Worlington W.I. Worlington Bellringers

Table Tennis, Rowing and Worlington Photographic Club

Queen’s Diamond Jubilee

Worlympics

Community Lunches, Website and Worlington Craft Group

Pilates Classes and Retired Greyhound Trust

Contact Information

Farming

Primary School

Toddler Group and Pre-school

Primary School PFTA

Art Trek and Parish Hall

Jazz by the Riverside

West Church and Friends West Church

East Church and Poppy Day Appeal

Church Fete

CONTENTS

Chairman’s Report

I would like to thank all the Parish councillors for their support and hard work during the year.Thanks go also to Sue Squire, the Parish Clerk,

for her hard work in dealing with the constant stream of paperwork which comes her way. A rural Parish such as East Worlington is a consultee on many of the contentious issues which face the countryside; the changes in management of small schools; and the increase in renewable energy. The Parish Council has continued to offer grant support for the churches and chapels, to assist with the task of keeping the grass cut and the graveyards tidy. It has also offered grant support to the Parish Hall, to help with their efforts to find funding to modernise and maintaining this lovely building. We have been pleased to be able to support two young people who conducted a survey of the footpaths in the Parish as part of their Duke of Edinburgh bronze award; and we are pleased to be able to report that East Worlington was runner up in the Best Kept Village competition run by the CPRE. A representative of the CPRE travelled from Asbhurton to award the Parish a handsome shield.

Tim Wall, Chairman, East Worlington Parish Council

District CouncillorSue Croft’s Report

This is my sixth year in office as your District Councillor and it is no secret that these past twelve months have been particularly

challenging. National and therefore local finances dominate every discussion at almost every meeting as

Parish Clerk’s reportSadly, due to ill health Sue Squire is unable to write her report this year. We wish her well and a speedy recovery.

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the Council continues to search for effective ways to reduce costs without further damaging the services it has a duty to provide. The savage overall reduction in central government funding for most areas including North Devon means less financial support for now and the foreseeable future. One good piece of news is that there will be no increase in Council Tax for the 2013/2014. The disappointing 6% lower grant settlement from central Government (£0.374m) – together with a fall in expected income such as car parking charges, has meant there is a sizable gap - £1.3 million – that needs to substantially shrink in order to balance the 2013/14 budget. The much hoped for central government assurance to take action on the imbalance between urban and rural Councils failed to materialise so we are left again with no option but to continue to seek savings right across departments. A main worry is that in order to make the cuts needed to enable public services to continue the money must be found from other areas. But which ones? Some major decisions will need to be taken very soon; the most obvious one is the reduction in Council staff at all levels together with a major reorganisation of departments. Many have applied for voluntary redundancy or early retirement, but we may soon be forced to enter the realms of compulsory redundancies. I understand that 70% of all council expenditure is in staff costs, which is a huge sum – but senior officials consider there are very few other areas where cuts could be made. You would need to look closely at what the council already funds; for example, can the council afford to support more than one theatre? Can the council afford to keep the Leisure Centre open 7 days a week; should they reduce the grass cutting and maintenance of parks and leave it to Parish Councils to take on the responsibility? There are many more questions and most are difficult to answer. We hope to be able to make informed decisions after the Comprehensive Spending Review is published in April. Providing more for less; that’s almost an impossible dream very few believe it could become a reality. North Devon Council is well down the road of developing a close working relationship with other

authorities such as Torridge District Council to share staff, expertise and costs. The intention is that this could likely save space, vehicles, man-power and senior officers. Affordable housing remains in short supply right across North Devon – about half of the national average. The situation is exacerbated by the number of second homes – almost twice the national average. Numbers of houses being built have taken a dive due to the national economic downturn – government changes to housing benefits are also thought to have had a damaging impact on local housing available. In April 2011, the first draft of the North Devon and Torridge Local Plan was issued. This new document which is intended to cover North Devon and its nearest neighbour for the next twenty years aims to ensure that future developments within Northern Devon is properly planned and managed – and has a positive impact on local communities, the economy and the environment. The document is still at first consultation stage with suggestions and comments required by 15th March. The timetable is somewhat optimistic but the first set of suggestions will be considered and fed into a revised version of the plan which will be available mid July for further consultation during the summer. After that, the draft plan and comments received are to be formally submitted to the Secretary of State in about September, who will appoint an Inspector to hold a public exhibition in December/January. His/her report is expected in Spring 2014 with the Plan to be adopted soon after that. Wading through the 290 pages, it seems that much is the same as the previous Plan, but housing and affordable housing is given a good airing. This sets out the proposed future for North Devon and I would urge everyone to have their say. Renewable energy is providing a huge amount of concern as it does not always need planning permission or conservation area consent. The rules governing the installation of solar panels is a minefield; the location, size, height and the area they cover must all be considered and are proving to be a planning nightmare. Wind Farms and single turbines are another cause of controversy with a proliferation of planning application being presented for consideration from neighbouring regions. Although not all of these are

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Bellringers

The Worlingtons are blessed with a ring of Church Bells in both East and West.A group from surrounding villages had been

ringing for several years at West for the Evensong service, as we all ring at our own village towers for Morning service. When the six bells at East Church were rehung and refurbished in 2006 we were asked if we could teach some local ringers. At the present there are four local ringers so more would be welcome.

Worlington WI

As usual the past year has been a busy one for Worlington W.I. Our meetings have had some excellent speakers on various subjects,

such as Mazzards, Coastguards Search and Rescue, Life with Ducks, Wartime Jersey, Foxes and other Wild Life and demonstrations from a Chef and the Body Shop. The competitions, when possible, were chosen to fit in with the theme. It was also our turn to host the Group Meeting and we had a very successful evening with talks from Anita and Hilton Whittle, good refreshments and finishing with entertainment from Rose Channing. W.I. events we attended were the Spring and Autumn Councils Meetings, many of the Food Crafts and Skills Meetings, including the Garden Party and the A.G.M. at The Royal Albert Hall. There was also a special Diamond Jubilee Lunch. The Theatre visit was to the Queen’s Theatre at Barnstaple to see Carousel. Our outing was to Honiton Barton preceded by lunch at the Stag’s Head at Filleigh. We also took part in the Knit-In to help raise funds for the North Devon Hospice and the Village Quiz. At Christmas we had a social afternoon and this year we had our Christmas meal at lunch-time at Bickleigh Mill and it was enjoyed by all. Our meetings are on the 2nd Wednesday of each month at 7pm and we would welcome anyone who is

interested to join us for informative speakers and a good cup of teas.

Winnie Corley

close to the East Worlington area, there is a concern that the turbines across the locality are being viewed in isolation even when several may be erected within a small area. So many people are opposed to the turbines – it is generally thought they represent little local value, benefit very few, disrupt the local landscape and act as a barrier to North Devon’s biggest industry – tourism. East Worlington Primary School, Burrington (Church of England) Primary School, Chulmleigh Primary School, Lapford Primary School and Chulmleigh Community College are no longer solely maintained by Devon County Council. Since they formed an ‘Academy Chain’ they are funded by central government. If you travel into Chulmleigh, you will see that substantial progress has been made on building the new senior school – with real bricks! With most new building arrangements there are highs and lows with many solutions still to be found. However, the recognised standard of excellence in education is spread across all five schools – and the leadership and management of the Chulmleigh Academy Trust are determined to continue their consistent approach to provide the best possible education at all levels. Every one of us is facing a major challenge in the coming months and in the foreseeable future. However, if we continue to work together and help each other, we may at least limit some of the likely damage. It saddens me that there remains a constant battle with some Councillors to convince them that there is life outside Barnstaple, Ilfracombe and South Molton. While these larger towns remain important centres of population and provide many jobs, the rural communities such as those I represent are equally important and it has been a struggle at times to ensure their needs are properly considered. I offer my most grateful thanks to the Parish Council and everyone in East Worlington for their kindness and support. It has often been extremely difficult especially at times of ill health - but I am now much recovered and will continue to do my very best for you all.

Cllr Sue Croft. Chulmleigh Ward

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The photography group continues to meet regularly on the evening of every 3rd Tuesday of every month except in December.

Its membership has gradually increased and it now exceeds what it was when it started despite our having lost some of the original members. The group is very active and produces a lot of work to a very high standard and the programme, set at the beginning of each year, is designed to improve standards. The incentives provided are an annual exhibition (last year in Crediton Library for a month) and a competition judged by a photographer from outside of the group Apart from the regular meetings, our programme for last year included day trips to ‘local’ areas of photographic interest during the warmer months but because we had no summer most of them had to be cancelled. These days out are useful for the development of the less able photographers who can obtain immediate help and advice from the more experienced members. However, the rain caused havoc and we have decided not to include them as a planned item in this years programme but to arrange when to go out based upon the weather forecast. Last year we put together a calendar containing 24 pictures. Each pair of pictures was either of the same scene or a similar event depicting both the oldand the recent. The calendar was very well received and we sold about 60 of them. We would like to offer our thanks to those who bought them because it has put us into a financially more secure state. Despite our increasing numbers we always welcome new members. Come and give us a try irrespective of whether you are a newcomer to photography or are experienced. Contact details are on the Worlington website where you can see examples of our pictures.

Bob Wilks

Table Tennis

Table Tennis takes place in Worlington Parish Hall on the first Friday of the month, between 7.30 and 8.30 pm, and costs just £1 per session.

We are a small, friendly group of all ages, and we play for fun. If you would like to join us, whatever your skill level, just come along and you will be most welcome. For more information, please contact Michael Wall 01769 580265 or Sandy Haughton 01884 860473.

Sandy Haughton

It does not require a musical knowledge, a sense of rhythm and hearing the bells striking is a help, but not a necessity. We practice most Tuesday nights at East Church, ringing from 7.30 to 9.00pm. If you are intrigued and interested do come along.

David Wilford. Chawleigh

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British & Euro Indoor Rowing Championship

Wow! What a different world – lots of fit people from all over Britain and Europe of all shapes and sizes, meeting up to

row 2000 metres in the fastest time possible. My first impression was one of awe, as the noise, activity, mass of rippling muscles, more rowing machines than I’ve ever seen and the realisation that my personal challenge was about to be realised, hit me. Despite the nerves we all performed to our best ability and we each achieved our personal best, but the star amongst us was Hannah Hawkins who came home with a gold medal. So, all I would say, is that we might all feel a bit achy and creaky from time to time but we don’t have to accept that this should stop us achieving something new. For me, the benefits of being out of the comfort zone far outweigh the discomfort. I have made new friends and shared an experience that I would not have believed to be possible 5 months ago. It’s never too late to try something new.

Sue Old

Worlington Celebrated the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in style. A full pro-gramme over four days was organised

with many contributions from many members of the Community. To enter into the community spirit residents were asked to decorate their gates, front doors or driveways with a Jubilee theme, and to add a little challenge this was also a competition for the best decorations. The judging of this was done by the community at the Celebration Toast on the Saturday afternoon. The children who live in our Community were all presented with a Queen’s Diamond Jubilee medal and a Certificate so that they can remember this special event. East Worlington Primary school started the celebration weekend with a ‘street party’ for the children and members of the community on Friday afternoon. This was an exciting event with singing,

dancing and musical performance by the children. Saturday morning was an event organised by popular request, The Worlington Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Big Breakfast. Over 120 people enjoyed a full cooked breakfast in the Parish Hall. Our thanks have to go the Kitchen Crew who

did a brilliant job, preparing, cook-ing and serving. Following the breakfast was a time for a little exercise with many people going on the Worlington’s Queen Diamond Jubilee Community Walk returning to the Parish Hall to Toast the Queen, with

sparkling wine and delicious cake. At the Toast, those present, voted on the best decorated gate, door, driveway and prizes were presented to the three winners. Sunday started with Bell Ringing to welcome people to West Worlington Church for Worling-ton’s Queen Diamond Jubilee Songs of Praise. This was an interesting event as several different residents

Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Celebrations 2012

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Worlympics 2012 being an Olympic year, the now traditional Worlympics was an important event in our community calendar. This event demonstrated our community spirit with well over 40 people in our commu-nity contributing in different ways to the success of the event. Following an opening address by Leila Wall our guest of honour, the Worlympics Torch arrived and so the games were open. There was a full afternoon of races for all ages, including Worlington Mini, Mini, Mini Mara-thon, running races and fun races. Side events included Throwing the Wellie, Tossing the Stook, Splat the Rat, and Wet Sponge Throwing, and burgers, hot dogs and drinks were provided to keep the energy levels high. The incredible determination of all who attended to enjoy themselves was evident when during the afternoon torrential downpours of rain did not see a mass exodus, but seemed to contribute to an extraordinary and enjoyable afternoon.

Steve Baber

of different generations, from young children through

the age range, each spent a few minutes offering reflection on their life in Worling-ton and then the congregation singing their favourite hymns. This was uplifting and set the right tone for the Worlington Jubilee Celebration Picnic which was held in Lawn Meadow field throughout the after-noon. The picnic was opened by Sir Hugh Stucley and during the afternoon there was a competition to create a Queen’s barge, a treasure hunt, a community game of Rounders and the traditional Tug-of-War between East Worlington and West Worlington. The celebration weekend was brought to a close on Monday evening with ‘Lighting the Beacon’ and stories ‘Round the Fire’. The whole Celebration programme was a great success.

Steve Baber

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Our Community Website was launched in August 2011 and was further developed during 2012. The website

has proven to be very popular within the community and further afield. It is always pleasing when there is contact from people

East and West Worlington Community Websitewho are living in other parts of the country, who either were brought up in Worlington and moved away or who have family roots in the community, who have accessed the website. As of January 2013 there had been nearly 6,000 hits on the Home Page with the most popular pages

Community Lunches

In May 2012 the Parish Hall Management Committee organised the first Community Lunch. This was open to all the community and

held in the Parish Hall. The meal was provided by Chulmleigh Academy Trust and everyone agreed the food was excellent. Serving the food and washing up was done by volunteers from our community.

The lunch was so successful it was agreed to organise three lunches a year, coinciding with school terms. The next lunch was held in October 2012 and there will be three lunches during 2013. Details will be advertised in the Parish Magazine, on the Parish Hall Newsletter, in Noticeboards in the community and on our Community Website Noticeboard.

Steve Baber

Worlington Craft Group

Having been running for many years, the group is so well supported. We meet on the first Monday of the month in the comforts of the Old Poor House, which includes a chat and

laughter with tea, coffee and biscuits, kindly provided by Val Widgery. During the year we have learnt free machining, scrap booking, incorporating collage, paperwork, embroidery and photo. Also bunting for the Jubilee. For this year we have compiled a programme of new skills, Stump work, Patch work, Craft visits and many demonstrations. We are a friendly and enthusiastic group and we welcome you to join us. Contact either Val on 01884 860170 or Julie Lines on 01884 861594

Rosemarie Webber

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East and West Worlington Community Websitewww.eastandwestworlington.btck.co.uk

being about East and West Worlington, Farming in the Community, Farming at Hensley, Gallery, and Noticeboard. There are many ways in which local people can contribute to the success of the website, by sending, news items, photographs, local stories, items for Noticeboard, information

about novels they read, and places they have visited, etc. This ensures the content remains relevant and interesting and the site is constantly refreshed. Send any information to worlington@btinternet.com Steve Baber

Retired Greyhound Trust Tiverton District & East Worlington

Firstly, we would like to say a big thank you for all the support the ‘Girls’ and I have received, and hoping we will see you all in 2013.

Three of the functions we organized in and around East Worlington last year, brought in just under £1,000, which was most appreciated by the Charity as we received a certificate. The dates for raising money this year are as follows:

Plant Sale Coffee Morning - 11th May at 1 WoodlandsSt John’s Fayre, Witheridge - 22nd June

Bacon Roll Coffee Morning - 26th October at 1 Woodlands

We would be very grateful for any Bric a Brac that anybody would like to be relieved off. The ‘Girls’ and I help with raising money outside Worlington with our local group as a whole i.e. Meet and Greet at Knighthayes with a walk, collections outside stores such as Morrisons and Tesco’s and further coffee mornings. It is such a pleasure to assist by raising money to go towards the Rescue Rehabilitation and help those Ex-racing Greyhounds to find their forever homes.

Marion, ‘Lily’ and ‘Betty-Boo’

Pilates Classes

Pilates classes will resume in the East Wor-lington Hall from Wednesday 17th April at 9.15am. A new

Beginners Course could also be run after this class if there is demand. Booking is essential and anyone new to

Pilates will need to complete a Beginners Course before joining the class.Evening classes are available at the Jubilee Hall in Chawleigh on both Monday and Tuesday. PILATES FOR RIDERS takes place in Chawleigh at the Jubilee Hall on

Tuesday evenings at 7pm.

Stephanie 01769 581434

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PARISH COUNCILLORS Councillor Dr Tim Wall PhD (Chairman) 01884 860496Councillor Graham Butt 01884 860131Councillor Mrs Sally Fryer 01884 860064Councillor Fanny Mills 01884 860 651Councillor Philip Risdon 01884 860334Councillor Mrs Jean Smyth 01884 860256Councillor Derek Webber 01884 860437

PARISH CLERK Mrs Sue Squire, Haxlea, 2 Threeways, 01598 710526Bratton Fleming, Barnstaple, EX31 4TG susan,squire@virgin.net

DISTRICT COUNCILLOR Mrs Sue Croft 01769 581613 letslivesc@hotmail.co.ukCOUNTY COUNCILLOR Mr Richard Edgell 01769 550242 richard.edgell@devon.gov.ukMEMBER OF PARLIAMENT Sir Nick Harvey 01271 43430 or 0171 2193986Surgery - alternative months 3-5pm the Amory Centre

PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OFFICERS Chairman: Revd. Adrian Wells 01884 860678Vice Chairman: Mr Geoff Boyles 01884 861398Hon Secretary: Mrs Winnie Corley 01884 860241Hon Treasurer: Mr Charles Hodgson 01884 861571Stewardship Group: Mr Geoff Boyles, Mr Charles Hodgson, Mr Patrick Brook, Mrs Rosie Brook, Mr Michael Wall.

PARISH REPRESENTATIVE FOR THE NEWSLETTER Mrs Rosemarie Webber 01884 860437

CHURCHWARDENS St Mary’s East WorlingtonMr Geoff Boyles 01884 861398Mr Charles Hodgson 01884 861571St Mary’s West WorlingtonMr Patrick Brook 01884 860978Mr Charles Mills 01884860651 EAST WORLINGTON METHODIST CHAPEL Secretary/Treasurer: Miss Cynthia Pullen 01884 860873Mrs H Pullen 01884 860549

EAST WORLINGTON COMMUNITY PRIMARY SCHOOL (Part of Chulmleigh Academy Trust) Executive Headteacher: Chulmleigh Academy Trust, Mr Mike Johnson 01769 580215Executive Deputy Headteacher: Chulmleigh Academy Trust, Mr Jon Pratt 01884 860567School Administrator: Hilary Bostridge, 01884 860567Chair of the Board of Directors: Chulmleigh Academy Trust, Mr Steve Baber 01884 861640

CONTACT INFORMATION

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CONTACT INFORMATION PARENTS TEACHERS AND FRIENDS ASSOCIATION Gill Savage 01884 860812

EAST WORLINGTON PRE-SCHOOL Chairman: Tamsin Partridge 01884 861563Secretary: Mrs Donna Webber 01884 860346

EAST WORLINGTON PARENT AND TODDLER GROUP Channelle Busby 01884 861680

WORLINGTON COMMUNITY WEBSITE Web Co-ordinator: Mr Steve Baber worlington@btinternet.com

PARISH HALL MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE Chairman: Mr Steve Baber 01884 861640Vice Chairman: Mrs Campie Hurst-Bannister 01884 860332Hon Treasurer: Mr Charles Hodgson 01884 861571Hon Secretary: Miss Jude Coldwell 01884 860775Booking Clerk: Miss Jude Coldwell 01884 860775

WOMEN’S INSTITUTE President: Mrs Winnie Corley 01884 860241

ROYAL BRITISH LEGION Mr Charles Hodgson 01884 861571

POLICE Non-urgent enquiries 101 DOCTORS Witheridge 01884 860205Chulmleigh 01769 580269

VETERINARY CLINICS Witheridge 01884 860236Lapford 01363 83317

FARMWATCH Co-ordinators: Mr Derek Webber 01884 860437 Mr Michael Wall 01884 580265

THE AMORY CENTRE, SOUTH MOLTON The following agencies operate from the Centre at 125 East Street, South MoltonFor opening times 01769 572501Citizens Advice Bureau (Thursday) 01271 377077Library 01769 572128Tourist Information (Mon-Sat March to Oct) 01769 574122Volunteer Bureau (1st Wednesday 2-4pm) 01769 573167

MOBILE LIBRARY Alternate Mondays (not Bank Holidays)Village Hall (11.50am-12.10pm) Drayford (12.15pm-12.35pm)

REFUSE Black/green bins alternate Fridays, green one week black the next.Green boxes, green bags and brown bags - every Wednesday

BULKY RUBBISH - Greensweep Direct 01271 374776. Items collected subject to charge

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This photograph, taken in 1968 by Rosemarie, is of Derek Webber on his 1963 Massey Ferguson 35, with his dad riding the converted horse corn drill.

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Farming2012 was a difficult year weather wise for farming. A lot of farms struggled to makegood quality forage in between the rain. The wet ground also meant that a lot of grasswas damaged by the mud. This has affected the milk yield on dairy farms and pushedthe price of feeds up. Last year saw a poor cereal harvest across the country and abroad leading to high cereal prices this winter too. Some dairy farmers’ milk prices have been affected by the poor exchange rate andimported feed costs have risen by £10 per tonne within a few days of the UK losingits triple AAA credit rating. Sheep farmers have had a difficult year too, with lamb prices below the cost ofproduction. TB continues to be a heartache for many farms, let’s hope 2013 sees some progress.

Donna Webber - Hensley Farm

Town Barton Farm

March 2013. I wish I could say the grass is growing and Spring is in the air but after the apocalyptic winter weather the

land will take a long time to recover. The arable fields were water logged for months, the headlands have needed to be recultivated and re-seeded and it was a struggle to complete the winter work on the hedges, but come hell and high water the lambs arrived in February. You probably see me in my old farm clothes crossing the road with ewes and lambs or hear me shouting at a rather deaf and disobeient farm dog, but apart from evidence of the Schmallenberg disease in the TexelX flock they have produced a healthy batch of lambs.

Jean Smyth

Times Past

East Worlington Primary School

The last year at East Worlington Primary School has been one of change and development. It was the first full year that

the school was part of Chulmleigh Academy Trust and this has brought many advantages, especially the opportunities to share expertise and resources. New staff have joined the school and they have brought new skills and interests to enrich the curriculum. In the role of Deputy Executive Head for the Academy, with leadership responsibility for East Worlington School, I have recognised the great support for the school by both parents and the wider community. I am hopeful we can build on this support to ensure the school continues to grow in popularity. Ofsted inspected the school in November and during the inspection recognised the strengths of the school and the improvements made over the past year. If the school continues to develop and improve in this way it will be classified good or better in the near future.

The leadership arrangements from September will be different from those in place this year. I will return full time to the College and there will be a teacher at the school with day to day Leadership responsibility supported by an Assistant Headteacher who will work across other primary schools in the Academy chain. This we feel will strengthen and sustain the way we can support teaching and learning. We will continue to explore innovative ways to secure high standards for all pupils who are registered at the school and believe this will result in the best schooling for the children. I look forward to the future with optimism, as I hope you all do.

Jon PrattExecutive Deputy HeadteacherChulmleigh Academy Trust

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East WorlingtonPre-School

The last year has seen the Partnership Foundation Stage Unit with the school go from strength to strength, with children at

pre-school now doing phase 1 and 2 phonics. It has also given the children an opportunity to join class one for trips to a building site, space odyssey dome and a Diwali

morning. We’ve also dressed up to celebrate World Book Day and attended the Ugly Bug Ball, as well as joining in the celebrations for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and the 2012 Olympics. Other special events have included a summer trip to Exmoor Zoo and a Teddy Bear’s Picnic at our leader’s farm in Pennymoor. At Christmas we had our annual party in the Parish Hall when the children performed a Nativity titled ‘Christmas with the Aliens‘, followed by entertainment from

East WorlingtonToddler Group

Looking for a group to attend with your little one on a Tuesday afternoon?

You will receive a warm welcome at East Worlington where we have a parent and toddler group from 2 - 3.30pm in term time. £1 per family to include a cup of tea, we also have a regular Mum’s Night Out, this term it will be at the Mitre Inn where we intend to test our combined brain power on quiz night!

Chanelle Busby

Hat McKool and a visit from Father Christmas! Parents and staff had their own party too at the Thelbridge Cross Inn! Our fundraising continues to be vital to support the pre-school’s work, and once again we’ve held

some very successful events during the past 12 months including an Easter bingo,

coffee morning, sponsored pedal push, duck race & dog show (jointly with the

school PTFA), Christmas Fair, Christmas hamper raffle and recently a Valentine’s quiz

night. We have also received free equipment by collecting Morrisons, Sainsburys and Tesco

vouchers which we are doing again this year. During the year we also received two grants. The first was a Community Councillor Grant - Sue Croft kindly awarded the Pre-School £250. The second was from the Knights of Witheridge who awarded us £170. These grants have funded new trikes for outside play, a small storage shed in which to keep the trikes, and a set of drawers for outside to enable the children to access more equipment when outdoors. If you would like more details or a copy of our pre-school prospectus please have a look at our website, kindly designed and maintained by Beckey Boyles, at www.eastworlingtonpreschool.co.uk, or to arrange a visit to our unique pre-school, please contact myself or Tamsin Partridge on 01884 861563. Finally, I would like to thank the community for your continued support of the pre-school, it really is appreciated.

Donna Webber

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Saturday 23rd MarchEaster Bingo, Witheridge Parish hall, eyes down 7.30pmSaturday 29th JunE duck race & dog Show, Lawn Meadow, from 12 noon

Times Past

East WorlingtonPrimary School PTFA

East Worlington Schoool has undergone many significant changes during the past year, and is now part of Chulmleigh Academy Trust. The

PTFA is a registered charity and is a major source of fund raising for the school, as well as organising many non-profit making events, such as the ever popular Halloween and Valentine’s Day discos. We are lucky to have an extremely dynamic and hard working Committee who put in many hours of their time to make each event a success. We are also grateful to our friends in the local community who come along and support us time and time again and really become involved with the life of the school. We have had a very successful year of fund raising, and here are just a few of the events which helped to make it possible. The Jumble Sales at Witheridge Parish Hall were held in February and September and raised £423.11 and £397.00. Our Jumble Sales are makingquite an impact in the South West, with many people looking out for them in the local press and on the internet. People come from Barnstaple and Tiverton just to have a great day out! In addition,Janet & Leon collect together all the leftover jumble and store it in their barn ready for the ‘Bags to School’ collection. Jumble is picked up and paid by weight, so this year we were able to raise afurther £685 just from this collection of unwanted items. If you have any jumble to spare, Janet is willing to store it in her barn all year round. In the Summer the PTFA and the Pre School held a Duck Race, Dog Show and Gun Dog Scurry in Campie’s field. This was an amazing day in spite of high winds which had threatened to blow all the stalls into the river. Several PTFA members were required to jump into the river to pull out the Dog Show gazebo!. In total this event raised £3468.61to be shared equally between Pre School and PTFA. A huge thank you to everyone who came along and supported us on the day. We also raise money by running the 49 Club - our own version of the National Lottery. Members pay just £1 a week and the prize is now £20 or more

on a roll over week. Numbers are still available if anyone would like to join. 49 Club raised over £740 last year! The PTFA has been able to provide the School with many pieces of equipment as a result of all the wonderful fund raising. It gives me enormous pleasure to tell you about some of our purchases this year which have really benefited the children of East Worlington. We purchased 8 laptops and a storage trolley, and we recently put in another order for 2 additional laptops, making a total of 10. Each laptop costs about £450, so you can see it was quite remarkable for such a small school to raise that amount of money! The PTFA also funded the upgrading of the wi-fi system at school so that the internet was available in all classrooms; a total of £2200, The teachers asked us to update the reading books in all the classes, and we were able to purchase over £700 of new books last year alone. We also purchased new recorders, a guinea pig hutch, art materials and viewing aids for use with interactive white boards. We also like to help the school by funding various trips, such as the visit to Lapford School for the Space Odyssey Dome experience, buying ice creams for Sports Day and running the Stalls at the Christmas Coffee Morning. We hope to see you at our future events and we’d like to take this opportunity of thanking you for all your support in the past.

Gill Savage

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4 local artists - Mary Stokes, Liz Baber, Veronica Risdon and Jackie Griffith were involved in showing

their artwork over two weekends in East Worlington Village Hall last July under the North Devon Art Trek. Many studios were open all over North Devon over the two weeks for artists to share the quality and diversity of the arts and crafts made in this part of the county. Mary exhibited her machine embroidered textile pictures along with her fancy bags,

quilts and greetings cards. Liz showed her mixed media artwork and her sculptures which she uses various finishes on.Veronica displayed her scupltures and paintings using various mediums,

Jackie introduced us to her minatures and paintings using watercolours with other mediums. Along with the resident artists there were various local crafters showing their work over both weekends along with tea, coffee and cakes. The show was well attended with over 150 people coming through the door despite the wet weather . Also some of the children from the school visited. There was some very good feedback received especially on the high standard of the whole display, lighting and the fact the visitors could meet the artists which made it all worthwhile.

Mary and Liz

East Worlington Parish Hall

2012 was a year of much activity for the Parish Hall Management

Committee. In January a Community Survey was conducted about the Parish Hall and this provided important information to help the Committee plan improvements to meet the needs of the community. The survey highlighted several issues with four main ones identified by most people - better use of the kitchen with improved facilities; improvements to the heating; wider range of activities and services; and more car parking. Alongside these priorities the Parish Hall Committee are very aware of the need to re-thatch the building in the near future. With regard to car parking, given the location of the Parish Hall, it is impossible for the Committee to create more car parking adjacent to the Hall but there have been discussions with the Parish Council about looking at car parking from a broader community perspective. Better use of the kitchen was high on the community’s priorities. With grant support from North Devon Council and the work on the necessary health and safety, fire safety and hygiene policies it has been possible to increase the use of the kitchen and improve the facilities. The internal condition of the building, including rising damp, coldness, condensation and limited insulation, remains a challenge for us and work has gone into identifying possible solutions. Part of the challenge is, while we need a modern fit-for-purpose facility for community use, we have to conserve the Parish Hall as a grade 2 listed building. This has led us to developing an improvement and conservation plan.

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Our ambition is to further develop the Parish Hall as a ‘Community Hub’ , with significant heritage interest, and see an increase in facilities, services, activities and events when our plans have been completed. In June our Thatching Appeal was launched and this is a scheme where people can purchase a sheath of thatch for five pounds. We need 2500 sheaths and

the year saw steady progress towards this target.Fund-raising remains a critical issue if we are to be able to implement our plans and in addition to continuing local fund raising activities much time is being spent to identify and apply for possible grants. The Parish Hall Committee believe that communication is very important and we have introduced a quarterly Parish Hall Newsletter, developed a Parish Hall website www.eastworlingtonparishhall.btck.co.uk, opened a Parish Hall Facebook Page www.facebook.com/EastWorlingtonParishHall and link with Twitter twitter.com/Webcoordinator. We look forward to the coming year with the hope we can secure sufficient funds to undertake the necessary work on the Hall. It is important to us that we are working to help improve the facility for our community and that the community support us in this venture.

Steve Baber

Times Past

Jazz by the Riverside

All being well John and I will be having Jazz by the Riverside on our river garden with The Bennett Brothers and their All Stars

jazz from 8pm to midnight on Saturday 20th July. Bookings have started to come in already. We look forward to hearing from all who would like to join us, we promise you a really good time. Tickets are £10 per person preferably payable in advance so we can keep control of numbers. All proceeds after expenses go to the Childrens Hospice SW and a donation to East Worlington Parish Hall. For those who have never been before; we erect a stage and put down a dance floor in front; the river and trees are lit up and candles hung around the trees; gazebos are erected around the garden by people who are able to bring them. All this and especially the band create a wonderful atmosphere which encourages people to come year after year. There will be portable toilets in the river garden and plenty of parking space in the field opposit.For any more details and tickets please contact us.

John & Sheila 01884 860756

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We have had a major refurbishment of all the electrics in the church this year. Dart Electrics have done an excellent

job and apart from the heaters not working due to Western Power failing to upgrade the system we have now have safe and reliable lighting. Due to the work in East church we have been having services every Sunday since before Christmas and will continue to do so until the work is finished - hopefully this year ! Our thanks go to Bryan and Wendy Percival for looking after the churchyard. Bryan is suffering from back problems and we wish and hope for a speedy recovery ! The flowers as always were marvellous and sincere thanks to Maureen Clements for her organisation. The library continues to thrive under the care of Julie Lines.

Patrick Brook

Friends of West Worlington Church

It is difficult to follow the article that I wrote in 2011 for this publication as I

would run the risk of repeating myself and boring the reader for the situation is much the same. St Mary’s, still resplendent in its glorious setting, continues to enhance all our lives. It has been there for generations and will, we hope, be there for many more. The building has benefitted from some remedial work that has contributed towards ensuring its preservation and the refurbished mediaeval pews are a joy. It would be lovely to report that all is well and the coffers of the Friends of West Worlington are overflowing but this would not, sadly, reflect the true state of affairs.

There is always more work to do and more money required. We do have some generous benefactors who have pledged a regular sum and to them our thanks is unequivocal. This appreciation is also extended to the casual visitor or individual who makes a donation. All is gratefully received.It is, I know, difficult to solicit funds for a “general purpose” as most fundraising events have a specific project with a tangible end result and it may interest the reader to know that the Trust does, however, support where possible other projects that are equally important to the Village. In this difficult climate and with many calls on our purses yet another appeal for funds may, understandably, be viewed questioningly. All I can say is any donation however small will be gratefully received with much thanks from the Trust and future generations.

Gavin Manton

WestWorlington Church

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East Worlington Church

A mixed report on the activities at East Church this year. Following the quinquennial inspection it was agreed

to put the remedial work in hand. However this has taken much longer than anticipated and we are unlikely to resume worship there until the end of March. This has meant transferring all services to West church, who in turn have been most accommodating. The congregations have been getting older in profile and our numbers are down a little. The Sunday Club is still operating but the number of children attending is small. There seem to be so many other attractions on Sundays for both adults and children. However on the positive side, we are expecting our new vicar and his family in mid July. We welcome the Rev Adrian Wells , his wife Susan and young son Benjamin, and wish them every happiness and success in their ministry here. Hopefully ‘revival’ is around the corner.

Geoff Boyles

The Royal British Legion Poppy Day Appeal 2012Against a background of defence cuts yet again, throughout the year, we have watched on our televisions the determined commitment of our troops in Afghanistan. Every day they lay their lives on the line for us. This has not been made any easier by the sad actions of rogue elements of Afghanistan’s own forces.As usual we had a very well attended Act of Remembrance at the War Memorial on 11th November. Your generosity, and the hard work of the dedicated team of collectors, led to a magnificent total for the Poppy Appeal 2010 for East Worlington, West Worlington and Thelbridge of £790.07

Charles Hodgson

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If it’s a Saturday in August and the rain pours down all morning and the sun shines all afternoon it must be the day of the Fete!

Amidst the now familiar monsoon conditions the tireless helpers spent the morning setting up the equally familiar stalls, competitions and games,

not to mention the traditional sumptuous tea.

Church Fete

As the clouds slid away the Fete was opened by

Jonathan Wheatley who, building on the theme of the opening of the London Olympics, recalled his experiences as an actor in a James Bond film in the 1980s. He passed the microphone to the M of the Fete, Geoff Boyles who presided comfortingly over the afternoon’s

sunny proceedings, at one moment urging people to participate in the many races (a precarious activity on the slippery grass), at another moment announcing the winning entries from the flower, produce and other categories in the Parish Hall. In the field the pony was ridden and the fire engine crawled over. There were plenty of good reasons for building up an appetite and enjoying a leisurely tea sitting in the warmth of the terrace. Despite the dreadful weather forecast the fete’s loyal supporters

turned out in very nearly the same numbers as in previous years – an

enormous thank you both to everyone who came for a marvellous afternoon and to the army of helpers who battled as selflessly as ever to make the afternoon the success that it turned out to be.

Barnabas Hurst-Bannister