WOODBURY NEWS - JULY 2021 - Exton Village Hall (Devon)

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WOODBURY NEWS - JULY 2021 - Exton Village Hall (Devon)
WOODBURY NEWS

   JULY 2021
WOODBURY NEWS - JULY 2021 - Exton Village Hall (Devon)
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WOODBURY NEWS - JULY 2021 - Exton Village Hall (Devon)
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                              JULY 2021
                              EDITORIAL
I think we might justifiably allow ourselves to be proud of being a small part
of the glorious West Country. The recent G7 conference, held in bright and
colourful sunny conditions in Carbis Bay in Cornwall, and the associated
social gatherings, showcased the beauty of this part of the country, and
provided an amazing backdrop for such important discussions. Regardless of
the formalities that took place, a barbeque on the beach and a visit to The
Eden Project could not have failed to impress our foreign visitors. The
smiling vision of Queen Elizabeth and her family added to the uniqueness of
the occasion.
Royalty, it seems, was itself impressed by Woodbury 100 years ago. The
then Prince of Wales visited Woodbury ‘a tiny village which can boast of
delightful scenery’ (see cutting on page 29). I wonder if he would recognise
the village now, or if we would in 100 years’ time?
The Garden Club is making an effort to do its small bit towards combatting
climate change by filling the planters in the Arch with peat-free compost.
Tony Bennett of Wild-Woodbury draws our attention to the consequences of
habitat destruction and the depletion of biodiversity in his latest article
(pages 30 and 31); but he also offers a range of suggestions that we could,
and should, all follow with little effort or expense. It’s good to read, too, that
the Lower Otter restoration project has been delayed so that nesting birds are
not disturbed (page 32), and that the RSPB are constructing leaky dams on
the river Otter to regulate excess water flow – and the beavers are doing their
bit too!
Perhaps one of the reasons why Salon No.8 in Woodbury was a winner at the
recent South West of England Prestige Awards and was named ‘New hair
and beauty salon of the year’ was because it is eco-friendly and ‘cares about
the effect of the products and packaging it uses.’ Well done, Salon No.8!
The cover photo, by Shawn Murdoch, is of Abigail Brown, Stephinie
Murdoch, Racheal Haestier and Freya Grove from Salon No. 8 (page 39).

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WOODBURY NEWS - JULY 2021 - Exton Village Hall (Devon)
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          ST SWITHUN’S CHURCH, WOODBURY
            Vicar: Reverend Bill Lemmey 01395 232161
               Email: revbillwhitecross@gmail.com
          Administrator: Jill Dupain dupain@hotmail.co.uk
SUNDAY SERVICES
27 June 4th Sunday after Trinity, Zoom Family Service 09.30 - for a link
to this please email Jill at dupain@hotmail.co.uk.
(It is the usual Revd Bill Zoom address for those who have been on Zoom
before).
4 July 5th Sunday after Trinity, Holy Communion at St Swithun’s,
11.15. Evening Worship at Exton, 18.30.
11 July 6th Sunday after Trinity, Holy Communion at Exton, 09.30.
18 July St Swithun’s Patronal Festival - Festival Holy Communion at St
Swithun’s, 18.30.
25 July 8th Sunday after Trinity, Zoom Family Service, 09.30.
Look out for announcements about resumption of weekly lych gate stalls.
Further information will be available on the church noticeboard and in the
monthly Digest. To receive this by email please send your email address
to st.swithuns.digest@gmail.com.
FLOODLIGHTING ST SWITHUN’S CHURCH
For your special event, contact Mike Jeans on 01395 232544. Floodlight
dedications are displayed on the church noticeboard at the lych gate, and
normal service will be resumed as soon as possible.

                                          CREAM TEA
                             ON WOODBURY VILLAGE GREEN
                                 SUNDAY 1 AUGUST AT 15.00
                                         In aid of FORCE
                            After a long year of events being cancelled,
                           I plan to organise a relaxed gathering on the
                           green. Bring your own chair, rug, and drink.
   For £4, I will provide two scones, cream, jam, knife and serviette.
Orders in advance please; pay on the day. Make yourself comfortable on
             the green (socially distanced if still necessary).
                 Your scones etc. will be brought to you.
                    Limited numbers; contact me now.
            Chris Lear 01395 232772, mobile 07941 045918,
                        chrisalear06@gmail.com
WOODBURY NEWS - JULY 2021 - Exton Village Hall (Devon)
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     WOODBURY NEWS CLOSING DATES
    20 JULY. 17 AUGUST. 14 SEPTEMBER.
19 OCTOBER. 16 NOVEMBER. 7 DECEMBER.
ALL MATERIAL FOR THE MAGAZINE SHOULD BE SENT
TO KAREN SQUIRES, WILLOWFIELD, OAKHAYES ROAD
by 19.00 on the closing date, with a name and telephone number,
            or email to karensquires100@gmail.com

                      WOODBURY NEWS to your door …
                      If you are a new resident to the area,
                or would like your Woodbury News to be delivered
            to your door monthly, just call Jeremy Boyden on 233072
             and he will put you in contact with your local deliverer.
                Any queries regarding delivery of Woodbury News
                       within Exton should be directed to
                          Ann Morris on 01392 875666.
WOODBURY NEWS - JULY 2021 - Exton Village Hall (Devon)
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                         WOODBURY BROWNIES
Hello everyone. A quick introduction from me. Some of you might have
seen me at the door when collecting or dropping off last half term.
My name is Barbara Patterson (Bee) but the girls have chosen to call me
Waterlily. I did ask that if they saw me in Tesco not to shout ‘Waterlily’
across the shop!
As you know, Alison is retiring from Brownies at the end of term and I am
hoping to take over from her - a hard act to follow. I have a long history of
guiding in various roles, as a brownie, guide, ranger, leader and mum. I read
about the imminent closure of Woodbury Brownies and decided to dive in
head first. At present I am wading my way through the paperwork, guided
by Alison, and hopefully will be completely up to speed come September. I
live in the village with my husband, we have two grown-up children and two
grandchildren on the way.
I hope to get to know you all over the coming months. Any questions, please
ask.
Here is some information about our next half term at Brownies:
Hoping for fine weather, we are planning lots of outdoor activities and
during the last three weeks of term we will begin to plan a top secret
retirement party for Snowdrop and Holly. Details of this will follow.
Shhhh!
Our risk assessment for Covid and meeting face-to-face is filled in and has
been sent to the Division Commissioners. May I remind you that at
Brownies we do our best to adhere to social distancing but please take note
of the following:
� your daughter shouldn’t attend if she (or anyone in the household) has
    Covid symptoms.
� if your daughter develops Covid symptoms within 48 hours of the
    meeting, please inform Barbara (07785237457).
Many thanks for your continued support and I look forward to getting to
know you all. Enjoy this glorious weather.            Barbara Patterson (Bee)

          Your Woodbury News representative
         will be visiting you soon to collect your
                  annual subscriptions.
      If you could have the correct money - £6.00 -
       in an envelope with your name and address,
           this would be very much appreciated.
    Thank you for subscribing to Woodbury News.
WOODBURY NEWS - JULY 2021 - Exton Village Hall (Devon)
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                       WOODBURY TENNIS CLUB
There is a lot happening at the top of the playing fields. The tennis courts
are in continuous use by members. The teams have all played matches and
have scored points: the ladies have had four close-fought matches with one
win over league leaders Bovey and two draws; men’s A two wins and two
defeats, men’s B one win and three defeats (against the strongest teams) and
the mixed have recorded a win and a 4-4 draw and one defeat.
The air ambulance lights have been repositioned and the whole area is now
ready for the arrival of the helicopter. While that work was being completed
the lights on the lower court were readjusted and are now in working order.
I am delighted to report that both our electrician, Will Childs, and plumber,
Richard Stoneman, have been hard at work installing a new toilet with lights
and extractor fan in the former football changing room. This will be
available to club members, a great relief to many!
We hope to hold a doubles tournament and social barbeque on Sunday 18
July at the courts.
We are delighted to report that the junior coaching has been well supported
with 36 youngsters on court in four sessions on Wednesday evening with
coach, John Wingate, assisted by member Christine Sheward.
All enquiries on tennis matters should be addressed to Pat Browne.
                                          Pat Browne (ruthandpatb@aol.com)

WOODBURY AND DISTRICT
  ROYAL BRITISH LEGION
The Table-Top Sale on 30 May
was blessed with good weather
and it was really great to see
everyone out and about, including
some holiday-makers, it being the
beginning of half term. People
drifted away by lunchtime to go
to the beach. We were able to
raise £71 for the Poppy Appeal,
which adds to our annual total.
I have now planted the tub at the top of Oakhayes Road and Jim Champion
and Diana Sowmen have kindly offered to have a watering rota between
them. I have also planted up the troughs at the War Memorial and will water
them. My thanks to the Parish Council for paying for the plants. The trough
at the top of Town Lane has been "adopted" by Phil and Mary Prince who
have supplied all the plants - my thanks to them both.
Due to the ongoing Covid restrictions we will not be able to resume our
fortnightly coffee mornings until late autumn. Stay safe and have a good
summer.                              Sandra Huish, Chairman, 01395 232696
WOODBURY NEWS - JULY 2021 - Exton Village Hall (Devon)
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                      WOODBURY GARDEN CLUB
The plant sales are pretty much over now, though occasionally plants will be
available and listed on the website or sold at the show in August. The sale is
the main fund-raiser for the club, and this year has also enabled us to make
donations to the Exmouth Food Bank (£113.30), St Swithun’s (£41), and
Wild-Woodbury (£20.50).
A team of members cleared the planters in the Arch and planted them up
with crimson bedder nicotiana and sweet alyssum. Both are scented and
should be good for pollinators. We left the best of the violas so that there is
something in bloom until the new planting really kicks in. We made a point
of using peat-free compost this year; it is important to do what we can to
combat global warming (peat bogs left alone are an excellent carbon store,
better than trees).
Our first meeting is planned for 13 July, which will be a (very short) AGM
followed by Dennis Balsdon speaking on Carnivorous Plants. We are likely
to be restricted to 30 people in the hall, so although visitors are welcome,
members have priority and it will be first come, first served. For further info
email woodburygardenclub @gmail.com or call Debby on 232462. Then in
August we have our annual Flower and Veg Show, although this will be a
smaller affair than normal to allow for social distancing. We look forward to
meeting old and new members.
13 July      Short AGM followed by Carnivorous Plants. WVH, 19.15.
Visitors welcome £3.
14 August Flower and Veg Show. WVH, 14.00-16.00.                Debby Mullier

           WOODBURY VILLAGE TABLE-TOP TRAIL SALE
A huge thankyou to the Woodbury and beyond community for supporting
our first ever Table-Top Trail Sale, which was held on Sunday 30 May.
We were blessed with perfect weather for the event which saw locals,
visitors from nearby villages and holiday-makers following the trail map or
randomly wandering around the village visiting the various tables to grab a
bargain, a slice of delicious cake or a perfect plant for the garden.
It was lovely to see so many people enjoying the village atmosphere,
meeting neighbours sometimes for the first time and finally having a village-
wide event which we have not been able to do for such a long time.
At the time of writing, we are waiting for the final donations to arrive, but
the event has raised around £250 which will be divided equally between the
Friends of Woodbury Surgery and the Woodbury Community Playing Field.
Additionally, many of the sellers on the day were raising funds for other
charities and good causes including East Devon Home-Start, Motor Neurone
Disease, Budleigh and District Hospiscare and Maytree Pre-School, and in
total many hundreds of pounds were generated.
WOODBURY NEWS - JULY 2021 - Exton Village Hall (Devon)
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Our thanks go especially to those sellers who paid to appear on the map, for
the donations from other residents who sold items from their gardens on the
day and to those who made a separate donation.
Thanks also to Salon No.8, The Maltsters and the Parish Council for selling
our maps, to Chris Lear for her on-going support and good counsel, to Daniel
Watts (Greenway resident) for designing our map (wattscreative.me) and
Paul Stevenson of Marketing Consultancy WTWS (wtws.co.uk) who
covered all printing costs.                              Deborah Stevenson

         Christine Bowers raised £52.60 for Motor Neurone Disease.

                                                           Wendy Wills and
                                                          friends who raised
                                                             £315 for East
                                                          Devon Home-Start
                                                            by selling cakes
                                                              and plants.
WOODBURY NEWS - JULY 2021 - Exton Village Hall (Devon)
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                                          HOPE4KIBERA
                        Breaking the Cycle of Poverty through Education
                                       
                     We have just published a June 2021 Newsletter with all
                     the latest news. If you don’t receive one and want to
                     catch up with what’s going on in Kibera, or if you want to
                     register to receive a newsletter, please go to our website
                     
You will also find links to two short video clips so that you can hear the news
directly from our friends in Kibera. The videos show how unimaginably
tough life is for them and how grateful they are to you, our supporters, for
remembering them and encouraging them with the little that we have been
able to do.
The students in the school are thriving. To quote from the first term report
this year: “mid term exams 8 Feb, Mean 55.7 Grade C+, end of term 13
March, Mean of 74.5 Grade B+, an improvement of 18.8.”
They also showed leadership skills at various mentoring and support groups
in the holidays, even though they come from the poorest of the slum families.
Sustainability Our partners in Kibera are making plans to move towards a
degree of self-sustainability for the school. This is always a huge challenge
but we have to work towards it. They are conscious of the extra difficulty
there has been for charities trying to raise funds during Covid-19. Because of
that, they have brought forward plans to recruit some fee-paying students
from the areas surrounding the slum, in order to subsidise the families from
Kibera who cannot pay fees. These new students will be offered a significant
discount on standard local rates, but will still pay enough for their own keep
and something towards the costs of the Kibera students. This will begin to
relieve the pressure on us to fully fund the Kibera students. Because the
reputation of the school is already growing, they have 21 students planning to
join this part fee-paying class in the next academic year starting on 26 July.
We plan to recruit another class from the slum in 2022.
Dates for your diary: Please come and support these events:
28 August 14.00-17.00. Live Jazz and Cream Tea on Woodbury village
green.
9 October 19.00. Quiz evening in Woodbury village hall.
** H4K now registered for Amazon Smile. Shop there to help the Kibera
kids.
In the words of school Director, Chris Omondi:
“We really want to appreciate you for the support which you have given to us
via the School by ensuring that our girls are receiving the quality and
affordable education to achieve their dreams.”
Please join the journey and register for regular news or support @
www.hope4kibera.org.uk.                             Charlie Collins Chair H4K
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                WOODBURY VILLAGE GOLF SOCIETY
Launceston - 19 May
Would you believe it, our last outing was at the Kernow Course, St Mellion,
on 10 October 2019! During 2020 we managed to squeeze in the Two
Villages Competition on 10 September - let us hope that the lockdowns are
now behind us and life can return to near normal.
Well, we were most fortunate capturing the only sunny day of the week (the
month?). As ever the grass at Launceston GC was juicy and unforgiving and
it was wise to keep the balls on the fairway. Those of us used to fast greens
were leaving lots of points behind on the greens, often leaving balls short.
The club staff were most welcoming and we sat down to a wholesome meal
after our round of golf.
26 out of a possible 27 players turned up to play which meant teams of 6x3
and 2x4. The teams of 4 only counted scores from 3 players with one
dropping out on rotation - in fact one player in a team of 4 asked not to be
counted in for the total round (although sceptical about his ability having not
played for a year, he, I believe, ended up playing quite well!).
After a bit of banter and a few jokes from our new Chairman, Peter Heron,
and the welcoming of three guests, Paul Wooley, John Rodgers and John
Waite, the prizes were presented. Starting with the twos with a kitty of £52,
there were three players, Graham Slack on the 12th and Tony Beck and
Richard Perry on the 15th. Nearest the pin on the 15th was Stewart Price. For
the teams, in 3rd place with 72 points Tony Beck, Peter de la Mere and John
Maidment; in 2nd place with 79 points Alan Quantick, Paul Wooley and Bob
Haddow, and the winners also with 79 points, on countback, Graham Slack,
John Waite and Andy Joss. For individuals there were four prizes (there are
many who were present who may not have realised this!). In 4th place with
34 points was Paul Wooley, in 3rd place was John Waite with 34 points on
countback, in 2nd place Richard Perry with 36 points and the winner with 37
points Alan Quantick. Richard's excellent score was missed due to our newly
fledged Chairman, becoming thoroughly over-excited by all the countbacks,
for which he gives his grovelling apologies. Sadly there will only be three
individual prizes at our next meeting at Okehampton.
                                                Jeremy Browne, Past Chairman

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                WOODBURY C OF E PRIMARY SCHOOL
With this edition we have added some pictures from each class celebrating
some of the activities and learning the children have been undertaking in
school over the last month. It has been glorious weather and the children
have enjoyed being outside.
Beech class have been enjoying their ice-cream role play shop, inventing
lots of different imaginative flavours.

Willow Class have really enjoyed their forest school sessions.

Oak class had a wonderful time learning how to play the glockenspiels.
They learnt the rhythm by clapping and vocalising different sounds and
words. They then played three different notes on the glockenspiels to create
a beautiful melody. In their topic on plants they have been planting bulbs
and are delighted with how they have grown – they are excited to see what
they will turn into.
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Cherry Class have enjoyed learning all about forces. At the end of their
topic they designed and created their own experiments to test their
knowledge of friction, magnetism and gravity.

Maple Class have plotted the feelings of the character from our poem, Still I
Rise, and they have practised maypole dancing.

                                                                    cont’d/...
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WOODBURY C OF E PRIMARY SCHOOL cont’d/...
Chestnut Class took part in a SAMBA workshop to kick-start their learning
on South America. They played the tamborim, surdo, ganza shaker and the
agogo bell. They ended their session with a parade on the playground, which
Beech and Willow class were most interested in, ending in a round of
applause.

Ash Class Detective Agency arrived at the scene of a heinous crime, to
discover the body of notorious highwayman, Tom King. After completing a
crime scene report, they set off in search of evidence to determine who the
murderer was. They found the clues - and using the crime database, were
able to determine that Tom King had been murdered by the infamous Dick
Turpin. They learnt that, eventually, Dick Turpin was hanged for his crimes.
They looked at Alfred Noyes poem, The Highwayman, and how this painted
Turpin in a romanticised way.

Hoping this edition finds the community of Woodbury well.
                                              Gillian Pyle, Head of School
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                      WOODBURY CRICKET CLUB
After a couple of weeks of rain and cancelled matches, Woodbury 2 nd XI
welcomed Feniton 2nd XI to Town Lane. With both teams having lost their
first (and only) games of the season, this was billed as a bottom of the table
clash. However, when they last met on the final day of the 2018 season,
Feniton, who had already gained promotion, beat Woodbury to deny them
from also gaining promotion. So, this was expected to be a tough match.
Play was delayed by 45 minutes, due to some damp patches in the outfield,
but Woodbury’s groundsman, Neil Richards, had done an outstanding job in
getting the pitch to the point that play was even possible. Andy Cork, our
stand-in captain, won the toss and elected to field.
Tommy Dowle, a stalwart of the club, opened the bowling from the orchard
end and bowled a magnificent spell of line and length, from which Feniton
struggled to score. He did not take any wickets but restricted Feniton to only
14 runs from his 7 overs. The Feniton openers were proving to be obdurate,
and it took a bit of magic from debutant, Finley Shipton, to make the
breakthrough. Shipton, whose 13 years belies his acumen, removed one of the
openers with a direct hit run-out and then, the very next over, bowled their
new batsman. Feniton had gone from 84-0 to 90-2 in the space of 7 balls.
Cork then seized the opportunity. He brought himself on and removed their
other opener, leaving Feniton reeling on 104-3. From then on, Woodbury
were ruthless. Cork took 2 more wickets for only 10 runs, Oliver Brealy, who
had been unfortunate with a couple of decisions in his first spell, took 3 for
31, and Shipton, who also affected another direct hit run-out, took the final
wicket of the innings, finishing with 2-31. Feniton were 132 all out.
Having performed such sterling work in the field, Woodbury’s openers were
reluctant to let the side down, and this was reflected in the 20 balls it took
Shenan Grossberg to get off the mark. However, Ed Salter kept the
scoreboard ticking over until Grossberg cut loose, reaching his 50 off the next
44 deliveries. Salter (20) and Grossberg (56) enjoyed a first-wicket
partnership of 97, laying the foundation for Chris Collyer (11*) and Dave
Church (17*) to see Woodbury home, for the loss of only 2 wickets and with 4
overs to spare.
After a rain-affected few weeks, the sun finally returned to Town Lane as
WNSCCC 1st XI welcomed Honiton 1st XI. Yet another exceptionally tight
game began with Chouhan winning the toss and putting the visitors in to bat.
At the halfway stage, Honiton were 80-2 and the match was looking in the
balance, with a wicket apiece for Pearce and Chouhan. Alford then removed
Conway (15) and Silk bowled Haysom (45) in relatively quick succession to
tip the balance in Woodbury’s favour. What happened next was undoubtedly
the defining moment of the game as an exceptional spell of bowling from
Jarvis (3-15-4) and Moretta (3-1-2) reduced Honiton from 116-4 to 135 all out
in just six overs.                                                    cont’d/...
16
WOODBURY CRICKET CLUB                   cont’d/...

In response WNSCCC got off to an attacking start with a flurry of
boundaries from Boundy. Opening partner Vicary fell LBW for a duck with
the score on 22. Runs continued to flow before another two LBWs
accounted for Jarvis (5) and Boundy (41) leaving the score at 51-3. What
followed next can only be described as a total collapse of Woodbury’s
middle order, including a calamity run-out from a free hit and three more
‘adjudged’ LBW, equalling a scarcely believable grand total of six LBWs
out of the first eight wickets to fall. With the score at 78-8 things were not
looking good for WNSCCC.
Captain Chouhan was joined by Silk and the fightback began, first and
foremost with them both keeping their pads as far away from the ball as
humanly possible. Silk was well caught for 10 with the score at 102
bringing number 11 youngster, Daniel Alford, to the crease, with 34 still
required to win. Chouhan and Alford watchfully batted together for an
impressive 12 overs slowly chipping away at the score as Honiton heads
steadily dropped. The pick of Honiton’s bowlers, Somerset Academy
player, Matravers (7.2-2-5) returned to the attack with 2 required to win.
Alford (15*) brought the scores level with a quick single to cap off a mature
innings. Chouhan (32*) then saw WNSCCC home with a one wicket win.
On a day of bright sunshine, the merry men of WNSC approached the
University ground from various locations. Set against the backdrop of the
many greater than 2L diesel engines going across the motorway, discussion
inevitably turned to whether to bat first or bowl? No discussion needed as
the fine body of players agreed it was too hot to field. Unfortunately, captain
Hughes tossed up and lost, so a day in the heat and sun awaited. Oli Brealy
soon removed two of the Topsham top order while Jo Moretta sought a line
and length that would make Tom Sunderland happy! Topsham lost one
more top order batsman to a fine caught behind by Sunderland off a snorting
Moretta delivery.
A slow recovery by the opposition took place, while being kept in check by
the ever-youthful mystery spinner Collyer and the nagging length of Dowle
who had the returning opener caught at slip. A few thwacks of the ball to
boundary by an enlightened Topsham batter, who realised you can hit the
ball off the square, brought about a double bowling change. WNSC’s
answer to Embury and Edmonds entered the fray. Dayman and White, not
solicitors, wove their magic and soon enough three wickets tumbled. Brealy
came back into the attack and took his third wicket while Edworthy bowled a
golden 1 wicket over. Topsham had managed to 127-9 at the end of their 40
overs.
17
It was now the turn of WNSC to bat and the adage of never judge an innings
until both teams have batted was in evidence as Grossberg and Church
departed before the scorer had sharpened his pencil. It was now up to
Dayman and Edworthy to construct the reply. The left and right-hand
combination worked well and confused the line of the bowlers until
Edworthy had a rush of blood to the head and walked past a ball and was
stumped. Collyer bristled with intent, as he had previously shaved all his
bristles off, but today was not to be his day as he chopped on. Next up was
Chalky who was aggressive and started to move along the scoring until,
according to Chalky, his bat got caught in the ground and he was bowled.
Leighton was a picture on concentration with a mixture of sound defence and
bludgeoning drives and pulls – so good that son Harry had no doubts and
decided to go home! Tom Sunderland joined the fray and both batsmen
skilfully guided the team home with Leighton 50 not out and some lusty
pulls and drives taking Tom to 29 not out. A consecutive win had been
achieved and all departed happily to await the next challenge.
On 5 June, WNSC 2nd XI welcomed division leaders, Shobrooke Park, to
Town Lane. Earlier in the week, we had decided to introduce Colts to adult
cricket, but had expected to do this in friendlies, not league matches.
However, necessity dictated we change this approach, and Jack Church and
Sam Harries made their league debuts, along with Jack’s dad, Richard.
Shobrooke won the toss and elected to field. Stand-in skipper, Dave Church
(no relation to Richard or Jack), jokingly said Shobrooke bowled ‘un-
sportingly straight’ and WNSC struggled to score fluently. Richard was top
scorer with 32 out of a total 107-9 in 40 overs.
Shobrooke started well in their reply, scoring 41 runs without loss, before
Harries was brought into the attack. If there were any nerves, they didn’t
show, as he bowled a good line and length, and his discipline was rewarded
with two wickets. In a spell of 6 overs, for only 15 runs, he removed one of
the openers and the number 3 for a duck! Shobrooke had gone from 41-0 to
42-2 and it looked like Woodbury had a sniff of a chance. However,
Shobrooke’s batting line-up proved too strong and, despite Dave’s efforts (3-
1-10-2), Shobrooke reached their target with 5 wickets left. Jack Church
returned the following Tuesday to play against the Met Office and scored a
quick-fire 11 not out in a good win.
The season continues well for the Colts, with practice for all on Friday
evenings and several matches for the U13s and U14s. The U14s have
progressed into the next round of the cup after a well fought game against
Sidbury where they will meet Budleigh. The U13s face Kenn in their cup
competition. Alongside this, many fun and friendly competitive games have
been played in the sunshine against local teams of Topsham, Exeter, Ottery
St Mary, Clyst St George and Exmouth.                      Shenan Grossberg
18
                      SPORTS AND ACTIVITIES
Woodbury Tennis and Cricket clubs continue to thrive and Woodbury
News publishes regular accounts of their progress and forthcoming
events. This report brings to your attention the other sports clubs in our
parish which you may like to participate in as we gradually emerge from
lockdown restrictions.
BadmintonClub (mixed). Woodbury village hall, Mondays at 20.00.
Starts 6 September. New members welcome.
Contact: Tom Miner 01395 446068.
Badminton Ladies. Tuesday in the Woodbury village hall,10.00 - 12.00.
Contact: Jill Effer 01395 232890; jilleffer100@gmail.com.
Badminton Ladies. Thursday in Woodbury village hall, 10.00 - 12.00.
Starts September.
Contact: Ann Hildred 01395 232294.
Body Blast. Every Monday in Woodbury village hall at 18.30 and on-
line. A mix of aerobics, zumba, body conditioning and body combat.
Great work-out and fun.
Contact: Isabelle 07817 163503 i_oshea@talktalk.net.
Golf Society. Visits seven south-west golf course per year and welcomes
golfers from Woodbury and district.
Contact: Peter Heron peterheron@icloud.com.
Ramblers (Exton). Meets every Wednesday. Walks of approximately
five miles.
Contact: David Gardner 01392 873829.
Short Mat Bowls. Played in Woodbury village hall from 19.00 - 22.00
on Tuesdays except the second Tuesday in each month. New members
welcome.
Contact: Ken Crundwell 01395 232826.
Walkie Talkies. Walking group meeting every Wednesday morning
09.30 at Woodbury village hall car park. Everyone welcome.
Contact: Nita Goffron 01395 232314.
If you run a sports club or activity in the village and would like a mention
in Woodbury News, please contact Mike Wallwork mike1wallwork@
gmail.com.
                                                             Mike Wallwork
19

        WOODBURY SALTERTON NEWS
                                RETURN OF THE SCARECROWS!
                        The news that the Scarecrow Challenge, a very
                        popular annual event on the village calendar, is to
                        return this year, has been greeted with great delight.
                        This year’s theme is Characters or Events from
                        History.
                        It is hoped that scarecrows will start to appear around
                        the village from the beginning of July, culminating in
                        the judging by popular vote on Sunday 18 July.
                        Entry forms are available from the organiser, Debbie
                        Jung, from the church or from The Digger’s Rest.
                        Entries, with the £5 fee, should be returned to Debbie.
On Sunday 18th maps indicating where the scarecrows are situated will be
on sale (for £2) from 14.00 in the Glebe Field. Participants can then follow
the route and decide which is their favourite scarecrow. There is a prize for
the entry which gets the most votes. Teas, coffees and cakes will be on sale
from 14.00 until 17.00 and there will be stalls and games – all socially
distanced. This event is not only a lovely opportunity for the village to get
together but also raises much needed funds to keep our village church going.
Please support it.

                  WEEKLY COFFEE MORNINGS
Church coffee mornings take place each Saturday from 09.30 until 10.30 in
the churchyard.
20
                             VILLAGE LUNCH
On 19 May the first of what will be a monthly event, a village lunch, was
held in the Digger’s Rest. Monthly lunches had been part of our WI social
calendar and it was decided that although we no longer meet as an Institute,
we would keep this social event going.
Those attending had to sit on socially distanced tables of six in accordance
with current regulations.
After the meal Valerie Davieson presented former WI President Gill
Bricknell and Secretary Terrie Newman with orchids. Valerie thanked Gill
for all she had done as President before lockdown and for keeping contact
through teas etc. during the period when we could not meet. Terrie had spent
hours on the computer sending round information. Valerie also thanked
former Treasurer Gill Scott in her absence for her financial expertise in
putting all our records online.
All three are exceptional people to whom we owe a great debt of gratitude.
Gill added her personal thanks to Terrie and Gill for their support and help
during the formal procedures of suspending the WI. The bank account has
been formally closed but a sum remains so that the WI could be started up
again within the next three years. She said the closure marks the beginning
of a new chapter as we all need one another and our friendships.
She invited all former members to take a Devon WI mug as a souvenir.
It was agreed that there will be a village lunch at the Digger’s on the last
Wednesday of each month which is inclusive and open to all.

                        HAPPY BIRTHDAY GILL
Gill Bricknell decided to celebrate her 70th birthday with a tea in her garden
for friends, and to combine this with raising funds for Hospiscare by asking
                                                         for donations to the
                                                         charity instead of
                                                         presents. Donations
                                                         received amounted
                                                         to £315. The tea
                                                         party provided an
                                                         enjoyable
                                                         opportunity        to
                                                         socialise and make
                                                         the special birthday
                                                         of this very popular
                                                         lady      and much
                                                         loved      friend   a
                                                         memorable
                                                         occasion.
21

                         EXTON NEWS
                   ST ANDREW’S CHURCH, EXTON
CHURCH SERVICES
Sunday 4 July Trinity 5. 18.30, Evening Service. Taken by the Revd Roz
Harrison.
Sunday 11 July Trinity 6. 09.30, Holy Communion. Taken by the Revd
Peter Nicholson Rawle.
For the present time the church will be open on Sundays from 14.00 –17.00
for private prayer. Please follow the guidelines given in the porch. All are
welcome.                                                     Audrey Elphick

       THE PLANTING OF THE TREE IN THE GROUNDS OF
               ST ANDREW’S CHURCH, EXTON

                                                          The photograph
                                                          was taken soon
                                                          after completion
                                                          of the current
                                                          church building,
                                                          when Lady Mary
                                                          Courtenay planted
                                                          the tree that can
                                                          still be seen on the
                                                          right hand side of
                                                          the car park facing
                                                          the church. It has
                                                          the most beautiful
                                                          pink flowers in the
                                                          spring and even
now, gives good shade for anyone sitting on the nearby seat. The original
seat was made of stone, a portion of which can just be seen in the picture. It
was a gift from Mr Challice, the architect for the church building. The
original stone seat was unfortunately damaged and subsequently
deteriorated. It was replaced in 1994 with the wooden one, dedicated to Pat
and May Hardy. Pat had been deputy church warden from 1964 to 1989.
Earlier this year the tree was festooned with ribbons and heart-shaped cards
bearing prayers for everyone affected by the Covid virus.
Does anyone recognise any of the children in the picture, bearing in mind
that this was almost sixty years ago?                         Audrey Elphick
22
                        EXTON GARDEN CLUB
We recently held a plant sale which went well with plenty of support in both
plant donations and customers. It raised £430 which has been donated to
Exmouth Food Bank. After a long break we are hoping to start our monthly
meetings again in October. It has been agreed to change the day and time of
the meetings in the hope of encouraging new members. When we start in
October the meetings will be on the first Friday in the month in the
afternoon, so hopefully our first meeting will be on Friday 1 October at
14.30. If you would like more information please contact Eileen Pratt on
01392 877917.                                                   Eileen Pratt

                     ROUND AND ABOUT
DEATH
Mike Bull 04.06.1932-28.05.2021
Many Woodbury folk will have fond memories of Mike and especially his
hilarious monologues at the annual village music hall shows. He frequently
forgot his lines but, thanks to Sally’s ingenious prompts on the back of
paddle boards, he kept us in rapturous laughter which often brought tears to
our eyes.
Mike was not only a brilliant entertainer but also a hard-working and kind
member of our community. In 1995 he went to a Village Hall AGM and,
much to his surprise, was immediately elected onto the committee as
bookings secretary. Mike continued to do this job for 18 years, always
without the aid of a computer but with a big effort to please everyone
whenever possible. Mike was also Valentine Dubuisson’s vice chairman and
continued in this role when I was chairman from 2007 to 2013. I always
appreciated Mike’s valuable support as well as the amount of time and effort
he put into the maintenance and smooth-running of the hall. No job was too
arduous, too challenging or too messy.
Apart from working hard for Woodbury village hall Mike also found time to
volunteer for Exmouth Citizens Advice Bureau for five years.
I very much enjoyed Mike’s company on my boat when a group of us had a
long leisurely weekend sailing locally. Mike was one of the first men to join
Cornerstones and liked visiting places of interest as well as having lots of
cordial meals with friends. He loved singing and was a member of Exeter
University choir as well as the Bach choir.
Despite poor health in recent years, Mike regularly walked and latterly drove
his mobility scooter around the village and country lanes, always with a
smile and cheery greeting for everyone. Nothing was too much trouble for
Mike; I am sure there are lots of people, who like me, will miss him very
much.                                                       Chris Wakefield
23
THANKS
Sally Bull would like to thank so many friends for their cards, letters, emails,
flowers and phone calls following the death of her husband Mike. Their
support and kindness has been overwhelming and second to none.
WELCOME
Helen and Steve Bishop have recently moved from Exeter to 5 Pollybrook,
Town Lane, Woodbury. Helen is a secondary school teacher and Steve is an
engineer. They are looking forward to living in the village and having a
larger garden than they had before.                      Jane Greenslade
NANCIE GRIST
The service to celebrate the life of Nancie Grist, delayed from 2020, will
take place on Saturday 7 August 2021 at 13.00 in St Swithun’s church,
which would have been her 92nd birthday. Peter, Christine and family very
much hope that many of Nancie’s friends and neighbours can join with them
for this service, subject to any remaining Covid restrictions on numbers, and
to gather at the Maltsters Arms afterwards, to remember and share memories
of the remarkable and much-loved Nancie, who touched the lives of many
and who is greatly missed. Up-to-date details will be available from Peter
Grist on 01395 232712.
OPEN GARDENS EVENT
Budleigh and District Hospiscare with Budleigh Croquet Club are holding an
Open Gardens Event in Budleigh Salterton on 4 July from 10.00 to 16.00.
This will be a fantastic opportunity to see some of the loveliest gardens in
Budleigh. It will also be an opportunity to support your local Hospiscare
charity.    Budleigh and District Hospiscare provide the funding for
Hospiscare nurses, Hospiscare at Home and in-patient care at the Hospice in
Exeter. They also have a team of volunteers who support patients and carers.
These services are available to all patients of the Woodbury Surgery as well
as Budleigh Medical Centre.
Tickets are only £5 (children free) and can be purchased at any of the
participating gardens and the Croquet club. One ticket provides entrance to
all gardens. At the time of writing there are 11 gardens participating.
Some gardens will have refreshments and some plant sales. Maps will be
made available nearer the time. Treat yourself to a day out and support your
local charity.
For more information contact Sue Hudson 232203 or l.goddard@hospiscare.
co.uk.                                                             Sue Hudson
 Editor’s Note : In order to maximise submitted copy and photographs into
  Woodbury News, it may be necessary to reduce the size of some items.
     The Editorial team will attempt to do this as carefully as possible.
24
FUNDRAISING
Percy Pigs in a Jar Competition
for Woodbury C of E Primary
School PTFA
During the recent half term
holidays, Naomi Ware raised £34
for Woodbury C of E Primary
school PTFA, by running a 'guess
the number of Percy Pigs in a jar'
competition. Naomi created and
ran the competition all by herself,
as she was very keen to help raise
extra funds for the school during
these difficult times.     Naomi
would like to say thank-you to
everyone who supported her
competition and would also like
to congratulate Judy Vallance,
who selected the winning number
of Percy Pigs … 123! Jane Ware
                                     Naomi handing Judy Vallance her prize
Christian Aid 2021
During Christian Aid Week, the open garden at Heatherdene and donations
box raised £912. Thank you to all who gave generously so that others can
be helped to lift themselves out of poverty.                  Carolyn Keep
Force Cancer Charity
One of my birthday cards received recently said “regret to inform that your
sixties have expired” which was stark and accurate!
So I decided to set myself a challenge—at the end of June I will cycle the 56
mile Nello bike ride (now to be virtual) to raise vital funds for Force Cancer
Charity.
I would be delighted if anyone felt able to support me in my efforts. You
can do this by logging onto www.virginmoneygiving.com, clicking ‘Make a
donation’ and then keying ‘Peter Payne 21 Nello’ into the search bar. Thank
you.                                                               Peter Payne

NEW YOUTUBE CHANNEL
I have started a new YouTube channel on archaeology sites in the south-
west and the first short video (4 mins) is on the archaeology of Woodbury
Castle. This is the link to this video: http://youtu.be/k9qs0JrBzRk
                                                      Charlotte Roseanna Coles
25
                   LETTER TO THE EDITOR
From Frank Mulholland bridgefm9@gmail.com
Local Mystery
Some years ago (probably about four) we returned home, after a few weeks
away, to find a delightful pen and ink drawing of Bridge Cottage, by the
artist Patricia Fishwick. The drawing was dated 1974 and shows the house
as two separate cottages.

There was no note with the drawing, and it was just propped up against the
door in its frame.
We assumed that a previous owner of the cottage had decided to leave it for
us and so tried to contact as many of the previous owners as we knew, but
drew a blank. We also contacted local artists but they new nothing of its
origins either.
We would dearly like to thank the kind benefactor for the gift, so, if anyone
knows anything about the drawing or even just has an idea about the mystery
of the previous owner, we would love to know. Thanks.

   The Woodbury News attempts to represent a variety of views within the
  community, but does not accept responsibility for anything but Editorial
    comment. While it may publish unacknowledged material, nothing is
  included unless the Editor knows the name and address of the author(s).
26
                      THE RETREAT ON THE ARCH
The original dwelling house on the site of the ironmonger’s shop was known
as Hammetts Tenement, one of the farms belonging to the Manor of
Woodbury. It consisted of a farmhouse, orchard, and three fields on the east
side of the top of Globe Hill. By the 19th century the farmlands had
disappeared and the dwelling house was occupied by a master carpenter
called William Ekers who also, from 1840, acted as the postmaster. He was
succeeded as postmaster by Peter Daley, who moved in the 1880s into Vine
House (now Rook Pie) which belonged to Robert Philips, the builder. The
old farmhouse was demolished and evidently the land was sold to Dr Brent’s
widow, when Lawn Cottage, a shop and workshop were built upon it. From
1901 the cottage was leased for 14 years and occupied by William Abbott, an
ironmonger from London who had married Gertrude (nine years his senior),
the daughter of Edward Hearne, a vet who lived on Broadway. The lease
described the building as having an upper floor with well-lit workshops and
stores (35 ft x 17.9 ft); on the ground floor was a double-fronted shop (25 ft
x 17.9 ft), a workshop, and wash-house with furnace and pump; the garden
formed a desirable building site nearly opposite the Post Office (now the
antique shop) with a frontage of 108 ft x 51 ft. In 1903, on the death of Mrs
Brent, the whole property was offered for sale at auction, and was bought by
William Abbot. Lawn Cottage was the home of William and Gertrude and
their family until his death. His two daughters helped in the business but his
son moved to Canada.

At some time before 1939 William had named the ironmonger’s shop and
premises ‘The Retreat’. The above picture, dating from the 1930s, shows the
hand petrol pump in the yard and the buildings before the development, and
Lawn Cottage, resplendent with a creeper climbing up the walls, before
27
Kilve Marchant converted the Arch side of the cottage into his curio shop.
The land leading to the Maltsters shows that the present garage, shop and
bungalow had not yet been built. The ‘Princess Separator’ can be seen
written on the wall above the shop.

William Abbott ran the business until his death in 1953 when it was sold to
Jim Rowsell from Ottery St Mary, who lived with his family in Lawn
Cottage, ran the business and developed the land. He erected two petrol
pumps to replace the hand pump put up by William Abbott on the area where
Kilve’s      yard    now
stands.     In the late
1950s he built the
bungalow, where Cyril
lived with his young
wife and family, and
finally the garage which
stands in front of it. In
the 1970s he sold Lawn
Cottage together with
the land as far as his
shop,      which      was
eventually occupied by
Kilve Marchant.
28
THE RETREAT ON THE ARCH cont’d/...

Jim retired and built his bungalow called Byways, and Cyril and Pam moved
into the flat (the original workshop) above the shop, and The Retreat became
the hub of the village.
When Cyril retired in 2016 his friends were delighted that he would spend
his retirement in the village, tending his allotment and playing the odd round
of golf, but mourned the loss of the fount of local information and gossip.
The picture on the previous page is how the village remembers the shop with
Cyril and Pam standing in front of it. A bicycle shop took over the lease, but
only lasted about a year. It is now the salon for our local hairdresser and nail
specialist.
The shop adjoining the ironmongery has had many uses including a
delicatessen, greengrocery and now a Chinese take-away and fish and chip
shop.
NB: the ‘Princess Separator’ was a large piece of equipment used in the
dairy side of farming. There are two mentions of the machine in Australian
newspapers, but it is hard to find out its origins and how and where it was
used locally. Perhaps someone in the parish will know more about it.
                                                                     Gill Selley

                          WEATHER REPORT
                                  How dramatic the change from drought
                                  conditions of March and April to the
                                  monsoon of May! Two days, 12 and 13
                                  May, gave us 60mm of rain here at Ebford,
                                  10mm more than the total for both March
                                  and April this year.
                                  May started with over an inch during the
                                  first week and over four inches in the
                                  second week. The third week yielded
                                  another inch of thundery shower rain; the
                                  month’s total was a record breaking
                                  177mm or 7.0ins of rain. Last year in the
                                  middle of the first lockdown May’s total
was only 9mm, which made it the driest month of 2020.
The May average amount here at Ebford over the last 20 years has been
almost exactly 2ins. In this context the last 10 years have been significantly
drier than the previous decade; with May 2007 and May 2008 recording
about 5 inches each.
As I report now at the end of June’s first week, a “flaming” dry period
appears to be approaching.                                     Norman Cann
29
30

There will always be Flat-earthers, Anti-vaxxers, and Moonies. Most of
these groups are so small that they do not present a major threat to society.
The people that were always a concern of mine were the climate change
deniers. Nowadays that group is relatively small and insignificant.
The people that worry me now are the ones that claim it's not worth trying
to take action to stop climate change or the loss of biodiversity. Tackling
climate change is a task that we need to embrace every day on a personal
level. No-one is going to suddenly completely change the way they live,
and to expect that would be unreasonable. Collectively though, we can
make a huge difference by taking small actions. Being aware of the
implications of the way we live and the consequences has never been more
important. One thing that gives me some hope for the future is people's
growing awareness of the impact that our current way of life is having on
both wildlife and our own mental health, and the importance of the natural
world.
In his excellent book, Scales of Injustice, author Richard Pierce examines
the effects of the illegal but largely uncontrolled trade in wild animals.
Pangolin meat is the suspected route of Covid-19 from animals to humans.
As he points out that at a cost of trillions of pounds to the world
economies, someone's pangolin supper was possibly the most expensive
meal in human history! The future cost of inaction regarding climate
change and habitat destruction will be even greater.
On a local level the habitat destruction and depletion of biodiversity is
taking place at an unprecedented pace. As a society we are fully aware of
the damage we are causing and so there are no excuses. Week by week we
are seeing local natural and semi-natural habitats destroyed to define the
boundaries of our properties or to provide supposedly maintenance-free
gardens.
Every bit of hedgerow that is replaced with a fence comes at a cost far
greater than the initial capital outlay. The carbon sequestration that would
have been carried out naturally is lost. Rainwater cannot be absorbed by
the roots, leading to greater surface water run-off and increased flood risk
downstream. The breeding ground for the insects and small mammals at
the base of the food web is destroyed. Nest sites for birds are removed. In
five to ten years’ time the fence will probably need to be replaced at great
expense, whereas a hedge will last for decades with a little maintenance
every year. The same can be said for lawns and gardens that are replaced
with astroturf or paving bricks.
31

Woodbury is rapidly losing its character of being a rural area. The town is
gradually becoming a collection of close-boarded boxes and paved gardens
that have no ecological or aesthetic benefits. We need to consider our
actions very carefully or we will end up living in a bland sterile area
depleted of variety and nature.
On the other hand there are lots of things we can do at very little expense.
If every household implemented one or two of the following suggestions
we would be adding to the biodiversity of the area and enriching our lives:
� Plant a native tree including fruit trees.
� Replace or soften a hard boundary with a hedgerow comprising mixed
    native species.
� Provide an access to your garden for hedgehogs and other animals to
    forage.
� Build a hedgehog shelter.
� Leave a small corner of your garden "wild and unkept for nature".
� Create a small wildlife pond or just leave out a bowl of water (90% of
    the animals we rescue are suffering from dehydration).
� Stop using slug pellets, pesticides and herbicides. They are poisons and
    kill indiscriminately. Most are hazardous to human health and
    eventually end up in our water courses.
� Put up a bird box or bat box.
� Put up a bug hotel or leave logs to decay naturally.
� Incorporate some native species plants into your flowerbeds.
If each of us did one of the above we would be helping nature or doing
something to alleviate climate change. We need to act now - the time for
talking has gone. Pledges by the G7, our own politicians and our local
councils will not be of any use unless we all take some action ourselves.
The best way to help nature is to stop destroying it.
If you need help or advice on implementing any of the above or you have
any questions, please contact me and we will be pleased to assist you.

If you would like to make a contribution towards our appeal please contact
us directly or go to our “GoFundMe” Wild-Woodbury animal treatment
centre appeal at https://gf.me/u/yki8t5.
Please join our Facebook group: Wild-Woodbury and check out our
website http://www.wild-woodbury.org to find out more about what we
are doing to help our local wildlife.                       Tony Bennett
                              Tel: 07971 082384. info@wild-woodbury.org
     Website: http://www.wild-woodbury.org / Facebook: Wild-Woodbury
32

Summer is a busy time. Enjoy this seasonal snapshot from across the Estate.
Clinton Farms The first cut of grass for silage was taken at the end of May
to provide winter’s food for our dairy herd. These fields were then fertilised
naturally with slurry to give the next crop of grass the best start. These cut
and ‘empty’ fields are still delivering an important job, so please respect our
farm and those of our tenants. Help keep animals healthy and farmers happy
by staying on footpaths and other permissible routes and not walking in
fields without access routes or using them to exercise dogs.
We have installed signs on many of the gates to remind people about
following the Countryside Code and to explain what is growing in some of
the fields. Most of the land on the home farm is either given over to grass
for grazing or grass for silage with some other fodder crops, but this year we
are also growing 30 hectares of potatoes for Riverford Organics.
Pebblebed Heaths Cattle and Dartmoor ponies help us manage the
heathland vegetation.        Animals are now grazing Bicton Common,
Hawkerland, Dalditch plantation and behind the temporary electric loop on
Colaton Raleigh Common. Please remember to keep gates shut and report
any issues to our rangers directly on 07792 242242 or 07976 062717. Thank
you.
Delivery of visitor access improvements was delayed last year. But after
such a busy time for the heaths we have worked with East Devon District
Council to review these plans, making sure they still deliver what is needed
to make access easier while protecting the special character of the heaths and
the wildlife that lives here. The work will take place in three phases to
ensure that there are always some car parks open while others are closed for
refurbishment. It is expected that the first phase of improvements will take
place later this year. The first will include Four Firs and Joney’s Cross car
parks along with the informal roadside parking areas at Frying Pans and at
Stowford.
Volunteer teams are poised to begin their summer tasks, whether monitoring
bird or invertebrate species on the heaths or getting involved practically with
weekly work parties to manage invasive Himalayan balsam plants on the
tributaries of the river Otter. If you would like to be involved please contact
mail@pebblebedheaths.org.
River Otter The programme of work for the Lower Otter Restoration
Project has been revised following our decision to postpone, until this
autumn, vegetation clearance that might cause disturbance to nesting birds.
33
Work has started on the site for the new Budleigh Salterton Cricket Club.
This is an exciting and tangible benefit to this project and will secure a
sustainable future for this popular community asset.
North of South Farm Road, excavation of the creek network may also begin
over the coming months with environmental exclusion zones providing a 50-
metre buffer zones around hedgerows, allowing birds to raise their young
undisturbed.
From July if you walk by the estuary, look out for our colleagues from
ABPmer as they will be collecting feedback on your visit to the lower Otter.
An important part of the lower Otter scheme is understanding society’s
current use of the site and how it is valued, and tracking how that changes
over time once the scheme has been delivered. We are always grateful for
any engagements with us you might like to have and the data collected is
valuable.
Bicton Arena        After the success of delivering a prestigious 4-star
International Horse Trials last month, this event also marks the end of an era
at Bicton Arena, as Helen West is leaving to become the CEO of British
Eventing. Helen joined the Arena in 2013 and immediately saw how Bicton
deserved to be up there with the likes of leading equestrian venues such as
Blenheim and Bramham.           Back then, Bicton only hosted one British
affiliated horse trial. Under Helen’s leadership there are now three,
including two international horse trials. As well as three-day eventing Helen
and her team oversee a full programme of show jumping and dressage.
Bicton supports riders of all standards. As well as attracting competitors at
the highest level it also delivers an impressive offer of grassroots
competition, training events and pony club camps. Whilst Clinton Devon
Estates will be very sorry to see Helen go, we congratulate her heartily on
obtaining such a high-profile role in the equestrian world.
Property and Land            Those who visit the businesses trading from
Exmouth’s Liverton business park will have noticed welcome improvements
to the junction onto Salterton Road, which will alleviate queuing traffic
leaving the site. The work was carried out by MAC Plant, a small south-
west company which undertakes contact work for Devon County Council.
DCC contributed half the £200,000 bill and the remaining costs were split
between Clinton Devon Estates and Exmouth Town Council.
This month the teams also say goodbye to Eliza Raine, who has spent the
year on placement and now returns to Harper Adams University to complete
her studies to be a land agent. We look forward to welcoming surveyor,
Tom Whiffen, who will take up a new full-time graduate position with the
Estate. We wish him every success in this new role.
                      Kate Ponting BEd (Hons), Countryside Learning Officer,
                               01395 443881, kate.ponting@clintondevon.com
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