News

The formal notice of the General Election has now been published. You can read it by clicking on this link to the South Hams District Council website. The election takes place on Thursday 12th December between 7am and 10pm. The notice explains that applications to register to vote must be received by the 26th November. The notice also sets out details about postal and proxy voting.

The Statement of Persons Nominated (i.e. the list of candidates) has also been published and you can see it by clicking here.

Mare and Foal Sanctuary rescue pony Rupert has won a national award for transforming the life of a teenager who suffers from a rare form of epilepsy.

The grey moorland gelding was shortlisted in the Rescue Pony of the Year category of the 2019 Carriage Driving Awards and he beat three other rescue ponies to the title. Rupert was just six months old when he was callously dumped along with 14 other young colts who had failed to sell at a local market. When he first arrived at the Sanctuary Rupert was in such a terrible condition, with an eye infection rendering him nearly completely blind, it was touch and go whether he would make it.

But following months of rehabilitation and gentle training he was ready to find a suitable home on the Mare and Foal Sanctuary’s rehoming scheme – with horse lover Caroline Furse and her son Ben, who was coping with more than 30 seizures a day caused by a rare form of epilepsy called Lennox Gastaux Syndrome. Ben’s mum Caroline had always owned horses and knew first-hand the amazing effect they can have on children struggling with conditions like autism, epilepsy and Asperger’s syndrome.

And when Ben became too large to ride Rupert, Caroline knew she had to do something to maintain their close bond. So, she organised a fundraising drive to have a harness and trap specially designed so Ben’s wheelchair would fit straight on – and now the pair can regularly be seen on the lanes around their home near Yelverton.

Caroline, Sanctuary yard manager Abigail Alford-Thurlow and Communications Officer Scarlett Moon travelled to Birmingham for the awards ceremony at the weekend. And were over the moon when Rupert was announced as Rescue Pony of the Year. Caroline said: “It was such an honour to attend the awards and when they announced Rupert was the winner, I couldn’t hold back the tears. Rupert has changed Ben’s life for the better – he is a pony in a million. Ben has learning difficulties which makes him unable to walk or talk and Rupert really takes care of him. They are so happy when they’re together. I don’t know what we would do without him. This award is the icing on the cake.”

Scarlett Moon who works to promote the charity and its rehoming scheme said: “We’re delighted that Rupert has won this award – shining a light on the positive connection that horses, ponies and people can have.”

The recue pony category was sponsored by equine charity, World Horse Welfare, and was presented by longstanding volunteer and Riding for the Disabled coach, Kim Tilbury. She said: “I am passionate about equine rescue and I’m often inspired by their ability to assist the lives of those less able, so I was delighted to present the award to Caroline on behalf of Rupert – a well-deserved win for him and his young carer.”

What happens to the non-recyclable rubbish we put in our bins? A group of Littlehempston women decided to find out and paid a visit to the Devonport Energy from Waste Combined Heat and Power Facility. They were shown around the enormous “state of the art” indoor plant by the very amiable and well-informed Mike, and were unexpectedly impressed by what they saw. Pictured left to right are Anna Ash, Val Hoare, Mike, Sandra Law, Jill Todd and Ali Taylor.

The facility opened in 2015 and processes 200,000 tonnes of waste annually from Plymouth, Devon and Torbay to generate electricity as well as usable heat in combined heat and power (CHP) mode, thus saving valuable fossil resources and reducing carbon dioxide output. The operation is high tech with a control room full of screens and read-outs giving the monitoring staff the ability to regulate the process.

The electricity produced supplies Devonport Dockyard and Naval Base and any excess is fed into the National Grid. Emissions from the tall tower are extremely carefully regulated – the plant produces fewer emissions in a year than one night of a Plymouth firework display. Standing outside the plant, it is eerily quiet, given what is happening inside, and only smelly if you stand in the lorry bay.  The 57,000 tonnes of “bottom ash” is used for construction and 7,500 tonnes of metal are recovered. A visit is highly recommended – the plant has a full time community education officer and visits from schools and other groups are welcome.

The alternative to burning rubbish is landfill but sites are becoming harder to find. The best option by far is for all of us to produce less waste and recycle wherever possible. Christmas is a bad time of year for excessive rubbish and South Hams Council has produced a very useful guide to Christmas collection dates and Recycling at Christmas giving lots of advice on producing less waste at this time of year.

Do you know somebody who is making a real effort to reduce, reuse or recycle waste? Why not nominate them for a Recycle Devon Thank You Award? The nominee could be a friend, neighbour, child, community group, small business, recycling collector or staff at your local recycling centre. Entries must be made by 29th November 2019. The Recycle Devon website also contains excellent information about recycling at home, school, work, out shopping and in the garden.