November 2013 Vol. 44 No.10 40pNov 11, 2013 · Chinese Lanterns The issues about Chinese lanterns has been well documented in both the national press and the farming press. We would

November 2013 Vol. 44 No.10 40p

FOCUS MAGAZINE INFORMATION

Chairman Michael Ayre, Ratcliffe Farm, Raddon.

Secretary Geoff Bulley, 17 Broadlands, Thorverton.

Treasurer Bob Swaffield, Schiehallion, School Lane, Thorverton. Tel. (01392) 860309

Editor Neville Lane, Stable House, 2 The Glebe, Thorverton. Tel. (01392) 861062

Email: [email protected]

Back issues (courtesy of Rob Purvis): http://thorverton.net/focus-downloads.html

Assistant editors Eileen Mason and vacancy

Printers Barrie Phillips and Peter Mason

At the present time Focus is produced each month except one (August) and is assembled by volunteers on the last

working day of the month.

The Editor welcomes interesting news items, reports etc. for publication. Items for inclusion in Focus should be

accompanied by the name of the originator, which may be withheld from print if requested. The aims of Focus are:

To produce a non-political monthly magazine serving the people of the parish of Thorverton, providing

them with information on activities in the parish;

For the magazine to be one that villagers are proud of;

To provide a window for those outside Thorverton to see what the village has to offer;

To promote local businesses through advertising; and

To run at a small annual profit, but with surplus funds put to support village organisations for the benefit of

Thorverton residents.

Items for publication, adverts, changes to adverts, Diary entries, changes to Thorverton Information lists should be

sent to the Editor, preferably as plain text in an email, or as a Word doc file or a pdf file email attachment (to

[email protected]) by the 20th of the month prior to publication please. All items received are

acknowledged, so if you don’t receive an acknowledgment within a few days, please assume not received.

Computer file formats: We prefer plain text files: .ODT files, .DOC files, .RTF files and .WPS files because our

team have software that can read such files. BMP and JPEG files are preferred for advertisements and pictures.

Advertisements and Notices

Poster Type Advertisements: maximum size is half an A4 page. Text for advertisements should be prepared as

near as possible to how it is intended to appear. Pictures must be supplied as required on the advertisement.

COMMERCIAL ADVERTISEMENTS

The following advertising charges apply:

Maximum dimensions COST per ENTRY FULL YEAR (11 entries)

Half page 18.2 cm x 12.2 cm £5.00 £50.00

Quarter page 8.5 cm x 12.2 cm £2.50 £25.00

One-eighth page 8.5 cm x 5.8 cm £1.50 £15.00

LOCAL ORGANISATION and CHARITIES ADVERTISEMENTS

COST per ENTRY

Half page £3.00

Quarter or one-eighth page free of charge

Front Cover: Thorverton Montage by John Spivey

The opinions and views expressed by contributors within the magazine are not necessarily those of Focus

producers or of the Focus Committee.

mailto:[email protected]

Focus on Thorverton Vol. 44 No10 - November 2013

1

Editorial

These lines might well have been written from

Manila if I had been relying on Focus writers to

contribute to my safe return home. Not a penny was

given to get me out of the place – or at least, that is to

say that not a penny reached me.

For those of you who are puzzled by my opening

paragraph, I did indeed go on holiday last month - to

France, and a very good time we had there too - and

while I was away the Focus on Thorverton email

address was hacked into. The hacker then sent a

message to all those who were in the Focus on

Thorverton address book – that will be pretty well

anyone who has sent an email in to us over the past

few years – to say that I was “freaked out”, stuck in

Manila and needed money to get me home. Jane

Ristic captures this from her perspective in her article

on page 22. I suppose that I should be pleased that

people were not taken in because they realised that I

would not write such a grammatically poor message,

nor is it likely that I would go to Manila, and if I did,

I wouldn’t describe it as a vacation; and I certainly

wouldn’t describe myself as freaked out.

Anyway, the serious impact of it is not so much

losing all emails ever sent to Focus on Thorverton,

but the fact that I still cannot see any new emails sent

to that account. Therefore, I have created a new

account with the following email address:

[email protected]

Please use this email address in future rather than the

[email protected] address that we

have been using up to now. And please spread the

word because, while I have managed to communicate

with several regular contributors to Focus, there are

plenty more whose email addresses I didn’t have. It is

also timely, I think, to remind senders of material that

I always acknowledge receipt, so if you don’t get an

acknowledgment, you should assume that I haven’t

received your message.

This is a very long-winded way of saying that this

Focus may well be missing several items simply

because I couldn’t see what was sent. If you do have

something that you would still be relevant in

December’s Focus, please re-send it to

[email protected].

Could I draw attention to the notice on page 8 asking

for any interest in spending some Focus funds. We

have money available provided that requests meet the

criteria. We don’t aim to make a profit from Focus

so any funds that we do have above what we might

need for contingencies, we want to put back into the

village. Again, if you have recently submitted a

request by email please send it again as I won’t have

seen it.

I was most grateful to Tim Colebrook for writing last

month’s editorial in my absence. I hope that others

might be interested in writing the occasional

editorial, so if you are do let me know. We need to

keep a certain freshness about the magazine.

Neville Lane, Editor

In this Focus

Editorial ..................................................................... 1 Letters ........................................................................ 2 Thorverton Parish Council ......................................... 4 Notice Board .............................................................. 5 Parish Church Services and News ........................... 10 Parish Letter ............................................................. 12 Baptist Church ......................................................... 12 Mobile Libraries Under Threat ................................ 13 Rainfall Record ........................................................ 13 Six Generations of Fices at Thorverton School ....... 14 Thorverton Country Show ....................................... 14 Thorverton and District History Society.................. 15 TCT .......................................................................... 16 Community Choir .................................................... 16 Post Early for Christmas .......................................... 17 Recipe ...................................................................... 17 Legal Eagle .............................................................. 17 TARTS .................................................................... 19

Golf Society ............................................................. 19 Allison Toogood celebrates a special birthday ........ 20 Poetry (1) ................................................................. 20 The Garden in November ........................................ 21 Nature Notes ............................................................ 21 The Day That Brought Devils of The Worlds

Closer… ................................................................... 22 Further advice on email scams ................................ 24 Poetry (2) ................................................................. 24 Memorial Hall .......................................................... 26 Christmas Craft Evening.......................................... 27 Thorverton Parish Information ................................ 28 Thorverton Organisations ........................................ 29 Doctors’ Surgeries ................................................... 30 Waste Collection Dates for 2013 ............................. 32 Mobile Library ......................................................... 32 Flag Flying days in November ................................ 32 Bus Services ............................................................ 32 Diary 2013 ............................................................... 33





2

Letters

From Sally Rookes

Mabs Granger

On 5th September, Mabs Granger passed peacefully

away, aged 93 years, bringing to a close the Sharland

family who farmer Poole for 300 years until it was

sold in 1984. Mabs was the youngest of the family,

seen below in their early years.

Left to right: (back) Jack and Fred; (front) Vera, Win

and Mabs

The family photo in the next column was taken in the

fifties and features Win’s husband, Jimmy, Vera’s

husband, Bill, and children, Martin, Clare, Sally and

Jane. Also included in the family group is Mabs’

life-long friend, etty, and her husband, Colin. Betty

worked for Charlie Hatten at Ratcliffe Farm during

the war. She remained close to Mabs, travelling from

Ludlow to visit her in the Care Home in Crediton.

Very much a part of the later family was Mabs’

husband, Fred. Following the sale of Poole, they

moved to Brampford Speke spending many happy

years at Cob Close.

Fred was a keen gardener and proved a formidable

entrant at the Garden Club Shows. His devotion to

gardening was ultimately brought to a halt by ill-

health. He died of leukaemia in 2009.

Left to right (back) Fred, Colin, Jack and Bill;

(centre) Vera with Sally, Mabs, Betty and Win with

Jane; (front) Martin, Clare and Jimmy.

Fred and Mabs on their wedding day, 4

th June 1968.

From Michael and Tina Ayre, Ratcliffe Farm

Chinese Lanterns

The issues about Chinese lanterns has been well

documented in both the national press and the

farming press. We would like to point out that pretty

as they look when floating in the sky you have no

control as to where they come down. Recently we

picked up 3; one about 20yds from our thatched

house 2 just feet away from our now full barn of

straw.

We live in an area where there are lots of thatched

properties and quite a few barns of straw .In our

opinion they are a fire hazard and a litter problem,

they may say “biodegradable” but that isn’t an instant

process.


3

From Ray Mason and Claire, Dinneford Street

We would like, through Focus, to warn all cat owners

in Thorverton, especially Dinneford Street.

Dinneford Meadow is an area where a number of cats

have recently been targeted by someone using an air

rifle. This happened in the middle of the day so is

very unlikely to have been an accident. Our cat was

shot in the eye and as a result of this has had to

undergo an operation to remove his eye. The pain

and suffering caused to him is unimaginable, it has

also caused a great deal of distress to us.

The police have been informed and are taking this

incident very seriously.

From Arthur Marshall, Silver Street

Recently, visiting my wife’s grave, I was very upset

to discover that some grave ornaments put there by

my granddaughter were missing. I find it very sad

that something like this can happen in Thorverton.

I would like to appeal to you. if you did take them,

please return them.

From Julie Cornwall and John Hole, Berry House

We would very much like to thank the staff at the

Thorverton Exe Valley Practice for their help in

recent weeks while my father was with us. Both

John Wride and Lynne Anderson, together with

District Nurses and all the other Surgery staff were

lovely, and provided the standards of old-fashioned

care for which the NHS was rightly famous. My

father’s eventual demise was made considerably

easier due to the care and support that we received

during this difficult time.

More pictures from Thorfest, held on 7th September and featuring a host of local talented musicians (and dancers?):

Liar in the Light (catch them at the Thorverton Arms on 16

th November

Dancing the night away


4

Thorverton Parish Council

Report of the October meeting of the

Parish Council

Planning Matters The following planning decision was noted:-

(i) Ref 12/00512/FULL/NMA/split. Variation of condition (2) of planning permission 11/00618/FULL to

allow the substitution of revised drawings (Non-material amendment for the re-positioning of doors and

windows on houses 1 and 2) Bell house, The Bury. Split decision.

Planning applications received to date of meeting:-

(i) Ref 13/01230/FULL. Installation of ground-mounted solar panel array to generate 4kw of pwer. Land at

NGR 292234. Chilton, Cadeleigh.

Highways Matters

The Chairman reported that he and the Chairman of Brampford Speke Parish Council had written separately to

DCC about the impact of the closure of Hulke Lane. C/Cllr Squires informed the Council that DCC Cabinet was to

consider the problem the next day, but warned that further action seemed unlikely, given that the road was still

subject to slippage.

The problem of the repeated flooding of the road roughly between the entrance to the Glebe and the entrance to

Broadlands had been referred to DCC by a resident. DCC was understood to be investigating the issue.

Recreation Ground

Quotes were to be taken from local tradesmen for the repair of the wooden steps on one of the items in the play

area. Cllr Sims undertook to provide the Council with details of the cost of suitable gym equipment at the next

meeting.

Reports

No formal reports were presented at this meeting, but D/Cllr Deed informed the Council that the proposal for the

Eastern Urban Extension of Tiverton had been rejected by the MDDC Cabinet.

PCSO Anna Roberts was unable to attend the meeting , but had, as usual, provide up-to-date crime figures for the

previous month. Two crimes had been reported to the police, including the theft of a grave ornament from

Thorverton churchyard.

Next meeting

The next meeting of the Parish Council takes place at 7.30pm on Tuesday, 12th November 2013 in the Memorial

Hall. An agenda is displayed beforehand on the notice board in School Lane.

Library Services

Although not discussed at the last meeting, residents should be aware that DCC is running a public consultation

exercise on planned cuts to the mobile library service, including a proposal to further reduce the number of visits

the library makes to the village. Please look out for details at libraries and also on the DCC web site. Closing date

for responses is 30th November.

Jane Lane, Parish Clerk

Telephone: 01392 861062, email:[email protected]


5

Notice Board You are invited to a

Travelling Trends

Fashion Show

At the WI Hut

On Tuesday 19th November

Have fun and help raise funds

Tickets £4 – to include free glass of wine or soft

drink – on sale from October

Contact Barbara on 860878

Can you afford not to come?

Mum and Toddlers/Baby Group

Held at the Memorial Hall, Thorverton

Every Wednesday morning 9.30-11.30

cost £2.00

this includes a tea or coffee, a snack for your

little one, toys, activities and friendly faces!

If you want any further information please call

Wendy Coles on 01392 861283 (Toddler Rep)

Sylv and Anne’s

CHATTER CAFÉ

2-30pm to 4-4/30pm

Every Monday at the WI Hut

(Excluding Bank Holidays)

Tea/Coffee 50p

Slice of cake 50p

Meeting others Free

Fun /laughter Free

Waitress service Free

Washing up Nil

Yearly party Free

Thorverton Church Consort Practices

Thursdays In church from 7:45 to 9 p.m.

Thursdays from 7.45 to 9 p.m. in church

November 7th and 28th (Christmas I)

December 5th (Christmas II), 12th (Christmas III)

and 19th (Christmas IV)

December 22nd, 5 pm Carol Service

Thorverton Church Junior Consort

practices

Mondays from 3.30 to 4.30 p.m.

In school unless otherwise stated.

November 4th and 25th

December 9th and 16th (in church until 4.45 p.m.)

December 22nd Carol Service at 5 pm

We welcome new members to both Consorts.

Further details from Mary Thomas 01392 860730

and Heather Kershaw 01392 860419

TAG Thorverton Art Group

FRIDAYS FROM 9:30

@ THORVERTON MEMORIAL HALL.

NEW MEMBERS VERY WELCOME

TRIAL WEEK FREE - JUST TURN UP!


6

Thorverton Post Office & TCT

newsagents/stationers

Quarry Car Park, Lynch Road

Thorverton 01392 860455

offering a very wide range of post office services,

newspapers, magazines, stationery, posting and

packing materials, laundry service, photocopying –

service with a smile!

Mon – Fri 9.00 – 5.30 (closed 1.00-2.00) Sat

9.00 – 12.00

Sun 9.00 – 10.30 TCT paper shop only

SILVERTON LINK UP

Voluntary Drivers Scheme for Wyndham House and

Exe Valley Surgeries Patients

The VOLUNTEER DRIVERS are

Jean Hawkins 860849 John Kiely 861545

Doreen Beer 860731 Stephen Roach 861042

Mary Smith 861916 Dave Sleep 860678

LINK UP service takes patients with medical

appointments from home to surgery or hospitals in

the area.

If you require transport contact one of the drivers

mentioned above, giving them as much notice as

possible.

If you use the service a realistic donation towards the

drivers’ expenses would be appreciated.

Payment is paid direct to the driver who issues a

receipt.

It may not always be possible to arrange a lift, as all

our drivers are volunteers and cannot be expected to

turn out on every occasion, although they will do

their best.

Roger Higman (Link Up co-ordinator) 860571

[email protected]


7

Charity Quiz Nights at the

THORVERTON ARMS

3rd November

for Children’s Hospice South-West

1st December

for St Petroc’s, Exeter

2nd February

Thorverton Pre-School

Teams of up to 5 £1 per person to the named charity

7 for 7.30pm start

If any village charities would like to be the

named charity, and add to the funds raised

by running a raffle etc., please contact us.

Also...Local musicians playing

Sat 16th November

Liar in the light

Sat 23rd November

Roger Styles

Thorverton & Exe Valley

Community Choir

Travel the world in song – African, Hawaiian,

Maori, Japanese, English & more.

Cant’ sing? No problem

Can’t read music? No problem

A love of singing is all you need

No age limit. Everyone welcome

Drop in for a taster

Venue: The Exeter Inn Dates: Every Tuesday 6 to 7pm (Term Time)

Anne Vardy 01392 861184



8

Do you need funding for the benefit of the village?

Focus has money available for groups or individuals

for funding towards activities or equipment that

would benefit villagers.

We take into account the number of potential

beneficiaries, particularly whether they are villagers,

and also the match funding contribution.

Please make any applications to the Editor, Neville

Lane.

Mediaeval Craftsmen and their Ancient

Carvings in Stockleigh Pomeroy,

Thorverton and Shobrooke

A talk by Dr Todd Gray

Stockleigh Pomeroy Village Hall,

Saturday 9th November 2013 at 7.30 pm.

Tickets £5.00 to include a glass of wine/soft drink

and nibbles

Proceeds will be donated to Stockleigh Village Hall

and St Mary’s Church

Tickets from Rosemary Meikle 01363 866303or John

Wilkins 01363 866887

A candle–lit service of Taizé music with silence,

reflection and prayer

THORVERTON PARISH CHURCH

Sunday, November 24th

at 5 pm.

Everyone is most warmly welcome


9


10

Parish Church Services and News

NOVEMBER 2013 SERVICES & INFORMATION

The Netherexe Parishes - A Mission Community in the Diocese of Exeter

Sunday 3 November 2013 All Saints Sunday

08:00 am Holy Communion [BCP] Newton St Cyres DC

10:00 am Service With A Smile ☺ Brampford Speke Lay-Led 10:00 am Holy Communion [C] Poltimore JD

10:00 am Service of The Word Cadbury DC

10:00 am Service of The Word Stoke Canon Lay-Led

10:00 am Holy Communion [C] Thorverton DD

03:00 pm Baptism Brampford Speke DC

05:00 pm Service of The Word Newton St Cyres JD

Sunday 10 November 2013 Remembrance Sunday & Trinity 24

08:00 am Holy Communion [BCP] Thorverton DD

10:00 am Holy Communion & [C] Stoke Canon JD & H Whitty

Act of Remembrance

10:00 am Service of Remembrance Thorverton DD & AA

Joint with Cadbury & Baptist Church

10:50 am Service of Remembrance Brampford Speke Lay-Led & Baptist Officiant

Joint with Baptist Chapel

10:50 am Service of Remembrance Newton St Cyres DC

10:50 am Service of Remembrance Poltimore SS

10:50 am Service of Remembrance Upton Pyne LF

11:15 am Service of Remembrance Rewe A Simmonds

06:30 pm Evening Prayer [BCP] Huxham AA

Monday 11 November 2013 Armistice Day

11:00 am Act of Remembrance Rewe War Memorial [Green Lane]

11:00 am Act of Remembrance Thorverton War Memorial [in churchyard]

Please note these are open-air services

Sunday 17 November 2013 Trinity 25

09:00 am Holy Communion [C] Brampford Speke DC

10:00 am Holy Communion [C] Cadbury DD

11:15 am Holy Communion [C] Rewe DC

05:00 pm Holy Communion [C] Stoke Canon DD

Sunday 24 November 2013 Sunday before Advent [Christ the King]

09:00 am Holy Communion [C] Huxham DD

10:00 am Holy Communion [C] Newton St Cyres JD & AA

11:15 am Holy Communion [C] Upton Pyne DC

05:00 pm Taizé Prayer Thorverton DC & AA

Wednesday 27 November 2013

09:30 am Holy Communion [BCP] Thorverton JD

Sunday 1 December 2013 Advent 1

10:00 am Service With A Smile ☺ Brampford Speke Baptist Chapel Lay-Led

Christmas Tree Festival in Brampford Speke church

10:00 am Holy Communion [C] Poltimore DD

10:00 am Service of The Word Stoke Canon Lay-Led

10:00 am Family Service & Holy Communion [C] Thorverton DC

Advent Wreaths

11:15 am Holy Communion [C] Rewe JD


11

05:00 pm Evening Prayer [BCP] Newton St Cyres DD

Services in the Netherexe Parishes Your parish churches aim to provide a variety of service types to meet the needs of the whole community. Most Sunday

services except those early in the morning include hymns and music. Everyone is welcome at all services

Service With A Smile These Family Services are designed for all ages and with the needs

Brampford Speke & Stoke Canon of young children especially in mind. They are informal and contemporary in

style often including a children’s activity at the beginning; without communion

And Family Service Thorverton & Services usually last about 35 minutes and are followed by refreshments

Newton St Cyres . .

Holy Communion [C] Traditional service in contemporary language [one hour]

Holy Communion [BCP] Traditional service in traditional language [one hour]

Service of The Word [SW] Morning or Evening Service [without communion] in

contemporary language, often Lay-Led

Morning Prayer [BCP] Traditional Morning Service [Mattins] from the Book of

Common Prayer [about an hour]

Evening Prayer or [BCP] Traditional Evening Service from the Book of Common

Choral Evensong Prayer [about an hour]

Daily Morning & Evening Prayer in the Netherexe Parishes

For daily services the format is generally Book of Common Prayer at Thorverton and Common Worship elsewhere, and the

timing is about 20-30 minutes. All are welcome.

Morning Prayer is said on Mondays at 9.10pm in Stoke Canon church (during the school term, this takes the form of

Collective Worship for Stoke Canon C. of E. School); on Tuesdays at 9.00am in Stoke Canon Chapel; In Thorverton at 7.30am

on many weekdays and at 9.00am on Saturdays. For a list of the days this month on which Morning Prayer will be said at

Thorverton, please see the notice posted in the church porch at Thorverton and on the website [go to churches section then

select Thorverton]

Holy Communion [BCP] is celebrated on one Wednesday in each month at Thorverton at 9.30am; please see service details

above for this month’s date

Evening Prayer is said on Tuesdays at 6.00pm in Rewe church and on Thursdays at 5.00pm in Newton St Cyres church.

Variations: None

Who’s Who …..? Abbreviations Key

DD The Revd Preb Douglas Dettmer Rector 01392 860332

SS The Revd Preb Sue Sheppard Associate Minister 01392 841284

JD The Revd Julia Dallen Assistant Curate 01392 861145

DC The Revd Dave Carrington Assistant Curate 01392 841672

AA The Revd Andy Atkins Assistant Curate [3 month placement]

LF Mrs Laura Ford Reader-in-Training 01392 841753

Family Services of the Word marked ☺ are led by Lay Teams. For more information about the Netherexe Parishes please see

www.netherexe.org or contact:

Mrs Margaret Lowe [Administrator]

Tel: 07594 714590 - Tuesday & Thursday [08:30 – 16:30]


Correspondence: The Netherexe Parishes, PO Box 734, Stoke Canon, Exeter, EX5 4WP.

In Touch: Each month we publish details of all church services, events and activities in our information leaflet called “In

Touch”. It is free and printed copies can be found in all of our churches but it is also available on-line from our website at

www.netherexe.org or if you would prefer to receive a copy by email, simply send your details to our Administrator

Margaret Lowe at [email protected] and you will be added to the monthly email distribution list.

Would you like a lift to church? May we offer you a lift to the parish church or to a joint service elsewhere?

For transport to Sunday services from locations in Thorverton parish, please ring Steve Rendell on 01392

860780.

http://www.netherexe.org/


http://www.netherexe.org/



12

For transport to weekday Holy Communion at Thorverton please ring Margaret Turner -Warwick on 01392

861173

For transport from locations in Newton St Cyres parish please contact Mrs Charlotte Dyer on 01392 851618

For transport from Rewe parish please contact Guy Sheppard on 01392 841284

Parish Letter So……how was October for you? For me it was

indeed a memorable month beginning with a Harvest

service in Thorverton and ending, (just as I write this

letter), with a Harvest supper in Rewe which was a

lovely evening of good food and good company. I

would like to add my personal thanks to all of those

across the Mission Community who worked so hard

to ensure that all of the Harvest services and

suppers/meals went so smoothly. I’m sure that all of

those who attended the Rewe evening will be pleased

to know that Joab cooked and ate the carrots he so

proudly won during the auction of Harvest food.

During October I was also invited into four of the

local schools to share in their Harvest Festivals and

assemblies. This was a real privilege and I was made

aware once again of the energy and enthusiasm

young people have and the dedication and

commitment of their teachers. This Mission

Community is extremely well blessed with some

outstanding schools. My time in the Netherexe

community has really shown me how much I enjoy

working with schools and young people, something I

will ensure to continue to do in my future ministry.

And now as autumn moves on we come to

November, with a season of remembering. On the

10th we have in mind those men and women who

gave their lives in the service of this country

particularly in the two World Wars but also in other

conflicts and “we will remember them” in a special

Remembrance Day Service. The best way of

honouring their memory is, I think, to do all we can

to make peace and justice a reality for everyone

today; whilst ensuring that we care for those men and

women who return home with both physical and

psychological scars.

Sometimes it is easy to think that in November the

Church might seem to share the autumnal gloom by

only spending time considering death and the

remembrance of those who have died in ‘All Souls’

Day’ and ‘Remembrance Sunday’. But this is far

from the truth. November is the month of the

‘Kingdom Season’ which begins with the celebration

of ‘All Saints’ (the triumph of Christians over death

through Christ) and ends with the triumphant keeping

of the ‘Feast of Christ the King’ in which His

Lordship over all creation and over all authority and

power is proclaimed. These are celebrations of light

which mean that we don’t need to rage against death

because it is the gateway to life and light eternal, and

we can put up with the darkness and bleakness of

autumn because soon we shall be celebrating the

coming into our world of Jesus Christ!

‘in him was life, and the life was the light of all

people. The light shines in the darkness, and the

darkness did not overcome it.’ (John 1:4-5).

God bless,

Andy Atkins

Situation Vacant

Thorverton Church is looking for a cleaner.

This involves vacuuming and dusting so that the

Church looks good for everyone who steps inside.

This may be as often as an hour and a half a week or

as little as an hour and a half a month.

This is a voluntary position. Please phone Tina on

860434 for details and offers of help.

Baptist Church Dearly beloved brethren (and sistren), the Scripture

moveth us in sundry places...

Back in the July/August edition of Focus I wrote

about a television programme by Melvyn Bragg on

William Tyndale. Just a few days ago, as part of his

"In Our Time" series on the radio, Lord Bragg was

back on air to present a discussion on the Book of

Common Prayer which was equally illuminating and

is the starting point for my reflections today. Before

you ask why a Baptist is writing about an Anglican

treasure let me say that a Baptist too can very well be

a lover of the English language, fascinated by our

ecclesiastical history and impressed by the influence

the BCP has had on our national life and culture over

the centuries.

I love the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations and have

just been studying it. Here are the results of my

research: a massive 50 pages devoted to Shakespeare;

42 to the Bible (Authorised Version); and, in third

place, 17 pages to the Book of Common Prayer, that

is to say 412 quotations. These include: Give peace

in our time, O Lord; Grant that this day we fall into

no sin; Lift up your hearts; Those whom God hath


13

joined together let no man put asunder; In the midst

of life we are in death; Earth to earth, ashes to ashes,

dust to dust; in sure and certain hope of the

Resurrection to eternal life - and hundreds of others,

which have become part of the fabric of our language

and enriched it immeasurably.

The first edition of the Prayer Book came out in 1549

after years of religious tension, and was partly a

reaction against breviaries, missals and manuals

written "in a tongue not understanded of the people."

It was compiled by Archbishop Cranmer, who would

have remained a fairly obscure Cambridge don had it

not been for his inspired proposal that the question of

Henry VIII's divorce (referred to euphemistically as

"The King's Great Matter") should be referred to the

universities of Europe. This first version abolished

some ceremonies while retaining others. It reduced

the influence of the cult of the saints. Among its

doctrinal reforms was the eucharist to be considered

rather as a feast of perpetual memory than a

sacrificial act. The role of the priest changed; he was

now to receive the communion in both kinds together

with the laity. But the whole enterprise was a

compromise and everyone recognised that it could

only be temporary. In 1552 a much more openly

Reformed version came out, one whose Protestant

theology appealed to the Continental reformers. But

it only survived some eight months! On the

accession of Mary it was banned and only restored, in

a slightly modified version, by the Elizabethan

settlement of 1559.

Over a hundred years later, following the "late

unhappy confusions", a new Book of Common

Prayer was produced in 1662 which, despite all

attempts at modification, stood for more than 300

years until the Alternative Service Book of 1980.

In spite all the refurbishments over the centuries, the

foundation of the Book of Common Prayer remains

as a monument to the genius of Thomas Cranmer. In

essence, Cranmer was not a worldly churchman or a

politician, although he learned how to work for many

years as the king's loyal servant and executor. He

was above all things a scholar who devoted the

greater part of his day, even as Archbishop, to study.

No wonder he became such a master of English

prosody.

A great survivor under Henry, favoured during the

short reign of Edward, Cranmer ultimately perished

as one of Mary's victims. The story is well known of

how in 1556 he reluctantly abjured his Protestant

faith but then at the very moment of his public

humiliation went back on what he had said and at the

stake thrust into the flames the right hand that had

signed his abjuration.

Whatever our denominational background, all

Christians who love the English language have

reason to be grateful to this quiet scholar.

Maurice Harrison Mobile Libraries Under Threat

Some Devon communities could lose their mobile

library service in council cutbacks. The county

council wants to cut 69 "underused" stops from the

service with fewer than three people turning up. It is

also looking at reducing the frequency of the service

from fortnightly to every four weeks. The change

would reduce the council's spending by £200,000 a

year, contributing to the £110m cuts the council faces

over the next four years.

The council has launched a consultation on removing

69 stops from its service, affecting 160 mobile library

users. They will make a decision in December and

any changes will start next year. It is not clear what

impact there might be for the service that covers

Thorverton, but if we want to retain such services we

must use them and lobby effectively. Younger

people may not be aware that currently the mobile

library stocks children’s and teens’ books. They also

have talking books, DVDs, and will order anything

that you want - and they don’t charge fines.

Rainfall Record After the driest summer in Thorverton for at least ten

years, October has been considerably wetter,

recording 144 cm (about 6 inches in old money) of

rainfall over the first 25 days as compared with just

104 cm in June, July and August put together.

September recorded 73 cm this year, very close to

recent average for Septembers in Thorverton.

The total recorded for the three summer months was

the lowest for at least 10 years – only 2005 comes

close – and there was 406 cm recorded over the same

three months in 2012. You probably remember it as

having been a wet summer last year. In 2013, June

recorded 16 completely dry days; July 23 and August

18. September was closer to average with 14 dry

days recorded.

As always I am grateful to Gus Christianson for his

recordings and also to Tony Vooght for his historical

records.

Neville Lane


14

Six Generations of Fices at Thorverton School The latest Fice to attend Thorverton School is

William, who started on 9th September 2013. He

follows his sister Chloe who had started in 2009.

Before then, both of their parents, Samuel (1982-89)

and Nicola (1986-91) had attended Thorverton

School. The next generation back was Alex Fice

(1955-62) and before him, Constance Fice (1936-45)

and before her Verna Fice (1915-21). Representing

the sixth generation back was Samuel Richard

Burlance Fice, who is William and Chloe’s great-

great-great grandfather. He was born in 1867 and

started at Thorverton School in 1876 having

previously attended a dame school in the village

called Court Hayes along Common Lane. When

William leaves – scheduled to be in 2020 – the

association with the school will have extended to 144

years and, who knows, in years to come it might

extend beyond that.

Samuel Richard Burlance Fice (1867-1939)

Verna Fice

Alex Fice

Thorverton Country Show

We have a number of events organised as the dark

evenings approach. This summer we started a

monthly Bingo on the first Tuesday of each month, in

the Memorial Hall. The next Bingo session will be

on 5th November, eyes down at 7.30pm. We are also

holding a bumper Christmas Bingo on 3rd

December.

Come and join us for a fun-filled evening with some

great prizes!

We are also holding a Holly Masquerade Ball on 30th

November from 8pm til midnight. Tickets are

available from the Thorverton Arms or Exeter Inn, or

phone 860069 or 860088. Tickets are £12.50 in

advance or £15.00 on the door and include a free

glass of bubbly. With live music from Taylor and the

Made Gentlemen, the Masquerade theme promises a

great evening’s entertainment.

We are also planning another Family Fun Day for

2014, and any surplus we make from the various

events we organise will be donated to local

organisations. Look out for more details after the

Fun Day next June.

Caroline Taverner


15

Thorverton and District History Society

Mark started by saying he was wary of talking about

Devon as his audience often knew more that he did

about the county.

Population has an effect on settlements, as does

market prices. The early phase saw local production

and markets but by the 18th century, a national market

existed. By 1870 markets had become international.

In 1086 the south west was sparsely populated

compared to the south east.

In the Domesday book there were an estimated 9,000

settlements in Devon and 1,500 in Cornwall. Our

own local Ratcliff Farm is mentioned in the

Doomsday book. In 1086 half the land was known as

waste – it was of poor quality and had low intensity

use.

A charter in 1205 allowed deforestation apart from

Dartmoor and Exmoor. New farms were created to

work this new land. By 1300 the south west land

pattern is beginning to emerge. Many villages in the

middle ages were surrounded by open fields

operating shared farming on a strip field system. The

strip field system shared the risks of crop failure as

your strips would not be next to each other but

scattered around the open fields. They were usually

long and thin, possibly because the oxen used for

ploughing didn’t like turning around.

These strip fields can be seen on early maps and

some can still be seen today, even in the nearby

village of Brampford Speke. Braunton Great Field is

another example still in existence. The

infield/outfield system was another method of

farming and crop rotation.

1348 saw the Black Death and within 2 years half the

population was dead. This led to wholesale

abandonment of some villages and settlements.

The 1730s saw the Parliamentary Enclosure Act and

many hedges were created. These were typically

stone banks topped with trees. As the population

grew, so did enclosure. 1866 saw the first statistics,

known as the 4th June Returns.

In the 13 and 14th century the crops grown were

mostly oats, wheat and barley and the yields were

relatively high. By the 17th century Oliver Cromwell

spoke highly of agriculture in the south west and the

quality of husbandry and soil improvement. By the

18th century the pace of agriculture was accelerating.

There were major changes in farming practice and

mixed farms were developing.

In the south west these changes were slower as the

land was heavier and the climate supported good

grass growth. Land between Exeter and Tiverton was

described as being very rich.

In 1801 Britain was at war with the French so a crop

census was undertaken to see what was being grown.

More wheat was being grown but the reliability of

the census was questionable. The census was done by

clergymen and returns may have been economic to

avoid paying tithes.

More potatoes were grown in Cornwall to feed the

miners and in mid Devon pasture changed to arable.

Cereal prices fell because of cheaper imports but the

effect in the south west was not as bad as in the east

of the UK. Frozen meat from abroad also had an

impact of prices. In the period 1870 – 1914 the

mainstay was dairy farming and this was helped by

the advent of the railways – produce could be

transported to a greater market. Pig production

increased as they were fed off the milk by products.

Market gardens increased in the south west due to the

climate, good soil and railways.

The depression in the 1930s saw depreciation in field

quality but the Second World War had a great impact

with large increases in production – farmers were

compelled to plough more land and produce more


16

crops. A labour shortage led to more machinery and

between June 1942 and June 1944 the numbers of

tractors in Devon doubled.

Orchards have almost gone now, cattle and pig

numbers are constant but there is an increase in

sheep. Since 1945 there has been an increase in

forests in the South West, especially around

reservoirs.

The landscape is an old one, but has been adapted

over the years to reflect changing needs and the ebb

and flow of farming.

Robert Turner

TCT Thorverton Co-Operative Trust - supporting

Thorverton Post Office

Thank you to the 196 of you who have paid £5

subscriptions to TCT for this financial year and also

to those who made donations as well. We have many

new members but would very much welcome the

other fifty per cent or so of Thorverton’s population

too! Most of us believe that having a post office here

in our village is very important, indeed it’s the local

bank branch for some people. And even if you don’t

feel the need for the post office, I know that many of

you really value being able to buy newspapers on a

daily basis.

Our post office and the TCT shop only just manage

to keep afloat so your subscriptions, donations and

continued custom are absolutely vital. Takings in the

post office and shop show considerable seasonal

variations so sometimes balancing the books can be

tricky. We are also still short of staff especially to

cover illness absences and holidays. Could YOU

spare an hour or so of your time occasionally to help

us keep the TCT business and therefore the post

office going?

The TCT AGM is coming up – Wed November 20th

7.45pm at the WI Hut. Everyone is welcome to

attend although only TCT members can vote at the

meeting. Please come along to show your support,

receive the TCT Council’s and our sub-postmaster’s

annual reports, ask questions, give ideas and

comment.

Christmas is coming so do please use our post office

for your postage and packing needs as well as buying

Christmas cards, gift tags, wrapping paper and

calendars from us. We will also be supporting

Hospiscare again this year by stocking their

Christmas cards and diaries. All of the profits from

those go to the charity, a cause dear to many of our

hearts. Christmas items should be available from the

beginning of November from our shop and I will also

be selling them at the ‘Big Breakfast’ Sat markets in

November and December.

Christmas present ideas and services available at the

post office include Moneygrams which enable you to

transfer money to another person here in the UK and

abroad, One-4-All gift cards which can be spent at

over 70 different retail outlets and Itunes vouchers -

do ask for more information at our counter. If you are

going to be posting parcels and packages for the UK

or abroad, do check in advance about prohibited and

restricted items. Rules have changed recently about

what you can post so it’s worth making sure before

you wrap everything up!

Did you know that you can now book National

Express coach tickets at our post office? There’s also

a new lottery, The Health Lottery and buying tickets

for that gives us premium income. You can top up

your mobile ‘phone, pay all sorts of bills at the

counter, use the post office to access some banking

services especially cash withdrawals, get foreign

currency, open and use savings accounts, bonds,

ISAs, choose from a range of insurance policies.

Please ask – you will probably be surprised about

what you can do here in your village.

Finally a request from some of our customers who

have difficulty in getting to the post office door when

using walking sticks and buggies: if you are parking

your car at whatever time of day or night, please can

you leave enough space for them to get to the shop

door without having to circumnavigate too much of

the car park therefore running the risk of overturning

or stumbling into a puddle! Thank you.

Heather Kershaw 01392 860419

Chair and Membership Secretary TCT Ltd

Thorverton Post Office 01392 860455

Community Choir See Notice in Notices section.

Dates as below:

Nov 5th

, 12th, 19

th and 26

th and December 3

rd, 10

th

and 17th. All from 6-7pm at The Exeter Inn

Anne Vardy


17

Post Early for Christmas

Recipe

Most of the recipes we have published in recent

months have been provided by Sustainable Crediton,

but, with us having temporarily lost email contact

with that group, this month I am printing one that I

have just used to produce some chutney. I cannot yet

tell you how good it is, but a licking of the bowl

yesterday suggested that this is an excellent spicy

chutney, representing a good way of using up any

apples and courgettes that you have. The recipe

appeared in the booklet of Thorverton Recipes,

published a few years ago now. My copy has a well-

used look about it! – Ed.

Courgette Chutney

Ingredients

[In practice you may not have all of the ingredients,

but this is one of those chutneys where precise

ingredients are not essential]

3lbs courgette (the recipe suggests marrow or

chutney), peeled and diced

3lb cooking apples

8oz onions

1 large garlic clove, chopped

4oz sultanas

4oz raisins

4oz dried apricots

4oz preserved ginger (or 1 tablespoon ground ginger)

2oz chopped blanched almonds

4 tablespoons mustard seeds

1 tablespoon chillies, seeds removed and finely

chopped, or ground chilli powder (I don’t recommend

using anything like this amount of ground chilli

though!)

1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground cloves

1½ pints malt vinegar

5 tablespoons whiskey

1 teaspoon nutmeg

3lbs sugar

Method

Prepare all of the ingredients and put them into a

large pan, bring to the boil and simmer for about 2

hours, stirring occasionally, until thick almost like

jam. Spoon while still hot into prepared jars with

vinegar proof lids. This makes about 7lbs and is best

left for a few months to mature.

Pamela Palmer

Legal Eagle

In August of this year, Michaella McCollum from

Dungannon Co Tyron and Melissa Read from

Glasgow were arrested at Lima airport after their

luggage had been searched and found to contain

cocaine hidden in food packs.

Michaella and Melissa reportedly told Peruvian

authorities that they had been working in Ibiza and

did not meet until they were both kidnapped at

gunpoint and forced to travel to Majorca. They

claimed that they were then sent to Peru and forced

by the gang who had kidnapped them to carry the

drugs in their luggage.


18

Presumably on the basis of advice received Michaella

and Melissa have now entered pleas of guilty to the

charges brought against them. If accepted this will

result in an automatic reduction in the time that they

will be required to spend in prison from 8 years six

months to 6 years six months. It is also likely that

part of that time will be spent in Britain.

However, had Michaella and Melissa persisted with

their inital, ‘we were forced to do it‘, response they

would have been pleading the defence of duress by

threats.

So, how do the courts in this country respond to such

a plea?

The essence of the defence is that the accused is told

to commit a crime, is told that if he fails to do so then

he, a family member or someone he feels responsible

for, will be immediately killed or caused serious

bodily harm. The accused’s will is overborne by the

threats and he goes on to commit the offence that he

has been ordered to commit.

Duress by threats is a true defence in the sense that

the accused does commit the actus reus and has the

mens rea for the offence but is excused because the

law recognises human frailty.

The availability of the defence has been the subject

of much discussion in the courts. These deliberations

have lead to the establishment of the criteria for the

defence, although one or two areas remain uncertain.

The accused must honestly and reasonably believe

that unless he commits the crime as ordered the threat

of death or serious person injury to himself, a

member of his family or someone for whom he feels

a special responsibility will be carried out.

The offence must have been committed as a direct

result of the threat although the threat does not have

to be the sole reason for committing the offence.

These are the subjective elements of the defence.

The objective elements are that a reasonable person

would have responded to the threats as the accused

did, and would have committed the offence; and

there must have been no opportunity for evasive

action which the accused might reasonably have

taken in order to avoid the threat.

The ‘reasonable person‘ referred to above is sober

and possess reasonable fortitude. To what extent

might other relevant characteristics of the accused be

taken into account? In Hasan [2005], the House of

Lords held that the ‘reasonable person‘ is a person of

the same age and background as the accused.

‘Background‘ includes gender and recognised mental

illness.

The question of the immediacy of the threat and the

effectiveness of steps which might be taken to avoid

it were considered in Hudson and Taylor [1971],

the accused, two teenage girls, Linda Hudson and

Elaine Taylor, called as prosecution witnesses gave

false evidence because they had been threatened with

serious physical injury by a gang if they told the

truth. A member of the gang was sitting in the public

gallery during the trial at which the girls gave their

evidence. Following their conviction for perjury an

appeal was lodged at the Court of Appeal. The Court

allowed their appeal; the defence of duress should

have been put to the jury. If the girls had sought

police protection it would not have been effective

enough. The Court also held that the fact that the

threat could not be carried out immediately was

irrelevant. They had to make up their mind there and

then whether to commit the offence while the threat

was still operating.

The part of the judgment dealing with the immediacy

of the threat has since been called into question by

the House of Lords in Hasan [2005]. The House held

that the decision in Hudson and Taylor [1971] was

too favourable to the accused. The House ruled that

the accused must believe that the threat will

materialise immediately or almost immediately.

Two further limitations on the availability of the

defence remain to be considered. The first of these is

that the defence is not available to a person charged

with murder, attempted murder or treason. Nor is the

defence available to a person who associates with

others where he foresaw or should have foreseen the

risk of being subjected to any compulsion by threats

of violence.

Invariably this will result in those who associate with

others who are engaged in criminal activity being

denied the availability of the defence. However, it

was pointed out in Ali [2008] that friends,

acquaintances, or even relatives who are not

criminals, may nevertheless be the type of people

who might one day compel a friend, acquaintance or

family member to commit a crime. If the person so

compelled foresaw this, or ought to have done so, the

defence will not be available.

Next month we will begin to look at inchoate

offences, namely, conspiracy and attempts to commit

crime.

Clive Hamblin


19

TARTS Thorverton Amblers Ramblers and Trampers

Future walks and events

Saturday 2nd November - shorter walk led by Jean

Saturday 16th November - Dartmoor walk led by

Graeme

Saturday 30th November - walk led by Heather and

Royston

Saturday 21st December - shorter walk led by

Caroline followed by the Christmas meal.

All walks meet opposite the church at 0930, and are

suitable for dogs unless otherwise stated. Shorter

walks are usually 4 – 6 miles in length and longer

walks 6 – 9 miles, however precise details of each

walk (length, gradient, lunch information etc) will be

displayed approximately a week before the walk in

the Old Post Office Window and on the village notice

board. If you would like to be included on the email

list contact Caroline (01626 865465) or Graeme

(860203).

Caroline Prince

Golf Society Sunday 29

th September.

The weather was overcast with the threat of rain so

only 8 brave golfers turned up today. As it happened

the golf was concluded in the dry.

We had joint winners today with very good scores of

21 points each. They were Chris Harlow and Dave

Whalley. There was a 2 shot handicap reduction for

them both. In third place was John Mann with 19

points which also gave him a 1 shot handicap

reduction.

There were several Donna-Y nominations, a close

second was John Mann’s failure to notice one of his

playing partners accidently pull out and drop a £10

note. We made a doctor’s appointment for him. The

winner was Dave Whalley who managed to leave his

putter on a table by the cafe. This was discovered on

reaching the first green. Luckily he was in a group

that included John Mann who had 2 putters in his bag

and lent his spare one to Dave. On this green and the

next the putts were short or missing, and then John

explained that this putter was not used to a player

holding it in two hands!

Friday 4th

October This was a GSPOT away day when 12 members went

to take on the challenges of Holsworthy Golf Course.

There were individual and team awards. The winning

team comprised of John Mann, Chris Harlow and

Paul Richards who came in with a score of 76 points.

The individual winner was Steve Gidley with 34

points, second was Chris Harlow with 31 points and

joint third with 30 points were John Mann, Geoff

Bulley and Phil Beasley. Bringing up the rear with 21

points were Kevin Stone and David Harlow(who

managed to fail to score on 6 holes from the 9th.)

There were several nominations for the Donna-y

trophy but the winner was John Mann ho had to

leave the course after 5 holes for an urgent call of

nature. They used to call him trapper Mann....

Sunday 13th

October

We had a turnout of 11 players today, the fair-

weather players are beginning to stay away now.

The winner was Chris Harlow with a magnificent 23

points which earned him a handicap cut of 3 shots.

He is now down to a handicap of 14 which is an

impressive reduction this year of 8 shots. He is also

comfortably in the lead on our golfer of the year

competition.

Runner up was David Harlow with 18 points and

joint third with 16 points were Phil Beasley and John

Mann. The rear gunners this week were Phil Oram

and Sheila Ball.

There were several nominations for the Donna-y

trophy ranging from David Harlow nearly going into

the pond on the 4th whilst playing his second to the

8th, Phil Beasley playing 4 shots in the rough having

declined a drop, and then picking up his ball, but the

winner was Jim Chappelle who was proudly showing

off his newly acquired electric trolley. As he

approached the first tee he realised he did not know

how to stop it so ploughed into the other players bags

before somebody came to his assistance. Obviously

more complicated than flying a helicopter....

Sunday 20th

October

Not an official GSPOT outing, but a golf day with

lots of friends and guests and a party afterwards to

celebrate Jim Chappelle’s 70th birthday. The golf

was interrupted by a thunder storm that


20

inconveniently decided to make a noisy and wet

appearance.The winning team comprised Scott

Hasler, Paul Richards and Andy French with the

runners up being David Harlow, Chris Harlow and

Rhys Roberts.

Individual winner was Jamie Chappelle (I did hear

the word nepotism mentioned in the bar!) the runner

up was Colin Anderson who also won nearest the pin.

Nigel Augstburger won the longest drive. The event

was ably managed by Bob Hyde.

There was then the party in the Exeter Inn followed

by some sore heads in the morning. Congratulations

Jimbo from all the gspotters.

The dates arranged for November are Sunday 10th

and Sunday 24th. December dates are Sunday 8

th,

Sunday 22nd

and Boxing Day 26th. There will also be

a 4 club competition on New Year’s Day. All

aspiring golfers welcome, details from the Exeter

Inn.

G S Potter

Allison Toogood celebrates a special birthday

Photo by John Spivey

The Gillbards’ puppies

Photo by Jane Lane

Poetry (1)

Autumnal farewell

Sparkling dewdrops, jewel the grass

In October’s lingering sun

And hanging from the herbage

Is fine lace by spiders spun.

The rich tones of the autumn

Have tinted leaves on bush and tree,

Nature’s painted landscape

Is beautiful to see.

Blackbirds in the orchard

Are gorging every day

Enjoying the fallen fruit

Before its swift decay

The rich gold of rudbeckia

Draws butterflies to feed

Midst a tapestry of late blooms

Which promise next year’s seed.

Doreen Beer

Thorfest again


21

The Garden in November If like me you haven’t had any spare time, this is my

excuse, to get out into your garden, you will be

amazed at the jungle in front of your eyes. How it

does this, I don’t know. One moment it looks quite

well behaved and tame, the next it seems totally out

of control and wild! November can be a time of

catching up if the weather is kind or the temperature

can drop like a lead balloon and give you an early

taste of winter. Therefore you would be wise to get

on with your garden jobs earlier than later in the

month.

Now is the time to remove any plants that need to be

brought inside before the frosts damage them.

Dahlias will benefit from lifting and storing through

winter. These are tuberous plants and although they

will overwinter, you will only have them around for 2

or 3 years before the frost and slugs wear them down.

If you want to enjoy your Dahlias in the garden for

years, they need to be dug out of the ground and

brought inside and the stems cut to about 23cms

[9in]. Clean off the soil carefully and thoroughly

around the tubers; an old toothbrush is ideal for this

job. Once clean, it is easy to see if there is any

damage to the tubers; remove any that are damaged

or look non-productive. The tubers are then turned

upside down to drain. After a few days, store the

tubers in a box, resting them on newspaper or a little

dry compost and store in a frost- free area. Light is

not a problem and last year the Knightshayes Dahlia

collection overwintered, resting on canes supported

by bricks, allowing plenty of air to circulate around

them. This construction was arranged on a bench in

the glasshouse which was kept at frost-free

temperature. It proved to be a useful arrangement as

it was easy to check them for the white fungal growth

which can appear if they are not properly dried or the

atmosphere is too moist or they haven’t got sufficient

air circulation around them.

Large-flowered hybrid tea roses and floribunda,

cluster-flowered, miniature and standard and modern

shrub roses can be pruned this month. However there

is always a chance of a bitterly cold winter so to

avoid taking chances, wait until early March. To

reduce wind buffering, cut back any over long stems

by half. Another shrub that it is worth taking this

precaution with is Buddleia. Cut back any long stems

by a third and then prune back to a framework in

March. In Devon we usually get away with pruning

Buddleia now but as with roses you take a chance!

November might give you one last opportunity to cut

the lawn but only do this if the weather is kind and

dry. Set the mower to its winter height. There will be

plenty of leaves to collect this month and they make

excellent compost if just stored in a black bin bag for

about a year. Make a few little perforations in the

side of the bag and leave it alone. Splendid! Nature

will do all the work for you and produce a very

friable dark compost.

In the veg. garden, plan ahead with your rotation and

leave a good layer of well composted manure or

garden compost ready on the site of next year’s

potato bed. There is no need to dig this in until next

year as the worms and the frost will play a part in

breaking down the soil and the worms will work the

compost into the ground. My over-wintering onions

are planted now but if you are still keen to plant some

it’s not too late as long as you get them in soon. Next

year’s main onion bed is also having a layer of

compost and will be planted with sets in early

February, weather permitting. The other rotation plot

will contain the beans and peas, so again more

compost. Peas and beans are collectively called

Legumes and they all respond well to rich soil. This

can be garden compost or manure. The only plot that

must be compost free is the root plot. Rich soil

encourages forking and too much top growth and not

enough root, so be mean! You can roughly dig this

plot over and the frost will do a good job at breaking

up the soil.

Whatever jobs you chose to tackle, Neville, don’t

leave it too long before you get started. Very good

advice and I must try and follow it!!

Happy Gardening.

Lorraine Colebrook

Nature Notes

We are now in the last third of autumn. There are

plenty of fungi around and fieldfare and redwing

should have arrived here to take a share of nature’s

bounty.

Fungi are notoriously difficult to identify but the

unmistakable Shaggy ink cap or Lawyer’s wig has

popped up in our garden again this year. It can be

found on lawns, on roadsides and recently disturbed

ground. As it matures so the flesh on the cap breaks

up to look scaly and untidy and the rim of the cap

begins to liquefy and turn black and this is where it


22

gets its name. Another fungus to appear on our hedge

very close to oak and fir trees is Penny Bun, also

known as Cep. When it newly appears its cap looks

like it has been dusted with flour which gradually

disappears as the cap expands. In Ashclyst forest

with TARTS we saw many fungi including parasol

mushrooms, small puff-balls and Russula species.

I recently dipped into two books, The Countryman

Gardening Book 1973 which contains articles of an

older age. The other book is A Pocket Book of

British Butterflies and Moths and other Winged

Insects first published in 1938. They both mention

the Humble Bee, which I have never heard before

and I suspect is due to my age. Charles Darwin and

others around his time would have called them

humble bees, so named due to their humming sound

in flight. During the early 1900s the name gradually

started to change to bumble bee in recognition of

their clumsy flight on little wings compared to body

size and shape, bumbling around from flower to

flower. In the first great 20th century book on the life

cycle of the bee by Frederick Sladen published

in1912 he refers to them as humble. By 1959 when

the next great book on the subject was written by

John Free and Colin Butler the name had changed to

bumble for ever.

At Broadlands there are two Indian Bean trees

Catalpa bignonioides which at their flowering time

in July attracted so many bumble bees and many

were found to have died and lay beneath the trees.

Apart from fertilized female bumble bees, the rest of

the colony will die by the time cold weather sets in.

Male bumble bees die much earlier, after mating and

not being allowed back into the colony and I think

these may be the bees found dead beneath the Indian

Bean trees. This species of tree is recommended by

the British Beekeepers Association as useful to bees.

It not only provides pollen but also secretes nectar

from its leaves which is most unusual. This tree is a

native of the south eastern United States of America

originating mainly from Mississippi and Alabama

and a small area of Georgia and Florida. Its Native

American name is Catawba and is still referred by

this name in some areas of the United States. The

main native tribes from this area were the Chickasaw,

Choctaw, Creek and Natchez. Native Indians used

leaves and bark of the tree to make medicines.

The weather has remained fairly mild and we have

enjoyed some warm, sunny and calm days this

October. A walk down the garden has been met by

tremendous humming coming from the canopy of our

Eucalyptus niphophila (Snow Gum) which is in

flower. This is another tree recommended by the

British Beekeepers Association. It is apparently a

slow growing species, more so than E gunnii, the

eucalyptus commonly grown. We planted our snow

gum in March 1991 and it had already been cut back

by Martin Ivall several years ago and has grown that

much again. It does not seem slow growing to me. I

used binoculars to see what insects were up there and

spotted honey and other bees, small tortoiseshell and

red admiral butterflies and even a dragonfly hawking

among the foliage. I wish a bee could label a jar with

a list of all the plants it visited to make up the honey,

it would be astonishing.

Further down the garden I wandered, peering into the

hedge and trees as I went that I didn’t notice

something furry until it thumped in disgust at my

intrusion. I chuckled to myself as wild bunny

scampered up into and along the top of the hedge.

Walking back up through our fruit trees I picked up a

small fluffy sparrowhawk feather, a good days nature

spotting.

There must be plenty of wild food for birds at present

because there is very little activity at our bird feeders.

Even hedgehog has not been seen since my last

report. On one of the sunny days there was comical

activity in the bird bath though, when a great deal of

splashing caught my attention. Sparrows were taking

a dip but then I saw a male blackcap in it, body

stretched nearly horizontal, bill thrust towards

sparrow and robin perched on the rim. As is his way,

he takes an aggressive stance to whosoever dare

muscle in on his bathtime.

Many thanks to Tony Vooght who gave me details of

the bees and their association with the Indian Bean

trees.

Jenny Garne, 01392 860875

[email protected]

The Day That Brought Devils of The Worlds Closer…

It is Thursday morning, September 26th. The deadline

for my commissioned article on Autumn (a Sunday

paper customer, not Neville) has been extended until

early today following negotiations with Eileen. I

knew she was in charge because Neville, esteemed

editor, was gallivanting with Jane in France. Or so

we were led to believe.



23

Article finished, I began to email it to Eileen at

focuson Thorverton.Com or whatever it is. Ah. An

email from Neville. Strange.

Dear Reader (s) I opened it. This is what I read, with

rising concern. I reproduce it as it was written.

From: Neville Lane

<[email protected]>

To: janeristic <[email protected]>

Sent: Thursday, 26 September 2013, 7:13

Subject: Sad Trip....Neville Lane

I'm writing this with tears in my eyes, my family and I

came down here to Manila, Philippines for a short

vacation.unfortunately,we were mugged at the park

of the hotel where we stayed,all cash and credit card

were stolen off us but luckily for us we still have our

passports with us.

We've been to the Embassy and the Police here but

they're not helping issues at all and our flight leaves

in few hours from now but we're having problems

settling the hotel bills and the hotel manager won't

let us leave until we settle the bills. Well I really need

your financially assistance..Please, let me know if

you can help us out?

Am freaked out at the moment!!

Neville Lane

Yes, there are so many obvious clues (could he have

been drowning his sorrows in the hotel bar?) but you

must remember that my mind was on my overdue

deadline. I replied immediately, without thinking,

because I am a cyber innocent. Then I read it again

and a sense of unreality crept in so I rang Eileen.

Peter had done the same as me and also opened it. I

dropped the article round on a memory stick and

found Eileen deep in conversation with technical help

trying to limit any possible damage. As she said,

“Can you imagine Neville with tears in his eyes?”

Within the hour the village was alive with the news.

The Post Office was aware, (yet another gentleman

had been in to ask about it), Tim Colebrook, Richard

Lane, Rob Purvis - who knows who else.

Following lengthy consultation I was assured that I

could not compromise my computer merely by

opening an email as long as it had no attachment. So

I opened the reply.

Jane,

Glad you replied back to my email...All I need is

just £1,690 and you can have it wired to me via

Western Union. Here's my info below:

Receiver's Name: Neville Lane

Receivers Location: 141 Salcedo St, Legazpi Village

Makati, Metro Manila 1229 Philippine.

As soon as it is done, kindly get back to me with the

confirmation number. Let me know when if you are

heading to the WU outlet now???

Neville Lane.

I did not reply but turned to Rob to ask what to do.

After all, who would not open email from such a

trusted source? Are there any clues I did not pick up?

Should I change my password (I did anyway but is

there any point)? Not only that but did they know that

Neville was on holiday? How did they do it? Rob?

(Rob here) Sadly, this is a common scam. It all starts

with someone first finding an email address, and then

correctly guessing the password for the account. The

email address is included in every edition of Focus,

and since we have editions on a website, then that

email address is easy to find. Another way to find

email addresses is for some other email account to

have been compromised, and that account's contacts

list is then available to the scammer. In the case of

this attempted scam, I suspect that one of the Focus

contact's has a compromised email account.

The second step, namely guessing the password, was

in this case rather easy because the password for the

Focus email address was very easy to guess – and I

hope that in future it will be more difficult, because

we don't want this happening again.

Once the account has been taken over, the scammer

immediately changes the password so the original

owners cannot log in again. Then the account's

contacts list is used to send out the scam emails as

shown above.

Since anyone receiving one of these email thinks it

comes from the original owner of the account

(because the name and email address are as

expected), then human kindness can take over, and a

reply is sent. This reply is picked up by the scammer

and the process continues, next asking for money to

be sent to a “wire” account. Apparently such

accounts (normally Western Union, as in this case)

are easy to set up anonymously.

In some ways it is fortunate that this has occurred as

it has given us the opportunity to inform readers of

Focus about these scams, and how to detect them.

The wording of the emails is not always the same,

but they are similar. I showed this to my son, who

had a similar email apparently from someone he

knew well. He didn't send money, but did waste some


24

on phone calls to the British Consulate in Italy to see

if there was any way they could help.

Read the text of the email again, and notice the

spelling and punctuation mistakes, and language that

Neville would not use. Beware of similar emails in

future. Just press the Delete key on them.

Jane Ristic and Rob Purvis

Further advice on email scams The recent loss of the Focus email account has

prompted me to write a bit more about computer

security, in particular, how to recognise a "Technical

support" scam. You may have already encountered

one of these, and hopefully you haven't fallen for the

attempt to get you to pay for the so-called support on

offer.

The scam normally starts with an unsolicited phone

call from someone claiming to be from "Microsoft

support" - be aware thought, Apple users, there is

now Mac-related equivalent scam being employed.

The caller says something along the lines of them

having become aware of a problem with your

computer (sounds feasible - a "problem" could be

anything really), and could the caller please connect

to your computer, or have you run something on the

computer to confirm the error message.

What they then ask you to do is nothing that will

reveal problems. It will probably be to get you to

display some low-level system messages that look

unintelligible to you, and are therefore scary. The

caller will say these messages prove your computer is

infected with a virus, but they can sell you a solution

that can immediately be applied.

If you fall for this, then you will either allow the

caller access to your computer to install some

software, or you will download some software which

you install yourself. Either way - the caller or you

have probably just infected your computer with a

virus that wasn't on there before.

PLEASE - don't fall for these scams.

This (http://blog.malwarebytes.org/tech-support-

scams/ ) is a very good page describing, in greater

detail, what I have written above. Take some time

and read it. Become more computer literate so that if

you get one of these out-of-the-blue phone calls, you

will know it to be nonsense, and just put the phone

down.

Rob Purvis

Poetry (2) In last month’s Focus I missed a line out of Doreen’s

poem (very sorry, Doreen), so reprint it below:

Beards

So many lately to be seen,

That requested I have been,

To put into verse, "The beard"

(Unpopularity not to be feared;)

For while a hundred men might wear them

Another hundred cannot bear them.

And many ladies that I know,

Would surely hesitate to bestow

A kiss, upon a bristled face,

In fact might feel it a disgrace

And think the grower of such hair,

Couldn't make the time to spare

A few minutes every day,

To shave unsightly hair away.

When I was a youthful seventeen

No young men this age were seen

With half their faces hairy;

(In fact we thought beards scary!)

Now men in their middle ages,

Swiftly seem to turn life's pages

And look older by some twenty years,

With greying beards from chin to ears,

While smart young men in other ways

Will grow a beard for college craze;

Yet often hide a handsome face.

With these words I plead my case,

Reduce the beards - be smooth, look clean

And among the smartest you'll be seen.

Doreen Beer

PS To those who feel my words offend,

Supply your verse - the beard defend,

There are two sides to every story,

So if you're bearded, flaunt its glory!

One person has taken up Doreen’s challenge and I

print her rhyme in support of beards on the next page

- Ed.


25

On the Benefits of Beards

Some question the value of men’s facial hair,

Proposing, perhaps, that it shouldn’t be there,

But, dare I suggest that beards have their places,

Even upon the most handsome of faces?

So please find below in two or three samples

How well-whiskered men may lead by example:-

Leonardo da Vinci, clean-shaven when young,

Believed he would probably get much more done

If he could but make longer the hours of each day,

And, in radical mode, threw his razors away.

Thus freed from the daily palaver and trouble

Of trimming his side-burns and clipping his stubble,

He threw himself into his work with great zeal,

Including anatomy, down to the heel,

And painted and pondered and wrote copious notes

On all sorts of subjects from warfare to boats,

Inventing a flying machine and a bike,

(Of which no-one living had yet seen the like)

All this he completed, purely by saving

The time that he’d previously spent upon shaving!

A friend knew a man whose beard was so old

It was found to contain a rare species of mould

And declared, after tests on its likely appliance,

To be of great interest to medical science.

After months of experiments - mainly on mice,

Who’d been brought up entirely on basmati rice,

It produced, in the lab, a new antibiotic,

(Along with some bath oils and perfume exotic)

A success in the on-going fight against germs,

(It destroyed also head-lice and quite a few worms)

It would not have been found if, just on a whim,

That man had decided his beard to trim!

A committee of experts, advising the nation,

On flora and fauna and land conservation,

Had thought for so long how to make more effective

Their bio-diversity scores, by directive,

That spiders had taken to spinning their silk,

On top of the rule book, and things of that ilk.

After months of debating each gentleman wore

Luxuriant whiskers, right down to the floor!

Then the beard of the Chairman was found to enfold,

Three great-crested newts and a natterjack toad!

Four orchids, a dormouse, a butterfly rare,

Ten glow-worms, a hedgehog, the form of a hare,

And then was discovered - a joy to relate,

A great horseshoe bat and his amorous mate!

The beard was referred for complete preservation

(In line with the usual strict regulation)

And a man from the ministry said, with a cry,

“I shall have to declare it a Triple SI!*

As you know, you can’t ditch it, or hedge it or trim,

Or remove from your beard any item within!”

The committee ecstatic – its work was now done,

(Although for the Chairman it wasn’t much fun)

I relate this to show you how lack of a razor

Can even our wildlife and countryside favour.

Just one other instance of how chins hirsute

May have the advantage –it’s not in dispute -

We all know that now we must tighten our belts

And keep ourselves warm with more scarves, gloves

and felts,

For the PM advises we must insulate

And suggests, (from his offices warmed by the state)

That we put on more jumpers or otherwise toil

To pay for price rises in gas and in oil.

Now given the properties thermal of hair,

It is clear that additional layers may fare

Quite well in the battle to keep out the cold

And thus I suggest - if I may be so bold -

That men have the option of warming their chests

With an extra-thick beard on top of their vests.

(And just one more point – no need to be chary –

Some ladies quite simply prefer their men hairy!)

Jane Lane

*Site of Special Scientific Interest


26

Memorial Hall

Plans and drawings by Mike Baldwin that were on show at the recent public meeting concerning the developments

planned by the Hall Committee. The project proposal will be submitted to the planning authority shortly. The

Committee is grateful to Mike for all his help in drawing up these plans.

1. Overall Plan

2. The Elevations


27

3. Interior with rafters exposed

Christmas Craft Evening

Christmas Craft Evening

Friday 6 December 2013

Due to its success last year, we are holding this year’s craft evening in the Memorial Hall for more space. Come

along and create a festive wreath or table decoration and have a glass of mulled wine. Bring your own holly, ivy,

other foliage – candles and oasis are available to buy on the night.

This year we are delighted to also be offering a Christmas shopping experience, as we welcome Divine of Chagford

(jewellery, scarves and accessories), Neal’s Yard, Usborne Books and a number of other quality local craft

suppliers selling products such as handmade door stops, cushions, children’s bags and other great gifts. So come

along and be creative, and stock up with some great Christmas presents all under one roof! Wreath making

instruction from the talented Elspeth Holmes starts at 8pm and doors open at 7.30 pm for some shopping. In

addition to mulled wine, the bar will also be open during the evening for further refreshments.

Tickets cost £5 (to include a glass of mulled wine) and are available from pre-school. Email

[email protected] or ring 861707 or see a member of the committee for more details or to order

tickets. Proceeds go to Thorverton Pre-school (registered charity 1033176).



28

Thorverton Parish Information AIR AMBULANCE EMERGENCY - QUOTE NATIONAL GRID REFERENCE RECREATION GROUND - Sheet 192 SS 923019 MEMORIAL HALL FIELD - Sheet 192 SS 926019 Carers' Support Group Anne Higman, Wyndham House Surgery, Silverton. 860034. Meetings - 3rd Wednesday of month, Wyndham House, 2.30-4.30 p.m. Church (C of E) The Revd. Douglas Dettmer, The Rectory, Thorverton. 860332 The Revd. Sue Sheppard, Associate Minister, Autumn Haze, Rewe, 01392 841284 The Revd Julia Dallen Assistant Curate Tel 01392 861145 Email: [email protected] Mrs Margaret Lowe, Administration Manager, 07594 714590 [email protected] Church Wardens Edwin Greed, Fortescue, Netherexe. 841231. Consort Mary Thomas, 1 The Glebe, Thorverton. 860730. P.C.C. Treasurer Jean Brown, Rydal Cottage, Bullen Street. 861176. Friends of Thorverton Parish Church Trust Royston Kershaw 25 The Glebe 860419 Church (Baptist) The Revd. Maurice Harrison, 01884 258599. Secretary Phyllis Langdon, 860932. County Councillor Margaret Squires District Councillor Cllr. Mr. R. M. Deed. 01392 861258. Doctors: Thorverton/Silverton Dr Jon Wride & Lynne Anderson / Drs O'Brien, Ziegler & Keysell Electricity (Western Power) Report a loss of power: 0800 365 900 Bill Enquiries: 0800 365 000 Street lights 0870 556 1851 Friends of Thorverton & Silverton Surgeries Christine Walker, 881501 Gas Emergency 0800 111999 Leonard Trust Chairman: R Hughes. Secretary: Mrs. E Hughes, 3 Dinham Mews, Exeter EX4 4EF Library (Exeter Mobile) Alternate Thursdays , 16.05 to 16.55 in Quarry Car Park Member of Parliament Mel Stride By writing:Mel Stride MP House of Commons London SW1A 0AA

By phone:02072197037 By email:[email protected] Newspaper Reporter Jane Ristic, 53 Silver Street, Thorverton. 860054 Parish Council Chairman Cllr. Stuart Crang, Parish Clerk Mrs Jane Lane, Stable House, 2 The Glebe, Thorverton. 861062. Parish Council Meetings 2nd Tuesday of month, at The Memorial Hall, 7.30 pm. Parish Allotments Contact the Parish Clerk - 861062 Parish Council Notice Board Situated in School Lane, opposite the Thorverton Arms. IMPORTANT!- PLANNING APPLICATION NOTICES ARE DISPLAYED HERE Planning notification applications at http://data.gov.uk/apps/planningalerts alert via email when a planning application is published in one’s street, neighbourhood or wider area.

Pension Service PO Box 93, Plymouth PL6 5WJ. 0845 60 60 265

Police Non-emergency number: 101. Post Office Portacabin (TCT Ltd) Quarry Car Park, Thorverton EX5 5NG Tel: 860455 Mon. to Fri : 9 am-1.00 pm., 2 - 5.30 pm. Sat: 9 am.-12 noon Sun: 9 - 10.30 am for newspapers only Business Manager: Jan Hamilton 07764461575 Chair and Company Secretary: Heather Kershaw, 25 The Glebe, 860419 Public Telephone Kiosk Opposite the Church, outside the Bell Inn, Dinneford St. Thorverton C of E Primary School (Part of the Exe Valley Federation)

Executive Headteacher Mrs Heather Perry 01392 250821 Head of Teaching and Learning (Thorverton) Mr Olly White 01392 860374 School Governors:

Chair: Bryony Gilbert 01392 851360 Vice Chair: Sarah Crawford 01392 860295 Clerk: Jessica Benger 07795 515048

School P.T.F.A. Chair: Katie Vanstone 860978, Secretary: Hannah James, 86107 Treasurer: Carole Pearn South West Water 24 Hour Emergency: 0800 169 1144. Helpline: 0800 169 1133. Thorverton Millennium Green Trust Chair: Dame Margaret Turner-Warwick, Pynes House, Silver Street 861173. Secretary: Lin Balkwill 860663


http://data.gov.uk/apps/planningalerts


29

Thorverton Organisations Amateur Dramatic Society (TADS)

Chairperson: Colin Marshall, Vice Chair: Simon Ette, Treasurer: John White, Secretary: Alison Marshall. For meetings and events contact Colin Marshall on 01392 861228

Art Group Barrie Phillips, Crossmead, School Lane, Thorverton. 860529 Meet Fridays during term-time at the Memorial Hall, 9.30 am-12.00. Arts Exchange Becky Stannard, 7 The Glebe, 860737.

Monthly meetings in members' homes at 8.00 pm. Association Football Club Chairman: Andy Harris, 01392 851664, Secretary: David Gregory, 2 The Orchard, Brampford Speke, 841803. Bridge Circle Graeme Culshaw, 3 The Glebe, Thorverton 860203. Meets 1st/3rd/5th Thursdays at the W.I. Hut from 7.00 p.m.. Brownies Contact Hannah 07925 981786 or Lisa 860609,

Meet Fridays during term-time, 5-6.30pm Thorverton School Hall. Clarinet Group Contact Peter Mason 860727. Meets every Thursday morning. Cricket Club Chair: Charles Kislingbury, Secretary: M C Denford, 14 Moorlands, Tiverton EX16 6UF 01884 255076 Fixture Sec: J Meredith, 190 Mincinglake Rd, Exeter EX4 7DS 01392 272504 Focus Magazine Chair: Michael Ayre, Ratcliffe Farm, Thorverton. Editor: Neville Lane, 2 The Glebe, Thorverton. 861062. Secretary: Geoff Bulley, Broadlands, Thorverton. Treasurer: Bob Swaffield, Schiehallion, School Lane, Thorverton 01392 860309 Friends of Silverton & Thorverton Surgeries Coffee Mornings in the Lamb Inn, Silverton. Held at 10-12 noon on the last Thursday of every month except December Golf Society Players of Thorverton Care of Exeter Inn, 01392 860206 Guides Contact Lisa 860609, Meet Wednesdays during term-time, 7-9pm Memorial Hall History Society Chair: Barrie Phillips, Crossmead, School Lane, Thorverton. 860529 Programme Secretary: Beryl Coe, 5 The Glebe, Thorverton 860876. Ladies Group Meet 2nd Thursday of month, (Venue and time - see Focus Notices). Memorial Hall Committee Chair: Mike Shelton, Tel: 861027, [email protected]

Treasurer/key holder/bookings: Jeff Grace. tel. 860489. [email protected] Secretary: Roger Fieldhouse. tel. 860768. [email protected]

Memorial Hall Market 2nd Saturday of the month, at the Memorial Hall, 9.30 - 11.00 am. Thorverton Pre-School Rachel Mildon (Chair) - 861707 / [email protected] Mon 9.am-11.45am, & 12.45pm-3.15pm & Lunch Club 11.45am-12.45pm, Tues/Weds 9.am-11.45am & Lunch Club 11.45am-12.45pm, Thurs 9.-11.45am; 12.45pm- 3.15pm & Lunch Club 11.45am-12.45pm. during term-time, At Thorverton Primary School site Thorverton Ambling, Rambling and Tramping Society (TARTS)

Caroline Prince 07749 775304 or Graeme Culshaw 860203 See notices of walks in Old Post Office Window Bullen Street.

Toddler Group Contact : Wendy Coles 861283 Wednesdays at the Memorial Hall, 9.30 a.m.-11.30. Rainbows Contact Jean 860105 or Penny 861136, Meet Tuesdays 3.45-4.45 Thorverton School Hall Royal British Legion Chairman/Hon.Sec. P Furneaux, Hillcrest, Thorverton 860227,

[email protected] Hon. Treasurer: Alex Fice Women's Institute Secretary and Bookings: Sue Maguire 01392 860631 W.I. Meeting. 1st Tuesday of the month at the W.I. Hut, 7.30 pm. Whist, 4th Tuesday of the month, at the W.I. Hut, 7.30 pm. W.I. Market & Coffee 4th Saturday of the month at the W.I. Hut. 10.00 am. to 11.00 am.







30

Doctors’ Surgeries

The Exe Valley Practice

Dr JON WRIDE and Dr LYNNE ANDERSON

The Surgery, The Berry The Surgery, 3 Coach Road

THORVERTON EX5 5NT SILVERTON EX5 4JL

Tel: 01392 860273 01392 860176

Fax: 01392 860654 01392 861598

www.exevalleypractice.co.uk

[email protected]

Opening times

GP on duty Thorverton Silverton

Monday Dr Anderson 08:30 – 18:00 08:45 – 12:30

Tuesday Dr Anderson 07:30 – 18:00 Closed

Wednesday Dr Anderson am Dr Wride pm

08:30 – 17:00 14:30 – 18:00

Thursday Dr Wride 08:30 – 19:30 Closed

Friday Dr Wride 08:30 – 18:00 08:45 – 12:30

Surgery times

Thorverton Silverton

Monday 15:00 – 17:15 09:00 – 11:45

Tuesday 07:30 – 11:30 15:00 – 17:00

Closed

Wednesday 09:00 – 11:00 15:00 – 17:45

Thursday 09:00 – 11:15 16:00 – 19:00

Closed

Friday 15:00 – 17:30 09:00 – 11:30

There are no surgeries on Saturday or Sunday, but a doctor will be on call for emergencies only on 0845 6710 270

REPEAT PRESCRIPTIONS (Monday to Friday) – You can request your repeat prescriptions by calling our

dispensary on 01392 861622, or by using our online repeat prescription request www.exevalleypractice.co.uk.

Please note that 48 hours notice is required for all repeat prescriptions.

We accept credit\debit card payments for prescriptions

We now operate a home delivery service for housebound registered patients. Please contact us on 01392 860273 for

more information.

http://www.exevalleypractice.co.uk/


http://www.exevalleypractice.co.uk/


31


32

Waste Collection Dates for 2013

Generally on Mondays unless stated

a) Recycling and brown bins b) General refuse

Nov 4th and 18

th Nov 11

th and 25

th

Dec 2nd

, 16th and 31

st (Tuesday) Dec 9

th and 23rd

Mobile Library

Thursdays, fortnightly, from 16.05 - 16.50 in the Quarry Car Park by Thorverton Post Office.

November 7th and 21

st

December 5th and 19

th

Flag Flying days in November Sunday 10

th Remembrance Day (2

nd Sunday in November)

Thursday 14th Birthday of Prince of Wales

Wednesday 20th Her Majesty’s Wedding Day

Saturday 30th St Andrew’s Day

Bus Services Turner's Tours / Carmel Coaches (bus 678) Mon-Fri. 10.09 from The Berry and the Baptist Chapel.

Return 13.35 from Exeter bus station, Stand 5.

Stagecoach (service 55B) Mon-Sat (except Bank Holidays)

To Tiverton: 07.55, 10.10, 12.10, 14.10, 16.10, 17.29 (this is the 155 service; on Saturdays it is the 55B and runs at

17.10), 18.10 from The Berry and Broadlands.

Return from Tiverton Bus Station: 07.40, 08.35, 10.45, 12.45, 14.45, 15.55 (Mondays to Fridays term-time only),

16.45, 17.45.

To Exeter: 08.05, 09.00, 11.10, 13.10, 15.10, 16.20 (Mondays to Fridays term-time only), 17.10, 18.10 from The

Berry and Broadlands.

Return from Exeter Bus Station: 07.30, 09.45, 11.45, 13.45, 15.45, 17.05 (this is the 155 service; on Saturdays it is

the 55B and runs at 16.45), 17.45.

Stagecoach 55 service runs pretty much every half-hour in each direction along the Exeter-Tiverton road, stopping

at the Thorverton turn (the Ruffwell). Please consult Stagecoach 55 Group timetable for details of this service.

Stagecoach free service to the Co-Op, Broadclyst, from Broadlands on Tuesdays 9.20am.

Stagecoach offers a variety of concessions for regular commuters, shoppers, children, students and jobseekers as

well as one-day unlimited-use Explorer tickets. Further details from Stagecoach: 01392 427711 or 01803 664500 or

www.stagecoachbus.com or www.devon.gov.uk/devonbus.

Devonbus Timetable Information: call Traveline 0871 200 2233 Timetables available at the Post Office


33

Diary 2013

Please notify FOCUS Editor of additions or changes.

(Email: [email protected] or phone Neville Lane on 861062)

NOVEMBER

Sat 2nd

TARTS walk, meet opposite parish church, 9.30am (see page 19 for dates of other walks)

Sun 3rd

Charity Quiz Night, Thorverton Arms, 7.00 for 7.30pm

Tues 5th WI visit to Quicke’s Cheeses, Newton St Cyres, 11am, lunch in Crediton

Community Choir, 6- 7pm at The Exeter Inn (and every Tuesday at the same time)

Bingo, Memorial Hall, 7.30pm

Sat 9th Saturday Market, Memorial Hall, 9.30-11.15am

Tues 19th Travelling Trends Fashion Show, WI Hut, 7.30pm

Wed 20th TCT AGM, WI Hut, 7.45pm

Fri 22nd

History Society, Shackleton’s Amazing Antarctic Adventure by John Dike, WI Hut, 7.30pm

Sat 23rd

WI Christmas Coffee Morning and Market, WI Hut, 10-11.30am

Sat 23th Exeter Male Voice Choir – Concert, Parish Church, 7.30pm

Sun 24th Taize Service, Parish Church, 5pm

Sat 30th Holly Ball, Memorial Hall, 8pm

DECEMBER

Tues 3rd

WI Christmas Flower Decoration Workshop and Christmas Tea, WI Hut, 2pm

Christmas Bingo, Memorial Hall, 7.30pm

Fri 6th Christmas Craft Evening, 7.30pm

Sat 7th Coffee Morning in aid of Exe Valley Practice, WI Hut, 10.00-12noon.

Sat 21st WI Coffee Morning and Market, WI Hut, 10-11am

JANUARY 2014

Fri 24th History Society AGM and speaker (to be announced), WI Hut, 7.30pm

Documents

November 2013 Vol. 44 No.10 40pNov 11, 2013 · Chinese Lanterns The issues about Chinese lanterns has been well documented in both the national press and the farming press. We would