Burrator BEACON Spring 2020 The Village Hall at Walkhampton 2 Burrator Beacon Editorial – Karen Batson As I write, we are already into the second month of 2020 and spring doesn’t seem so far away, especially with the mild winter we’ve been having (I hope I haven’t spoken too soon!) We have a new Parish Councillor, Roger Mechan, for Meavy Dousland. There are still vacancies (see back page) for Parish Councillors. If you think you could fulfil one of these roles, I am sure that you will be given a warm welcome! On the subject of welcomes, a very warm one to our new Rector, Andrew Thomas, and anyone else who has recently moved into the area. The summer issue of the Burrator Beacon will be published at the end of May. Deadline for copy will be Tuesday 5th May, at the latest. That issue will cover the months up until the end of May 2020. Don’t forget, this is your magazine for your parish, so we would like to hear from you! Do consider writing a piece about anything of interest. Please send all submissions as Word attachments, as this makes the cut and pasting process much simpler! Parish Clerk’s Report – Lucie Luke The Planning Committee have recently been consulted on the following applications with the Parish Council’s comments in bold: 0584/19 Proposed change of use of agricultural barn to mixed use of agricultural and equine use (stables and livery), Pew Tor Farm, Sampford Spiney. SUPPORTED 0597/19 Proposed erection of 11m telegraph pole, two cabinets within a fenced compound, Burrator Reservoir, Sheepstor. NO OBJECTION 0579/19 Proposed change of use of two barns to two dwellings, Sparkatown Farm, Dousland. OBJECTION Application 0017/20 Proposed demolition and construction of extension to dwelling at 1 Merrivale View Road, Dousland. SUPPORTED The Parish Council has set its Precept for 2020-2021 at £5000, this is a nil increase on the current year. Finances remain to serve the Parish well, with recent grants being awarded to Meavy Parish Hall for carpark works £2750.00, Walkhampton Memorial Hall for redecoration £270.00 and Walkham Valley Scouts for purchase of outside lighting £230.00. The Parish Council has now written to all relevant parties, concerning the ongoing congested parking outside Meavy Primary School and requesting a site meeting to discuss possible solutions to ease this. New Parish Councillor – Roger Mechan I was born in Plymouth 73 years ago and was educated locally. I joined the Plymouth City Police Force in 1967 and retired as a superintendent. On retirement I decided to do something completely different and took the opportunity to write Burrator Beacon 3 travel articles and vehicle test reports for a number of caravan and motor caravan magazines. Over the last ten years I have been a volunteer ambassador and fund raiser for Help for Heroes and St Luke's Hospice undertaking long distance solo treks across the pilgrim routes of Europe and the UK covering some 2500 miles and raising, to date, £55.000. I also give talks to various local organisations on walking around Europe, with all proceeds going to the charities. I have made a few videos of my treks which you can see at http://www.justgiving.com/stlukepilgrim They are less Alfred Hitchcock and more Mr Bean in quality but in my defence I was usually hot and sweaty at the time. I have recently completed a three-year tenure with the Patient Council at Derriford hospital and was fortunate to become involved with a number of projects that I was able to comment on from the patients’ point of view before they came to fruition. I am also an avid photographer providing copy for a number of photographic agencies and when not walking the moor I can usually be found hitting a little white ball across Yelverton Golf Club links. I have lived in Dousland for twenty years with my wife Ann and our current dog, a rescue Yorkshire Terrier called Benny. I am aware of the fact that I am privileged to live in one of the last true wildernesses in the United Kingdom and believe strongly that we need to keep it that way for future generations. New WDMC Rector – Andrew Thomas I was brought up and schooled in Surrey. Following a career as a nurse in paediatric cardio thoracic medicine, I attended theological college at Westcott House, Cambridge. Made Deacon in 2010 I served my curacy at Cookham, Berkshire. Following my curacy, I took up a post as a Royal Naval Chaplain, attending basic officer training at Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth. In 2014, I became the Rector of five rural parishes on Exmoor in Somerset, where I built a ministry team, seeing three candidates through Reader training and two candidates through the Bishops’ Advisory Panel selection process for ordained ministry. If all this didn’t keep me busy enough, I am also a retained Firefighter with the Devon & Somerset Fire & Rescue Service. My partner Mark and I share the custody of a Dachshund called Monty, and Lola, a grumpy elderly cat. I’m delighted to have been appointed the next Rector of the West Dartmoor Mission Community. Mark and I are very much looking forward to returning to West Devon, a part of the country we know well. Andrew will be licensed on Tuesday 31 March 2020 at 7 p.m. in St Paul's Church, Yelverton by the Bishop of Exeter and all are welcome to attend. 4 Burrator Beacon Joyriding on Dartmoor Chairman, Burrator Parish Council Over the Christmas/New Year there has been an increase in the amount of joyriding on the moor. Yennadon Down and a number of other locations have been badly affected with the turf cut up and significantly damaged. This has been the result of off-roading by 4-wheel drives and off-road motor biking. This is against the law! The Burrator Parish Council has reported these incidences in the parish to the police. They have also been highlighted on Spotlight Southwest. However, police resources are limited and public reporting to the police force is critical if any control of these unwelcome activities is to be implemented. South West Lakes Trust has been active in placing large boulders to prevent vehicular access to the moorland, but this does not prevent off-road motor bicycles gaining access and causing damage. Speaking in the Tavistock Times: West Devon Police Inspector Mark Sloman said: ‘This kind of anti-social driving is not acceptable and we will work as closely as we can with partner agencies, including Dartmoor National Park, to try and identify individuals who are responsible. With so many locations being highlighted it is really difficult for police to focus our resources in any particular area, so I would ask members of the public to report such incidents so we can at least be aware on which areas are being targeted and respond accordingly.’ Andy Watson, Dartmoor National Park Authority’s head of recreation, access and estates, said: ‘Not only is this type of behaviour illegal, it’s also extremely dangerous, puts people at risk and harms wildlife and livestock. We need help from our communities to identify those responsible so they can be dealt with. We would encourage anyone who knows the people involved to report them to police on 101.’ The police recommend that if you ever witness these activities that you call them on 101 at the time it is happening, or as soon as possible afterwards. The police will appreciate vehicle registrations, if possible, to investigate the incident when it is taking place. With reports such as this, getting the information promptly to the police will help enable the police to take action at the time if required. If you need to report such incidents to the police, you can email [email protected], telephone 101, or chat to them 24/7 online via WebChat. However, if joyriding is in progress, a 999 call may be more appropriate, providing the police have available resources to respond. Burrator Beacon 5 Village Halls Please support our local village halls for your meetings, parties and activities. All the halls have disabled access and they vary in size and facilities so one of them will suit your requirements. All the Halls are run by willing volunteers who strive to keep them in good repair providing vital facilities for our communities. Meavy Parish Hall Alison Stoker 853389 Sheepstor Village Hall Patrick Drennan 853186 Walkhampton Memorial Hall Sheila Glanville 859215 They will be able to advise you on availability, hire charges and terms & conditions of hire. What’s on in Walkhampton… Walkhampton Cottage Garden Society Sheila Reynolds With spring approaching, the committee of Walkhampton Cottage Garden Society is planning this year’s events. Our centrepiece, as always, will be the Annual Flower and Produce Show to be held in Walkhampton Village Hall on Saturday 29th August. There will be classes to accommodate almost every type of flower, fruit and vegetable, along with others for cookery, preserves, brewing and winemaking, handicrafts and photography. Children will have their own classes for cookery, handicrafts, photography and vegetable-growing. Entry is open to all residents of Walkhampton, Horrabridge, Sampford Spiney, Yelverton, Dousland, Meavy, Sheepstor, Crapstone, Buckland Monachorum and Princetown, and we offer a warm welcome to new exhibitors. The classes will be judged in the morning and, from 2pm, the exhibits will be on view to the public. A tea tent will serve cakes and other refreshments, and there will be market stalls and a raffle.