Tipton Times Was Started in 1969 and Is Produced and Distributed to Local Households Every Two Months by Volunteers

302 IPTON APRIL AND TIMES MAY 2021

Tipton Times was started in 1969 and is produced and distributed to local households every two months by volunteers. Costs are met from voluntary contributions TT advertising is free and limited to local non-profit organisations and charities, with a once per year opportunity for businesses in our delivery area

IF YOU WISH TO SEE MORE PHOTOS OF OUR BEAUTIFUL VILLAGE AND SURROUNDINGS VISIT OUR WEBSITE https://www.tiptontimes.org.uk/

PLAYING FIELD CRICKET AND REMEMBERING URGENT WORKING TENNIS ARE MARGARET APPEAL TO PARTIES: COMING: HEMBURY DOG-WALKERS CAN YOU HELP? IT MUST BE SUMMER SOON

COPY DEADLINE For 303, June and July 2021 Wednesday 19th May (unless by arrangement)

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The Tipton Times Fund

Sort Code: 30-94-36 A/c No: 01720384

Email us at [email protected]

Tipton Times Website - https://www.tiptontimes.org.uk/

Editors: David Birch 01404 815402 3 Tipton Lodge, Tipton St John, EX10 0AW Paula Faulkner; Anne Sadler Treasurer: Andrew Sadler Proofreader/Printers: Pauline Belton; Janet Croud; Anne Reid; Barbara Pugh

Distribution and General Production:

John & Pauline Belton; Janet Croud; Jenny Dorrington; Roy Faulkner; Michelle Grover; John Harding; Yvonne Hartland; Kyle Hayes; Sue Kensdale; Nicky Knight; Katherine Lilley; Diane Mann; Gill and Allen Marks; Ann Matthews; Ann Moore; Jan Passmore; Tania Phillips; Barbara and Tony Pugh; Anne Reid; Vanda Reynolds; Liz Rogers; Maggie Rule; Nikki Sanford; Chris Schofield; Alison and David Stevens; Megan Watton; Denise Wightman

COVER PHOTOGRAPH: We welcome letters and contributions but reserve St John the Evangelist Church, the right to edit and amend Tipton St John, courtesy of such offerings. Views expressed within each Clinton Johnston article are the author’s own. - 3 - Editorial

We are very pleased to be able, again, to produce a physical issue of Tipton Times and hope very much that you enjoy it. We are indebted to our faithful deliverers, for making this possible. Printing and collation have had to be carried out individually rather than in groups, which has been a challenge but it’s great to get the magazine into circulation again. Perhaps, for the next edition, we can get the printing and collating teams together again. We are grateful to Maggie Bowley, who has retired from collation, for all her help over recent years and to Tony and Joyce Cuerden, who are taking a temporary break from delivery, following Tony’s recovery from illness.

Of course, the magazine will still be online and we will keep our website up to date with the latest news and village information. Since the last edition, we have developed the photo gallery and are keen to take this further. Do take a look and feel free to send us any Tipton-related photographs you think should have a wider audience: https://www.tiptontimes.org.uk/gallery/ .

In the last issue we featured the wonderful work done by Lisette Johnston and her newly formed Eager Beavers group in keeping Tipton litter free. We think there has been an improvement in this respect but the main change, we hope, is the raising of everyone’s awareness of our environment. It would be a pity if this had to extend to the requirement to keep dogs on leads on the playing field, but we understand that this may have to happen in order to stem the increase of dog faeces, and all the health risks associated with that. See page 4 for more information.

On a brighter note, the gradual relaxation of lockdown and the arrival of better weather should bring some normality back to our lives. The re-opening of the Golden Lion and the return of cricket, tennis and, of course, the wonderful Otter Rail and River Run will all help in this regard.

We wish all our readers a happy Easter and wonderful early summer.

The Editors

Contents Bee Man 6 National Trust Sidmouth 12

Church Draw 11 Nature Notes 5

Church News 28 OSM Town Council 19

Clinton Devon 12 Playing Fields 4

Cllr John Green 23 Poem 8

Cllr Geoff Pratt 24 Readers 21

Cllr Claire Wright 22 Recipe Corner 27

Coleridge Medical Centre 18 RSPB 26

Community Hall Report 14 Tennis 17

Cricket 13 Thought for the Times 11

Editorial 3 Tipps 14

Garden News 20 VOSRA 18

Margaret Hembury 9 Weather 25 - 4 -

Tipton St John Playing Field PLAYING FIELD NEWS Enjoy the field and stay safe! Springtime is normally a busy time for the playing field, as the weather improves and people get out into the sunshine. It is important to remember that the field, like anywhere else, is subject to the national Covid restrictions. At the moment, these are planned to change as follows:

THE FOLLOWING RULES WILL APPLY FROM 29 MARCH:  Outdoor gatherings of up to six people, or two households, will be allowed - including in private gardens  You will no longer be required to stay at home wherever possible, although you will be encouraged to stay local.  Organised grassroots outdoor sport will resume. THE FOLLOWING RULES WILL APPLY NO EARLIER THAN 17 MAY:  Most restrictions on meeting other people outdoors will be lifted, but gatherings of more than 30 people outdoors will remain illegal.  People will be allowed to meet indoors in groups of six, or with one other household.

In other words, the restriction on informal gatherings of more than 6 people should be observed at the playing field except for a scheduled sports match or practice for as long as this rule holds. The play area remains open but Government guidance requires people to avoid socialising with other people while there.

Dog Fouling Sadly, this problem is increasing to a worrying degree. The PFA committee recently received this letter: “Yesterday, we removed 4 or 5 piles of dog faeces from the area between the score box and the cricket square. There were other deposits in the long grass around the score box. Apart from being disgusting it is now becoming a positive danger to health, especially with the weather improving and more young children using the field. When the grass is being cut, the faeces will be scattered over a large area and much harder to avoid. The Caravan and Motorhome Club states that all dogs must be kept on a lead of no more than 2 meters in length whilst on site. May I suggest that the PFA introduce a similar regulation? This could be seen as a compromise, as dogs would still be allowed on the field but they would always be in sight and in control of their walkers/owners.”

This is by no means the only report we’ve received and all of us have witnessed the problem ourselves at first hand. We know that the vast majority of dog owners conscientiously pick up after their dogs, yet the problem gets ever worse. Consequently, the PFA committee has decided that, regrettably, unless there is a marked improvement by 1st May, dog walkers will be required to keep their dogs on leads everywhere on the field. This will, we hope, enable dog owners to remedy the situation by watching their own dogs more closely and encouraging other owners to do the same.

Spring working party At this time of year, there are a number of tasks to be carried out to maintain the field in good condition, including:  Weeding under benches and on the paved area and path outside the pavilion  Checking/cleaning benches and tables and repairing/treating if necessary  Cutting back the hedge in the play area  Strimming brambles and weeding borders If anyone has the time to help with any of these, we would be most grateful. We have set aside the morning of Saturday 10th April for this (and obviously, we will follow social distancing rules!) but volunteers are welcome to lend a hand at any time around that date. Just get in touch with me on the number below! Many thanks.

As part of the working party schedule, we will also be working with Lisette Johnston and her Eager Beavers group on a programme of sowing/planting wild flowers around the field. We are so appreciative of the impact Lisette and her team has had on our environment in such a short time. To get involved, see https://www.facebook.com/groups/206352941201682

Annual Otter Rail and River Run, Saturday 10th July At the moment, we are planning that this goes ahead, so please put the date in your diary either if you wish to take part or be part of the volunteering team for marshalling or other tasks. It would also be great if you could let me know if you’re happy to volunteer for this year’s run.

David Birch, Chairman 01404 815402 [email protected] Lisette and Jo on the hunt for litter - 5 -

Nature Notes

The birds they do sing, There are bees on the wing It must be Spring! Now there’s a thing….!!

With April approaching, thoughts turn to the much maligned cuckoo. We all know what it gets up to when it arrives, but when we hear the sound of its call, all thoughts turn to longer, warmer days. Unfortunately, that sound is not as prevalent as it used to be due to their recent population decline. The arrival of the cuckoo coincides with the appearance of frothy masses seen on plant stems. The common name for this is ‘cuckoo spit’. In fact these foamy bubbles are produced by the nymphs of froghoppers. They drink more plant sap than they need, and then blow the excess out of their rear ends!

You might find ‘cuckoo spit’ on the stems of the ‘cuckoo flower’! This plant flowers at the same time, from March to June. It is normally found in damp meadows and ditches, and the flowers can be white to purple in colour. This plant is sometimes called 'lady's smock' because the flowers resemble the shape of milkmaid’s smocks.

And just one more cuckoo connection! The flowers of the ‘lords and ladies plant’ appear this month. The common name for these vessel shaped flowers is ‘cuckoo pint’.

Female bumble bees will be on the wing again. On sunny days you can see them buzzing around the few plants which are in bloom now, or hovering around small holes in the ground in search of a nesting site to lay their eggs. Unlike honey bees, bumble bees build a completely new colony every year. They usually make their nest in a disused mouse hole, which can come fully furnished with some bedding. If not you'll see them carrying bits of dry moss and grass down into the hole.

Spiders, beetles and many other insects are starting to appear now. This is good news for slow-worms which are waking up now after five or six months in hibernation. After that length of time without a meal, they can't wait to get a good meal inside them. Although they are similar in appearance to snakes, slow-worms are just lizards without legs. They are great to have in the garden since they also like to eat slugs. If you have a compost heap or a large log pile in your garden, there is a good chance you will have slow-worms.

Even before its leaves are out, the white flowers of the blackthorn tree appear this month to brighten up the hedgerows. Blackthorn is frequently used in hedgerows, as its thorns make a good defensive barrier. The fruits, known as 'sloes', appear in late summer. They can be used to flavour gin. A really cold spell at this time of the year may be referred to locally as a blackthorn winter.

For all you foragers out there, one of the first plants to appear in the season are ramsons, or wild garlic. In my perambulations, I have already seen a lot of leaves which are about ready for harvest. This bulb is a species of wild onion. The whole plant smells very strongly of onions. The leaves are edible, but have a very strong flavour. Ramsons usually grow in large clusters. The pointed leaves feel leathery and are about 20cm long. When the flowers first shoot up, on their long slender stems, they are enclosed in a papery case. When this falls away it reveals the beautiful pom-pom flower heads of around twenty, white star-shaped flowers.*

That’s it…’til next time! Geoff Pinn [email protected] 01404 812878

* See Garden News from Dolberries elsewhere in this edition for a Wild Garlic Pesto Recipe - The Eds - 6 - Interested in reducing your postal costs?

As we are all aware, the cost of postage seems to keep going up.

Well, we have just come across a remarkable and very elegant solution. A clever entrepreneur, realising that the Royal Mail charges primarily by weight, has been experimenting and is preparing to market an ingenious and ground-breaking product - helium filled envelopes.

Apparently, the envelopes are very similar to the ‘jiffy’ style that we are all used to, except that, instead of air, the bubbles are filled with helium – a totally inert and 100% safe gas.

The result of this is that these envelopes actually weigh less than 9 grams. With the average card weighing 8 grams, this means that the combined card and envelope are actually weightless.

Lawyers for the company have been thoroughly examining the Royal Mail’s terms and conditions and are confident that they are not allowed to charge for posting something that has a zero weight. An oversight on their part, perhaps, but one that the company and consumers alike can take full advantage of.

The envelopes do cost around 8p each, but given their ability to totally protect the card from the ravages of dogs, weather and the postal service, and the fact that they will save up to 67p (the current cost of 1st class mail), they do seem to represent a genuine bargain.

There are added benefits for the retailer. Since the packs are now weightless, there is no need for additional storage space - they can simply be allowed to float up and store themselves against the ceiling, so stock-rooms and warehouses could be transformed!

Could this rank among the greatest inventions of the modern age? Clearly a great deal of thought has gone into its development and it appears to be utterly fool-proof ...

The Bee Man - Where did the queen go?

As we all probably know, honeybees are a collective species. They live in colonies that bring together tens of thousands of individuals. Every honeybee within the colony is important, and they all have their specific roles. However, no other bee is as important for the life of the colony as the queen. While there are thousands of worker bees in every colony and often hundreds of drones, there can ever be only one queen bee. So, why do beekeepers put a colour dot on their queens? Placing a coloured dot on the thorax of the queen makes it much easier to find and identify the queen at any given time. Since the presence of a healthy queen is crucial for the well-being of the colony, beekeepers need to be aware of what is going on with the queen at all times.

The queen bee does have a variety of features that allow beekeepers to distinguish between the queen and worker bees, but when working with thousands of bees within the hive it can be quite difficult to identify the queen and a colour dot on her back makes this much easier. Having answered this basic question, one could move on to ask more specific questions such as “why is it so important to the beekeeper to be able to identify the queen?” In fact, there are many situations where these colour dots come in quite handy.

Why do beekeepers mark the queens? Beekeepers mark the queens with colour dots because this practice makes it much easier to find her amongst thousands of worker bees. But why is it so important to be able to find the queen? While the majority of the bees within a colony are female, most of them are worker bees - female bees that don’t have a fully developed reproductive system, that is. While worker bees do most of the work around the hive, laying eggs is solely the responsibility of the queen. Because of this, the queen is usually the mother of most, if not all, bees in a colony.

The queen bee constantly releases specific pheromones that affect the behaviour of all the bees within a hive. Because of these pheromones, all of the bees in a colony know when there is a healthy queen present. If the queen is gone, the worker bees would be immediately aware of it and the queen will need to be replaced. Just as the worker bees know everything is fine and well if they have a healthy queen, the beekeeper can also benefit from this information. By simply marking the queen with a colour dot, it becomes much easier for the beekeeper to keep track of the queen. Moreover, since a specific colour is chosen each year, the beekeeper can easily tell when (or if) a queen replacement occurs. - 7 - How to mark a queen bee? Queen bees are always marked by placing a dot of coloured paint on the thorax of the bee. The thorax is actually the back of the bee, just between her wings. In this way, the coloured dot is in a place that is easily seen by the beekeeper, but it doesn’t cause any problems to the queen bee. With that being said, the coloured dot should always be fairly small, and the beekeeper needs to be careful not to apply the paint to any part of the bee other than her thorax, such as her wings, as this might hurt her and make it difficult to move.

Even though marking a queen bee is a fairly simple process, there are a couple of things that should be taken into consideration whilst doing it. First of all, of course, the beekeeper needs to be able to find and identify the queen among the worker bees in the hive. Not so easily done when you’re searching through literally thousands of bees! Once you’ve found her how do you hold her still? She can be trapped on the comb by pressing a queen cage over her, like the one pictured. This holds the queen still while you spot her with a dot of paint through the cover grille and give it a short time to dry. Then she can be released by simply lifting the cage. You obviously have to take care not to skewer the queen in the process but, with care, she will usually survive unharmed and be none the wiser.

How to find and identify a queen bee? The queen bee actually starts out as an egg that is

completely the same as that of the worker bees. However, the differences start developing once the egg, destined to become a queen, is put in a special cell and fed only royal jelly. The royal jelly diet causes the queen bee to develop some physical characteristics that are different from those of the worker bees. First of all, the queen is usually the largest bee in the colony. The drones can also be quite large, though, but the queen is usually longer and narrower than any other bee in the hive.

Furthermore, the queen bee has a more pointed abdomen than the worker bee whose abdomen is quite round. Finally, drones and worker bees always keep their legs under their bodies, so if you are looking at the bee from above you can’t see the legs. On the other hand, the queen bee will usually have her legs spread outwards to the sides.

Besides physical characteristics, understanding the specific behaviour of the queen bee and the worker bees surrounding can also be helpful in identifying the queen. First of all, the queen can usually be found deep inside the hive, and not on the surface. Additionally, it helps to look for any unusual behaviour of the worker bees inside the hive. When the queen moves around, the worker bees tend to cluster and move out of the way, thus making it much easier for the beekeeper to notice the queen.

What kind of paint can be used to mark a queen bee? In general, honeybees don’t have problems with any type of paint used for marking. What’s more important is to not use too much paint and to let the paint dry completely before releasing the bee. With that being said, any type of acrylic paint is generally fine to use. Many beekeepers use model car paint or paint pens, but you can also buy markers made specifically for the purpose of marking queen bees or even stick-on dots.

There is a simple code used by all beekeepers across the world that allows everyone to identify the year of birth of the queen. It’s actually quite simple: white paint is used for year ending in 1 and 6, yellow paint is used for years ending in 2 and 7, red paint is used for years ending in 3 and 8, green paint is used for years ending in 4 and 9, and blue is used for years ending in 5 and 0. Therefore, the queen bee marking colour for 2021 is white, while in 2020 it was blue, for example.

When is the right time to mark a queen bee? Queen bees can be marked with coloured dots at any time, but the easiest time is certainly before she is introduced to the hive. The best time to find a queen that is already in the colony is definitely the spring, but this is simply because at this time there are fewer bees inside the hive, thus making it just a little easier to find her.

Now. Where did she go? Stephen Williams Hayne Park - 8 - Longings and Chips

I remember those heady Friday nights after Girl Guides when my friend Shell, who led the Oak Patrol and I, her seconder, had helped The Little Ones work on their badges we had one joyful hour, all to ourselves, before our strict curfew.

I recall the chill, salt spume upon our cheeks while wind-whipped, white-crested breakers rolled heavily ashore, and angrily out-roared the winter gales.

Six penn’orth each of chips, wrapped in a greaseproof screw, were heaven in a bite; the brief resistance of the deep-fried coat, then soft and hot potato, salted and tart with vinegar, melting along the tongue, repelled the raw and penetrating damp.

Laughing, we’d dash between the waves which burst across the prom, lashing our feet. Though sea stains on our navy gabardines would mean all hell to pay when we got home.

To fan this risk, the stars which lit our path would all too quickly disappear behind swift-racing clouds, leaving us darkly guessing at the tide.

On those rough nights, we longed to see our favourite heart throb - imagined how we’d meet and talk, hold hands perhaps, or even, kiss.

He never came. What self-respecting boy would venture out in bitter wind and storm to date two giggly school-girls, clad in wet macs, knee-socks and laced up brogues?

No matter. The next day we’d struggle with the household chores and errands, Virgil, quadratics, the mysterious working of a dynamo and other impositions, deemed to be good for our young souls.

But for that single hour, on Friday nights, we were as free and wild and loud as the sea that raged around us.

Gill Dunstan - 9 - Margaret Hembury

It seems wrong to be writing this so soon after losing Dad but, on 27th January 2021 our beloved Mum, Nan and Great Nan, Margaret Hembury passed away at home with us by her side. The light in our life went out that morning but left us with love in our hearts and so many wonderful memories. Mum had suffered a stroke in November, followed by a heart attack, spending her first ever Christmas alone, in hospital with us unable to visit due to lockdown. Thankfully Margaret was able to come home on New Year’s Eve. With twenty four hour care we were able to be by her side for her last few weeks. During this time we spent a lot of time chatting and sharing memories of growing up together in our house, in the village that she loved so much.

Margaret Rose Lock was born in 1936 and grew up in Bath, Somerset. She met Graham through their local church and youth club when they were teenagers and they married in 1956. Mum trained and worked as a secretary before having their first son Nigel. Soon after they left Bath to settle in Exeter where Adrian and Jane were born. A few years later in 1964 they moved to Elmgrove, Tipton St John where they had me, Judith. Margaret and Graham made the house a family home and quickly made friends in the village.

Bringing up her children involved Margaret in setting up the playgroup in the 1970s along with other young mums and then being involved with PTFA at school. She went on to join in many other of the village groups, supporting the Playing Field, supplying cricket teas most weekends and even playing in a ladies’ football team. The Village Hall was always a hub of activities for Mum from badminton to committee meetings and even playing host and catering for huge groups of Folk Festival performers which I always remember as being entertaining! Margaret was part of the founding group of volunteers of the Tipton Times, stapling magazines in our dining room and was still delivering until the last few years.

Margaret and Graham were both life-long members of the church. Margaret arranged flowers at both Tipton and Venn Ottery, taking part in festivals and was churchwarden for many years. She was always part of the fundraising events, especially the church fetes. She took pleasure in taking part in group visits to Lee Abbey and particularly Oberammergau

which, for Mum, was a lifetime ambition.

Mum enjoyed being on the stage, taking part in WI variety shows and putting on her tap shoes for the Tipton Belles performances. Pantomime season was a family favourite and there were many of them with several generations taking part, Mum would love to tell people just how many grandchildren there were in the chorus with her! We often had WI (or Wild Indians as we referred to them) at our house and Margaret chaired Young Wives (which later became Tipton Ladies’ Group). Mum was always baking cakes for fetes and arranging coffee mornings.

Margaret not only kept us all fed and watered, but we always had people in the house, family visitors, twinning exchanges, B&B, and foster children too. Mum welcomed everyone, we always felt safe in her home, it was somewhere we were all drawn to and all the grandchildren and great grand children Margaret (top left) in Tipton Belles’ were able to stay whenever they wanted - she was Mum to all Silver Jubilee production - 10 - of us. Mum took great pleasure in baking so friends were always over for dinner and their love of entertaining meant that coffee and cards often went on late into the night. Their friends from the village joined them on holidays, of which we now have so many lovely photographs and lasting friendships. Mum also loved the theatre and would travel with others to shows around the country.

Margaret was a partner in Graham’s architectural business and was his secretary, working from home. When not working, holidays were their special times. We were lucky to always have family camping holidays (sorry Mum, that must have been hard work, with four of us!) and then, when we were old enough to stay home, Mum got over her fear of flying and they started to venture further afield. Twinning exchanges with Ottery took them to France and Germany were they made so many long lasting friendships. They travelled the world together, visiting the places that they had dreamt of. Special times indeed. Mum also took so much pleasure in walking with the family and her dogs, reading, swimming, playing table tennis and badminton - all of these became difficult and then impossible in her latter years. She did, though, enjoy the Hobby Club before lockdown, where she liked to beat the gentlemen at cards!

Mum always made us feel safe, loved and cherished.

Our last few weeks together were both heart warming and heart breaking but hopefully we were able to make Mum feel safe, loved and cherished too. We shared memories together and held hands. We watched ‘The Sound of Music’ twice! And she took great pleasure in having her grandchildren with her watching ‘Songs of Praise’ and having us all sing along. We shared laughs and tears together, a truly special time that we will never forget. Her heart gave us all so much love, that it could no longer go on - a broken heart maybe. I know that Dad would have been waiting for her with open arms and I hope that now she and Dad can have all those special times together again.

All our family would like to thank everyone who sent cards, flowers and kept in touch with Mum with phone calls during her illness. It meant so much. Also we would like to show our appreciation to the community nurses from Coleridge, carers and the Marie Curie nurses who were all amazing, giving support to Mum and us at such a difficult time. You are all amazing. Judith Taylor Anne Polhill

We have only just heard of the death of Anne Polhill last year at her Care Home in Torquay.

Anne was the wife of John, the last Vicar of Tipton to be responsible for Tipton St John and Venn Ottery before the team ministry and they lived with their family in the Vicarage on the sharp corner of Venn Ottery Road. Anne was very active in the parish during her husband's sixteen-year incumbency which lasted from 1971 to 1987. She was a trained teacher and helped with the Tipton Owlets Playgroup in its early years, as well as helping out at the Primary School on occasion. She quickly became the enrolling member for the Mother's Union and was a keen member of the WI. She was quite musical and took a big interest in both the Church and WI choirs. After leaving Tipton the Polhills lived for some years in Seaton but, after John's death, increasing infirmity led Anne to move to the Torquay home. Our sympathy goes to her family. - 11 - Thought for the Times of faith. But how much faith do you need? On Saturday 7th March the postman delivered a The answer is - not very blue envelope, and when I opened it, I found much. It turns out that myself holding a piece of paper on which was all you need is enough written, “We have sent you this letter as people in faith to book an your age group are now able to get the appointment, turn up coronavirus vaccine.” and let someone inject you. That faith might be The envelope itself did not contain the vaccine, very small indeed. and neither the paper nor the ink had medicinal Someone might book properties that would protect me from coronavirus. an appointment, turn up This was an invitation, and it required a response. and have the vaccine How should I respond? whilst still having doubts When I thought about it, I realised that there were and questions. Most several possible responses to this letter. First, on people, whether they have great faith or a tiny seeing a piece of unsolicited mail on the doormat, seed of a faith, probably do not really understand I might have decided that it was junk mail and put how vaccines work. But everyone who actually has it straight in the recycling bin without opening it. the vaccine gets the same benefit. Therefore, in faith, I booked my two appointments. Having opened it and read it though, I still had different options. I might have decided that I was If I had thrown away the letter, or ignored it, or just too busy to go to a vaccination centre. Or I intended to respond but never got around to it, or might have been too lazy or apathetic to bother decided that I was too busy, I would never get the with it. There could have been other things that I benefit of the vaccine. I would be no better off than would rather do with my time. the people who truly believe that the vaccine is evil. I would have been invited - it would have Instead of being apathetic, though, I could have been free - but if I could not find just enough faith been very definite - definite that I did not want to say yes and then to turn up, the invitation would the vaccine. I have heard stories of people feeling have been in vain. a bit ill for a few days after being vaccinated. Are these vaccines safe? I am not a scientist nor Oh, by the way, while I think of it, “Happy Easter!”. doctor; how could I know whether this would be I have a book at home which contains about good for me? What if the conspiracies were right six-hundred pieces of paper. On one of them this all along, and we are all being drawn into a is written: sinister web of deceit? Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. The

As I held the letter in my hand and looked at the one who believes in me will live, even though they words on the paper, perhaps the best thing to do die; and whoever lives by believing in me will was to put it to one side, try to forget about it and never die. Do you believe this?” [John 11:25-26 NIV 2011] get on with my unvaccinated life. I leave Jesus’ invitation with you … Mark But what about the other options open to me? This was an invitation after all. I could respond more positively. I could book an appointment; it Revd Mark Ward 0139 568390 might be beneficial. To do that, though, I was [email protected] going to need faith. I had to believe that the NHS www.facebook.com/revmarkward booking website would work, and that there would be someone to give me the vaccine if I turned up at the right place at the right time. I would need faith in the person who was going to stick a sharp needle into my arm. More Friends of St John and importantly, I needed to believe in the vaccine itself. I am still not a doctor nor a scientist, so I St Gregory Club would have to trust the word of people who understand these things better than I do. I could also look at the many people, people I know and 1st (44) Mo Mylne £30 trust, who have already put their faith in the vaccine and come to no harm. Yes, if I was going 2nd (72) Shirley Hamilton £15 to respond positively to this invitation, I needed faith. But how much? 3rd (19) Jean Kotch £12

I felt sure that some people have a huge amount of faith in the vaccines. I know people who have eagerly awaited their invitation and jumped at it with zeal and enthusiasm. They are the giants - 12 - Kate Ponting, Countryside Learning Officer Tel: 01395 443881 [email protected] www.clintondevon.com Lower Otter Restoration Project

Further to the article in the last edition of Tipton Times, Kate Ponting has advised us that more preparatory work has been going on behind the scenes. This includes:  archaeological surveys at the site of the proposed new cricket ground and at the locations of what will be temporary works compounds. The results of these surveys will be shared with the public in due course once any finds have been analysed.  The location of key notable plant species that will be translocated as part of the scheme have been marked out - look for wooden stakes with their tops painted red!

Ground investigation works started in March until the end of April 2021 involving:  mobile drilling rigs and excavators digging cores and trial pits across the site.  A site office and staff welfare facilities located at the northeast corner of Lime Kiln Car Park.  Temporary trackway laid across the fields for machinery and vehicles to access the site.  Trial holes, bore holes and utility service investigations carried out across the site, between Lime Kiln Car Park and Otterton.

These ground investigations will obtain geotechnical, archaeological, buried utility and highway construction information as part of the preparation for the main scheme which is due to start in May/June.

Regular updates on this work will be shared on the social media channels of project partners including https://www.pebblebedheaths.org.uk/ and https://clintondevon.com/ as well as the project website http://www.lowerotterrestorationproject.co.uk/ where you can sign up to receive email updates.

Environmental monitoring will include habitat creation, wading birds, physical changes to the valley, carbon storage, marine and freshwater fish. Studies will also evaluate the success of mitigation planned to replace those habitats that will be lost and the long-term socio-economic impact of the scheme. Please keep an eye out for future updates if you are interested in playing a part in monitoring the project’s environmental success or getting involved with the day-to-day management of this wildlife area in the future.

Any questions or comments about these site works, please contact Kier’s Public Liaison Officer Jayne Johnson by email, at [email protected] or for urgent matters call 07716 223056.

The Lower Otter Restoration Project is part of a wider international scheme funded by the European Interreg VA France Channel England programme called Promoting Adaptation to Changing Coasts (PACCo).

Together with a sister project in the Saâne Valley, Normandy (France), PACCo’s aim is to highlight the impacts of climate change on coastal communities and to demonstrate that pre-emptive adaptation to climate change is far better and less costly to society than inaction. The lower Otter and Saâne valleys hope to lead the way in showing how communities can evaluate climate change risk and adapt to current and future risks and highlight the benefits that might result from doing so.

A PACCo website and social media platforms will be launched very soon and this information together with regular updates throughout the project will be shared in local print and social media as well as through on-site interpretation. Engagement will also be face-to face as soon as it is safe to do so. National Trust Sidmouth Centre

Haven’t we all been longing for the day when we can again get to visit favourite places or meet up with good friends? Well it now seems that the end is in sight and we can begin counting down to the day when this will be possible.

At the National Trust Sidmouth Centre we have begun planning activities for the second half of the year. All being well, we will restart with a social event around the end of June and will then hope to offer a variety of trips and talks through the rest of the year. We already have Todd Gray (as seen on TV) booked to talk to us in October and a Christmas lunch at the Belmont Hotel fixed for 11th December. Members will receive full details in our Summer Newsletter, expected in late May.

For membership details or any further information, please contact Rob Hudson on 01404 234578 or email [email protected] Rosemary Hudson - 13 - Tipton St John Cricket Club

It’s great to be able to announce, as long as the Government’s `road map’ to the lifting of restrictions holds good, that we should enjoy a full summer of cricket. Work has already begun on the cricket square and pre-season information has been sent out to club members.

We only play friendly cricket but, with over 40 fixtures arranged, we are always looking for new players, either on a casual or regular basis, so if you are interested in joining us, do look out for details of pre-season net practices, which will be published on Facebook and Twitter. We have a practice match planned for the afternoon of Sunday 11th April. Again, all are welcome to join us.

Our fixtures for April and May are as follows:

April Sun 11th Practice Match Home 2pm Sun 18th Exeter Medics Home 2pm Sun 25th Newton Poppleford Away 2pm Wed 28th Met Office Home 6pm May Sun 2nd Stokeinteignhead Away 1pm Wed 5th Feniton Home 6pm Sun 9th Ottery St Mary Home 2pm Thur 13th Erratics Home 6pm Sat 15th John Williamson Memorial Home 2pm Sun 16th Marldon Home 1pm Wed 19th Broadclyst Pins Away 6pm Sun 23rd South Brent Away 2pm Tue 25th Cullompton Home 6pm Sun 30th Yarcombe & Stockland Away 2pm

On Sunday 15th May we will be playing a match in memory of John Williamson, a longstanding player, captain and chairman of the club, who passed away a year ago. We have invited other local clubs to be represented, an invitation we wish to extend to anyone reading this who remembers John and wishes to take part. Please note, Covid restrictions mean that there will be no social element to this fixture. Anyone wishing to watch, Dave Jessop plays a straight bat against local rivals must observe social distancing rules.

Newton Poppleford last season

To find out more, or get in touch with us, you can find us: On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100057807483472 On Twitter: @TiptonStJohnCC On our website: https://www.pitchero.com/clubs/tiptonstjohn/ Alternatively, please feel free to give me a ring on the number below.

David Birch, Chairman 01404 815402 - 14 - COMMUNITY HALL

(Please note this is a reissue from the last edition which was only available online so may not have been seen by everyone).

Once again this is a short report as there is not much to communicate until the restrictions on the use of village halls are eased.

A reminder from last time that there is a new way in which you can help our fundraising activities if you shop online with Amazon. All you have to do is sign up on www.smile.amazon.co.uk selecting Tipton St John Community Hall Trust as your chosen charity and Amazon will automatically donate a small percentage of each qualifying purchase (at no cost to you) every time you shop with them (the Amazon Smile website offers exactly the same goods and prices as the main website). The donations may only be small individually but if all the readers of Tipton Times participated, it could make a big difference to our finances.

At the start of another year, it is necessary to repeat my plea for some new trustees to join us as we still have several vacancies and currently the full responsibility for managing and maintaining the premises rests on the shoulders of just six people which is not right or sustainable for much longer, especially when it’s such an essential part of the local community. In addition, we need a new secretary which is not an onerous job and mainly involves taking the minutes of the trustees meetings every two months. If you would like to find out more about how you can get involved, I will be delighted to hear from you.

Thank you. John Belton (tel. 01404-813431) email: [email protected]

Art, Craft, Hobbies and Pastimes It is hoped to resume this group as soon as regulations allow look out for posters

TIPPS

Well here we are in the middle of March and the pandemic trundles on. It has been a difficult time for everyone, some getting away with just boredom and others sadly being more deeply affected. But being the organisation that TIPPS is, we are continuing with plans and activities.

Huge thanks from all the members must go to Stephanie Kinson who has arranged numerous play readings via Zoom. Who would have thought it? They are enormous fun and over the time more and more people have asked to join in. Linda sets up the Zoom meeting and for those of us for whom it was a novelty, we have all learnt the various ways to do it. There have been some very professional performances, Ken and Becca doing a tour de force in a two character one-act play, and for the last reading there were sixteen people wanting to take part. Fantastic! Anyone who is interested can contact either

Kyle Hayes 07831 445008 [email protected] or Linda Williams 07734 852579 [email protected]

Plans are afoot for a production, possibly in October, possibly outside earlier than that and we are already thinking about next February 2022. We really don’t let the grass grow under our feet.

If you are interested in joining then please just contact one of the numbers above and have a chat or send an email.

Kyle Hayes - 15 - Tipton School PTFA Bag to School

Reminder - the School PTFA will be taking in donations on Tuesday 27th April between 6.30pm and 7.30pm at the Community Hall. Clothing needs to be clean and in sturdy bags so they can be carried to the lorry the next morning without breaking!

Bag2School accept the following ‘good quality’ items for Re-use:  Men’s, ladies’ and children’s clothing  Paired shoes (tied together or elastic band around)  Handbags  Hats  Bags  Scarves and ties  Jewellery  Lingerie  Socks  Belts  Soft toys  Household linen  Household curtains  Household towels  Household bedding (bed sheets, pillow cases and duvet covers)

They DO NOT accept:  Carpets, rugs and mats  Soiled, painted, ripped or wet clothing (including bath, shower and toilet mats)  School uniforms with or without logo  Duvets and blankets  Corporate clothing and workwear  Pillows and cushions  Textile offcuts, yarns or threaded material

As It Was Before the Millennium

Recently a friend asked me for some information possibly to be found in back copies of Tipton Times so, being a complete addict of this fantastic source of social history, I needed no further excuse to browse and happily set to.

As well as what I was looking for, I came across several 'tit-bits' which might interest present day readers. The first from 1979 was a little poem by Frank Wyatt, one time Chairman of the Tipton Playing Field Association and organiser of several of the fund-raising Summer Fairs. Although we don't need to attract any more visitors to our Playing Field at present the sentiments expressed seem quite relevant to our 'lockdown' situation.

If you are feeling low and can't think where to go, Come and take a walk through our Playing Field, You'll be amazed at the sights it yields, There are always friendly people there, and children playing without a care. Just rest awhile upon a seat and take the weight off aching feet, To see the water flow gently by, or watch birds soar in the sky. With all these things to interest you, you can't be feeling quite so blue. To please all ages is our aim, and I'm willing to bet you're glad you came.

I was amused by the tolerance of Mrs Shenfield - one evening in 1982, working with a group of Cubs for their Cooks Badge, she had stew, shepherd's pie, sausage rolls, toad-in-the-hole, pancakes, banana custard and apple crumble all being baked at once in her kitchen at Venn Ottery Barton Hotel. In 1986 the Cubs visited Exeter Telephone Exchange and were shown an amazing piece of new technology - a microchip. Writing for a recruiting campaign in 1988 one of them wrote 'other than lunch, Cubs is the next best thing to TV. Do join!’

- 16 - Still thinking of the village youngsters, in 1983 there was a Junior cricket Ccub for 8-16 year olds; this had thirty members and had ten fixtures for the summer. There was also a boys’ football team, with matches nearly every week, as well as a junior tennis club. In the autumn of 1989 seventy youngsters from Cubs, Scouts, Brownies, Playgroup and School gave a concert in aid of three charities with no adults on stage at all (quite a few behind the scenes though). A good time to be young and not to have to travel from the village for fun.

Stage performances are well reported throughout the years and in 1984 there was an apology for not playing 'The Queen' at the end of the current play as the record had been damaged. Who remembers standing to attention when the National Anthem was played at the end of cinema and theatre performances?

Setting the scene against world affairs, Nick Stevens began his review of the February 1991 production of Aladdin by remarking that it was strange to be settling to watch a story of an Arab who wanted to rule the world on the same night that ground forces began the war against another Middle East tyrant, Saddam Hussein. I never cease to be surprised at the speed of change in my life time. In 1994 the Church ordered new hymn books as they wanted them purchased before the introduction of VAT and Michael Green was offering his expertise to assist village organisations to store their records, particularly names and addresses of members, on a 'micro computer'. Where would we be in this pandemic without modern technology?

Church Fetes are still held in the garden of the There are some interesting insights into earlier village history too. The former Vicarage (now Sundial Nursing Home) December 1988 edition has a lovely reminiscence by Mary Every of life as a child in the Tipton Vicarage in the first years of the twentieth century. Sundial Nursing Home (formerly known as Angela Court) was the vicarage then and her father, George Every, was vicar from 1900 until 1930. Church Fetes were held in the garden (no change there) and dances held regularly in the Church Institute (now Community Hall) on Saturdays had to end before midnight.

In June 1972 there is a report by General Denning, Chairman of the School Managers, of the earmarking of a site for the NEW SCHOOL and it being on the Board of Education list for 1974. This project had been rumbling on since 1958 when the County Director of Education expressed the opinion that a new school should be built in about six years.

From 1992 to 1994 there is much mention of the New Ottery Hospital. In 1993, when building started, ‘The New Hospital Support Group’ was formed in Tipton with the aim of raising £2,000 from the village towards the £250,000 required for fixtures and fittings to be funded by the local community. The hospital building, costing £2.5 million would be provided by the authorities. By December 1994 Tipton had raised their £2,000 by all the familiar methods - quizzes, coffee morning, sales, donations, etc and this was augmented by an anonymous, local, individual donation of £8,000, enough to provide eight beds. The hospital was opened in February 1995. Now what has happened to it?

December 1998 saw thanks from Sally Lake for another huge 'medical' fund raising effort by the village, this time £3,000 was raised for Force to buy two chemotherapy pumps for the oncology department at the RD&E Hospital.

Noticeable in almost every edition of the TT from the beginning are the obituaries. So many lovely, interesting and worthy people who were part of our community over the years. Ann Knight - 17 - Tennis Club Report All being well, by the time this is published, the tennis courts will have reopened on 29th March in line with the relaxation of lockdown. We will, of course, still be operating under some restrictions for covid security, and at the moment that means the courts will be open to members only. However, we are hoping to be able to offer nearly all our normal activities for members. The new membership year starts from 1st April, so there is no better time to give us a try!

The Club Committee has not been idle during lockdown, and we are excited to launch our new club website (above) which will bring us right into the 21st Century. The site will allow you to join the club online (from 6th April), including taking payment of fees, and also to book courts online.

Members: please be aware that, while you are welcome to turn up and play on a free court without a reservation, if someone else comes along who has booked then they will have priority, so we would always recommend booking before you go down to the courts. The new website address is https://clubspark.lta.org.uk/TiptonStJohnTennisClub. The club can also be contacted on our email address: [email protected]

Membership fees for 2021-22 are frozen the same as last year - see the website for details. At £64 for adult members, including unlimited use of the courts and floodlights, they represent exceptionally good value for money compared with most other clubs.

Planned Club Activities:  Club Night - Wednesdays from 6.00pm (note earlier start time) - no need to book for this, just turn up, and this is the best way for new members to get to know the club. Non-members welcome to come along up to three times before joining.  Tuesday Ladies - Tuesday mornings 10.00am to 12.00noon - no booking required.  League tennis - we have entered two Men’s teams and one Ladies’ in the summer leagues. If you are interested in playing league tennis please email the club on [email protected] or, better still, come to Club Night and meet the captains.  Junior Coaching - Our LTA-accredited coach, Ben Rutter, will be running regular coaching on Mondays for ages 7-11 and Wednesdays for ages 12-16, starting from 19th April. All sessions run 5.00pm to 6.00pm and cost £5 per session. Ben can also offer individual coaching. For more details, please email Ben at [email protected]

We look forward to welcoming you on the courts soon - it’s been a while! Ken Mylne, Chairman

Sundial Care Home A Story of Sixty Nine Years of Love - Kenneth & Beryl Tasker

Ken & Beryl Tasker were married in Birmingham on 14th June 1952 and now live together at Sundial Care Home.

In January 2019, Ken had been living at a neighbouring care home in Sidmouth when he came to visit Beryl at her new home at Sundial. Unwilling to spend another moment away from his beloved wife that he insisted he join her there.

Each year they have celebrated anniversaries by exchanging cards and sharing romantic meals together and are planning to celebrate their forthcoming 69th wedding anniversary in the same way. - 18 - VENN OTTERY & SOUTHERTON RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION SPRING NEWS UPDATE - APRIL 2021

Spring is upon us! The days are lengthening and some sunshine really helps especially if you are taking daily walks along the lanes.

Membership and Subscriptions The restrictions are gradually loosening, but it still seems unlikely that we will be allowed to hold VOSRA meetings in person for quite a while. The committee had a virtual meeting and decided to suspend subscriptions for this year but plan to restart from January 2022. Does it seem you’ve heard this before? Sorry about that - blame the dreaded virus for continuing to bug us!

Summer Events? There is a slim possibility of holding an event on Venn Ottery Green in the summer but we cannot bank on this, so we won’t be booking an expensive band for entertainment. If the restrictions allow us we hope to have a picnic on The Green - probably at rather short notice - for all who would like to come along and see some friends. This will of course be a free event, and on the basis that you bring your own food and drink.

We will probably have to notify you by email so if you are not already on my mailing list please contact me with details. Please note that when I send out group emails from VOSRA the recipients are ‘blind copied’ so your email address will NOT be visible to other people. My email is [email protected] and my phone number 01404 812733.

Keep an eye on the website for updates: https://vosra.wordpress.com/

Trail Bikers Around Venn Ottery and Southerton we are lucky to have a number of green lanes, which are lovely for walking. However most of these green lanes are designated as county roads so may quite legally be used by motor vehicles, including trail bikes.

Most bikers are considerate and follow a sensible Code of Conduct like that of the Trail Riders Fellowship, but recently some walkers have been intimidated or received verbal abuse when encountering bikes on the lanes; this has been reported to the Police. If you are also concerned about the bikers, had any abuse, or concerned about damage to the countryside etc you too should report this.

If you experience any intimidation problems then if possible get a photo of the bikes/bikers, and note down the number plates, record any identifying characteristics (colour of helmets, jackets etc.) in case the matter needs to be taken further.

Keep safe, stay well! Shân Merritt - Chairman, VOSRA

Coleridge Medical Centre - Mad March News

Spring is in the air and the vaccination programme continues apace. Primary care has issued 80% of the vaccinations nationally thus far and risen to the challenge with enthusiasm and dedication. Staff and volunteers have worked tirelessly at our local sites at evenings and weekends and we are grateful to them for their service. The vaccinations for the under 50s will likely be offered at mass vaccination sites as we are beginning to see our usual work pushed to the side and need to attend to core business! To this end lots of you in the community will have received invitations to come in for your annual checks on your long term conditions and we will make the surgery a safe and welcoming place for you to attend. We are excited and looking forward to some restoration of services. We are, in addition, exploring innovative and sustainable ways of working and access to services across our patch with our neighbouring practices in Honiton and Sidmouth. We are part of a Primary Care Network with them and will be looking at the positives as well as the less positive lessons learnt from the pandemic.

Since January we have had several key new members of the team join us. I hope you will check out and welcome the new doctors and nurses on our website or when you check in for treatment. We have had an excellent round of recruitment and are very fortunate to have some talented new members of staff who bring additional skills and competencies from as far afield as the Channel Islands! We also have a new registrar Dr Harriet Roberts. Harriet is a qualified doctor who is specialising in General Practice and will be with us we hope for over a year. She is passionate about environmental issues and a keen cyclist and runner. We continue to offer placements to medical students and are grateful for your support in helping these young undergraduates gain some experience in the profession they are joining.

Finally may we wish you a very happy Easter and a cautious welcome to some increased social interaction in April, May and June with continued caution and diligence as advised. - 19 -

OTTERY ST MARY TOWN AND COUNCIL NEWS OTTER TRAIL CYCLE PATH Jo Elliott from The King’s School together with assistance from Dr Clare Sheridan gave a very interesting presentation about the Otter Trail Cycle Path. She had, in advance of the meeting, provided an update (which the CEO had circulated to Councillors) as to how the Otter Trail Group, Sidmouth Links Group and the Vision Group for Sidmouth had been working together to establish a multi-use trail between Feniton, Ottery St Mary, Tipton St John and Sidmouth. Funding from the Rural Development Fund for England had been sought but had been unsuccessful which was a serious blow. They were not a registered charity as it was understood the process for registering, as such, was extremely difficult. They were now concentrating on getting the first section of the trail established from The Bowd to Tipton St John as they had the landowner’s consent. The Climate Action and Regeneration Committees were interested in getting involved. After some discussion it was resolved that the Council would write to DCC to reaffirm its support for the creation of a cycleway on the proposed route. They would stress the great value of such a cycleway to local residents and to the local economy as a result of its use by visitors, they would call upon DCC to recognise the value of the proposed cycleway, which meets sustainable transport and other objectives, and also to initiate action towards delivery of the scheme– Feniton and Sidmouth Councils and Councillor Claire Wright to be copied in to the communication.

TIPTON ST JOHN C OF E PRIMARY SCHOOL REVIEW OF THE RECENT PLANNING DECISION AND CONSIDER A WAY FORWARD Correspondence had been e-mailed to all Councillors which contained a letter from Cllr Claire Wright to Baroness Bainbridge regarding her concerns about the future of the school*, plus responses from Dr Frederick Price and Simon Jupp MP. It was resolved that the Council set up a working group to explore possible options for the school.

CONSIDERATION OF DEVELOPMENT OF NEW LOCAL PLAN (TO REPLACE CURRENT LOCAL PLAN 2013-2031) A new Local Plan was expected to be adopted in early 2024. A working group has been set up to discuss.

IS ANYONE INTERESTED IN BECOMING A PARISH TREE WARDEN? This role is voluntary and anyone who lives in the parish can be nominated by Ottery St Mary Town Council. The position is both reactive; acting as a bridge between authorities and the local community and also proactive; taking the initiative to improve local treescapes as they see fit. For example, if the warden wished to do some improvement work to trees in local communal spaces they could contact the owner of the land and then organise to get it done. Also, if a member of the public has an enquiry they would come to them to consult on and pass to the relevant authority. In reverse, if a member of the Planning Team or the Aboriculture Team at EDDC (for example) wanted to know about a local tree or needed info on a hedgerow they would then contact the warden to get their thoughts and/or send them out on a fact-finding mission to take pictures etc. Further information from the Tree Council can be found atTC_A4_GATE_002.indd (treecouncil.org.uk). If you are interested in this role on please contact Jane Bushby on 01404 812252 or [email protected]

FUTURE FULL COUNCIL MEETING DATES Tuesday 6th April via Zoom Monday 3rd May via Zoom

All information can be found on our website atwww.otterystmary -tc.gov.uk where you can also view agendas and approved minutes for all Council and Committee Meetings, together with news and updates.

Jane Bushby, Administrator *See full details in Councillor Claire Wright’s article elsewhere in this edition.

Hospiscare Coffee Month

Hospiscare is holding a Coffee Month this year, taking place in April. Due to the ongoing restrictions, we’re not asking friends and family to get together but are hoping that people might still support Hospiscare in new inventive ways, such as

 Hold a virtual Coffee Morning and invite friends and family for a cuppa, a slice and a natter over Zoom  Delight friends and neighbours with doorstop deliveries  Grab a take-way coffee with a friend for your daily exercise  Donate the cost of your normal commute or office coffee  Restrictions allowing, hold an al fresco socially distanced Coffee Morning

For more information, please visit www.hospiscare.co.uk/support-our-work/fundraise/hospiscare-coffee-morning - 20 - Garden news from Dolberries

I was reading an article the other day about a new edible rose collection and as I’m keen on growing things to eat, especially if they make a simple dish perk up and become full of interesting flavours, I read on. It just seems so sensible to have a plant in the garden that can look beautiful while it is growing but can also be brought into the kitchen and provide a culinary delight.

The roses I was reading about come from Dobbies and have been chosen for their unique flavours and textures: Rosa ‘Very Berry’, a pink rose with a redcurrant flavour; Rosa ‘Nadia Zerouali’, a free blooming rose which attracts bees, and butterflies and has a lemon flavour; Rosa ‘Theo Clevers’ is good for growing on the patio and tasting of strawberries. All of them can be used in salads and confectionery and syrups and preserves. Theo Clevers is especially good for flavouring rose petal ice cream. As I have only read about these so far I cannot vouch for these working well but I’m sure going to give them a try.

Other edibles may well be in the garden already. At my front door there are pansies and violas which add beautiful colour to salads and if you pick them for the salad bowl they will then carry on flowering right through the summer– a ‘win win’ situation. Every year I grow nasturtiums for their trailing habit, bright orange pop of colour and of course their hot peppery flavour in a salad. They do attract some black fly which is probably saving another plant from getting them but if you keep a watch out you can pick out the affected leaves to allow the plant to flourish. Marigolds add a tangy flavour and colour to the mixed salad. A plant I haven’t tried because I don’t seem to be very good at growing it is a hollyhock ‘Black Knight’, but this has a glossy black flower which is a vibrant addition to the bowl. Sunflower seeds are well known but the petals can be used too, as can the petals of primula adding a nutty flavour. Finally borage flowers are a beautiful blue – forget the salad this time and put in your gin and tonic along with a slice of cucumber – perfect!

Last year I grew chilli plants in the hope they would look both decorative and tasty but unfortunately, while they looked lovely in the greenhouse, they were really disappointing in the flavour department. I have chosen a different variety this year and sowed them early to try and get as long a season as possible to ensure they ripen. Fingers are crossed for a better outcome in the autumn. There will be courgette flowers to use too – mostly I like to dip them in a tempura batter and fry them as I feel life is a bit short to be stuffing them (I’ve stolen that from Shirley Conran who said “life was too short to stuff a mushroom”, but I would add courgette flowers to her list.)

Outside the garden there is the amazing wild garlic …juicy green leaves ready to be mashed up into a pesto and added to all kinds of dishes or eaten on its own with a bowlful of pasta. It is plentiful on our footpaths but you do not want it in your garden as it spreads and can become a problem. The closest I let it come to us is the fairy walkway up to our house – feel free to pick some if you walk that way if I haven’t got there first! Here’s the recipe I use.

Wild Garlic Pesto  Large handful of wild garlic leaves ( washed)  Handful of walnuts  1-2 cloves of Garlic - crushed  Cupful of grated cheese (parmesan preferably but Wensleydale works well)  Olive oil to create the saucy texture Blitz all the ingredients except for the oil and then add the oil until a smooth sauce-like texture is reached. This will keep in the fridge for a few days or it freezes pretty well too.

Alison Stevens

- 21 -

Tipton Readers This is Going to Hurt Adam Kay

I had a hilarious time reading this book of court jester-type medical tales - great throaty guffaws nearly every time I turned a fresh page. Delivered short and sharp, a side or two for each story, I would even snatch a quick read as I passed the book on the dining table, on my way to put out the milk bottles. As the end came nearer, the mood darkened and I knew Adam Kay was going to talk about underfunding and consequent under-staffing, the slow strangling of the NHS. All the same, it was a mad gallop of a book and I just had to keep going to the last page.

I was dismayed, then, when the other readers were mostly far from bowled over, citing the inappropriateness of laughing at people’s distress/indignities/weird ways. “Yukky!”

But what about the huge numbers of adulatory reviews reproduced in the first blurb pages? What about all that stuff online - a dix points - from every newspaper? Disappointed (laughter is better shared), I wondered if, as not a few were rather disgusted with the detail, perhaps I had a rather coarse sense of humour? “Yeees” agreed `A’, thoughtfully!

Thinking about that, I phoned around later to see if it was a type of sense of humour in operation here? Were those who were unimpressed like my husband, Tony, untickled by a rapid-fire stand-up routine, preferring the likes of Dad’s Army and Vicar of Dibley? Nope. I had some interesting conversations about what made us laugh but nothing correlated.

"The Stethoscope" by Alex E. Proimos is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0 There were indeed a couple of places (featuring elderly ladies, of course) where even I thought “eeeugh” ... but the reward of laughter, for me, made me give this little volume an unusual 9, lining up with the many good reviews, those people at Kay’s six years of Edinburgh Fringe sell-outs and the audience-members of his 2018 sell-out tour.

As we have noticed before at Readers, the middle of the road final score- 6.4 - in no way represented the lively discussion and great disparity among we twelve, marking from (my) 9 down to a couple of 4s. Barbara Pugh

The Return of the Soldier Rebecca West

Rebecca West, a pseudonym for Cicily Isabel Andrews nee Fairfield, was born in 1892 and died in 1983. She was principally a journalist writing on political and feminist issues. She became friends with and later the lover of H G Wells and they had a son together, Anthony West, who also became an author.

Rebecca West wrote this relatively short book towards the end of the First World War when she was 24 years old. It is a very simple story that highlights several issues of the time:

- the horror of war and the effect it had on young men sent out to fight - shell shock, which was first recognised in 1917 - before which sufferers were very badly treated and sometimes shot for cowardice - at home the big divide between the classes and their perceptions of each other - the role of women at the time and how changes were just beginning The novel is written from the viewpoint of Jenny, the cousin of Captain Chris Baldry. He has been sent home to his family at Baldry Court suffering from a loss of memory of the previous fifteen years. He has vivid memories of his first love, Margaret, a girl from the local village, but none of his wife Kitty. The emotions of those involved play out throughout the story and there is a little twist at the end.

The average mark given by the group was 7½ out of 10.

Gilly Startup - 22 - Claire Wright Independent Devon County Councillor, Otter Valley A glimmer of hope for future funding for Tipton Primary School?

I wrote to the Education Minister, Baroness Berridge, regarding Tipton School and received the reply below, from a representative of the Minister on 2nd March:

Dear Councillor Wright,

I am writing on behalf of the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the School System to thank you for your email of 27th January about Tipton St John Primary School.

I can appreciate that the diocese, school and local community would have been disappointed to have been unsuccessful in 2015 with the application to phase 2 of the Priority School Building Programme. PSBP is rebuilding and refurbishing school buildings in the worst condition across the country and, across both phases of PSBP, 14 schools in Devon have benefited from the programme.

As you will be aware, following the PSBP application, further representations were made by the local authority and diocese to the department, requesting a contribution towards costs to relocate the school to Ottery St Mary. In 2017, the department agreed to contribute £750,000 to the relocation of the school to the Thorne Farm site owned by Devon County Council (DCC).

The diocese and DCC had already identified local funding of £3 million and indicated that they would aim to drive down costs to deliver the project within the overall budget. Since 2017, DfE officials have had continued dialogue with officers at DCC on the progress of their proposals and we are aware of the recently rejected planning application on the Ottery St Mary scheme.

The minister is aware of the flooding issues at the school. We have recently commissioned a detailed flood risk assessment to validate and expand upon the earlier Environmental Agency report. Our representatives visited the school site on 24 February and will report back in March. Once the assessment has been concluded, officials will brief Baroness Berridge further.

Irrespective of the source of any funding, any relocation of the school will depend on obtaining an appropriate site. We will continue to discuss the development, funding and next steps of their projects with DCC officers.

You asked about the new 10-year School Rebuilding Programme, which has a commitment to 500 rebuilding projects over the next decade, replacing poor condition and ageing school buildings. The department announced the first 50 schools in February, which were prioritised either because they have buildings of specific construction types that require replacement or because of the highest condition need, identified in data collected by the department’s Condition Data Collection programme and verified through additional condition information.

Further details on the rebuilding programme are published on GOV.uk at: https:/www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-rebuilding-programme

We plan to publish details on the process for prioritising the next projects for the programme later in 2021.

We also plan to consult on the approach to prioritising projects for later rounds of the long-term programme. There will be opportunities in future rounds for the bodies responsible for school buildings to submit supplementary information about severe condition need, where it is not fully captured in the Condition Data Collection, to be considered for the programme.

I hope that this information is useful and thank you again for writing.

Yours sincerely

Cont/….. - 23 - The last paragraph of reply contains a glimmer of hope for future funding. I believe it is the first time since the funding round in 2015 that there is a possibility that Tipton St John School may be allocated government funding in the future.

The latest funding round announced in February, did not provide any Devon schools with money for rebuilds.

My understanding is that Tipton St John Primary School is the only school in Devon that has been designated as a risk to life. Devon County Council has been subject to around 70 per cent funding cuts over a decade. It is up to central government to provide the funding to rebuild the school within the village outside the flood zone.

Now is the time to increase our campaigning and I there is a possibility am talking to Tipton St John parents on how we that Tipton St John might take forward a more high profile publicity push.

School may be I will do everything I can to ensure ministers cannot allocated government overlook the school a third time. funding in the future Claire Wright (Ms) Devon County Councillor - Otter Valley Ward 01404 815771 [email protected]

Councillor John Green Ottery St Mary Town Councillor, Tipton St John Ward

Use of land by Tipton bore hole

Concern was raised by Tipton residents about the storage of old cars, waste and burning of items on land opposite the Tipton Scout site. The matter has been raised by Val Ranger and Geoff Pratt with the Environmental Health Team at East Devon District

Council. The officer dealing with the matter has confirmed that contact has been made with the landowner and the expectation is that the matter will be resolved by the end of May. All parties involved will be keeping a close watch on the situation.

Tipton Primary School

The newly created working group set up by Ottery St Mary Town Council is meeting (virtually) on Monday 22nd March with the Governors and school leaders. The working group was created after the planning application for a new school and 150 homes was rejected by East Devon District Council. The Town Council wanted to identify if there was any help and/or support that could be provided to help find a solution for the school. In the coming weeks the working group will look forward to hearing from interested groups/ organisations so that the working group can gather as much information as possible.

Cllr John Green [email protected]

The editors would like to acknowledge the generous and timely donation from the Town Council towards the cost of launching the Tipton Times website, which has enabled us to carry on publishing the magazine throughout the lockdown. - 24 - Geoff Pratt Independent East Devon District Councillor, Ottery St Mary Ward On 18th February I attended a meeting with the CEO’s of EDDC and East Devon AONB Partnership along with Margaret Hall, the Chair of West Hill Parish Council, and Vicky Johns, the Mayor of Ottery St Mary, to discuss our proposal to extend the area of the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) to include the Otter Valley and West Hill. However, Natural England will make a final decision on this and they will be having their next meeting in May to discuss the Government’s proposals relating to National Parks and AONB’s which will have a bearing on our proposal. There would need to be a full consultation with members of the public if this goes ahead.

There are some interesting planning applications which have recently been submitted to the EDDC Planning Authority. I sit on the EDDC planning committee so I will not make any detailed comments but full details of the applications including copies of reports plans and correspondence can be viewed on the EDDC planning website Simple Search (eastdevon.gov.uk) and type in the relevant reference as listed below.

 21/0364/FUL & 21/0365/LBC Mr N Cave Conversion and alterations of existing barns for car parking and general storage, and for ancillary accommodation. Bishops Court Farmhouse, Fluxton OSM, EX11 1RJ.  21/0685/FUL Mr N M Eyres , Sub division of existing vacant retail shop unit, installation of new internal staircase to existing residential flat together with alterations to existing shop front. Demolition of flat roof and construction of single storey rear extension (resubmission of application no. 20/0833/FUL and 20/0943/FUL) 26 & 26A Mill Street, Ottery St Mary, EX11 1AD. The former Costcutters premises. This application follows an Inspectors refusal

on Appeal. Further retail space will now be provided fronting Mill Street.  19/1794/VAR Mr M German, Variation of condition 2(plans condition) to regularise changes made to the built development and variation of Condition 6 (landscaping scheme) of permission 15/2753/VAR (development of 15 no. houses) Land at Barton Orchard, Tipton St John 4. This application deals with inter alia variations regarding landscaping and

drainage issues.  20/1974/MOUT Walsingham (agent), Outline planning application for the construction of Amended up to 63 dwellings incorporating open market and affordable dwellings, together with associated infrastructure (all matters except for access) Land East of Sidmouth Road, Ottery St Mary. This application deals with amendments to the site access only which includes the provision of a footway, lighting and details of a highway audit.

District Councillor Geoff Pratt Sandiacre, Wiggaton EX11 1PU [email protected] Tel : 01404 814106

Celebrating Spring Many thanks to Wendy Pounce for sharing this lovely photo of her garden - 25 - Tipton Times Weather Bureau

Earlier this week we had some unseasonably windy weather thanks to a deep low pressure north of Scotland, combined with frequent heavy showers. I commented to one of my colleagues at work that I wouldn’t be surprised if we got a tornado out of one of the showers. On Tuesday evening I popped into the Golden Lion to pick up our fish and chips and Annie said she had been on the beach at Exmouth and the wind was swirling and whipping up the sand. “The dogs were terrified”, she said. As I walked back up the road it seemed that tornadoes would make a good topic for this month’s weather column. In this country April is famous for `April showers’ but in parts of the United States, in the great plains east of the Rockies known as Tornado Alley, the showers grow to spectacular thunderstorms, often producing huge hailstones and spawning devastating tornadoes. Thunderstorms occur when warm, moist air near the surface rises into cooler air aloft. In the USA in spring ideal conditions occur when very warm air from the Gulf of Mexico is drawn north and meets much colder air cooled during the arctic winter, creating the ideal conditions for the most spectacular, and dangerous, storms on the planet. A few such thunderstorms develop a rotating core around very rapidly rising air. Strong inflowing winds intensify and the spin rate increases as the vortex stretches vertically. If it continues stretching and intensifying for long enough the vortex touches the ground, at which point it becomes classified as a tornado. Typical windspeeds generated by a tornado are around 75-100mph but, in the largest and most terrifying, the tornado can be up to 2 miles in diameter and generate windspeeds of over 200mph.

In my weather forecasting career I have been lucky to visit the American Storm Prediction Center and Severe Storms Lab in the heart of Tornado Alley, in Oklahoma, twice to take part in experiments trialling new forecasting tools- probably the most exciting weather forecasting anywhere! I was never lucky enough to see a tornado there, but I did witness the destruction which a major one leaves behind. The story of Dorothy’s house being carried away in the Wizard of Oz is not as far fetched as you might imagine - I saw foundations of wooden houses with little left on them, a brick-built church totally destroyed and a truck which had been picked up and thrown yards from the road.

Ironically, my own close encounter with a tornado came completely unexpectedly, right here in the UK. I was in a taxi heading for a train station in the Midlands when suddenly a wall of fast moving cloud appeared just to our left - I knew it had to be a tornado. Debris started flying around and moments later a tree crashed over the road right behind us. I immediately phoned the duty Chief Forecaster and he said he had just briefed his team on a rotating storm in my area, but he had not expected to get an observation on the ground from a fellow meteorologist! Later, on the BBC, I saw that two houses had lost their roofs in the road I was travelling. UK tornadoes would barely raise a mention in the southern States, but just occasionally they do cause significant damage and could easily be a danger to life. We can forecast the conditions under which tornadoes might occur but predicting individual tornadoes is well beyond our scientific capabilities- but collaboration with the US Severe Storms Lab continues, to advance our knowledge and forecasting tools.

What about Annie’s experience in Exmouth? Surprisingly, strong westerly winds along the south coast in winter are one of the commonest triggers for small tornadoes in the UK, but I didn’t find any other reports. I suspect it was probably a strong squall whipping up the sand rather than a full-blown tornado - enough to scare the dogs (but probably not Annie!).

Ken Mylne - 26 - RSPB - Aylesbeare Common (February and March)

Over the last month, we’ve had a big project in one of our mires to occupy us – working on improving the habitat for our colony of Southern Damselfly. Southern Damselflies are one of our reserve’s priority species. Elsewhere in the UK their population has seen a consistent decline, and although the colony on Aylesbeare is stable, it has not really spread out into the suitable surrounding habitat. This is probably due to a swathe of dense black bog rush that hangs over the runnels in the heath – blocking the waterways that the damselflies use to traverse the mire. Southern Damselflies are relatively weak fliers and cannot easily fly over grasses or tall scrub, so combined with how restricted they are with their habitat requirements, colonies can find it hard to establish and grow. Hopefully, by opening up the runnels within the mire and removing any over-standing scrub, our existing colony will begin to spread out and colonise a larger area of habitat, which will lead to a larger and more sustainable population in the long term (although this may take several years).

Elsewhere on the reserve, management has focused on another of our priority invertebrates, the silver studded blue butterfly. For one week on Harpford Common we employed the services of a digger to renew some of the old bare ground patches which punctuate the heath. When an area has been cleared by the digger, it allows the seeds of heathers and other small annual plants to germinate without competition and provide vital sources of pollen and nectar to insects. Patches of bare ground interspersed throughout the heathland are also incredibly valuable spaces for wildlife. While they may look barren, bare ground plots offer nesting habitat for many birds and reptiles. One of the species that benefits most from the creation of bare ground is the silver studded blue – the bare ground is an excellent basking spot for the sun-loving adults, and warms up quickly even in the Spring, at a crucial time for larval development. The warm bare earth is also favoured by the black ant, who build nests underground and rely on the sun’s rays reaching the colony ceiling to heat it to a suitable temperature. These ants are important to us when planning management work for the butterflies as they play a crucial role in protecting silver studded blue caterpillars from predators and parasites – coaxed into doing so by the sugary solutions secreted by the caterpillars.

As the bare ground we create naturally transitions to fully vegetated heathland, it creates new opportunities for feeding, shelter, and reproduction for our silver studded blue butterflies and a multitude of other heathland specialists. Intermingled with mature heathland, it creates the necessary variety in habitat to support the rich community of species to which Aylesbeare is home.

Snipe and many other birds on Aylesbeare breed on the ground rather than by building nests in trees, females rely on their camouflaged plumage to hide themselves and their nests from the eyes of predators. When a predator gets too close, the female will often fly up and attempt to draw the threat away from her eggs, but if the threat remains for too long, it leaves eggs or chicks exposed to the cold or other predators, and the risk that she will abandon the nest in favour of her own safety increases.

Obviously, the disturbance could be natural, like a passing fox or owl, but curious dogs can also inadvertently scare ground-nesting birds and cause them to abandon their nests. Aylesbeare Common is Open Access Land, and you have the right to roam across it, but with that privilege come obligations under the Countryside and Rights Of Way Act – one of which being that between the 1st March and 31st of July you must keep your dog on a lead no more than 2m long to protect ground nesting birds from disturbance. You can find full details on your rights/responsibilities at https://www.gov.uk/right-of-way-open-access-land/use-your-right-to-roam Thank you for protecting the birds on Aylesbeare and across the East Devon Pebblebeds.

A final point to mention is about parking. There is a car park provided across the road from the main entrance at Joney’s Cross, but there is no parking on the nature reserve itself – and this includes any of the tracks and grass verges. This is to protect the nature reserve and the species found here – you may see our staff or volunteers parked on some of the tracks with signs in their cars, but we are careful to minimise any disturbance caused by our vehicles, which it is not possible to do if there are dozens of cars from visitors all parked in a similar spot. There are also fifteen ponies on the reserve who are very curious and enjoy a good scratch on whatever is available (including parked cars) and they may damage wing mirrors or wiper blades. While it may be frustrating when the car park is full, and we are thrilled that you have chosen to visit our reserve, please refrain from parking on the nature reserve and come back to visit us another time. Ellie Woolway - 27 - Recipe Corner: Shakshuka

A hugely popular brunch dish from the Middle East and North Africa made with eggs poached in a lightly spiced tomato sauce. Tasty, and filling too!

Serves 2 Ingredients 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 medium red onion, peeled and finely chopped 1 yellow or red pepper, deseeded and thinly sliced 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed 1 tsp ground cumin 1/2 – 1 tsp hot smoked paprika (to taste) 1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes 1 tablespoon tomato purée 4 medium eggs

A small handful fresh coriander or flat-leaf parsley, leaves roughly chopped, to serve (optional)

Method 1. Heat the oil in a medium non-stick frying pan or shallow casserole that has a lid, add the onion and pepper and gently fry for 5-6 minutes, or until softened, stirring regularly. 2. Add the garlic, cumin and paprika and cook for 20-30 seconds, stirring. 3. Tip the tomatoes into the pan, add the tomato purée, a good pinch of sea salt and lots of ground black pepper. 4. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 4 minutes, or until the tomato sauce has thickened, stirring regularly. 5. Make four holes in the vegetable mixture and break an egg into each one. Cover the pan with the lid and cook very gently for 3-5 minutes, or until the whites are set but the yolks remain runny. 6. Sprinkle with the fresh herbs, if using, and season with more ground black pepper to serve. 7. Cook’s tip If your frying pan doesn’t have a lid, use a large heatproof plate (take care when you remove it as it will be extremely hot) or use a large piece of kitchen foil. Covering the pan helps the eggs cook and prevents the tomato sauce from becoming too thick.

Nutrition per serving: calories 312, protein 19.5g, fat17g, fibre 5.5g, carbohydrates 17.

Enjoy ! Jenny Pinn

Jigsaw Joy!

During the recent lockdwn many of us have whiled away hours with jigsaws but the talented Shân Merritt has taken this one stage further and created an online jigsaw with four photos of Tipton St John.

If you fancy having a go click on the link below

https://jigex.com/mXiv

Thank you Shân

- 28 - CHURCH CALENDAR

At the time of writing there are no services at either Tipton or Venn Ottery, due in part to restrictions associated with Covid and, more particularly at Tipton, the absence of any heating as the boiler was condemned at a recent test. We now have the necessary approvals to get a replacement and it is hoped that Fords, whose quote was the most competitive, will have completed the work before this edition of the Tipton Times is published.

Consequently, it will be possible to hold a Good Friday service in Tipton Church at 2.30pm on 2nd April and an Easter Communion Service at 11am on Easter Sunday (4th April). If you would like to come to these Services we would be delighted to see you, but it would be helpful if you could let Alison Stevens (see below) know in advance. The church is configured to provide for social distancing but please also wear a face mask. We do not know exactly when we will be able to staff a regular Sunday service in the church, but it is hoped that this will be possible sometime in April. When services do resume, information will be posted on the Church Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/tiptonstjohnchurch/ and on the Tipton Times website. Services are being held every Sunday at 11am in Newton Poppleford Church. Please wear a face mask and socially distance in the church.

Services within the area over Easter include:

2nd April – Good Friday : 1.30pm Online Service (using Zoom) 2.30pm Service in Tipton Church (as indicated above) 2.30pm Service in Newton Poppleford Church

4th April – Easter Sunday : 10.00am Online Service (using Zoom) 11.00am Holy Communion in Tipton Church (as indicated above)

Even once the Churches are regularly open for services, for the foreseeable future it is intended to continue the Service of Worship online using Zoom at 10am every Sunday. This encompasses all the parishes under the care of our vicar, Mark Ward: Harpford, Newton Poppleford and Colaton Raleigh as well as Tipton and Venn Ottery. People from other parishes have also been participating. If you would like to join with us and would like the link please contact either Mark Ward ([email protected]) or the PCC Secretary Alison Stevens ([email protected]) who will be pleased to provide the link for this and for the online services over Easter.

Tipton Church continues to be open every Saturday morning for private prayer between 10am and 12.30pm. Please wear a face mask and socially distance in the church.

In addition, other churches in the locality are also open for private prayer:

Ottery St Mary: Wednesday, Friday and Sunday 10:00am - noon Wiggaton: Mondays and Fridays 10:00am - noon, and Wednesdays 5:00pm - 7:00pm Colaton Raleigh: Tuesdays 10.00am - 1.00pm, Fridays 2.00pm - 5.00pm

The Church Annual Meeting for Tipton & Venn Ottery will take place on Zoom at 7.30pm on Thursday 15th April. The link will be available from Mark Ward or Alison Stevens (see above).

VILLAGE DIARY

Cricket Club Fixtures – see Page 13 Tennis Club – see Page 17

April Fri 2nd Good Friday Mon 5th Easter Monday Sat 10th Playing Field Working Party Page 4 Mon 19th Start of School Term

Tues 27th 6.30pm - 7.30pm Bag to School Collection Page 15 May Mon 3rd Bank Holiday Mon 31st Bank Holiday Mon 31st - Fri 11th School Half Term Holiday

All events and dates subject to Covid Restrictions - 29 - - 30 - - 31 - - 32 - - 33 -

FINAL SMILE

TIPTON TIMES TRADING POST

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR