News

Thank you to the Fete Team for this welcome news

Our much-loved traditional family fete is set to return after a six year pause. It will be an afternoon affair, followed by a villagers and friends evening soirée. We are working on offering many of the old favourites – Slippery Pole, Human Fruit Machine, Tony’s Nails, Maypole Dancing, Where Will the Poo Land?, Hay Sheaf Tossing, Coronet Making and then some – as well as music, tasty food and a well-stocked funky bar that this year has its very own cocktail mixologist.

The fete site is a beautiful field with far-reaching views that will hopefully deliver the most gorgeous sunset. From the centre of the village go up the hill towards Staverton and the entrance is on the left, just after the junction with Grattons Lane at the top of the hill. The field is big enough to allow parking on site, though anyone able to walk is encouraged to do so.

Initially it was hoped that the fete would happen on the Village Meadow & Orchard. After careful reviewing and much consideration given to access for setup, takedown and those who are less able, coupled with the uncertainty of whether the meadow would be dry enough on the day, we sadly took the decision that, for this year at least, this site wouldn’t work. Maybe when we have refound our fete legs, we can reconsider this.

So now we are putting a BIG huge call out to our small but mighty community for the following:

– anyone that wants to grow some seedlings/plants for the Plant n Produce stall
– ⁠any homemade chutneys, jams, pestos, as well as produce for the Plant n Produce stall
– yummy cakes and savoury bakes for Trudy’s Teas
– once-loved books for the Book stall
– ⁠any old mattresses, duvets, pillows and/or sofa cushions for the Greasy Pole
– once dearly loved ‘Teddy Bears and Soft Toys’ for the Soft Animal Tombola Adoption stall
– ⁠a loan of any gazebos, gas bbq’s and a couple of small fridges
– bunting and flags (ideally fabric and natural materials rather than anything plastic)
– ⁠any gorgeous people willing to lend a hand and help out on the day, which can be such fun
– ⁠help with setup (Fri 10th July) or takedown (Sun 12th July)

We would be very grateful for all help. We’ll be coming around the village in the weeks before to collect your donations.

More details to follow on exact dates and times. Please contact Sue Wellum⁩ or Nicky Rajska for any further info or offers/ideas of help. Thank you wholeheartedly in advance!

Warmest wishes
Your Fete Team
Sue, Bee, Jude, Lawrence, Sacha and Nicky

It was a meteorological mixture – warm sunshine, heavy showers, gusty winds and periods of cool calm. But in terms of friendship and fundraising it was a great success. Ali, Dave, Sandra and I visited our eight target churches (Littlehempston, Ipplepen, Torbryan, Broadhempston, Landscove, Buckfastleigh, Dartington and Staverton) and also enjoyed a sustaining lunch at Tikka’s in Buckfastleigh. If you need proof of our route, there are some silly selfies attached to this news item.

The churches we visited in the Beacon Parishes were all hosting an arts and crafts exhibition and we were able to enjoy the amazing talents on display in churches buzzing with visitors of all ages. Sadly, with saddle-bags stuffed with wet weather gear and first-aid kits for bikes and people we weren’t able to cycle away with a newly purchased art work.

In recognition of our efforts on some challenging hills you have pledged nearly £700. Half of this will come to Littlehempston church and the other half will help the Devon Historic Churches Trust fund grants to other churches around the county. I am grateful to Ali, Dave and Sandra for their cheerful camaraderie and encouragement and we are all grateful to you for your support and sponsorship. Thank you!

Val Hoare

Autumn winds shredded the flag flying from the church tower. Something had to be done!

A big thank you to Kelly and Mike, Mary and John, Simon, Richard and Will who contributed to buying a new one – a quick whip round in the Tally raised the money just in time for the Union Flag to be in place for Remembrance Sunday. Will Mellows climbed the tower only to find he needed a marlin spike to unjam the rope. On his second ascent, he was successful. Well done, Will.

It was lovely to have the new one flying for Remembrance Sunday and to be able to dedicate it at our service that day.

South Hams District Council has launched a public consultation for their draft Local Cycling and Walking Plan (LCWIP). An LCWIP is put together with the aim of creating long-term networks and routes for everyday walking and cycling.

Would you like to cycle and walk more? What is stopping you from doing that right now?  To learn more and comment on the public consultation (by the 11th October) please click on this link:
https://activetravelshwd.commonplace.is/

There will also be a number of drop in events, where you can meet the project team and ask questions.

Tuesday 24 September
10.30 a.m. to 1.30 p.m. – Dartmouth Guildhall, Clifton Room

Wednesday 25 September
10.30 a.m. to 1.30 p.m. – Kingsbridge Market Hall

Tuesday 1 October
10 a.m. to 1 p.m. – Totnes Civic Hall
2 p.m. to 5 p.m. – Ivybridge Watermark Centre, Beeson Suite

There were smiles all around when crowds gathered in the car park outside the church to celebrate the annual Community Orchard Wassail and to enjoy lusty singing from Littlehempston Folk, yummy food and drink, exuberant dancing from the Dartington Morris and a dramatic entrance from The Green Man. Then followed the lantern lit procession and much banging, as we all headed for the orchard for more singing and ceremony. This magical evening ended with more singing in the Tally accompanied by bangers and mash. Many thanks to the Orchard Trustees and supporters who organised this brilliant event. Should be a good harvest this year, if noise is anything to go by!

The year got off to a good start in Littlehempston with some very merry theatre, singing and dancing. At the end of January, the Angel Heart Theatre entertained an audience of all ages to a thrilling performance of The StoryExplorers. Local families packed into the Community Space and enjoyed delicious cakes as they watched Nellie and Nathaniel explore the world collecting ideas for the Story Generator, a machine that banged and flashed to the delight of the children, who afterwards got to meet the puppets and puppeteers, James and Skylarker Pip. Everyone left the show happy and smiling.

South West Water (SWW) have submitted a planning application for a solar power farm covering about 30 acres at their Water Treatment Works in Hampstead Farm Lane. You can read all the details of the application and responses to it on the South Hams District Council (SHDC) planning website by following this link to the application: 2929/23/FUL.

Littlehempston Parish Council held a special meeting to consider the application on Tuesday 12th December. Here’s a link to the draft minutes.

Ten members of the public attended the meeting including representatives from SWW and Aardvark EM Ltd, an environmental planning consultancy acting on behalf of SWW.

After listening to many questions from parishoners and the responses from SWW and Aardvark EM the Parish Council agreed to submit a response to SHDC saying that on balance they were undecided.

At the time of writing, about 100 responses to this application have been submitted by members of the public. The majority of those responses suggest that a public path for walking and cycling should be included in the plans. The path would lead to and from the Bulliver footbridge across the river Dart and give access from Littlehempston to the South Devon Railway station, the Rare Breeds Farm and Totnes.

Although the SHDC planning website says that the consultation period ended on 11th December, you can still submit responses that will be considered, if possible, until a final decision on the application is made.

Emma (pictured here in the festive jumper) took a break from serving customers at the Tally Ho recently to help with the final draw of the year for the Littlehempston Lottery. Winners Steve and Jan Case from Gatcombe were delighted with their early Christmas present of £101 and another Gatcombe resident, Suzanne Darley, won 2nd prize. And a very happy Community Space Team received £125 which will help pay for the broken panes in the Lady Chapel.

The draw proved a sociable occasion as friends got together to enjoy a delicious meal – both the Winter Menu and Christmas Menu offer such a variety of dishes, it’s hard to choose. We’re very lucky to have this gourmet standard in the heart of our village!

This is Kelly and Mike’s first Christmas at the Tally as full owners of the pub – they bought the freehold from Littlehempston Community Pub Ltd (LCPL) in September of this year. Many will remember the sad Christmas back in 2011 when the pub shut and there was a fear it would never re-open. Happily the community rallied round, bought the Tally and re-opened in March 2014. And now it is the Joiners’ turn to keep this 500 year old pub going! Thank you, Kelly and Mike! You can hear what this means for them and for our community in a recent interview with Radio Devon on the LCPL website’s press cuttings page.

A great night was had by all at the Ceilidh at the end of November. The Space was packed to capacity, Stargazy Pie provided the merry music and, as well as some stylish dance moves, there was much giggling and occasional confusion despite the best efforts of caller Gill Thornton. The young Totnesians who came last year returned in even greater numbers and again had a whale of a time. Thanks to all who helped make the night such a success, especially the soup makers, Val, Mary, Tracy and Jenny. Over £500 was raised into the bargain, which will help pay the electricity bills! Though heating was defintely not needed at the Ceilidh! A huge thank you to Stargazy Pie and Gill!

The following week, from a pile of holly, eucalyptus, berries and other greenery gathered from local gardens and hedge rows emerged some beautiful wreaths and festive decorations at the Christmas Craft Workshop. (Miyu and Bee pictured here produced very stylish creations.) It proved a very sociable affair with an amazing variety of wreaths and table decoration produced with the help of lots of cake and mulled wine, and expert and tactful guidance from Karen Smith of Deapp Farm who organised the event. Everyone left feeling very pleased and a most welcome £150 was raised for the Space that was immediately spent on a new pump to get rid of the flood water in the boiler room! Thank you, Karen, for a great start to the festive season!

Local people got together again on November 23rd to discuss ideas for how on a local level we can take action to combat climate change and enhance our enviornment. Everyone squeezed into the shelter on Ackerlls Hill, where Jacqi Hodgson runs the Rewilding Ackerlls Field project. Many thanks to Jude Allen, a UN accredited climate change teacher and co-founder of Soil Voices for providing this resume of discussions:

Everyone introduced themselves and then we set up a loose agenda. Jacqi gave an overview of the rewilding project at Ackerll’s Field, to include tree-planting, ponds, bees and reinstating ancient hedgerows according to the 1834 Tithe map. The wildlife in the area has already shown a noticeable increase, and she has offered to do a tour in the daylight. Jon Morris (Parish Council chairman) talked about the Littlehempston woodland project, and we looked at a map showing how there will be a continuous wildlife corridor from the other side of the A381, via Pine Ridge, linking to Jacqi’s field. We also discussed the cycle path. There is a promising option to link the security of the path to the solar farm that is being developed by South West Water.

People were invited to propose projects that would be of benefit to the community. There were a number of ideas, but for ease we narrowed the proposals down into two initial main focus areas that we felt were achievable in the near future.

1. Gardening in a regenerative way for wildlife, carbon capture and soil improvement.
Jacqi proposed that the Parish Council print out a ‘Gardening for Wildlife’ booklet written by John Nightingale. Jon is going to ask the Parish Council if funding can be made available for enough copies to be delivered with the Parish News. We will have a launch night to promote the handout – the location is to be confirmed.

2. Energy saving and efficiency
Many people suggested we have a number of strategies towards enabling and improving energy saving measures in our homes. It was noted that many people, especially those who are less tech-savvy, lack both knowledge and confidence when deciding who to trust and what path to take. We considered mini-tours of energy efficient homes in the parish; understanding when and how air-source heat pumps can help; grant advice for insulation and solar panels. Apparently Sustainable Staverton has a device that can measure heat loss from homes.

Good contacts are the Climate Hub in the Mansion, Totnes; Plymouth Community Energy; and Dartmoor Energy. Jon is finding out more on this front.

The next meeting will be held shortly after the Parish Council meeting in January – the date is to be confirmed. Assuming Jon can secure funding for printing the gardening booklet, the focus will be the arrangement of a celebratory launch event.