New Banking Hub opens in Dartmouth

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A new Banking Hub has opened at 5-9 Victoria Street, Dartmouth. The Hub offers a counter service operated by the Post Office, where customers of all major banks can carry out regular cash transactions, Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm. It also offers a Community Banker service where customers can talk to their own bank about more complicated issues on the day their bank is in the Hub. Community Bankers are available in Dartmouth on the following days:

Monday: HSBC

Tuesday: NatWest

Wednesday: Lloyds

Thursday: Barclays

Friday: Santander

Reform to bathing water regulations – make your views known!

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In a consultation launched on 12 November, Defra are inviting the public, community groups, environmental groups, farmers, businesses and local authorities to share their views on modernising bathing water regulations to ensure a more flexible approach to designation and monitoring.

The proposed changes, which will benefit cold water swimmers and other water sports enthusiasts, include:

  • Removal of fixed bathing water season dates (which currently runs from May to September) from the regulations to allow for a more flexible approach to monitoring, extending the dates of the bathing season to better reflect when people use bathing waters.
  • Expanding the legal definition of ‘bathers’ to include participants in water sports other than swimming, including paddle boarders and surfers.
  • Further considering water quality and public safety when applications for new bathing waters are assessed.
  • Introducing multiple testing points at bathing water sites.
  • Ending the automatic de-designation of bathing water status after 5 consecutive years of a site being rated ‘poor’, which can damage local tourism and businesses. Instead, underperforming sites will be individually reviewed by regulators, taking into account their unique circumstances.

Click on the link above to go direct to the .gov.uk site and have your say on this important topic!

Have your say on future plans for transport in Devon and Torbay

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The Devon & Torbay Local Transport Plan 4 is now out for consultation. This is an opportunity for everyone to make their views known on the Councils’ plans for investment in local transport infrastructure that will affect all our lives for years to come. Don’t miss your chance to comment – click here to have your say!

The Saltmarsh Project – Free Community Workshop, Monday 11 November, 6pm

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Living Dart: The Saltmarsh Project is now in its third year. Our small ria saltmarshes that sit between the sea and the land have experienced 12,000 years of evolution since the last ice age – what could the future for this resilient ecosystem look like, and how can we play a part in that?

The workshop is about knowledge exchange – we will:
– Get a project update from key team members from the Environment Agency, South Devon National Landscape, Dart Harbour & Navigation Authority and ParkLife SW

– Think together about adaptation and the impact of climate change on habitats like saltmarsh. What kind of health indicators can be monitored both by experts and citizens? How can we stay connected to each other and the saltmarshes beyond the life of the project?

– Discuss next steps for saltmarsh restoration involving sister rivers the Erme, Yealm and Avon, and the Salcombe/Kingsbridge Estuary

– Hear from The Saltmarsh Artist Collective about their work about–and for–the Dart’s saltmarshes

Click here for your free ticket to this unique workshop event.

 

Come and get your juice!

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One of the joys of Parish apple pressings is that there is always plenty of juice to go around! If you weren’t able to make Saturday’s event you can still get your hands on a bottle of delicious local apple juice in return for a small donation to charity. The juice is pasteurised and will be good for at least 3 months. Please contact Gill for details on 01548 581185, or email clerk@stokenham-pc.gov.uk.

Sun shines on a juicy day out in Kellaton

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Villagers gathered at Lower Kellaton Farm Barn in glorious sunshine last Saturday to watch, learn, and lend a hand at this year’s rearranged Parish apple pressing event. The Speidel mill and metal press from Orchard Link were given a thorough workout as more than twenty sacks of apples from orchards in Kellaton, Beeson, and further afield were turned into just shy of 300 bottles of  juice. As usual, younger members of the community got stuck in, packing the “cheeses” with freshly milled apple pulp, which the giant press turned into rivers of delicious golden nectar. The bottling line had to be on its toes as the endless flow of juice demanded to be filtered, bottled, pasteurised and labelled. Sustenance, in the form of tea, coffee, soup and pasties, kept the workers victualled and by 3.30pm the last sack of apples was exhausted, as were the volunteers! Hearty thanks to Fran and Jonathan Ansell for their kind hospitality on the day.

Parish Council minutes published

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The minutes of September’s full council meeting were approved and are now available on the website, along with the draft minutes of October’s full council.

REMINDER: Pop-Up Apple Pressing Event in Kellaton, 26 October

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Just a quick reminder of Saturday’s apple pressing event in Kellaton, to which everyone is cordially invited, ESPECIALLY those bringing apples to press! The weather forecast looks lovely, so bring a picnic and enjoy the day. Lower Kellaton Farm Barn, from 11am until the apples run out!

Pop-Up Apple Pressing Event in Kellaton, 26 October – pass the word!

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red apple lotJust when we thought this autumn’s apple harvest was a write-off, up pops a crop in Kellaton demanding to be pressed. So your parish council, ever ready to lend a helping hand, has managed to wrangle a press and a mill at short notice and cordially invites all comers to attend – to watch, to help, or just to have a chat with the neighbours.

If you have apples to be pressed, so much the better – bring them along! And don’t forget to bring a container to take home some delicious freshly pressed juice in return for a small donation to charity. This is very much a homespun event, so will lack the usual refinements: there may or may not be a limited range of refreshments on the day, but why not bring a picnic, weather permitting, and make the most of it? Parking is limited on site so car-sharing is advisable. Pass the word!

Saturday 26 October, Lower Kellaton Farm, from 11am until the apples run out!

Could you be a Parish Councillor?

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A vacancy has arisen on Stokenham Parish Council – could this be a role for you? Parish Councillors meet one evening a month to consider matters of relevance to the community, from planning applications to footpath maintenance, from the state of the roads to the provision of services. We welcome applications from every corner of society regardless of age, gender, or background. No prior experience is necessary as full training will be given – the only requirement is that you can commit to attending our monthly meetings and want to help make Stokenham Parish a great place to live and work! If you’re interested and would like to know more, feel free to contact any one of our Councillors for an informal chat. Applications for this position will close on 15 November 2024.