Village Hall
· The February Coffee Morning and 100+Club draw marked a restoration of the fortunes of this monthly fund raising gamble. The demand for tickets for this year was such that it has been necessary to increase the shares and rename the club the100+Club. The three prizes have accordingly increased and are now £40, £15 and £5.
· February?s lucky winners were 1. Becky Huxtable, 2. Julie Robson and 3. Phyllis Packard.
· The profit from the coffee morning for hall funds was £34.80.
· The next coffee morning and 100+Club draw will be on Saturday 4 March.
· The committee would like to thank all those who helped make the Saint Valentines Dance a success, especially those who gave donations, raffle prizes and delicious desserts. Everyone that attended thoroughly enjoyed the music, food and ambience of the evening, which raised £89.78 for hall funds.
· In the recent past there have been suggestions that the village would benefit from a social club that could meet periodically in the hall. The advent of the 2003 Licensing Act, which places no limit on the number of licensed events held in the hall, makes this a more a feasible possibility. In order to sound out the views of those interested, and to gather suggestions, you are invited to join the committee on Wednesday 8 March at 7.30pm in the hall for a coffee and a chat prior to the monthly meeting.
· There will be a Village Hall Quiz Night on Friday 24 March. And, of course, there will be a licensed bar and a raffle. To book a table, costing £18.00 for a team of six including wine and cheese, contact either Anita on 603212/553 or John on 603394.
· The procedure for booking the hall has been formalised. The hall caretaker, Joan Brent, on receiving an enquiry for hire of the hall will send or hand out a copy of the rules of hire and a contract proforma. After acceptance of the rules and completion of the contract the booking will be accepted on payment of a non-returnable deposit. When hall bookings include a licensed bar facility a small additional charge will be made.
· The committee has agreed a modified version of an earlier plan for alterations to the hall and an architect will be engaged to take on the project.
Parish Council
· There have been recent incidents of dog fouling outside school on the pavements along the Exeter Road and Green Lane; there is legislation in place that permits parish councils to prosecute owners that do not clear up after their dogs.
· In the interests of hygiene, please refrain from putting black plastic refuse sacks out earlier than the evening before the day of planned collection. There have been incidents of refuse sacks being attacked by rats.
· The annual budget and precept for 2006-2007 will be displayed on the notice board within a few days.
· Green Wheelie Bin collections will be made every two weeks from 7 March.
· Change to Local Bus Services. Information has been received from Devon County Council that starting on March 19 Route 315 will no longer go to Bow or to North Tawton but will follow the route as below:
Exeter ? Crediton ? Copplestone - Morchard Road ? Winkleigh - Great Torrrington - Barnstasple
Full details of the changes are available at the bus shelter.
· The Village Green Association is concerned that a large hole made in the village green hedge could lead to an accident. It appears to be an attempt to make another entrance/exit to the play park end of the green just outside the protective barrier. Destruction of a part of the hedge, an old and attractive feature of the village, cannot be condoned and in addition its position is such that children using this route are ejected onto Green Lane and possibly into the path of vehicles coming round the blind bend. A warning to children not to break through the hedge, by parents and older siblings, could save and accident and possible injury.
School News
· On Friday 17 March school will be hosting a fashion show promoting the new spring and summer range from the Edinburgh Woollen Mill. More details will be available later. Everyone is welcome to attend.
· On Friday 31 March there will be an Easter Bingo for all the family. It will be a fun-packed evening held at school and with a chance of winning an Easter egg.
Church News
Women?s World Day of Prayer. A service will be held at 2.15pm on Friday 3 March in the Methodist Church. The speaker will be Mrs Catherine Wagstaff from Okehampton and the service is prepared by Christian Women of South Africa. Please support this worldwide event, which will be followed by tea and biscuits.
Beaford Short Mat Bowls Club
The club is urgently in need of new players. Except for a few modifications the game is an indoor version of the outdoor game. You don?t have to be super fit to enjoy the competitiveness of the game; bad weather never stops play and you?re never too old or too young to take part. If you are interested or need more information please call Allan Miles on 603268.
Twinning Association
The Dolton and District Twinning Association will again be holding the famous French luncheon starting at 12.30 pm on Sunday 12 March at the Clinton Hall, Merton. The price for adults will be £10.00 for the four-course lunch and coffee, £4 for children of school age. Reservation is essential. Please book as soon as possible to avoid disappointment, by telephoning Phillip Jordan on 603143.
Beaford Arts Doorstep Green Project
Work on the field has now started in earnest and it is hoped that the construction of the nodes and garden elements will be completed by the end of March. One of the next major tasks is planting the orchard and to make this into a community event we are asking for help with planting the trees; the school are hoping that a number of the children and their parents will come along for these planting sessions. Everyone is welcome to join in, bringing a spade and fork, any of the following tree planting sessions between 4.00 and 5.30pm on Friday 3rd March, Monday 6th March, Thursday 9th March and Friday 10th March. There will be some refreshments so you won't go thirsty or hungry.
Spring Is Not Far Away
A quiet walk in the country is always rewarding and the long dry, cold spell we have had encourages activity and during as walk we notice that nature is on its annual move. Most of us walk with a dog, or two, perhaps if the dogs were left behind on the odd occasion the walk would be more rewarding and more chance for observation.
Snowdrops come first and are a grand display in sheltered woods and gardens. In the Halsdon Reserve there is a sight of snowdrops down by the river before the seat. Daffodils will not be long they seem to grow each day, what a taster of spring their yellow suggests. Birds are busy chasing each other and singing away. They can?t be thinking of nesting already!
The local Halston and Dolton group, independent of the Devon Wild Life Trust are embarking on a project, still in its planning stage, but well on its way, to construct a Bird Hide close to the bank of the river Torridge. It is hoped that this Hide will not only provide a quiet place to spot birds, but also a lookout for mammals and other Wild Life. You won?t see a whale, but perhaps a Chinese crab. And the Otters are still there!
While admitting that Global warming is obviously responsible for the early spring and odd weather there is little we can do about it.
Use the car less and walk more will definitely help the climate and our bodies.
Allan Berry, Strawberry Hill
Neighbourhood Watch
The village suffered from a visit by thieves between Wednesday pm 1 February and Thursday am 2 February. Chaplands Farm and a total of five vehicles, four on the Exeter Road and one in Marshalls Mead, were broken into and property stolen.
The role of the Neighbourhood Watch is of paramount importance in preventing crime by the vigilance of all in the Watch?s area and individual attention to security.
A list of NHW wardens and their areas of responsibility is displayed on the parish council notice board. If you need to security mark property or would like to receive police messaging, by telephone or email, contact your warden or the Watch co-ordinator.
Police Constable Tony Hagan is our Beat Manager and through his regular visits to the community, day and night, and close liaison with the Watch he is aware of local situations. A Police Message Box is situated at the bus shelter, in which information or requests for help may be posted. It is acceptable to leave anonymous messages but in any case total anonymity is guaranteed. Contact may be made with Torrington Police Station by telephoning
08705777444.
James Neville, Neighbourhood Watch Co-ordinator
Mayfest
To celebrate the opening of the Doorstep Green and as part of Beaford Arts' 40th anniversary year, Beaford Arts presents Mayfest - a whole day of music, dance, theatre and activity.
As the Village Hall car park will be given over to stalls for crafts and food all visiting cars will park in Mr Nancekivell's field at the end of Rye Park and this parking area will be stewarded. Beaford Arts is applying to close the short stretch of road between the Merton turn-off (Mill Lane) and the village hall car park. If this were not granted, we would ask local residents to drive carefully on this stretch of road.
The afternoon between 12.00 - 4.30 pm will feature a concert by Pauline Cato (Northumbrian pipes) and Tom McConville (fiddle and vocals); music from KZ Zydeco; an outdoor performance of the 3 Little Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf by Blue Moon Theatre; storytelling from Don Newton; music workshops in Samba and Ghanaian drumming and Indian band music; dance workshops in Zydeco, Ghanaian and Morris dancing; a visit by Winkleigh Morris; kite-making and mask-making; and cream teas. These performances will either take place in the Church, the Beaford Centre or the Village Hall. There will be a closing parade of music at 4.30pm finishing in the car park.
The evening concert will be staged at the bottom of the field and features a stunning array of international talent with music from KZ Zydeco; Ehekye (from Ghana); Maire Ni Chathasaigh and Chris Newman (award-winning Celtic harp and guitar); Moishe's Bagel (klezmer band from Edinburgh) and the Jaipur Kava Brass Band from Rajahstan (a 10-piece musical combination of dance music, a fakir with astonishing feats of strength and a dancer). There will be a bar in the village hall, which will run from 5.30 -10.30 pm.
To avoid overcrowding the village and car park, there will be a limit on numbers of ticket sales.
In next month's Bugle, you'll have the chance to enter a draw for 5 FREE tickets for the whole day - open only to Beaford residents.
If you have a contribution you wish to make to the Bugle, whether it is information concerning an event, a personal message, or maybe a literary contribution please don?t hesitate, call me.
James Neville, Belle Vue, Tel 108, e-mail nev_dev@btinternet.com