February—March 2013 Issue 19

If you would like to submit an item for the next issue please email [email protected] or leave items at the Post Office. Deadline for next issue: Wednesday 20 March 2013 Please also get in touch for more information about advertising fees and advert sizes if you would like to advertise your business in the newsletter.

Chairman’s Report Hello and welcome to the latest edition of Highampton Messenger! The AGMs for the Parish Council and Village Hall Committee will take place on the same evening in April. If anyone has any planning queries or village concerns, you are welcome to attend the Parish Council AGM. The Village Hall Committee is always looking for new members, so please come along to the AGM if you are interested in joining. Unfortunately, at the time of going to press, the date has not yet been confirmed. When arranged, details will be displayed in the village notice- board. As most of you will be aware, work has now commenced on the Solar Farm. Steve Male, the Events Committee chairman, has kindly volunteered to look into the benefits for the parish the solar farm will provide. Back in December, the Church held a “Carol service by candle light.” It was nice to see so many people supporting this; especially as such an effort was made to make it an enjoyable evening. On behalf of the parishioners, I would like to thank all those involved. To put my Village Hall hat on for a moment, I would like to announce that we have received a grant from our County Councillor, James McInnes, and have purchased a projector and screen for the use of the Village Hall, and groups affiliated with it. If you are organising any event and are in need of a projector, please speak to Wendy Rose on 01409231609. Here’s hoping for some spring sunshine (not floods!). Glenn Rose VALENTINE DISCO Wine & Wisdom Saturday 16 February Friday 15 February 6pm—8pm Highampton Village Hall Highampton CP School 7:30pm for 8pm start Open to all children aged up to 11 (Past pupils and siblings up to the age of 16 Teams of 6 - £5 per person are also welcome) To include Wine and Nibbles! Bring and Share Supper To book a team call Kate on 01409 Tuck shop & Lucky Dip 231324 of Helen on 01409 231481 £3 entry (family ticket £5) In aid of Highampton Pre-School and (children under 3 years & parents are free) Highampton PTFA Craft & Table Top Saturday 23 February EASTER BINGO 2pm – 4:30pm Wednesday 27 March Highampton Village Hall Highampton Village Hall Refreshments Doors open at 7.15pm Free Entry Eyes down at 8pm £5 to book a table 50p entrance Telephone Alma on 01837 810435

Highampton Village Hall Committee Chicken Dinner Prizes HIGHAMPTON MESSENGER HIGHAMPTON

Page 2 Highampton Local History Group www.highampton-lhg.co.uk

The chairman introduced Janet Few to our meeting in December. Janet, an author who is also known as Mistress Agness of Torrington 1646, gave a fascinating insight into the lives of our ancestors, how they lived, ate, drank, the clothes they wore plus 17th Century hygiene tips, and much, much more. The fashions of the time were beautifully modelled by committee member Carole Ward and made for an insightful, interesting and informative evening that was enjoyed by all. Afterwards our speaker was kept busy signing copies of her recent book Coffers, Clysters, Comfrey and Coifs. The evening ended with our members enjoying festive mince pies etc; followed by a Christmas draw.

The following month the committee room was packed to capacity with people anxious to learn of Charles Inniss’s life and times at the Half Moon, Sheepwash, and to hear of his exceptional work in running the fishing on the River Torridge over a period of some 40 years that saw many changes affecting the celebrated game salmon fishing – for which the Half Moon is famous. The talk coincided with the recent launch of his book Torridge Reflections, which is now in its second print run.

Charles Inniss signing his book for a visitor from .

Our next meeting will be a visit to Dartington Crystal on Wednesday 13th February at 12.00 noon to view the factory and visitor centre at .

For those who need a lift or wish to car-share, please meet at the Highampton Village Hall rear car park at 11.00 a.m. or you may travel independently and meet at the Dartington Crystal car park. To give the visitor centre a rough guide to numbers, please contact either Maurice or Mo to let them know if you wish to come.

LOCAL LAMB T C M Plumbing Purebred Closewool lamb, great flavour, from our small traditionally managed Highampton farm Burst pipes? Taps dripping? Valves leaking? Radiators not getting hot? Gutters blocked? lamb boxes half lamb cut to your requirements, ready to eat/freeze 8-10 kgs £55-65 Based locally at we cover the surrounding areas Free Delivery helping you with your plumbing need no matter how small

Beef from our pedigree Aberdeen Angus herd also sometimes avail- Contact Tim Morgan on 01837 810599 able Or visit our website www.tcmplumbing.org.uk Sally Vergette 01837 810349 [email protected] To see what we can do for you Coombe Farm Highampton

Legge Farm Coarse Fishery Church Road, Highampton 01409-231464

[email protected] www.leggefarm.co.uk Coarse Fishery - Five well stocked Coarse Lakes Self Catering Accommodation Caravan & Camping Site Caravan Storage

Highampton PTFA

As always we would like to thank everyone in the village for their continued support of the Highampton PTFA and the work we do to raise funds for our ‘Outstanding’ School. To continue this, we have organised several events this year and hope that you will be able to join us. In addition to the events advertised on the front page we will be holding a Plant Sale on Friday 24 May, a Pet Show on Thursday 20 June (to be confirmed) and a Summer event on 6 July. Details of these events will be publicised near their dates.

100 Club

November Winners December Winners

1st Prize Charles Dumpleton 1st Prize Dilling Family 2nd Prize Alma Knight 2nd Prize Teresa Bowden 3rd Prize Penny Smart 3rd Prize Hannah 4th Prize Helen & Dave Squire 4th Prize Kelly Henderson 5th Prize Julie Orchard

The January and February draws will be made at the Craft & Table Top Event on Saturday 23 February. If you are not currently part of the 100 club, please contact Alma Knight – there are still a few numbers available.

The Giving Machine

Do you shop online? Highampton School is registered to generate cash donations every time you shop online. Each purchase through The Giving Machine generates a cash donation at no extra cost to the shopper.

Please consider doing your online shopping via The Giving Machine. It is a simple process and although initially you need to register, it only takes a couple of minutes.

Please go to www.thegivingmachine.co.uk, click on the ‘Shop’ button. Next, click on the top left hand ‘Join’ button to register and select Highampton School as your beneficiary.

HIGHAMPTON VILLAGE HALL CHRISTMAS Davina and Richard would like to say a huge BINGO ‘Thank You’ to their friends and neighbours for their support and kindness over the past The Village Hall Bingo held in December raised few months. Thank you to everyone for all the £346. The Committee would like to thank every- wonderful cards and presents we received following one for their support and also thanks goes to Ruben’s birth on 1 December 2012. He is doing very well everyone who helped out on the night and also and is growing nicely and will soon be running around those who donated draw and other prizes. annoying you all! Love and best wishes Davina, Richard and Ruben.

Page 4 The Community Projects Group HIGHAMPTON MESSENGER

To enhance community life in Highampton Parish First can I wish all residents a happy New Year. The Highampton Community Projects Group not only ended last year on a high but also started this new year well.

We organised a get-together on Thursday 20 December last year for all residents at the Golden Inn. Tony, the landlord, kindly provide complimentary snacks and the evening went off well. 30 residents attended and from the feedback I have heard everyone enjoyed the evening. A chance for us to talk with our fellow villagers seemed very well received particularly just before Christmas. We will, hopefully, organise a similar event next December as this one went so well.

We have been talking to our County Councillor, James McInnes, about raising some funding through to help the youth club that runs in the Highampton Village Hall. Thanks in large part to James’s efforts, we received, early this month, £400 and have purchased a laptop for the youth club so they can play games and watch films. As luck would have it the Village Hall Committee also secured funding through James for a projector and screen so they should now be well set up. James presented the laptop to the Youth Club on Friday 25 January.

Some residents have gone through their collections of old DVDs and in some cases computer games and have donated them to the Youth Club to seed their collection and get them off to a flying start. If you have any suitable DVDs or games that you no longer have a use for please contact me and we will pick them up from you and forward them on to the Youth Club.

The Devon County Council along with Somerset County Council have just announced that they are unable to reach an agreement with BT and have postponed a broadband announcement. This is very disappointing as it has been going on many months now. Perhaps, like other rural communities who have done it themselves we should now consider this option.

If anyone has any expertise, or simply an interest, in broadband delivery in rural areas and can spare the time to work with us then we could have a new way forward. Please contact me if you can, my details are below.

The committee is looking to organise further events in the New Year and some of them at the planning stage so we should have some more dates for your diary soon.

If anyone has any ideas for local fundraising events we would be most happy to receive them so again please contact me.

Steve Male (Chairman Highampton Community Projects Group) Moorland Lodge Burdon Lane 01409 231646 [email protected]

Highampton Ladies Club The Annual General Meeting will be held in February. Membership of £20 will be payable on the night. In March Helen Squire will be giving a talk on hand made jewellery If you would like to come along to either event we would be delighted to see you. Meetings are held at 7.30pm in the Committee Room at the Village Hall on the 3rd Wednesday of each month. Refreshments are available. Visitors £2 For more information please ring Jane Bull (01837 810372) or Mary Greenhill (01409 231612)

I ssue 19 Page 5

HIGHAMPTON HOLY CROSS CHURCH SERVICES FEBRUARY Sunday 17th February 11.15 am Morning Prayer Margaret Taylor Thursday 28th February 2.30 pm Burdon Grange Service Morag Lobley MARCH Sunday 3rd March 11.15 am Holy Communion Revd Kathy Roberts Sunday 17th March 11.15 am Morning Prayer Margaret Taylor PALM SUNDAY Sunday 24th March 10.30 am Benefice Holy Communion Revd Kathy Roberts At Monday 25th March 9.30 am Holy Communion Revd Kathy Roberts (Stations of the Cross) Wednesday 27th March 2.15 pm School Easter Service Thursday 28th March 2.30 pm Burdon Grange Service Revd Kathy Roberts Friday 29th March 2.00 pm Good Friday Service Revd Kathy Roberts Sunday 31st March 11.15 am Easter Holy Communion Revd Gerry Matthews

The Church Christmas bingo was held in the Village Hall in aid of Church funds, £125 was raised. Thank you to all those that attended, donated prizes and helped to contribute to the evening to make it a success. The annual Christmas Candle Light Carol Service was held in the Church. Many thanks to all the children who read at the service. Mulled wine and mince pies warmed everyone at the end of the service. Many thanks to the members of the PCC who made the mice pies! The BBC Saturday Club (held in Bradford Village Hall) runs from 10:00 am until 11:30 am on the second Saturday of each month, the first one being 9th of March. In February the BBC is running a special Pancake Tea on Tuesday 12th from 3:30 pm to 4:30 pm. Everyone is welcome!

Page 6 NEWS FROM HIGHAMPTON C.P. SCHOOL

The ‘Spring’ term has got off to a flying start, with everyone doing their best to get in despite the wintery weather. The school stayed open throughout, and thanks must be given to Glen Rose for gritting the road, the car park and also clearing a path for us across the playground so we could all get in safely.

The school welcomed a visitor from the North Devon Children’s Hospice, Little Bridge House at Fremington, who gave a moving account of his family’s involvement with the hospice during the short life of his granddaughter. The children have been inspired by his visit to organise a fund raising coffee morning on Friday, 15th February at 10.00am. They would love to see as many friends, family and visitors as possible come to help them support this cause.

During the coming term the children will be undertaking various educational visits. A particular favourite is the visit to the Bristol Science Museum. We are lucky that Mrs Smart has managed to get funding to help with the cost of the trip during national Science Week.

As part of a local study and a bit closer to home is Parsonage Farm at , the source of Michael Morpurgo’s story ‘War Horse’, and also the setting of his book ‘Around the Year’. Along with the more recent ‘Where my Wellies Take Me’ – a collection of sketches, poems and journal entries – the children will be learning about our local environment and farming in different times, as well as discovering more about one of our local authors.

A particular cause of celebration is the planned residential weekend at Skern Outdoor Adventure centre near Appledore at the end of March. This has always been a popular venue amongst the children and staff who make the most of all the exciting opportunities on offer.

Following the outstanding Ofsted report last term, the school is thrilled that Headteacher, Mrs Barnett, has been invited to represent the small schools and address a national Ofsted Conference in London in early February. Highampton School continues to grow in numbers, with another newcomer joining us this term. We have been pleased to meet and show parents around our school, as well as some teachers from other primary schools in the county.

And finally... The School Netball team (pictured) celebrated its first win of the season! The team beat Bradford & 6—3 .

The netball and football teams are in need of new kits. If you are able to make a donation or are interested in sponsoring a team please let us know.

CONCERTS IN THE WEST The Concerts in the West series started in 2006 with a broad spectrum of Classical and Baroque music. The series gives young professional performers a platform to explore their repertoire and their listeners an opportunity to hear works they might not be aware of. The following performances will be held at: Lower Pulworthy, Highampton EX21 5LQ Saturday 9 February 7.30pm Anna Starushkevych (mezzo-soprano) Justin Snyder (piano) Saturday 25 May 7.30pm Nicholas Mulory (tenor) John Reid (piano) Saturday 13 July 7.30pm Benjamin Gregor-Smith (cello) Aglaia Graf (piano) Box Office 01837 810940, Salar Gallery 18/20 Bridge Street EX20 3HY Tickets £12

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BEARA CROSS GARAGE Highampton Area Pre-school

CHILLA ROAD: HIGHAMPTON (at Highampton Village Hall) ALL VEHICLE MAKES . SERVICING & REPAIRS FREE FIT EXHAUSTS & TYRE SERVICE M.O.T. TEST STATION : FREE RETEST Come and visit our small and friendly B.P. AUTO GAS FLO-GAS BOTTLED GAS SALES pre-school and see what we are all about! ACCESSORY SHOP NUMBER PLATES ETC. Everyone Welcome Tel: 01409 231 275 : Mobile: 07887871169 Email: bearacrossgarage.co.uk Toddler Sessions

Wednesday & Thursday 9.15 to 11.45

Now open for morning & afternoon sessions & full day care

On Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday For 2 to 5 year olds

9.15 to 3.15 Canine Cuts Professional Dog Grooming For All Breeds Member of the British Dog Grooming Association and Contact us for more details on Pet Care Trust 07837357815 in pre-school hours Clipping, Hand Stripping, Bathing, Nail Trimming Etc Will do local collection or delivery Or 07801581054 out of hours. Call Jane Bridges on 01409 231139 First two sessions FREE If necessary, wait for the answer phone and I’ll call you back

VILLAGE HALL TIMETABLE

EVERY MONDAY BALLROOM DANCING 7 – 9PM

EVERY TUESDAY STREET DANCING (see below)

ZUMBA 6—7PM

BALLET CLASSES 7.30PM

EVERY THURSDAY BADMINTON 7.30PM

EVERY FRIDAY HIGHAMPTON YOUTH CLUB 6—9PM

1ST WEDNESDAY OF EACH MONTH PARISH COUNCIL MEETING 7.30PM

3RD WEDNESDAY OF EACH MONTH LADIES GROUP 7.30PM

4TH WEDNESDAY OF EACH MONTH HISTORY SOCIETY 7.30PM

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HAPPY GARDENING! By Richard and Davina Here we find ourselves at the quietest point in the gardening year with the country in the grips of ‘the Big Freeze’, snow and ice on all sides but at least there is hope on the horizon... February, the shortest month, starts in winter but ends in spring. With the extra couple of minutes daylight each day adding up to nearly a whole hour by the end of the month. The promises of spring can be seen in gardens and hedgerows through the flowers of Primroses, Snowdrops, Aconites and Hellebores and in the fat buds on trees and bushes waiting for the first hint of warmth to burst forth. Things to do... 1. Recycle your Christmas Tree, it makes great mulch for the boarder when shredded. 2. Prune winter flowering Jasmine, cut back shoots that have finished flowering by two thirds. 3. Start forcing Rhubarb Crowns to produce tender early stems. 4. Chit seed potatoes. Stand in trays in a light but frost free position. 5. Cut stems of autumn fruiting Raspberries down to ground level. 6. Sprinkle sulphate of potash around fruit bushes and trees. 7. Plant Lilly of the Valley and Snowdrops ‘in the green’. 8. Prepare vegetable seed beds. Cover patches of soil with polythene or cloches to warm them up. 9. Tidy and renovate deciduous hedges. Fill in any gaps with young whips (bare root cuttings). 10. If you have a heated propagator you can sow early batches of Tomatoes, Aubergines, Onions, Celery and Peppers. In the Bright Midwinter Five fantastic plants for winter interest, colour and scent:  Viburnum x bodnantense ‘Dawn’ – an upright, deciduous shrub with clusters of dark pink buds opening to fragrant light pink flowers.  Lonicera x purpusii – ‘Winter Beauty’ – a dense, bushy, semi-evergreen shrub with red-purple shoots and clusters of very fragrant white flowers.  Ribes Laurifolium –a slow growing, spreading, evergreen shrub with red young stems and pale green, sweetly scented flowers.  Daphne odora ‘Aureomarginata’ – an evergreen, bushy shrub with yellow edged, dark green leaves and vey fragrant, purple-pink and white flowers.  Stachyurus Praecox – a deciduous, spreading shrub with purple-red stems and drooping spikes of pale, greenish-yellow flowers. Passion for Potatoes Now is the time to start chitting your seed potatoes, so why don’t you try growing something a little different this year? Here are some unusual varieties for you to consider: ANYA – Second early, pink skin with white flesh, excellent flavour. B.S BLUE BELL – Main crop, long oval tubers, cream skin and yellow flesh. Good for showing. B.M.R.C LADY BALFOUR – Main crop, good for organic growing. White skin, cream flesh. B.M.BK.R.C PICASSO – Main crop, good for storing. Oval tubers, white skin and cream flesh. B.M.BK.R ROCKET – First early. Earliest potato, white skin and cream flesh. B.S SARPO MIRA – Main crop. High blight resistance. Long oval tubers with red skin and yellow flesh. B.M.R VIVALDI – Second early. The ‘low carb’ potato. Oval tubers, white skin yellow flesh. B.M.BK.R

POTATO KEY B = Boling M = Mashing BK = Baking R = Roasting C = Chipping S = Salads

Page 9 PLEASE KEEP YOUR DOGS ON A LEAD! There have been several reports of dogs worrying and attacking livestock, namely sheep. I would like to remind all dog owners that the farmer is allowed by law to shoot any dog on his land that is worrying livestock!!! Most dog owners will keep dogs on leads when on the moor, especially when they know that they might chase sheep but then let then off in wooded or agricultural areas thinking that their dog won’t chase sheep because they can't physically see any. Dogs will follow a scent, possibly deer and then stumble across sheep in their travels and this is when they might chase them. Sheep vary in price with the cheapest being around £100 and if pedigree etc. the cost can increase to thousands also, at present it is the time of year when many sheep are in lamb which increases the value of the sheep. Most pet insurance policies have small print that state that they will not pay out for worrying livestock, therefore it will fall on the owner to pay out for damages caused by their dogs!!!! If there is a court case then a destruction order can be requested for the dog concerned...if you love you pets please take better care of them and farmer's livestock and business!!! IF IN DOUBT KEEP THEM ON A LEAD. Following previous instances of rural thefts, I would like to remind those in the rural and farming community to be vigilant and be aware of any suspicious activity and vehicles in the area and please tell the Police at the time if you feel concerned. Please take the vehicle registration number if you can as we can often stop check a suspicious vehicle in the area which increases the chance of preventing any further incident. Also please take note of description of anyone seen acting suspiciously. If you would like to report any incidents please contact Devon and Cornwall Police on 101. If the crime is being committed at the time or the offender is still on scene, or there are fears for safety please dial 999. PCSO 30548 Becky TOLLEY Rural West Okehampton Police Station, Exeter Road, Okehampton, EX20 1NN

Transformation Hatha Yoga – Two new classes in Spring 2013 I’m writing to let fellow Highampton residents know that I have two new yoga classes starting at Hatherleigh Community Centre in March.  A 7-week Stage 1 Spring term course starts on Friday mornings 10-11.30am from 22nd March - 10th May.  An 8-week Stage 2 Spring term course starts on Thursday evenings from 21st March - 9th May

Stage 1 is suitable for people of all ages, conditions & levels of ability, including complete beginners. Stage 2 is for those with some experience of Transformation Hatha Yoga who wish to take their practice further.

Transformation Hatha Yoga is a kind & deeply relaxing yoga, with a focus on good posture and spinal alignment. Gentle, graceful stretching in and out of the asanas (postures) is harmonised with the breath with focus and concentration. The effect of this synchronisation of breath and movement is deeply relaxing, bringing inner peace, strength & harmony in body & mind. There is guided relaxation at the end of each class.

These are both courses, so booking is essential. The first class of each course is £5.50. If you then wish to commit, you will then need to book and pay for the rest of the term (£33/38.50).

To book or find out more, please contact Paul at Beacon Down, Church Road, Highampton, on 01409 231304. Email: [email protected]. If you are interested, I would advise not leaving it until the last minute to book as I do keep class numbers low so as to give plenty of individual attention to students’ learning and practice.

Paul Beard SRMHC THYoga & Relaxation Teacher

USEFUL INFORMATION Name Telephone No. Email / Website

Parish Council

Chairman Glenn Rose www.highampton.org

Parish Clerk Felicity Lowe 01409 231727 www.highampton.org.

[email protected]

Doctor’s Surgery Dr Asad Aldoori 08448151362

Playgroup Wendy Rose 01409 231609

Post Office Dudley, Jackie, Tina and 01409 231239 Jon Ody

Member of Parliament Mel Stride 01392 823336 [email protected]

Neighbourhood Watch Mike Puckey 01409 231651

Local History Group Maurice Thomas 01409 231460 www.highampton-lhg.co.uk

Devon County Council General Enquiries www.devon.gov.uk 0845 155 1015

West Devon Borough Council 01822 813600 www.westdevon.gov.uk

Editor Michelle Ody 01409231239 [email protected]

Highampton Community Primary School

An Outstanding School Ofsted inspection September 2012

Come along to see the opportunities available for children Meet the Headteacher – See the children’s work Hear about our trips to enhance learning in the classroom After school activities Join our free Monday Movers and Friday Fun sessions for under fives Please contact the school to arrange a visit. Church Road, Highampton, , Devon EX21 5LE

Telephone: 01409 231339

email: [email protected]