BESPOKE PICTURE FRAMERS

BLENDING

Contemporary Styles With Traditional Framing Methods

CALL US FOR A FREE QUOTE OR VISIT US AT OUR WORKSHOP

STIBB HOLLOW FARM, LANGTREE, TORRINGTON, EX38 8LP

TEL: 01805 601777 www.blackdogframing.co.uk

Or message us @Facebook: BlackDogFraming • Instagram #BlackDogFraming

How Long has Torrington had a Silver Band?

According to the silver band’s website, ‘whether we’re taking part in national competitions, playing in local carnivals or holding concerts, our combination of fun, enthusiasm and hard work shine through for all to enjoy.’ Last year the band celebrated its seventieth anniversary with a special concert in October. Players, past and present, performed a repertoire of pieces that are significant to the band.

The band welcomes experienced players, but equally welcome are those who want to come and learn. There is a thriving junior section made up of both children and adults and, when a player is good enough, he or she can graduate as a fully-fledged member of the senior band. Learners are taught at present by Terry Hutchings and Myra Allin.

The band features at local annual events, such as the May Fair ceremony and Carnival and the Remembrance Day commemoration. The players put on concerts during the year and play for weddings and birthday celebrations, and take part in civic parades, fêtes, competitions and festivals all over the South West. In June last year they put on a special concert to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. There have been some memorable trips to Roscoff with the twinning association. Band members are proud to represent Torrington wherever they go and feel they are lucky to receive so much support from the people of the town.

The band started back in 1952, when members of ‘Fred Karno’s Band’ and former members of the Town Band had a meeting at a café in the town and decided to form a band together. Thus the Torrington Voluntary Silver Band was born, and permission was granted to use the instruments that had been put into trust at the start of the Second World War. The band went from strength to strength and had many successes, culminating in playing at the Royal Albert Hall in the National Finals in 1984. In 2002 the band came together to celebrate fifty years and recorded a CD ‘In the Mood’.

The band purchased the former Howe Church building in Castle Street in February 1996, with funding through an Arts Council Grant for £91,000 and additional monies from various local donations and band funds. In total, the entire project to provide the Torrington Silver Band with its own permanent premises, in which to practise and perform, cost in the region of £120,000. After extensive renovations, it was officially opened during May Fair in 1998. The hall can be hired for groups of up to 150, and also the kitchen for an additional cost.

Terry Hutchings has been a devoted servant to the Silver Band for many years. He joined as a lad of ten and, since then, has taught many people to play an instrument, has been Band Master and is now Musical Director. He shares conducting duties with Nick Megson and Emma Marsh. Many generations of Torrington youngsters have taken the opportunity of learning to play a musical instrument (with free use of an instrument), which they may not have had the chance to do at home or at school. There are a number of local families who have found that playing in the band has been a happy activity for all the family to enjoy. Many ex-band members, who have moved away, come back to join in the music-making and merriment at May Fair.

Moira Brewer

Services include:

House sitting • Dog walking • Equine care • Emergency cover Contact Isabel on: Tel: 07989 995935

Email: isabelspetsitting@gmx.co.uk Visit: www.isabelspetsitting.co.uk

Blackberry Farm Shop

* Open 7 days a week, & s�ll producing our home cooked food

* Please order in advance & use our fully contactless collec�on or delivery service.

* Product range: now includes general groceries, household items, toiletries beer, wines & spirits.

* Delivery service now reaches out to those who are isolated or wan�ng to stay at home.

For full details & a stock list:

Call 01409 261440 • Email: lizzy@lizzyslarder.co.uk or Visit our Facebook page Blackberry Farm Shop

Stay Safe everyone. Lizzy’s Larder, Blackberry Farm Shop, Milton Damerel, Holsworthy, EX22 7NP

Wills Powers Of Attorney Trusts Inheritance Tax

ADVICE

Philip W Taylor Llb Legal Consultant

Free initial consultation & estimate, no obligation.

Low rates (no VAT). Free home visits in EX38 area. Evening & weekend appointments available.

Contact me for a free consultation.

Telephone: 01271 858482 or 07766 714503

Email: philipwardtaylor@outlook.com

Bayonet Charge

Standing. Standing. Waiting for the call. Attaching our bayonets

In English, Year 9 have been hard at work studying the poetry of WW1. Before exploring the poem Bayonet Charge by Ted Hughes in preparation for GCSE, pupils were given some words from the poem and shown a video clip of men ‘going over the top’. They used these stimuli to write their own Bayonet Charge poems and here we have four wonderful examples:

I handed in my beloved things to give back to my children;

I think about my family back home, longing for their touch.

Is this the end?

Everyone worriedly walking up to the ladder,

I put my hand on the slippery ladder, Looking at my officer - silence!

The whistle echoed throughout the trench; my heart stopped.

Is this the end?

I clambered out

I couldn’t believe my eyes, the luscious emerald, green grass, about to be filled with massive deep craters;

I looked back to see my friend just behind me.

I ran through barbed wire with it pricking my arms.

Is this the end?

The machine guns roared, the British soldiers shouted, and the bayonets teeth ginned.

Me and my fellow comrades ran like a car in pursuit.

Soldiers dropping like grenades in the sky.

Then it hit, I was down…

This is the end.

A Bayonet Charge

The sun is shining Blistering on our faces

Generals are yelling Assigning our places

Before we know it

There’s the final command “10 more seconds!”

Until no man’s land

9 men loading bayonets

8 men praying to their god

7 men placing their bets

6 men saying “we’ve already lost”

5 more seconds ‘til the closing sound

4 more breaths ‘til war breaks out

3 more men gripping their ladders

2 more whispers ‘til lives are shattered

1 whistle blown

Cries of fear or bravery

You could never really tell Charging to Germany

Praying all goes well

One by one we were all shot down

Falling like grenades hitting the ground

That is my bayonets charge

And many others too

I was deceived by this war

And so were you.

Bayonet Charge

And then the crashing stops… A silence louder than the guns… A peace more horrifying than war… Ashen deaths -heads surround me… Will this be my swansong?

And then something fills the silence, A crashing in my ears. The trepidation in my heart, More thunderous than shell fire. Will this be my swansong?

The silence ticks by, a countdown To my death, The pallid faces of My ghostly comrades wait. The silence is broken.

This will be my swansong.

A sharp, shrill note echoes through The ranks. We lurch forward, Up and out the trenches Into the quagmire beyond. This will be my swansong.

The wind howls in mourning, the chaos Is complete, my comrades turned To spectres, haunting this living nightmare.

The wild hunt will feast tonight. This is my swansong.

Bullets whiz, hairs widths away. Somehow dodging, or perhaps I, Just don’t feel the sting Of metal biting flesh. This is my swansong.

On the same topic, pupils then looked at a clip from the film War Horse and wrote a piece of descriptive prose based on the scene. Here is Isla’s fantastic response:

Bayonet Charge

The eerie silence rips my ears, I do not want to let slip any of my fears, My clumsy hands holding a gun, I want nothing but for it to be done, The bayonet charge. The scrambling, the climbing and the screaming, Leaves nothing but Tommy’s bleeding, The battlefield covered in blood, As I stare down the face of my lifeless bud,

The bayonet charge. I jump down into the fog, And breath in 2 lungs full of smog, More Tommy’s around me but cold as ice, To be back at home it would be oh so nice,

The Silence of The Battle

The noisy clamouring of hooves fills the air, challenged only by the distant rifle-fire and flares exploding overhead. The horse keeps up a fast pace, causing his vision to blur where the bare ground began to merge underneath his hooves. He lifts his gaze to avoid obstacles, jumping over a decaying log of a fallen tree and narrowly clipping himself on the rotting wood. Joey takes no notice of the echoing booms’ shells churning up the ground with no remorse. Nothing seems to shake him out of his determined trace, not even the squeals of flares as they are released into the sky, nor the explosions that ignite to fill the otherwise inky blackness with unnatural vivid orange and red hues. The horse, however, does stumble eventually from the persistent shaking of the ground, jolting him off course and causing him to break his fast pace as he trips into a shell crater. The bottom oozes with thick mud, filled with murky brown water from the rain that is now beating down all around.

Joey carries on, never disrupted by the merciless, icy winds that slap at his face or the pelting of freezing raindrops that are beginning to numb him. The rain obstructs his vision, clouding his path and causing him to not to see it before he feels it. The wire. It tears at his skin; shredding into him and forcing him to crumple. The horse lies in a heap like a fly tangled in a spider web of razor blades. The horse does not stop thrashing; his writing limbs only cause the barbs to dig deeper into his skin. But the horse has no more energy and eventually admits defeat, stilling his legs, but he carries on whinnying. The terrible sounds, filled with pain, continue. It could be the heartbreak of leaving his friend behind. It could be the unbearable sensation of his skin being penetrated. It could be the desperate hope of someone hearing him and being freed.

Thomas Green, Year 9

Moore-Stevens Hall for Hire

Peters Marland, 4 miles from Great Torrington

Our hall provides a lovely environment for smaller gatherings, suitable for fitness classes, children’s parties, fundraising events, coffee mornings, meetings, training & community events.

Capacity for 60 people seated. Wifi, projector & large screen, separate kitchen area. Disabled access & WC, EX38 8QG.

To book the hall please contact Mrs Pittman on 01805 601892. Hire cost from £7.50 per hour.

Holly Stone, Year 9

Until my luck runs out, until My time is up, until… One bullet strikes home. A darkness. Then white, like feathers… My swansong is complete.

Inca Lowson, Year 9

The bayonet charge. I tell my legs to run, They do not want in on the fun, I am at the enemy line, But for me there is no more time, The bayonet charge. Bayonet charge they shouted to me, If I had only known what it would be, I would not have gone out with so much zest,

But in the end I tried my best, My last bayonet charge.

James Balman, Year 9

The ground still rumbles, and fires still lick up tress, or crawl along the ground, but the horse still does not get up. Previously he had closed his eyes in a moment of fatigue to shield himself from the brightness overhead, but now he exhaustedly pries open one eye to take in the scene before him. The soft glow of flares emerging over the horizon illuminates the darkness, as well as the serenely white moon. The explosions that come after these moments of artwork are less enjoyable than they are just overwhelmingly bright. The searing pain from the wire has been momentarily soothed, and the horse still whinnies in the hopes of being freed. He realises that saviour will never come. Plagued by exhaustion, he lets the hazy darkness seep in, lets the sleep penetrate his mind, and, finally, lets his body go limp.

The heartless wind does not stop. It batters against Joey, whining and whistling, messing up the tattered brown mane of the lifeless horse. The guns do not stop. The sharp shrill of a bullet piercing the air interrupts the silence that had rested upon the tangled, mangled body. The flares do not stop. The fiery red explosions emerge from the depths of the lonely darkness and weak light are scattered upon the chestnutbrown hair. The rumbling does not stop: the shells carry on bombarding the already crater-filled ground, causing the wire to shake and dig deeper and causing the horse in the rain-soaked mud.

But the clamouring of hooves did stop.

For all your quality bespoke wooden gates, garden furniture & timber needs, inc all fencing materials.

Dry Seasoned, logs Now available!

Isla Hammersley, Year 9

Gammaton Cross Residents Win Review of Proposed Site of Double DC/AC Converter Station

Xlinks have announced that following feedback from their public information days, the viability of potential alternative sites for the Double DC/AC Converter Station will be re-evaluated. Their previous proposal required the use of a 54-acre greenfield site south of Gammaton Cross, requiring a 65-metre wide access corridor from East The Water. Xlinks states that the old showground site at Webbery is being reconsidered, but other possible sites are not named. As a result, Xlinks are extending their project timeline. The company now plans to submit a planning application for the Devon project to Torridge DC in spring 2023, with a view to starting construction in 2025 and completion in 2030.

Residents arranged a meeting at Alverdiscott Village Hall on Friday 9th December, to share their concerns with Sir Geoffrey Cox, MP for Torridge and West Devon. The attendance was more than 80 people, and after the meeting he stated that “It is important that alternative sites with less impact on these small rural villages and hamlets should be closely considered”. He added, “I have written to the Chief Executive of Xlinks to this effect and I am meeting with the company’s representatives this week, when I shall be making the same representations”.

Stephen Edwards of Moorview House at Gammaton Cross told us, “The potential noise, pollution, disruption and destruction of the local farm land and scenescape, both during years of construction and after, has already blighted our lives. Our homes and businesses, which we have saved for all our lives, are under threat. The stress and anxiety caused is already having an effect on our physical and mental health. Our lives have been put on hold as we are unable to make any future plans. We urge Xlinks to reconsider the location of the converter stations to an area that is not so populated”.

Linda Hellyer, County Councillor for Bideford East Division said, “I am delighted that Xlinks have listened to feedback from the general public, and to our MP, Sir Geoffrey Cox. At first this seemed like a David and Goliath battle, with individual residents up against huge business interests. Thankfully, Xlinks have listened, and have now agreed to investigate other more suitable sites. They have also postponed this going before planning at Torridge District Council until the spring. I sincerely hope that when this item does go before the planning committee, that the councillors are aware of the groundswell of public concern about this project”.

Patrick Smith, spokesperson for Gammaton Cross residents said, “The Gammaton Cross site has not yet been rejected by Xlinks and Torridge District Council have yet to acknowledge our concerns, so we must all remain vigilant to this very negative and destructive threat to our living environment and ongoing welfare”.

Property Market Place Musings

So, what has been happening since the end of 2022 drew to a close? First off there is positive news on the mortgage front, with interest rates continuing to fall away from the heady rates of 6.5%, and more in some cases: now headline rates are showing from 3.65% fixed for five years, depending on the amount being borrowed and the financial status of those applying etc. Overall mortgage lending is down, and lenders are competing for business, so seeking advice from a truly independent whole of market broker could provide some welcome news.

There has been some realignment in property values over recent months but, as I mentioned in my last article of 2022, anyone who has bought a home over recent years will have seen a healthy increase in its value, so therefore are still ahead of the curve, against maybe those that bought in the middle to latter end of the last year. If interest rates remain unchanged going forward for a few months, we could we be back into a more stable market, where people are buying and selling for the right reasons and not just going for a quick profit. Stock levels are increasing weekly, so there is more choice for buyers. Home hunters are starting early this year, with many focussed on moving sooner rather than later. If the ’white stuff’ stays away, the market will be in full swing probably a few weeks earlier than expected, so plan accordingly and don’t wait for the traditional spring market, as many buyers

The Emergence of Colour in Winter

will have bought by then.

Another positive is the time that Torridge District Council takes to produce a local search, is now down to 15 working days, which will help speed up the legal process. Little gains like that, and others amongst all those involved in the transaction process, should help reduce the time it takes to move away from 1820 weeks as mentioned in my last article.

The rental market continues apace, with not enough stock to satisfy demand. In recent days we have seen an interesting move/trend, call it what you like, where people who have been using homes as Airbnbs over recent years, are now enquiring about the opportunity for long term rentals. I would suggest this has been brought about by the airline/ holiday industry opening up more, and the return of cheap flights to warmer climates being sought. Flying to Greece from Bristol, costing less than a tank of fuel, is tempting! If these ex-Airbnb properties do come to the market, then it will help ease the pressure in some small way, but we still have a long way to go. For those looking to enter the rental market and become landlords, a steady return can be made, with many tenants looking for long-term homes, which again is positive as it helps keep the community alive and vibrant.

Great Torrington and its surrounds is high on many people’s list for the quality of life it offers, so expect demand to stay strong going forward.

Adrian Hardwick, Webbers Local Director

Winter is often seen as a bleak time in the gardening calendar but there’s actually a surprising amount of colour about when you look closely enough. For me, one of the best sources of colour at this time of year is from very early flowering plants with underground storage organs such as bulbs or corms.

One of the most obvious choices are snowdrops, which are often seen as heralding the arrival of spring. One of my favourites to grow is simply Galanthus nivalis AGM, the common snowdrop, since this will naturalise freely and looks fantastic en masse. If snowdrops are of interest to you, we have a ‘Celebration of Snowdrops’ event at Rosemoor at the beginning of February with free guided walks.

Another fantastic plant for this time of year is Crocus tommasinianus AGM, one of the earliest flowering Crocus, with different shades of dark to light purple due to natural variation. Just be aware that if left unchecked, over several years it can become a bit weedy due to its habit of self-seeding, so this plant often works very well in meadow areas.

An additional favourite for this time of year is Eranthis hymalis AGM or winter aconite. This plant produces swathes of pretty yellow flowers once established and grows better under trees in Devon. The plants need reasonably good drainage, and the trees fulfil this need by soaking up much of the excess moisture. Other choice plants include Cyclamen coum AGM which have very beautifully shaped pink flowers and arguably the most interesting leaves of all the plants named here. If left to multiply naturally, in a few years you will end up with a carpet of pink across the garden, partly due to the fact that the seeds are distributed by ants.

Tom King Horticulturist Crocus tommasinianus AGM ©RHS/Carol Sheppard