken another breath, haven’t you?)

And there are deeper benefits too, because transformational breathing therapy also works on a vibrational level, helping to clear emotional blockages.

“There are so many benefits,” said Les, who works in South Devon and throughout the West Country, visiting people at home or at therapy centres. “It’s a technique that everyone can learn and use to change and improve every aspect of their lives.”

Call Les Elms on 07828 566553, email leselms@f2s.com, or visit www.breathsouthwest.com.

(Oh, and breath…)

www.reconnectonline.co.uk

Katheryn Trenshaw

“Katheryn’s work is powerful, effective, illuminating and has freed the way I approach my work and my life.” Donna, USA

Are you ready for real freedom? Dare you step into your deep connected power and really be here now? Are you ready to open your heart and love?

There is nothing to change. It is not about self-improvement. It is simple.

01803 863552 • info@ktrenshaw.com www.ktrenshaw.com

Core Process Psychotherapy supportive, respectful and confidential.

Sally Purdy MA, B.Soc.Sc. Welcoming your enquiries on:

(01803) 840355

be a Wellbeing Village, where you can sample therapists’ work in taster affordable sessions.

Look out for more details in the next issue... and if you’re a practitioner and would like to be involved, please get in touch.

Call 01392 346342 or email adverts@reconnectonline.co.uk

How to refine and develop your Tai Chi BEING stable and relaxed are vital factors in Tai Chi – and, of course, give far-reaching benefits for our daily life.

Tai Chi Nation’s Matthew Rochford says: “The training methods to refine stability demand a lucid understanding of subtle changes inside the body and mind, not simply movements or postures.”

To develop and refine Tai Chi practice, Tai Chi Nation are running workshops on March 12-13 called ‘Rooting - Relax, Sink, Empty’, with “a prime focus on understanding subtle muscle changes instigated by ‘yi, or deep mind intention.”

Said Matthew: “As these are inner aspects given by the Taiji Classics, rather than outer forms, the workshop is open to all Tai Chi styles.”

The workshops are run by Luke Shepherd, right, who has been training for 30 years and is a student of Patrick Kelly.

events with

Upcoming: March 18 - 20 • June 10 - 12 • July 1 - 5 (Residential Retreat) • July 7 - 10 (Quest)

Wander round the Wellbeing Village...

YOU might have read elsewhere in this issue that we’re joining forces with Embercombe, the wonderful and inspirational centre near Exeter, to hold a Midsummer Fair on Saturday, June 18.

We plan to give you the chance to walk through a living version of the magazine - so naturally there will

2011

Passionate Presence

• Some concessions currently available • Insured • Working toward UKCP accreditation

Mana Harmony Truly Transformational Healing Workshops and 1-1

Monday &Tuesday 7pm-9pm & Weekends

Learn how to free yourself from all that inhibit your rightful abundance of love, health, happiness and harmony Contact Lin Lovel (MA, PGDip,CQSW, PA Dip, Cert Adult Ed) 01752 301078 07948 756104 email mana_harmony@live.com www.manaharmony.co.uk

Feeding Your Demons

Workshops for Personal and Spiritual Development

“He offers a far reaching insight into the inner workings,” says Matthew, “creating an inspiring yet challenging opportunity to refine your training.”

Held at South Park Community Centre, Buckfast, the whole weekend is £85. Call 0845 257 2142, or visit www.taichination.com/ workshops.php.

ExEtEr Natural HEaltH CENtrE Sunday 20th February, 10am - 5pm “One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light but by making the darkness conscious.” Carl Jung To book and for more info: www.feedingyourdemons.co.uk email: feedingyourdemons@me.com

Editorial: 01392 346204 editor@reconnectonline.co.uk

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local people local events local food local health local environment Time for an emotional spring clean

What Kate did online...

IF you fancy a run into summer with a psychological and emotional spring clean, you really should be looking at a Journey session.

A mental detox should mean cleansing out any relics of the past such as attachment to past partners, relationships, jobs and places.

Journey therapist Louise Page offers sessions in her private practice in Thorverton but also works at Karuna Detox retreats in North Devon.

According to Shoshana, who runs Karuna Detox, physical and emotional de-tox tend to run in parallel.

Said Louise: “Journeying takes

SOUTH Devon lifecoach Kate Harris, right, has joined the new online coaching and counselling site Mentaline. com.

The service brings together more than 300 coaches, psychologists, psychotherapists and other therapists, available through Skype, phone or face-to-face.

Says Kate: “This is a new venture for me and is proving to be a great way to offer a rapid response service to people in need of instant help. It can be very difficult for people to access a listening ear quickly so this service is a wonderful resource.”

Kate has appointments available 10.30am-1.45pm, Monday to Friday.

Visit www.kateharris-lifecoaching.co.uk.

you into a deeply relaxed state where you have access to your wisest and most intuitive self.

This wisdom then allows you to become aware of, and cleanse out, any relics from the past that are no longer helpful.

“Stuck emotions and habitual thought patterns from the unconscious can also be brought to consciousness, recognised and released.”

Louise also sees many people for counselling and counselling supervision and runs her Journey Round the Year Course.

Call Louise on 01392 860509, email louise.page@campion. f2s.com, or visit www.karunadetox.com.

Louise Page

CPD and training for massage and bodywork therapists AN experienced bodywork and massage expert is offering CPD and qualification training workshops in South Devon.

Michael Newman has been a full-time practitioner for over 25 years, specialising in the treatment and the rehabilitation of sports injuries, including at Bournemouth FC and as part of the GB medical team at the 2010 Paralympic World Cup. His CPD workshops cover many aspects of massage and bodywork, and include specialist areas such as cupping therapy and the use of pressure points and moxibustion therapy.

“These are ideal for all qualified therapists – physiotherapists, osteopaths, chiropractors and all

areas of massage, from aromatherapy to sports injury work.”

His advanced massage courses are for Level 4 and 5 ITEC qualifications. There is a Level 4 course running now and another planned for late summer.

He said: “These are really practical, hands-on courses, dealing with real injuries – it’s the only way to give therapists the confidence they need.”

Michael is also able to set-up and run specific workshops for groups of therapists who need training in any area of massage and bodywork.

Call 01803 866259, visit www. devonschoolofsportsmassage.co.uk.

There’s more Wellbeing news on page 35 including a new, NHS-friendly care package

Hélène Demetriades

Experienced Transpersonal Psychotherapist & Counsellor BaCP accred.

Metamorphic Technique Practitioner Counselling & Psychotherapy I help you to move through patterns of self-rejection to come home to yourself.

“Hélène works with infinite compassion and patience, listening on levels which I could never begin to imagine myself. She becomes the most magical mirror in which I can see myself more clearly” Metamorphic Technique A simple practice involving a light touch on your feet, hands and head.

“The philosophy of the Metamorphic Technique of bringing about one’s potential in life has manifested itself in mine in a profound way within the last year.

Unexpected, happy occurrences have taken place and I am much less fretful about my life than I used to be”.

Location: Dartington www.helenedemetriades.co.uk Tel: 01803 868 655

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www.reconnectonline.co.uk

local people local events local food local health local environment Arts & Health

Counselling

Over 32 years’ experience

INSIDEr Art

We are running the following courses in Exeter in 2011 ART IN MENTAL HEALTH: A Foundation Course in Art Therapy ARTS & HEALTH COURSE: Participatory Visual Arts Short courses in Sandtray Therapy, Dance Movement Therapy, Creative Writing and Narrative & Story Making Approaches For more information visit the website www.insiderart.org.uk or e-mail info@insiderart.org.uk

- offers confidential therapeutic counselling for individuals and couples. www.caseconfidential.com

PAT HOARE. DIP. COUNS. B.A.C.P. ACCREDITED COUNSELLOR AND SUPERVISOR Email: pat@pathoare.eclipse.co.uk

Group facilitator, Louise Hay Trainer, Inner-Child work Family/Sex Therapy.

Critical Incident Debriefing.

G.H.R. Accredited Hypnotherapist.

Analytical Therapy for phobias, emotional difficulties, stress etc.

Suggestion Therapy to stop smoking, for weight control, nail biting, confidence, study, driving tests etc.

Free 20-minute consultation: Telephone 01392 410090 for appointments.

24a Gandy Street, Exeter EX4 3LS

Counselling

Counselling

Bowen therapy

Health centres

Exeter Mind and Body Clinic

Cathrin Wildwood Sexuality Therapist

A refreshing new service for Central Exeter Would you like to be a part of it?

Counselling individuals and couples for any issues related to sex, intimacy and relationships

There is still some rental availability at this discreet and well-managed venue with two well appointed therapy rooms and a group/training room.

Contact for more information: Cathy Towers 01395 278 437 or 07989 564660 www.exetermindandbody.com

www.sexualitytherapist.co.uk hello@ sexualitytherapist.co.uk Tel: 07870 888141

healing

PSYCHOTHERAPY

Cave House Healing Retreat June / July and September A magical week of nurturing, healing and inner exploration in a cave house in rural Andalucia. Be totally looked after, relax and connect with your inner wisdom under the guidance of David Boldick a very experienced healer and teacher.

Visits to lakes, mountains and local markets.

Email:davidboldick@hotmail.com phone 07831 336762 www.cavehealingretreat.com

Psychotherapy

and Counselling

Helen Cross

M.A. Core Process Psychotherapy UKCP Candidate in Training

Totnes Chudleigh Exeter Free introductory session

phone 01626 834599 www.hcpsychotherapy.co.uk

Advertising

Grow your business

Promote your business in Reconnect An advertisement this size can cost less than £17 a month 5% discount if you book before our Earlybird deadline (February 18) 5% discount for prompt payment FREE editorial and FREE ad on our website Find out just how easy it is call us now on 01392 346342 or email adverts@reconnectonline.co.uk

Journeying

A Journey Round the Year 2011 reconnect-july10.indd 1

04/07/2010 13:04:41

The Bridge between Shamanism and Therapy A series of Journeying Days following the natural cycle of the year. This course gives you a gentle space, time and powerful techniques to access your connection with the earth and with yourself allowing you to deepen your sense of strength, purpose, grounding and direction.

From 10 am to 4.30 pm, at the Friends’ Meeting House, Pavilion Place, Exeter Saturdays, 5 Feb, 12 March, 14 May, 11 June, 6 Aug, 24 Sept - 2011 Cost: £50 per day, £40 per day if four or more days are booked together.

Some concessions available.

To book please contact: Louise Page, Tel: 01392 860509, E-mail: louise.page@campion.f2s.com

www.reconnectonline.co.uk

Editorial: 01392 346204 editor@reconnectonline.co.uk

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local people local events local food local health local environment Lineage adverts

FEBRUARY

EVENTS

Saturday 5

Fountain International Conference, St Anne’s Hall, Babbacombe Road, Babbacombe, Torquay, April 16th & 17th 2011 for £50.

For info, contact Fountain Conference, 35 Padacre Road, Torquay, TQ2 8PX, or tel 01803 316146, eve or weekends.

QIGONG workshops at South Brent Village Hall with Brad Richecoeur 10am-5pm. 0845 3305086 www.qigong-southwest.co.uk

ROOMS TO RENT

Rooms to rent in newly refurbished therapy centre in Plymouth. Suitable for both individual and group therapy. We welcome therapists who are passionate about their work and looking for a dedicated and professional therapeutic environment. To rent space call 07966003872 or email info@psychotherapyplymouth.co.uk.

Waterloo Well-Being Centre, 191 Devonport Road, Stoke, Plymouth PL1 5RN. COUNSELLING

DAVID OXLEY MA Experienced, qualified and fully Accredited BACP Counsellor trained in Psychosynthesis and more recently through MA in mindfulness-based psychotherapy (Core Process) with Karuna Institute, offers counselling and psychotherapy in Plymouth, Central Exeter, Kingsbridge and Totnes. Enquiries welcome www.davidoxleycounselling.co.uk Tel 01548559317 mob 07876051093 TAROT READINGS

TAROT readings with natural psychic.

In person or phone. £35 for an hour. Insight guidance, inspiration. For an appointment call Marie on 01803 867 635.

WORKSHOPS AND COURSES DIARY Every Tuesday

QIGONG at The Mint Methodist Church with Brad Richecoeur, 5.30-7pm. Suitable for all levels. 0845 3305086 www.qigong-southwest.co.uk Every Friday

QIGONG at St Johns Church Hall, Totnes with Brad Richecoeur, 10-11.30am. Suitable for all levels.

0845 3305086 www.qigong-southwest.co.uk

Saturday 5

A JOURNEY round the year 2011.

The bridge between Shamanism and Therapy.

10am to 4.30pm at the Friends’ Meeting House, Pavilion Place, Exeter. £50 per day. Contact Louise Page 01392 860509. louise.page@ campion.f2s.com Sunday 6

TAI CHI NATION and qigong for energy and well being. Bristol open day, 11am to 4pm, free. www.taichination.com tel: 0845 257 21142.

Thursday 10

CHEN TAI CHI Masterclass. Exeter Phoenix Art Centre. Attend by Thursday, Feb 10, 5.30pm to 6.45pm and receive first two sessions free.

Call Robert on 07973 263049, www.blacktigerkungfu.com.

Saturday 12 & Sunday 13

Shiatsu Discovery Weekends. Two inspiring days of learning and experiencing Shiatsu.

Feb 12/13 and May 21/22. Buckyette Farm, Totnes. Tel: 01803 762593. email: info@devonshiatsu.co.uk.

Sunday 20

Feeding your demons. Workshops for personal and spiritual develoment.

Exeter Natural Health Centre, 10am - 5pm. www.feedingyourdemons.co.uk. email: feedingyourdemons@me.com.

Friday 25 Sunday 27

SIMPLY TAI CHI, finding fluidity in life, Sharpham House, Totnes. www.taichination.com tel: 0845 257 21142.

MARCH

Introduction to counselling level 2, and NCFE level 3 award in counselling skills starting March 2011 at Exeter College. www.execoll.ac.uk. email: communityedadministration@ exe-coll.ac.uk, tel: 0845 111 6000.

Friday 4

Introduction to Macrobiotics Day. £75. Looking after your health, four-day intensive £350 March 29 - April 1. tel: 01803 762598. info@macroschool.co.uk.

Saturday 12

QIGONG workshops at South Brent Village Hall with Brad Richecoeur 10am-5pm. 0845 3305086 www.qigong-southwest.co.uk Saturday 12

CELEBRATE 100 years of International Women’s Day plus ‘Minore’, belly dance workshop inspiring you to move your body in ways you never knew you could At the Meadowbrook Community Centre, Shinner’s Bridge, Dartington, 7.30pmmidnight. £8/£6 conc. Women Only.

For more info contact: jojazz@onetel.com Saturday 12 & Sunday 13

TAI CHI NATION and qigong for energy and wellbeing. Relax, sink, empty with Luke Shepherd, Buckfast, South Devon, Tai Chi workshops. www.taichination.com tel: 0845 257 21142.

Friday 18 - Sunday 20

passionate presence. Events with Katheryn Trenshaw. 01803 863552 info@ktrenshaw.com.

Saturday 19

ADVANCED massage techniques, Devon School of Sports Massage.

Tel 01803 866259 / 0784 6614420. email: info@devonschoolofsportsmassage.co.uk.

Saturday 19

TAI CHI and qigong instructor course, starts March 19, £83 per month.

Kingsbridge,www.taichination.com tel: 0845 257 21142.

Saturday 26

DANCING the circle of life and death.

A transformational journey of self-discovery.

Myth, story telling, nature, cycles of the year.

Explore how death can teach us how to live.

Taster day in Bath. Call Annee bury 01237 421252, email: anne@landcross.fsworld.co.uk.

the green living magazine for Exeter, Plymouth and South Devon

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Lineage ads cost 85p a word - minimum of 20 words. Count up words and send us a cheque payable to Reconnect Magazine to 2 Withall’s Gardens, Lympstone EX8 5JH or leave your number and we’ll call you to pay by card.

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Advertising: 01392 346342 adverts@reconnectonline.co.uk

www.reconnectonline.co.uk

local people local events local food local health local environment Chiropractor adopts a more holistic approach PEOPLE often turn to a chiropractor when they’re suffering back pain, but practitioner Gareth Noble believes in a more holistic approach to treatment.

Rather than using the services of a chiropractor simply for pain relief, Gareth believes continued maintenance and adjustments to the spine will give the body greater potential to heal and repair.

He explained: “I have been adjusted since I was a child as my uncle is also a chiropractor.

I really reaped the benefits of his care after I was involved in a car accident when I was 13.

The Devon Clinic is in Pembroke House, above, and is run by Chris Fleet (left) and Tim Wickson

Clinic creates ‘NHS-friendly’ eight-week programme THE Devon Clinic in Paignton is breaking new ground by bringing together complementary practitioners and NHS-recognised disciplines such as podiatry and osteopathy to create an “NHSfriendly” integrated health clinic.

The Clinic’s Tim Wickson explained: “By combining treatments over an eight-week care programme, and by adopting the NHS’s results-based approach to patient care, the Clinic ticks both the conventional and holistic health boxes.”

Directly above Pembroke House Surgery, The Devon Clinic is the brainchild of Chris Fleet of Fleet Hypnosis and his business partner Tim Wickson. A team of 25 therapists and practitioners share eight treatment rooms, most with stunning sea-views over Torbay.

One treatment room was recently taken over by Hidden Hearing, who provide cutting-edge digital hearing aids and offer hearing tests and fitting at the Clinic every Wednesday.

Also available are a range of ‘lifestyle’ skin treatments, such as anti-wrinkle injections, thread vein removal and skin peels, all administered by Dr Ros Debenham, a GP for 22 years who also practices in Budeigh Salterton and Exeter.

The Devon Clinic is still recruiting so if you have a recognised discipline and have been practising for five years or more, call 01803 500 300 or visit www.devonclinic.co.uk.

My pain started to decrease immediately. Friends were surprised mostly, then interested and amazed at the results when told of the very gentle treatment.

Please try it, this is the route to take, I did and I’m glad. jean, 65

50% OFF

initial consultation Includes: Full exam ■■ case history ■■ digital scan ■■ follow up appointment ■■

www.noblechiropractic.co.uk Tel : 01803 873746 Email : info@noblechiropractic.co.uk 23a Fore Street | Kingskerswell | Devon FREE ample parking.

Early morning & late evening appointments.

Registered with the General Chiropractic Council.

Member of the United Chiropractic Association.

www.reconnectonline.co.uk

“If people want pain relief that’s fine, but we also talk to people about the importance of lifestyle, exercise and nutrition. It is more important to find out why the pain is there in the first place and then check them out every couple of months.”

Gareth now operates from premises in Fore Street, Kingskerswell, and takes patients from across the region from Totnes to Exeter.

For five years he worked in a big practice in Exeter but in 2006 decided he wanted something smaller and more personal and began to take his work in a different direction with a more holistic approach.

Originally from Bangor in Northern Ireland, Gareth is married with two young daughters and now lives in Totnes.

Call for an appointment on 01803 873746 email: info@noblechiropractic.co.uk www.noblechiropractic.co.uk.

Barbican T herapy Centre Professional Complementary 7 Stokes Lane, Barbican, Plymouth PL1 2LW Therapy & Healthcare Tel: 01752 266002

• Acupuncture • Alexander Technique www.btcplymouth.com • Aromatherapy • Cognitive Behavioural Therapy • Counselling • Craniosacral Therapy • Homeopathy • Hypnotherapy • Hot stone massage • Nutrition • Reflexology • Reiki • Shiatsu • Traditional Thai Massage • Yoga Therapy

Marc Craig, Cognitive Hypnotherapist, working from the Barbican Therapy Centre in Plymouth. Helping you help yourself to get the life you want and deserve dealing with a broad range of issues including PTSD, depression, anxiety, weight issues, phobias, public speaking. Bring this advert in and get £5 off per session.

Bring this advert in and get £5 off per session.

Barbican Therapy Centre

7 Stokes Lane, Barbican, Plymouth PL1 2LW Tel: 01752 266002 www.btcplymouth.com

Editorial: 01392 346204 editor@reconnectonline.co.uk

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SPRING IN THE AIR…!

Well, that’s probably right!

The day is getting longer, the night comes in later and the sun is coming back during the day.

Oh yes, and the market seems to be recovering!

So if you want financial advice and have genuine personal ethics and environmental criteria (e.g. you would prefer not to support companies who are destroying the atmosphere), where else would you go?

Give me a call!

Yes, I’m still around.

Still being the Green Money Man in the West of England.

Still a qualified IFA and still available!

BARCHESTER GREEN INVESTMENTS SERIOUS ABOUT MONEY, SERIOUS ABOUT LIFE ON EA RTH

Call Robin Currie on 01392 411630 15 Sylvan Road, Exeter, Devon EX4 6EW • mob: 07973-533352 e-mail: robin.currie@barchestergreen.co.uk • www.barchestergreen.co.uk www.makingfriendswithmoney.co.uk

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Independent Financial Advisers regulated by the Financial Services Authority.