Those who regularly or even occasionally travel by bus will know the frustration of trying to put together a journey using timetables that may not tie up with connecting services. Devon County Council have made a new interactive map available that could provide the solution we’ve all been waiting for. Try it out here. This link is also stored permanently under the Bus heading on the Public Transport page of the Community tab on the website.
One of the undoubted highlights of autumn in the South Hams is the annual Slapton Ley Research Seminar, which this year takes place on Saturday 15 November, starting at 10am. Regular visitors will not need reminding, but for those who haven’t been before, this in an unmissable occasion for everyone who has an interest in the environment and the natural world: the opportunity to listen to leading researchers, often experts in their field, discussing their work in an informal setting, with the chance to ask questions and really get inside the research being done in a local context. This year’s keynote speakers are Tracey Hamston from The Wildlife Trust, who will be discussing the Two Moors Pine Marten Project; and Rebecca Wrigley, founder and Chief Executive of Rewilding Britain. A delicious vegetarian lunch is provided for attendees, and best of all, the event is completely free of charge!
Draft minutes of September’s Full Council Meeting are now published and on the website.
Our neighbours in Slapton are holding a wildflower seed bank event in Slapton Village Hall on Saturday 4 October. Pop along if you’d like to get your hands on some lovely, locally collected wildflower seeds – all in aid of two thoroughly worthwhile causes.
The weather forecast for Saturday may be looking a little iffy, but Apple Day will proceed as planned, whatever the heavens throw at us!
The venue is Chillington Village Hall, and pressing starts at 11 am. Bring apples to press if you have them, but if you don’t – don’t worry: thanks to our volunteers, who collected a magnificent 33 sacks of apples from the Community Orchard at Great Hill Wood, it looks like there’s going to be plenty of juice to go around.
It’s always a good idea to bring a container if you can to take your juice home in, as we sometime run out of bottles towards the end of the press. Rinsed milk containers are as good as anything else for fresh (unpasteurised) juice, which will keep in the fridge for up to three days. Although frankly I’d be amazed if our delicious juice lasts anywhere near three days in anyone’s fridge!
As well as gallons of juice there will be hot and cold drinks, cakes, and even some hot food for sale, so come along and make a day of it with your neighbours. We particularly like to put children to work on the apple press, so if you have any at home who like getting good and sticky, bring them along too!
The opening ceremony for the South Hams Way and subsequent mass walk that was scheduled for Sunday 14 September has been postponed due to a forecast of heavy rain and high winds.
The organizers are aiming to rearrange the event for Saturday 11 October. Full details will be confirmed nearer the time but the proposal is that the day will take the same format, i.e. ceremony at 10:30am in Borough Park, Totnes, followed by a mass walk of Section 1, Totnes to Buckfastleigh.
If you’ve been through the orchard in Great Hill Wood lately it won’t have escaped your notice that the apple trees are laden with fruit, to the point where some branches are near to breaking under the strain. This year’s record apple harvest, described as “exceptional” by local orchard owners, is due to a combination of a warm and relatively dry early spring, which promoted flowering, and a particularly sunny April that allowed the pollinators maximum time in the air to work their magic, resulting in a very successful fruit set.
All of this bodes very well for the annual Parish Apple Day, which will take place at Chillington Village Hall on Saturday 20 September from 11am. Volunteers from the parish council and other community organizations will be collecting and bagging apples in the orchard on Wednesday 17th – all help gratefully received, just turn up and get stuck in!
The apples will then be transported down to the hall in time for Saturday’s event, at which they will be pressed to make lots of lovely apple juice for people to take away. Anyone who’s been before will know that this is a great fun event, with plenty of opportunities to join in – children in particular very much enjoy getting hands-on with the apple pulp, especially if it means free apple juice!
Tea, coffee and cake will be on sale, as well as hot and cold snacks, beer, wine and – of course! – cider, so come down with the family and make a day of it.
If you are involved in running a small to medium sized business, a charity, a public sector body or a local community group, and you are concerned about the security of your computers, your IT systems, your website or your Social Media account, the South West Cyber Resilience Centre offers free help and support.
The SW CRC is part of UK Policing’s TEAM CYBER UK and headed up by Steve Shepherd, who was previously a Devon and Cornwall Police Cyber Protect Officer.
The SW CRC is a not-for-profit organisation, funded by the Home Office and regional policing. The SW CRC exists to help South-West based small to medium sized businesses, organisations, charities, voluntary groups, and public sector bodies, with their Cyber Security.
Cyber Security can feel complicated, expensive, and unmanageable. It can be hard to know where to start, or how to improve resilience. Professional Cyber Security support is often costly and for many, obtaining such assistance can be well beyond their financial means. These regional CRC’s have been set up by Government to help those who find themselves in just that position.
Should you wish to sign up you can do so here – Join Us | Cyber Resilience Centre for the South West
The approved minutes of the Full Council Meeting of Stokenham Parish held on 19 June 2025 are now published and available on the website.
