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 IT MUST BE DOG-WALKERS CAN YOU HELP? SUMMER SOON COPY DEADLINE For 303, June and July 2021 Wednesday 19th May (unless by arrangement) CONTRIBUTIONS VIA YOUR BANK TO: The Tipton Times Fund Sort Code: 30-94-36 A/c No: 01720384 Email us at [email protected] Follow us: Twitter- https://twitter.com/TiptonTimes Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/TiptonStJohnVillageNews 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.