Community News Release
Issue 29 July 2007
Welcome to the twenty-ninth edition of the Dartmoor National Park Authority’s Community News, helping to keep you up to date with the latest issues, developments and work on the ground within the National Park.
If you edit or contribute to any community newsletter/magazine please feel free to use any of the information contained in this News Release. All issues of Community News can be accessed on the Dartmoor National Park Authority web site at www.dartmoor-npa.gov.uk (click on In the News).
Dartmoor National Park Authority Meetings
Agendas for full Dartmoor National Park Authority meetings and Development Control Committee meetings are available on the Authority's web site. These Agendas are placed on the Authority's web site 7 days in advance of the meetings.
If you have any suggestions for items you would like included in future issues, or if you wish to contribute an item, please contact Mike Nendick, Communications Officer, Dartmoor National Park Authority Tel:(01626) 832093.
This issue of Community News contains articles on:
•Heritage Open Days on Dartmoor 6 – 9 September 2007
•National Parks - Britain’s breathing spaces
•National Parks – facts and figures
•Dartmoor’s Wealth of Wildlife
•Marking the markers of the Directorate of Convict Prisons
•Climate Change at the High Moorland Visitor Centre, Princetown
•Exhibitions at the High Moorland Visitor Centre 2007-2008
•Tenth anniversary of passenger trains returning to Okehampton
This issue of Community News also contains:
•News from the Dartmoor Sustainable Development Fund
Since its launch in 1995, the Restoring Ancient Woodlands Project has provided advice, management grants and practical help to woodland owners within the Dartmoor National Park. Wildlife and archaeology assessments have been carried out, management plans written and grants applied for on behalf of landowners. Invasive rhododendron has been cleared to make way for native shrubs and ground flora, and new woodland has been created to link and expand the remaining fragments of ancient woodland. All of this has been done through close co-operation between project partners the Dartmoor National Park Authority, Forestry Commission, Natural England and the Woodland Trust.
But what exactly is ancient woodland, and why is it so special?
The widely accepted definition is land that has been continuously wooded since at least the year 1600. This date was chosen because it is the earliest date for which there are reasonable map records. It also pre-dates a period of tree planting and woodland creation stimulated by the publication of John Evelyn’s book Sylva in 1664.
Ancient woodland does not necessarily contain old trees. Many generations of trees and shrubs will have been felled or coppiced since 1600, but it still counts as ancient woodland provided that the coppice stumps have re-grown or the stand has been re-planted soon after cutting. However, if in the last 400 years the land was open at some stage as grassland, heath or moor, or it was cultivated, then the site is NOT regarded as ancient woodland (although it may now have considerable value for wildlife or landscape).
There are two types of ancient woodland. Ancient semi-natural woodland is composed mainly of site-native trees and shrubs. The trees most characteristic of Dartmoor’s ancient semi-natural woodlands are the oaks (two native species), and ash. Some of Dartmoor’s finest ancient semi-natural woodlands contain small-leaved lime or wild service – trees seldom found in other habitats and therefore strong indicators of ancient woodland.
Plantations on ancient woodland sites (PAWS) are areas of ancient woodland which have been felled and re-planted with non-native trees, usually conifers or sweet chestnut. Old or veteran trees, coppice stools and fragments of native woodland ground flora may remain amongst the plantation. One of the main objectives of the Dartmoor Ancient Woodlands Project is to work with the plantation owners to identify these remnants and initiate woodland management to secure and enhance these features.
Detective work
Natural England holds an inventory of ancient woodlands greater than 2 hectares (5 acres) in size for England. This inventory was originally prepared as a desktop exercise using old maps, historical documents, and clues such as place names reflecting a woodland origin, geographic position on steep slopes and valley sides unsuitable for agriculture, or irregular woodland boundaries which do not fit with later enclosure patterns.
Inevitably considerable judgement is needed when deciding whether or not a wood is ancient. The inventory can only ever be regarded as ‘provisional’.
Physical features on the ground are often more informative – for example the presence of particularly large coppice stools or large old trees, well developed boundary banks and ditches, or the presence of ancient woodland indicator species.
The project is fortunate that all the inventory woodland on Dartmoor was surveyed in the late 1990s. Errors and omissions are still coming to light as the Ancient Woodlands Project works with landowners. Powerful computer mapping software, digitised maps and historic air photographs are all being used by the project in order to piece together the history of a wood – and that is before even visiting the site itself! Maps dating back to 1575 (Saxton’s map of Devon) can be viewed on-line via the Devon Local Studies Library web site.
In a future edition of Community News we will look at why ancient woodland is so important and what is being done to protect and enhance the landscape, wildlife and archaeology of these beautiful Dartmoor woodlands. If you wish to find out more about ancient woodland and how the Dartmoor Ancient Woodlands Project could help woodland owners in your local community then please contact the project officer, Richard Knott, on (01626) 832093 or e-mail rknott@dartmoor-npa.gov.uk.
Heritage Open Days on Dartmoor 6 – 9 September 2007
‘Heritage Open Days’ is now a well established annual event co-ordinated by the Civic Trust and English Heritage. It aims to give people the opportunity to visit and enjoy England’s wonderfully diverse architectural and cultural heritage. Thousands of events take place across the country and give people a chance to visit sites and buildings which are not usually open to the public or that normally charge admission, and all for free!
Dartmoor National Park Authority will once again be arranging a number of special events to help bring aspects of Dartmoor’s special cultural heritage to a wider audience. During 2007 throughout the Authority, particular focus is being placed upon the issues of climate change and its impact on Dartmoor. This theme will also be the focus of the Authority’s Heritage Open Days 2007 – linking today’s issues with our shared past.
So come and learn about climate change and its impact on Dartmoor’s population and landscape in the past, both prehistory and medieval times. Visits will include Merrivale and Hound Tor which have experienced the impacts of climate change over very long periods of time. Find out how Dartmoor’s early residents had to adapt, and how sometimes radical solutions were needed. Can an understanding of the past help inform us for to-days challenges?
See sustainable construction practices and materials as used in the past (and present) at Higher Uppacott, the nationally important grade I listed medieval longhouse; including perhaps the oldest form of roof covering surviving on the Moor. View ‘recycling’ as undertaken in the past. Consider the carbon foot print of Dartmoor folk now and 50 years or more ago and hear people’s memories of sustainable (and perhaps not so sustainable) life in the first half of 20th century as captured by the Authority’s “Moor Memories” oral archive.
Renewable energy schemes and sustainable management of resources are also ably demonstrated in Dartmoor’s past at many sites. We will focus on Powder Mills near Princetown to look at the renewable energy practiced there.
Full details of the programme of these events will be available in August on the Civic Trust web site www.heritageopendays (external link, opens new window) and on the Authority’s web site www.dartmoor-npa.gov.uk as well as in national and local media. Remember to keep this weekend free.
Dartmoor National Park Authority has just produced a new leaflet entitled Listed Buildings on Dartmoor which gives information about a very special group of protected buildings and structures in the National Park, and the significant contribution they make to our cultural heritage.
Whilst many people have heard the phrase ‘listed building’ very few of us fully appreciates what it means to own a property with legal protection. It is hoped the information included in the leaflet will give a broader understanding of the pleasures and responsibilities which come with owning or carrying out work to such a building. It emphasises the importance of discussing with the local planning authority any proposal for change to the exterior and interior of a listed building which may affect its character and appearance, and obtaining consent before starting any works.
If you are interested to know more then please visit www.dartmoor-npa.gov.uk, www.english-heritage.org.uk (external link, opens new window) or www.spab.org.uk (external link, opens new window) (the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings).
The popular Dartmoor Freewheeler bike bus service is running again this year. The free service started on Sunday 8 April (on the Newton Abbot to Mardon Down route) and will continue to run every Sunday until 30 September 2007.
Leaflet packs are available from the High Moorland Visitor Centre, Princetown, or can be downloaded from the Dartmoor National Park Authority website www.dartmoor-npa.gov.uk click on visiting/cycling.
The Dartmoor Freewheeler will continue to operate the same four routes on a rota basis:
1st Sunday of each month-Saltram to Princetown
2nd Sunday of each month-Newton Abbot to Mardon Down
3rd Sunday of each month-Plymouth to Okehampton
4th Sunday of each month-Buckfastleigh to Postbridge
Where there is a fifth Sunday in the month, an extra Saltram to Princetown route will be run.
As the bike trailer can only hold a maximum of 12 bikes, booking is advisable through the High Moorland Visitor Centre, 01822 890414.
National Parks - Britain’s breathing spaces
The UK’s National Park Authorities are urging everyone, especially young people and families to get out into the countryside and join in the fun of National Parks Week 2007.
National Parks Week, 30 July to 5 August 2007, is a celebration of the UK’s 14 National Parks. It aims to remind people that these wonderful stretches of countryside exist. National Parks are large areas of land in England, Wales and Scotland, many designated since 1949 to protect beautiful areas for the benefit of the nation. They contain the finest landscapes in the UK and are an important part of the nation's heritage, available for everyone to enjoy free of charge and safeguarded for future generations.
National Parks are also vital to rural economies, as nationally important recreational areas that attract approximately 150 million visitors a year.
A whole range of events are being held in the 14 National Parks (Brecon Beacons, The Broads, Cairngorms, Dartmoor, Exmoor, Lake District, Loch Lomond and The Trossachs, New Forest, Northumberland, North York Moors, Peak District, Pembrokeshire Coast, Snowdonia, Yorkshire Dales) and there’s something for everyone.
A full list of events for National Parks Week and for the rest of the year can be found by visiting: www.nationalparks.gov.uk (external link, opens new window). To find out what’s going on in Dartmoor National Park visit www.dartmoor-npa.gov.uk and click on Events and Guided Walks.
National Parks – facts and figures
The modern concept of ‘national parks’ is widely attributed to the United States due to the establishment in 1872 of Yellowstone National Park, with the aim of preserving a pristine wilderness, and excluding development activities in the park or intensive use of its resources.
The UK’s National Parks were established in 1949 with the passing of an Act of Parliament by a Labour government, in a move described by Lewis Silkin, the Minister of Town and Country Planning of the time, as ‘the most exciting Act of the post-war Parliament.’ The nation was to have National Parks, and their purposes were to preserve and enhance natural beauty and to provide recreational opportunities for the public.
There are 14 National Parks in the United Kingdom – 3 in Wales, 9 in England, 2 in Scotland. They are: Brecon Beacons, Dartmoor, Exmoor, Lake District, Northumberland, North York Moors, Peak District, Pembrokeshire Coast, Snowdonia, Yorkshire Dales, the Broads, Loch Lomond & The Trossachs, the Cairngorms, and the New Forest (a relatively new addition to the family being designated in 2005).
National Parks cover 7% of the land area of England, with the three Welsh National Parks covering 20% of the land area in Wales. The two Scottish National Parks cover 7.3% of the country’s land area.
According to the World Conservation Union IUCN, our National Parks are part of a global family of more than 6,000 similarly protected areas, which cover an area of approximately 1 million square kilometres. Amazingly, protected areas worldwide cover over 12% of the Earth’s surface.
If you want to know the best places and best times of the year to see Dartmoor’s wildlife, pick up copies of the Wealth of Wildlife seasonal leaflets for spring, summer, Autumn and Winter from the High Moorland Visitor Centre, Princetown, or any of the other Information Centres at Haytor, Newbridge and Postbridge.
Alternatively, you can download copies from the Dartmoor National Park Authority website www.dartmoor-npa.gov.uk (click on Looking After/ Wealth of Wildlife).
Marking the markers of the Directorate of Convict Prisons
A further group of marker stones, the bound stones to Dartmoor Prison, have just been micro chipped. The bounds to the Prisoner of War Prison originally covered an area of 158 hectares (390 acres). In 1867 the newly formed Convict Prison extended its bounds by a further 405 hectares (1,000 acres) and the whole area was then marked by a series of bound stones inscribed with DCP (Directorate of Convict Prisons) and an upwards pointing arrow.
The bound stones numbered 21 and there was originally a legal requirement to annually perambulate the marker stones to ensure that they were still in place. Ron Joy, a member of the prison staff and prison historian used to carry this out. He was accompanied by the Governor of the Prison. The perambulation took a day to complete and Ron always tried to choose a sunny day for the event. It is now many years since a perambulation was carried out.
With the help of a copy of a plan of the original bounds, kindly lent by Ron Joy, over half of the bound stones have been rediscovered. Some now lie under modern tarmac, or are concealed in years of vegetation growth. Others are situated on the open Moor, but those which have been rediscovered, standing near the roadside, are now microchipped to deter theft.
April saw the start of the third season of this successful project which involves repairing damaged cairns in the Ugborough Moor area. This year, with the assistance of volunteers from the Dartmoor Preservation Association, the Authority hopes to survey and repair five cairns on Glasscombe Ball and Three Barrows. The latter site presents a particular challenge as the cairns are amongst the largest on the Moor, with the biggest measuring an impressive 28 metres in diameter. The site is reached after a one hour uphill walk. All three cairns have been badly disturbed over the years, from antiquarian excavation, stone quarrying and visitor disturbance.
Only modern areas of damage will be repaired. This is ascertained by referring to past monitoring reports and site descriptions, as well as from visible clues, such as the ‘freshness’ of the exposed stone and the growth of lichens.
Climate Change at the High Moorland Visitor Centre, Princetown
The exhibition Climate Change: I can change the future is now on display at the High Moorland Visitor Centre, Princetown and online at www.dartmoor-npa.gov.uk. The exhibition will be at the High Moorland Visitor Centre until 10 October 2007 and will then be on tour, visiting nine other venues around the south west of England in 2008.
Change Your World, an interactive game, Change Your World Activity Funtime booklet and a large Change Your World wooden jigsaw have been developed by the National Park Authority for children, to help raise awareness of climate change issues and are part of the exhibition. The High Morland Visitor Centre is open daily, 10 am – 5 pm. Admission to the exhibition is free. The exhibition is supported by grant funding from Defra’s Climate Challenge Fund. Princetown is accessible by public transport. For timetable enquiries please telephone Traveline on 0871 200 22 33 or visit www.traveline.org.uk (external link, opens new window).
Exhibitions at the High Moorland Visitor Centre 2007-2008
•Sean Hellman and Lucy Lepchani 12 October – 5 December 2007.
A celebration of trees and woodlands– with original photographic images and design in wood by Ashburton based Sean Hellman, and poetry by Lucy Lepchani.
•Andrew Cooper 7 December 2007 – 16 January 2008.
An exhibition of the work of distinguished and influential television producer, writer, broadcaster, presenter and international award winning wildlife film-maker.
•Lucy Evans 18 January 2008 – 2 March 2008.
An exhibition of Dartmoor landscape paintings by south west based artist.
Princetown can be reached by bus from Plymouth, Exeter, Tavistock, Yelverton and Newton Abbot. For further information on public transport telephone Traveline on 0871 200 22 33 or visit www.traveline.org.uk (external link, opens new window).
Tenth anniversary of passenger trains returning to Okehampton
One of the West Country’s most notable ‘green tourism’ schemes – the Sunday Rover rail-link between Exeter and Okehampton – has recently marked the tenth anniversary of passenger trains returning to Okehampton.
During the last decade, the Summer Sunday service has carried well over 80,000 passengers up to Okehampton station, high up on Dartmoor, and has become an important and popular link for walkers and cyclists, as well as for local people who use the service to go on and return from holidays.
Once at Okehampton, visitors have gone on to explore Dartmoor’s delights either on foot or by bike on the Granite way to Lydford and beyond on National Cycle Route 27, or via linking bus services to the Tamar Valley, whilst others have enjoyed a steam train ride onto Meldon quarry station to see the historic viaduct or just to explore the town.
Sponsored by Devon County Council since 1997 and now operated by Dartmoor Railway in conjunction with First Great Western, the Sunday Rover rail link has been crucial in not only reducing car journeys by bringing thousands of visitors to Dartmoor, but also establishing the embryonic Dartmoor Railway as a growing tourist attraction.
The Dartmoor Railway and Okehampton station are a small, surviving part of the old Southern Railway route to Plymouth and North Cornwall that was largely closed down in the 1960s as part of the Beeching Axe of rural railways, and is now known as the ‘Withered Arm’ by railway enthusiasts.
In its heyday, Okehampton once boasted regular rail services to Plymouth & Tavistock; Holsworthy & Bude; Torrington, Bideford & Barnstaple; Launceston, Wadebridge & Padstow.
These towns and many other West Country communities were left isolated when the ‘Withered Arm’ closed, leaving only the 15-mile freight link from Meldon quarry to Exeter.
But resurrection came in 1997 via a strong local partnership scheme initiated and led by Devon County Council. This not only saw the restoration of Okehampton Station to its former glory and created a new youth hostel at the station, but also created a cycle and footpath route alongside the track-bed and established regular rail and bus links to and from the station.
Now jointly supported and part-funded by Devon County Council, Dartmoor National Park Authority, West Devon Borough and Okehampton Town Councils, national cycle charity Sustrans, Meldon quarry owners Aggregate Industries and ECT (which runs the Dartmoor Railway), the line is now hoping to become one of the Government’s Community Rail partnership lines.
Next year the Dartmoor Railway is hoping to expand its passenger services to and from Okehampton via a new station at Yeoford, near Crediton, which will link with the Tarka line trains running from Exeter to Barnstaple.
Okehampton station has become something of a Mecca for cyclists and walkers over the last ten years with bike hire facilities and a range of interesting walks from the station, as well as an excellent station buffet and well equipped model railway and book shop.
Other station buildings at Okehampton have also been restored recently thanks to the Devon Renaissance Fund, and the Dartmoor Railway has built new stations at Meldon Quarry and Sampford Courtenay in the last five years which are already served by steam and diesel trains.
News from the Dartmoor Sustainable Development Fund
A new face for the Dartmoor Sustainable Development Fund
Holly Tiffen has been appointed Sustainable Development Officer for Dartmoor National Park Authority. This role is twofold; to manage the Sustainable Development Fund, an annual pot of £300,000 that is allocated to innovative projects that help to improve the quality of life for residents of Dartmoor, in terms of environmental, economic, social and cultural benefits and secondly to guide the Authority in lowering the ecological footprint of its own operations.
Sustainable development as a concept emerged in the 1970s. Then in 1987, the UN-sponsored Brundtland Commission released Our Common Future, a report that captured widespread concerns about the environment and poverty in many parts of the world. The Brundtland report said that economic development cannot stop, but it must change course to fit within the planet's ecological limits. It also popularised the term sustainable development, which it defined as development that meets present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
Environmental issues have moved on apace since then and many of the issues that the green movement felt were falling on deaf ears suddenly are being heartily embraced by society as a whole. This makes for exciting times and it is important to run with the momentum. The UK government has set a precedent by producing a series of legally binding targets for reducing carbon dioxide emissions - including a 60% reduction by 2050 and a 26 to 32% reduction by 2020. The media have grasped the nettle and climate change is rarely out of the news. The shift that needs to take place now is in the recognition that it is down to each and every one of us as individuals, no matter how big our influence, to do our bit and live within the means of our environment. It is not a case of waiting until government legislates, or industry stops producing environmentally unsound materials, or supermarkets stop producing packaging. We are all responsible and can all make a difference, however small, together we wield immense power. That is the vision for Sustainable Development.
The Dartmoor Sustainable Development Fund is open to individuals, businesses and community groups, in the public, private and voluntary sectors. It supports projects that:
•demonstrate environmental, social and economic sustainability;
•promote conservation and understanding of the National Park;
•explore 'models' or 'best practice' for sustainable living through innovative ideas;
•create new partnerships that have no access to alternative public funding;
•involve local communities;
•involve action by young people;
•encourage links with urban groups and visitors.
The Dartmoor Sustainable Development Fund has supported a range of projects; from micro hydro-electric schemes, school recycling and composting facilities, manufacture and distribution of biodiesel, a car pool scheme, a prototype wind turbine, local food projects and envionmental art projects. If you have a project that you think meets the sustainable development criteria Holly would like to hear from you. Please telephone or email to discuss your idea and ensure that it is appropriate to the fund. Once you have met the requirements of this initial informal assessment you should fill in an electronic application form. The process is very much a working partnership between the fund and the applicant and Holly is here to offer assistance and advice thoughout. Please contact her on (01626) 831067 or email htiffen@dartmoor-npa.gov.uk to discuss your project.
The last Sustainable Developmnet Fund Panel Meeting was held on 18 May 2007. The table below summarises the panel decisions for applications received during the previous 2 months.
| Project | Total Value of Project | Grant Requested | Decision |
|
Bovey Climate Action Group Dartmoor Climate Change Circle: A meeting for local climate change groups to share best practice and examine the potential for working together. |
£835 | £210 | Approved by delegated authority. |
|
The Bridford Trust Rowden Valley Wood: Acquisition of an area of wet Dartmoor woodland to be developed for public access and provide interpretation and educational facilities. |
£11,750 | £1,950 | Approved by delegated authority. |
|
DWT Bovey Tracey Local Group: To host a French conservation group exchange visit on Dartmoor.
|
£620 | £310 | Rejected: No value as a sustainable Development Project. |
|
The Barn Owl Trust: To enhance the population of Barn Owls in West Devon.
|
.£9,027 | £5,000 | Rejected: Purely a conservation project. |
|
Tavistock Museum Charitable Trust: Preparation of survey drawings for the expansion of Tavistock museum into the former librarian’s cottage.
|
£1,900 | .£1,000 | Rejected: No value as a sustainable Development Project, also outside the National Park boundary. |
|
Chagford Action for Sustainable Energy Bulk solar hot water installations 16 installations in Chagford will act as a best practice guide to future bulk purchasing schemes and for individual installations. The pilot will examine planning and design and examine the long term gains/losses. |
£89,430 | £18,500 | Approved in full. |
|
Aune Head Arts Focus on Farmers: Art and Hill Farming: Seeking additional DSDF funding to make up a shortfall in funding towards this publication.
|
£18,230 | £1,980 | Approved in full. |
|
Dartmoor Pony Heritage Trust Dartmoor Pony Preservation Scheme: Seeking funding for a further 3 years to add value to the heritage breed.
|
£97,650 | £37,500 |
Approved in full: £12,500 will be awarded annually over 3 years, on evidence of identified milestones achieved.
|
|
Embercombe Young Leader Project: A programme for 16-25 year old homeless people and young adults on a gap year, to develop life and leadership skills. They will spend a week aboard a boat in the Western Isles of Scotland and time on a Dartmoor based challenge, followed by regular community based consolidation sessions to sustain the skills learning process.
|
£41,010 | £10,905 | Approved in full. |
|
Chris Chapman The Story of Dartmoor: A DVD depicting the story of Dartmoor, from its origins through to the present day. The DVD will explore geology, archaeology, ecology, farming and other land use issues through to the beginning of the 20th century.
|
£53,043 | £20,259 |
Approved: £15,000 granted on the condition that a % of income (after all costs have been covered) be returned to the fund.
|
|
Proper Job Cardboard recycling for businesses: This project will add a self financing element to Proper Job’s reuse and recycling projects by providing a closed loop local cardboard collection and recycling service to businesses where there is currently no collection offered. The cardboard will be shredded and sold locally for animal bedding. |
£32,040 | £15,770 | Approved in full. |
This section is included in issues of Community News. It will be available for community groups to request help, raise awareness of successful projects and joint initiatives etc from other groups/parish councils over the moor, such as successful sources of funding, requests/offers of loans of equipment, joint purchasing to benefit from bulk buying etc. Contact Joanna Rumble, Senior Planning Officer (Community), Dartmoor National Park Authority on (01626) 832093.
This issue contains information on:
•Training and equipment grants for wood and forest businesses
•Schools Environmental Project launch
•Guide to Sources of Support for Small Voluntary & Community Organisations in Devon
•Interpretation Boards at former RAF Harrowbeer Airfield, Yelverton
•South Brent Pre-school Play Barn open 21 July 2007
Dancing with a broom on a 15 inch square board on top of a hay wagon – you cannot be serious! But yes, we are. These are two of the traditional competitions which will be held at the Dartmoor Folk Festival, at South Zeal near Okehampton, from 10 -12 August 2007.
The Dartmoor Broom Dance, as the title suggests, is dancing with a broom, or rather over a broom. A workshop, for all ages, will be held at the folk festival during the morning of August 11. During the afternoon, the competition to find the 2007 champion is for primary school-aged children only.
The Dartmoor Step Dance competition is one of the main traditions associated with the festival. Anyone can take part and similarly, a workshop is held during the morning of 11 August that teaches people the basic steps and the order in which they need to be danced. By the end of the workshop, most people are able to enter the competition if they wish. The finalists are judged by experienced Dartmoor Step Dancers who select both a junior and senior champion. Those who wish to take part are advised to wear a shoe with a hard sole because this will make a louder and clearer sound on the board. Better still, shoes with toe and heel steel tips.
There will be plenty of other opportunities to take part in dancing, or just sit and watch dancing at the festival.
On the Friday evening there will be a ceilidh and bop with band Jiggerypipery in the festival marquee.
On the Saturday evening, hosting a ceilidh, will be the Dartmoor Pixie Band, which has had a long association with the festival.
The festival was started by the late Bob Cann, founder of the Dartmoor Pixie Band which, today, includes his grandson, Mark Bazeley. Bob Cann received the British Empire Medal for his service to folk music. This year the festival will be celebrating its 30th anniversary. A special exhibition will be staged and a DVD of the history of the event will be shown. There will be dance workshops on the Sunday and many dance and morris teams will be giving demonstrations. Teams will also be dancing in nearby Okehampton and other locations.
An impressive line-up of artists will be appearing at the festival this year.
The national and local artists include The Yetties, The Demon Barber Roadshow, The Witches of Elswick, Alison McMorland and Geordie McIntyre, Merrion Row, Pete Coe, Mary Humphries and Anahata, Ticklish Allsorts, The Orchard family, Paul Wilson and Marilyn Tucker, and Gwilym Davies. Other guests include Tony Beard, the Wag from Widecombe, Dave Wills, and several morris and dance teams. Highlights include song and music sessions, a Dartmoor Fayre, craft displays, a music hall, Sunday ramble on Dartmoor, folk service and children’s events.
The Dartmoor Folk Festival is regarded as one of the top events in the folk calendar in the UK.
Camping will be available in fields close to the main festival site at the village playing fields. Events will also take place in the nearby village hall, pubs, Church House, St Mary’s Church, and other venues.
For the latest information, visit www.dartmoorfolkfestival.co.uk (external link, opens new window).
Training and equipment grants for wood and forest businesses
A reminder to all woodland businesses in the South Devon, Tamar Valley and Dartmoor area that the Woodworks grant is still available. So, if you are thinking of starting up a new business or taking on a new employee get in touch now.
Woodworks is joint managed by the Silvanus Trust and Working the Woods, and is funded by the SW Woodland Renaissance Partnership. The grant can provide up to £375 towards the costs of employing a new employee, up to £180 towards the costs of equipment and expenses for a new employee, a £50/ week wage subsidy for 6 months, and help with business planning for those businesses with no current plan.
For more information please contact Jacqui Orange at Working the Woods on 01579 351316, email jorange@tamarvalley.org.uk or Will Frost at the Silvanus Trust on 01579 372100, email will.frost@silvanus.cornwall.ac.uk.
Applications need to be in during August 2007.
Westcountry Energy Action, Create, BRE and DfES launch Schools Environmental Project
Westcountry Energy Action is heading up an exciting new project aiming to work with schools in Devon to help them reduce their carbon footprint, conserve water, and raise awareness amongst pupils about climate change and resource conservation in general. Nominations for schools who would like to participate are currently being taken, so if you know of a school that would like to be involved, please get in touch with Tony Merrick, Training Officer for Westcountry Energy Action, on (01752) 235180 or email tony@wcea.org.uk.
Guide to Sources of Support for Small Voluntary & Community Organisations in Devon
With funding from Devon County Council, the Devon Consortium, as part of the national ChangeUp Initiative have produced a leaflet called A Guide to Sources of Support for Small Voluntary & Community Organisations in Devon. It provides a basic guide to the many sources of help that are available as well as information about the types of support small community groups and organisations might need.
For more information visit www.eci.org.uk (external link, opens new window).
If you would like to order hard copies of the leaflet then please e-mail Kevin Hunter at info@eci.org.uk or phone 01392 205800.
Interpretation Boards at former RAF Harrowbeer Airfield, Yelverton
Earlier in the year, two new interpretation boards on former RAF Harrowbeer were unveiled by Mrs Pam Fendall, the widow of the founder of RAF Harrowbeer Interest Group, and three WWll veterans: Frank Mares DFM, Richard Vavrecka and George Finegan. All three served together at Harrowbeer in 1942.
The unveiling was attended by representatives from schools, parishes, tourist organisations, Dartmoor National Park Authority and by many individuals – all of whom had supported this community project. The occasion was given a military flavour by the attendance of a Flight from 2312 (Tavistock) Squadron Air Training Corps, Officer Commanding Flight Lieutenant Phil Newcombe; and by former Royal Marine bugler, Tony Holder of Princetown.
Visitors to the former site of RAF Harrowbeer at Yelverton on Roborough Down can now view interpretation boards informing them of what they are seeing now and what 60 years ago was there when, between 1941 and 1946, it was an active WWll airfield.
RAF Harrowbeer was built in 1940 and was operational between 1941 and 1946. Flying from Harrowbeer were many types of planes and nationalities – British, Canadians, Americans, French, Czech and Polish – mostly RAF Squadrons but also Fleet Air Arm and US Navy. The airfield existed virtually intact for a long time after the War but the runways and the airfield buildings were demolished eventually in 1961 following the decision that Harrowbeer would not become the ‘new’ Plymouth Airport. Today, visitors will be mostly aware of the airfield’s existence, alongside the A386 at Yelverton, by the taxiways and the aircraft bays that are virtually as they were 60 years ago.
Thanks to Lottery ‘Awards for All’, West Devon Borough Council Community Fund, Dartmoor National Park Authority, Buckland Monachorum Parish Council, WestDen Community Chest and individuals, enough funds were raised by the RAF Harrowbeer Interest Group to provide interpretation boards at key locations around the former WWll aerodrome.
The interpretation boards have been installed at ‘the Rock’ and Leg O’ Mutton, (close to the RAF Harrowbeer Memorial Stone that was erected in 1981).
South Brent Pre-school Play Barn open 21 July 2007
South Brent Pre-school are pleased to announce the opening of their new play barn at the Old School Centre, Totnes Road, South Brent.
The play barn is the culmination of a community building project that has lasted over 11 months and involved the joint effort of approximately 50 volunteers. Contributors have ranged from local businesses providing significant expertise and materials, to parents of pre-school children assisting with the labouring.
The play barn was born out of the necessity to replace the roof of an old storage shed on site. South Brent Pre-school saw this as an opportunity to tap into the significant reservoir of community spirit within the village, and harness voluntary power for the benefit of local children.
Out of an old stone shed has been created a new, clean and safe learning environment, fully in keeping with the Victorian buildings of the Old School Centre. It will be used for structured play involving water, sand and other materials, as well as providing a space for when weather is bad.
Sustainability has been a clear theme throughout this project: the recycling of an old building, using local traders and volunteer labour, to provide a valuable new resource for the benefit of the people of South Brent for many years to come.
For further information please contact David Green on (01364) 73659.
Dartmoor is home to small traditional farms and other businesses, many of which sell their goods direct to you, the customer. So rather than joining the queue at the supermarket, buy local, support local producers and the future of Dartmoor.
As you are travelling around keep a look out for farms selling their own produce direct form the farm. Choose those shops, pubs and restaurants that offer the best of quality local produce and if in doubt don’t be afraid to ask.
Local produce markets are also great fun to go along to. They only sell produce from a defined local area and the stallholders are the farmers and producers themselves so you can easily find all about what you are buying. A number of markets take place on or around the moor.
Local Produce Markets
Bovey Tracey, town centre
Saturday morning, fortnightly
Tina Richardson: (01626) 835363
Ivybridge, town centre car park
3rd Saturday of month
Jenny Farmer (01803) 861202
Newton Abbot, town centre
Every Tuesday
Mick Ford: (01626) 215427
markets@teignbridge.gov.uk
Tavistock Farmers' Market Bedford Square
2nd and 4th Saturdays of each month
9.00 am to 1 pm
Teign Valley Farmers’ Market, Community Hall, Christow
Every Wednesday morning
Bryony Falch: 01647 252887
Okehampton
3rd Saturday
Christine Brown: (01363) 83279
www.okehamptondevon.co.uk
Widecombe-in-the-Moor Village Market
The Church House, Widecombe-in-the-Moor, 10 am – 4 pm.
This popular Market brings together a wide variety of local producers and suppliers and is held once a month.
Everything sold at the market has a local link, with a superb selection of hand made furniture, deli goods, plants and herbs, breads and preserves, Widecombe blended leaf tea and ground coffee.
Local Producers Directory
B&M Farming, Lovaton Farm Partnership
Lovaton Farm, South Tawton, Okehampton, Devon, EX20 2RA
Tel: (01647) 231649
Email: lovaton@btopenworld.com
www.traditionallyrearedmeat.co.uk/ (external link, opens new window)
Dexter beef is reared in a traditional manner on land in the countryside stewardship scheme. Home bred & fed, home produced feeds. The Gloucester old spot pigs roam freely in paddocks in the summer and straw yards in the winter to produce mouth-watering pork.
Local shops P.O stores (Spreyton), The Stores (S Zeal), Londis (Exeter rd garage Okehampton), Bridge Stores (Bow, Crediton), Spar (N Tawton). Direct to customers - delivered mail order, £10 postage, free for orders over £70.
Blackaller Honey
Rosemary Cottage, North Bovey, Devon TQ13 8RA
Tel: (01647) 440322
Email:peter@blackaller.fsbusiness.co.uk
http://www.blackaller.co.uk (external link, opens new window)
Honey and Bee products
Farmers’ markets in Crediton, Bovey Tracey, Exeter, Teignmouth + retail outlets.
Bottor Rock Farm
Hennock, Newton Abbot
Tel: (01626) 834247
Bottor Rock potatoes (12.5kg or 25kg). Beef in 1/8 mixed packs ready for freezer. Lamb, half or whole, all jointed and bagged ready for freezer.
All produce collected from farm. Some delivery can be arranged. Beef and lamb £5/kg.
Bramley and Gage
4 Long Meadow, south Brent, TQ10 9YT
Tel: (01364) 73722
Email: edward@bramleyandgage.com
www.bramleyandgage.co.uk (external link, opens new window)
Fruit Liqueurs, sloe and damson gins. All fruit sourced as locally as possible, made in the traditional way with no added flavouring, colouring or preservatives.
Buckfast Abbey, Buckland Abbey, Dartington Cider Press, Riverford Goes to Town, Rosemoor, Knighthayes & other shops in Dartmouth, Modbury, Salcombe and Tavistock.
Browne's Chocolates
Throwleigh, Devon, EX20 2HX
Tel: (0845) 456 0568
Email: sales@brownes.co.uk
www.brownes.co.uk/ (external link,opens new window)
Handmade chocolates.
Independent retailers throughout the region. No retail outlet here.
Buckfast Organic Bakery
Hamlyn house, Mardle Way, Buckfastleigh,
Tel: (01364) 642279
Email: sally@clivespies.co.uk
Vegetarian, organic pies and pasties. Gluten-free savoury pies. Luxury gluten-free cakes. Organic quality flapjacks.
Distribution via refrigerated courier or own refrigerated van.
Colston Farm 'Proper Pork'
Colston Road, Buckfastleigh, TQ11 0LW
Tel: (01364) 643836
Traditional, slowly produced pork & ham from saddleback & Welsh white pigs, living a happy & contented life, slaughtered & butchered locally, free local delivery fresh or frozen.
Free local delivery (personally), no minimum, Buckfastleigh farmers’ market, Ilsington country store, Widecombe Post Office & store, restaurants and pubs in Buckfastleigh area.
Dartmoor Delectables
Whistle Cottage, The Old Station, Horrabridge, PL20 7RQ
Tel: (01822) 854729
Email: sue@goldingcook.com
http://www.dartmoordelectables.com (external link, opens new window)
Handmade preserves (jam, marmalade, chutneys, pickles) made in own Dartmoor kitchen. Locally sourced/grown produce used as much as possible. Reviving interest in unusual and old fashioned recipes e.g. marrow and ginger jam, highdumpsydeary jam.
Tavistock country market and Tavistock farmers’ market as part of a country market co-operative.
Dartmoor Kitchen
Little Ash Farm, Whiddon Down, Okehampton, Devon, EX20 2QG
Tel: (01647) 231130
Email: info@dartmoorkitchen.com
Award winning pies, puddings and tarts using a mix of organic, local and seasonal ingredients. Pies include Devon steak and potato, roast butternut squash and tomato, game or potato, cheese and onion. The choice of puddings includes prune and almond, apple cake and fresh berry cheesecake. Tarts include smoked trout, courgette and sweet pepper, and asparagus and goats cheese.
Deliveries to pubs and specialist food shops twice a week. Direct from farm, 6 days a week. Home deliveries dependant on order/location.
Deer Force 10
c/o Mardlewood House, Higher Coombe, Scorriton, Buckfastleigh
Tel: (01364) 644420
Email: pmarding@hotmail.com
Organic Venison (soil association).
Riverfood farm shop or Rodney Cleave butchers in Ashburton.
Devonshire Farmhouse Ice Cream Ltd
Kittson View, Higher Murchington Farm, Chagford, TQ13 8HJ
Tel: (01647) 433170
Email: dfic@talk21.com
http://www.devonshirefarmhouse.com (external link, opens new window)
Bottled milk, clotted, double, single, whipping cream, luxury dairy ice cream, sorbets, and diabetic ice cream.
Retail, wholesale, home delivery (minimum order £25), mail order clotted cream.
Dunns Dairy
Beacon View Farm, Drewsteignton, Exeter EX6 6PF
Tel: (01647) 231452
Email: dunn_019@fsmail
Milk, Cream, Butter, Eggs.
On-site farm shop open 7am-5 pm Monday to Saturday. Supply various shops, hotels etc throughout Devon. Doorstep deliveries with no minimum order.
Haldon Woods Farm
Sourton Cross, Okehampton, EX20 4HX.
And Binkham, Yelverton, PL20.
Tel: (01822) 854652
Email: trishcarrington@tiscali.co.uk
Home produced and reared beef, lamb, mutton, pork. 15 varieties of sausages, bacon, gammon steaks, lamb and mint sausages and burgers. Eggs (chicken and duck, when available). Discounted barbecue, camper and freezer packs of meats. All meats sold frozen.
Collection from farm and by telephone order, free delivery within 25 miles.
Heaven Scent Herbs
Unit 9, Gidleys Meadow, Christow, Exeter, Devon, EX6 7HR
Tel: (01647) 252847
Email: anne@heavenscenthearbs.co.uk
www.heavenscentherbs.co.uk (external link,opens new window)
Handmade herb and spice mustards
Mail order service available, callers by appointment only.
Hogs Bottom Garden Delights
Unit 5a Westbridge Street, Tavistock, Devon, PL19 HDE
Tel: (01822) 613013
Email: hogsbot@aol.com
www.hogsbot.co.uk (external link, opens new window)
Cordial fruit vinegars, salad dressings, marmalade/chutneys/preserves, assorted cooked pies/quiches, All made from as much local produce as possible. Direct through farmers’ markets. Wholesale to about 50 shops/farm shops/cafés etc. Supply a few local pubs. Will soon be selling online.
Little Ash Farm
Little Ash Farm, Whiddon Down, Okehampton, Devon, EX20 2QG
Tel: (01647) 231130
Email: info@littleashfarm.com
www.littleashfarm.com (external link, opens new window)
Organic Eggs, Salad bags, herbs, vegetables and fruit.
Farm shop, Monday – Saturday 9 am – 5 pm
Moorland Mist
Mitchelcombe Farm, Holne, Newton Abbot, TQ13 7SP
(01364) 631528
Email: clearlydevon@hotmail.com
Dartmoor water, supplied in returnable bottles - 250, 330, 750ml & 1litre glass bottles with still or sparkling water. 1, 5, 13, 15 & 19 litre HDPE bottles, still water for use with coolers and porcelain crocks.
Home delivery, trade sales to farm shops, health shops, pubs, hotels and restaurants (minimum order 4 crates). Contract bottling for 'own label' customers
Richard and Caroline Mann
Great Dunstone, Widecombe, Newton Abbot, TQ13 7TH
Tel: (01364) 621233
Email: greatdunstone@btinternet.com
Beef is sold in mixed 1/8ths or freezer packs consisting of: 2 x 8 oz rump steaks, 2 x 2-3lb topside, 5 x 0.5 kg braising steak, 5 x 0.5 kg mince. Lamb is sold in 1/2s or whole. Beefburgers and sausages also available.
Postal orders nationwide or minimum order of £30 to be delivered within a 30mile radius of Widecombe-in-theMoor.
Sherberton Beef and Lamb
Sherberton Farm, Princetown, Yelverton, PL20 6SF
Tel: (01364) 631276
Email: wood@anton-coaker.co.uk
www.anton-coaker.co.uk (external link,opens new window)
Home reared beef and lamb supplied fresh or frozen. Beef is supplied at one price per kilo and mixed orders are supplied. The meat comes in freezer friendly packs of a sensible weight, but specific weights can be catered for. Lamb is supplied by the half, jointed. Being hill lambs, halves are not huge and thus suit families or couples.
Deliver locally (radius 30 miles) and can collect from farm. Minimum order 5 kilos of mixed cuts.
Well Hung Meat
Tordean Farm, Dean Prior, Buckfastleigh.
Tel: 0845 230 3131
Email: sales@wellhungmeat.com
www.wellhungmeat.com (external link, opens new window)
Award winning (4 soil association food awards in 4 years) beef, lamb, pork, poultry, bacon and sausages by mail order. Monthly meat boxes containing all of the above.
Farm shop, postal/internet, farmers’ markets.
Happy Hogs Ltd
Moorlands Farm Shop, Whiddon Down, Exeter, EX20 2QL
Tel: (01647) 213666
Email: sargent@tinyonline.co.uk
www.moorlandsfarmshop.co.uk (external link, opens new window)
20 types of sausage, dry cured bacon, free range pork, organic beef, lamb and pork, game in season. Moorlands Farm Shop. Exeter, Tavistock and Okehampton farmers’ markets, and via mail order and the internet, free delivery on orders over £100.
Luscombe Organic Drinks
Luscombe Farm, Colston Road, Buckfastleigh, TQ11 0LP
Tel: (08451) 303036
Email: info@luscombe.co.uk
www.luscombe.co.uk (external link, opens new window)
Organic fruit juices and traditional soft drinks including the gold medal award winning 'hot ginger beer'. Riverfood farm shops, Buckfastleigh and Christow farmers’ markets, local health food shops, deli's and garden centres. Mail order available.
Frenchbeer Farm Ltd
Frenchbeer Farm, Chagford, Devon, TQ13 8EX
Tel: (01647) 432427
Traditional free range or barn reared turkeys for Christmas, Aberdeen angus cross beef, reared & finished on Dartmoor, hung for flavour & succulence. Heather lamb, a true delicacy - available late summer/ autumn. Heather mutton - specially produced from our Scottish blackface flock. Farm gate sales - please phone.
Wild Beef
Hillhead Farm, Chagford, Devon, TQ13 8DY
Tel: (01647) 433433
High quality beef from native breeds of cattle. Reared and finished off unimproved grassland, they are killed locally and the meat is hung for at least 3 weeks. Available by home delivery, mail order and produce markets nationally. Mail order, home delivery - no minimum order, free delivery > £15. Crediton farmers’ markets. London markets.
Ullacombe Farm
Ullacombe Farm, Bovey Tracey, Devon, TQ13 9LL
Tel: (01364) 661341
Email: ullacombefarm1@btinternet.com
Homemade bread, cakes, savouries, ready made meals & preserves made in farm kitchen. Organic veg grown in the kitchen garden and polytunnel, free range eggs, plus other local produce, Widecombe Beef, Torbryan Pork, free range Chicken. Farm shop: Mondays: closed, Tues - Fri: 9.30 am - 6 pm, sat: 9.30 am - 5 pm, sun 9.30 am - 4 pm.
Brimpts Farm/Beef Box
Brimpts Farm, Dartmeet, Dartmoor, Devon
Tel: (01364) 631 179
Email: info@brimptsfarm.co.uk
http://www.brimptsfarm.co.uk/ (external link, opens new window)
Beef direct to your door around the country, also available from farm shop, Winners of Devon Life magazine best food producers award 2005, Winners of westcountry farm diversification award 2005 at Royal Bath and West Show. Mail order - £30 minimum. Farm shop open all year - please call for details.
Tor to Tor Meat Delivery Service
Holwell Farm, Widecombe-in-the-Moor, Newton Abbot, Devon TQ13 7TT
Tel: (01647) 221335
Email: meat@holwelldartmoor.co.uk
www.holwelldartmoor.co.uk (external link, opens new window)
Free delivery of Dartmoor’s finest fresh and frozen meat, all reared on moor farms. Pork - free range English saddleback pigs from Widecombe-in-the-Moor, whole or half pigs or choose the following: flavoured sausages, joints, bacon, hams, suckling pigs. Beef - Aberdeen angus cross galloway & south Devon and dexter, bred & fed at Widecombe. Lamb - organic from Holne. Seasonal game - from estates on Dartmoor including venison and pheasant. Fresh farm eggs. Delivers meat and eggs, no minimum order or delivery charge to residents and businesses on Dartmoor and outlying villages. Also attend monthly village market in church house at Widecombe-in-the-Moor.
RJR and SA Ashford
Bowden Farm, Buckfastleigh, Devon,
Tel; (01364) 643955
Organic Beef and Lamb produced from the farm.
Local deliveries, also chilled box scheme. Also supply some local pubs and hotels.
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This page last updated 24 July 2007
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