A monthly Community Newsletter published by St. Michael’s Church and Gittisham Parish Council
March 2022 Edition 241
Lillian Hayman (née Dymond)
Lilian was born in July 1929 and passed away peacefully on 15th February 2022 at her home
with her family around her. She led a full life growing up at Colestocks, near Payhembury with her two older brothers on the family farm. She had fond memories of scrumping apples from next door! (apparently her brothers led her astray!) Also cycling to Sidmouth Junction (as it was known then) to catch the train.
After marrying Basil she moved to Gittisham Farm where she fed calves, managed the hens
(selling many trays of eggs), and even ventured into tractor driving now & then in between the
book keeping and daily running of the house along with looking after both parents! and bringing up three children! Christmas time was especially busy, not only with the running of the farm, preparing ( plucking and trussing) the geese and cooking the family feast but also finding the time to host the village carol singers, gathering around the piano with cider & mince pies, roast potatoes plus other goodies.
Mum/ Grandma took an active role in the community, from secretary of Honiton Young Farmers, secretary of Gittisham Parochial Church Council for many years, member of the Women’s Institute, organiser of the Gittisham Craft Club – Lilian was a major instigator in ordering and making the church kneelers which adorn our lovely church – and also
Farm Women’s Group. She loved entering many competitions too, which saw her practising her skills of jam making, baking, preserving, flower arranging and hand crafts. A busy life shared with her children, grandchildren and many close friends.
Russell, Karen & Jennifer would just like to thank everyone for their kind words, cards, flowers and cakes which are a welcome support. Lilian’s funeral is on Friday 11th March at 11.00am in Gittisham Church followed by cremation at East Devon Crematorium for family and closest friends.
The Beaumont Charity
The Beaumont Charity was formed in 1596 and offers support to those suffering financial
difficulties while living within the Parish of Gittisham. The charity is able to make a single payment to any resident who has a low income and limited savings and requires money towards a wide range of practical needs. Examples of this include energy and heating bills, a home safeguard alarm service, TV licence, assistance towards transport costs, education resources, funeral expenses and energy reduction measures to name but a few. In fact there is no restriction on the categories that the Trustees can award money to.
If you feel that you would like further information on how to apply for a payment, please
contact myself, Jayne Bramley, Charles Holme, James Fuller or Mike Smith by calling Combe
Estate on 01404 45576. All calls and claims will be kept completely confidential and if
necessary we can support you with completing the application form.
Kind regards, Richard Marker
Pierre’s pop-up Sunday cafe
You can never have enough pancakes, so although Shrove Tuesday has passed, Pierre will be
cooking sweet and savoury Brittany pancakes with a variety of fillings at his next pop-up cafe. We will be open between 10am and 4pm on Sunday 13th March for home-made croissants, pains au chocolat and apricot pastries. Good selection of desserts and cakes. Gluten-free and vegan alternatives available. Booking for lunch is advised. Eat in or take away. Please call or text Pierre on 07545214940. Payment can be by either cash or card.
Prayers for Ukraine
There will be a vigil of prayers for Ukraine on Sunday 6th March outside the Lych-gate at
10.50 with coffee in the parish room afterwards. The church will be open to light candles,
private prayer or to share your concerns with others.
Gittisham Gazette distribution
There was a leaflet drop in the Hayne Farm and Gittisham Vale estates asking if residents would like to receive the Gazette by email or if they have no internet access they could be posted. I have had a few requests so far, it does not matter how many are emailed and several households have 2 copies. I put 25 copies in the Vale bus shelter and as the 10 copies in the Hayne Farm sales office very rarely get picked up I shall only put a couple in from this month. The Gazette can also be found on the Website https://gittisham.org.uk I apologise to those who do not get the Gazette and do my best to print as many as I can on my own printer. If you have a neighbour who doesn’t have access to the internet and you could print off a copy then many more could receive this publication. I do hope more residents from both the Vale and Hayne Farm will let me have their email addresses – you won’t be bombarded with other information other than the Gazette unless there is something that needs your attention from the Parish Council.
St Michael’s Church, Honiton Mission Community and 200 Club
St. Michael’s Gittisham
Our coffee morning with bring and buy cake stall held on 26th February in the village hall made £89.20 for church funds. Many thanks to Judith Turner and Pam Chown for manning the coffee side of the event. Thanks too to those who brought and bought cakes, I hope we can have a repeat in a few months. When the weather warms up we hope to have monthy get-togethers on the green when nice enough and possibly if not so nice be able to use the parish room again, but if we can’t use the parish room we can hire the hall.
March services 6th Special prayers for peace and the people of Ukraine outside the Lych-gate at 10.50. The church will be open afterwards to light candles and to pray or share concern. Coffee will be available in the parish room. All ages welcome. 13th Eucharist, 20th no service 27th Mothering Sunday, lay-led morning worship with posies and coffee afterwards at 11am.
As things are de-restricted now, we are once again using our hymn and service books. Obviously until told otherwise, social distancing and masks should preferably be worn but if you want to sing you must wear masks. To receive details for ongoing worship, Eucharistic and lay-led please contact me, Carol on 01404 851113 or email or Julia by email on or for those without internet ring her on 07763 111367 or
01404 850680. It will be lovely when we can have our beautiful kneelers out on display again. We are planning to get them out for Lillian Hayman’s funeral. I would be most grateful for some help, especially getting the boards covering the pews back up to the gallery. If you can help, please let me (Carol) know. The church is open three or four days in the week and as the weather is cool the door will be closed but unlocked. If you find it closed (it is quite hard to open but keep trying) but if definitely locked and you would like to view or have prayer space please ring me Carol on 01404 851113 or Julia on 01404 850680 and hopefully one of us will be home to unlock.
Telephone Service on first Sunday of the month
This is a free service starting at 11am all you need to do is, a little before 11.00 dial 0800 651
0080 you will be asked for the code 3299789 and press the hash # key (they call it the £ sign), you will then be asked to say your name and press the hash # key again, you will then be in the ‘congregation’. Julia usually delegates participants to join in with some of the components (collect, affirmation, readings etc.) If you would like to join the service please let either Julia – 01404 850680 / 07763 111367 or Carol know on 01404 851113 / 07746 409142 so we can deliver the service sheet to you. If you press the speakerphone button, you don’t have to hold the phone to your ear.
Honiton Mission Community
Honiton St Paul’s weekly services continue at 11.00am. The website (honitoncofe.org) is updated regularly and has news about services and the latest guidelines on the Covid regulations. There is also a link to the Gittisham website. The monthly Mission Community newsletter Around the Parishes is available by email or post from the Parish Office; see below for details. As our MC churches are now having their own services, Sunday Morning Eucharistic Worship at 11.00am, in St. Paul’s is being live streamed. If you would like to join this service do please contact Rev’d Sue or the Parish Office by emailing or and the link will be forwarded. Alternatively, ring the Parish office to book your place in person, on 01404 44035. Messages will be replied to when someone is available. Mollie the Church administrator is there on Tuesdays. The ‘virtual’ Eucharist is at 6.30pm; details from Rev’d Sue.
At St Paul’s, coffee and biscuits are served in church on Tuesdays and Saturdays. They are currently free of charge but donations are welcomed for Vaccine Aid or church funds. However during each Wednesday in Lent simple lunches are being offered from 12.00 to 1.30 and donations will be going to Water Aid. The Coffee morning on Shrove Tuesday had Rev’d Sue cooking pancakes and they were much appreciated and on Ash Wednesday Rev’d Sue led a Eucharist with ‘Ashing’. This year we ashed ourselves so there was so contact. The service commenced, at the Bishop’s request, the playing of the Ukrainian National Anthem along with pictures from the country of the atrocities heaped on them by Putin’s military might.
200 Club
March is the time to renew your subscriptions for the season 2022/2023 April to March. Numbers are available if you would like to join the church’s 200 club which is one way of funding the upkeep so necessary with this old church which takes a lot to keep it heated and watertight, keeping the churchyard in good order and kind to nature, please ring me, Carol on 01404 851113. I can send an application form. The cost is £12 per number per year. The draw takes place at the beginning of each month with 5 prizes of £40.00, £20.00, £15.00, £10.00 and £5.00. Twice a year there is a 6-monthly prize of £48 (March and September). Payment can be made by cheque or cash or Standing Order, there is a form for your bank. I can email both the application and Standing order forms if required, please let me know 01404 851113 / or write to 3 School House Cottages, Gittisham, EX14 3AH.
March 2022 200 Club Results
1st Alice Hayman 2nd Sara Trumper 3rd Cynthia Underdown
4th Sarah Agg-Manning 5th Charles Vyner-Brooks 6-month Peter Orchard
Parish Council March 2022 report
Six councillors met for the March meeting. Phil Twiss (DCC) and Alasdair Bruce (EDDC)
were also present.
DCC budget.
Phil Twiss said DCC’s budget had been approved on 17th February. The DCC
part of council tax will go up by 2.99%, the lowest increase in 7 years he said, adding 87p per
week or £45 a year to homes in the Band D Council tax bracket. He explained that as
portfolio holder for Finance at DCC he had put back £1m into Highways for cyclic
maintenance, drainage schemes and pothole repairs, as well as £329k of funding for
community organisations, which were invaluable during the pandemic.
Finance.
Members agreed the finances.
Hayne Farm extension.
Graham Hutton & Richard Ayre from Baker Estates outlined the proposal to build an additional 37 dwellings to the south of the current Hayne Farm development.
If approved, access to this area will not be directly from Hayne Lane. It was estimated that
15-20% would be affordable housing. There will be a consultation on 15th March where
Baker Estates will be happy to answer questions from residents, and those living in
properties close by on Old Elm Road. Graham Hutton reported that a site investigation
had been done and they found what they’d expected in terms of contaminated material,
although from experience he said he did not rule out the possibility of finding more. The
plans are expected to be submitted to EDDC in May.
Development in the parish.
Members heard that David Valentine had made a short presentation to EDDC’s Strategic Planning committee voicing the parish council’s opposition to any development west of Hayne Farm, which is under discussion as part of EDDC’s draft Local Plan. Developers
and land owners have been promoting possible development opportunities to EDDC.
David Valentine said the promoted land is both a prominent and extremely sensitive
landscape and whilst not in the AONB, any development would have a serious
detrimental impact on both the setting of the AONB and the village of Gittisham. It would
encroach into the valley within which Gittisham is located and bring development to
within 400m of the village. He explained that the proposal cannot support a sustainable
development and car use will inevitably be the primary form of transportation contrary to
the principles within EDDC’s own existing and proposed local plan policies.
‘20’ is Plenty.
Members resolved to support Carol Hall’s proposal to support the 20 is Plenty campaign. Wales and Cornwall have a 20mph speed limit in all residential areas and this
campaign aims to persuade DCC as the county highways authority to do the same. Phil Twiss said he would support this, but advised that if a large number of parishes come forward DCC
will have to assess them according to priority (such as villages with schools).
Road closures.
7th–11th March road from Chineway to Hare & Hounds closed for SW Water works. Peter Orchard said recent repairs on Hayne Lane had not addressed the collapsed part of
the road, so another closure would surely be in the offing.
Play areas.
Members heard that the equipment for the Hayne Farm play area was due to be
delivered on 22nd March.
Scams.
Janet Twist said a national alert had been issued for the E.On email scam; criminals are
impersonating the energy company E.On promising an £85 refund in an attempt to steal personal details and money.
Next meeting will be on Thursday 7th April at 7.30pm in the village hall.
Gittisham Gazette distribution
There was a leaflet drop in the Hayne Farm and Gittisham Vale estates, asking if residents would like to receive the Gazette by email or if they have no internet access they could be posted. I have had a few requests so far, it does not matter how many are emailed and several households have 2 copies. I put 25 copies in the Vale bus shelter and as the 10 copies in the Hayne Farm sales office very rarely get picked up I shall only put a couple in from this month.
I apologise to those who do not get the Gazette and do my best to print as many as I can on my own printer. If you have a neighbour who doesn’t have access to the internet and you could print off a copy, then many more could receive this publication. I do hope more residents from both the Vale and Hayne Farm will let me have their email addresses – you won’t be bombarded with other information other than the Gazette, unless there is something that needs your attention from the Parish Council.
Editor/Distributor:
Carol McCann 01404 851113 / 0794 6409142 .
If you have events or news items including pictures, for inclusion in the gazette from the village, the Vale or Hayne Farm Estate, do please email it to Carol as early as possible. Copy date for the April edition is TBC.
A prayer for Ukraine
God of peace and justice we pray for the people of Ukraine today.
We pray for peace and the laying down of weapons.
We pray for all those who fear for tomorrow that your Spirit of comfort
would draw near to them.
We pray for those with power over war or peace, for wisdom, discernment and
Compassion to guide their decisions
Above all, we pray for all your precious children, at risk and in fear
that you would hold and protect them
We pray in the name of Jesus, the Prince of peace. Amen.
Energy bill information from your Devon county councillor, Phil Twiss (Conservative)
What has the government announced?
• The government has announced a package of support to help households with rising energy bills, worth £9.1 billion in 2022-23.
• This includes:
o A £200 discount on their energy bill this Autumn for domestic electricity customers in Great Britain. This will be paid back automatically over the next 5 years.
o A £150 non-repayable rebate in Council Tax bills for all households in Bands A-D in England.
o £144 million of discretionary funding for Local Authorities to support households who need support but are not eligible for the Council Tax rebate.
• The devolved administrations are receiving around £715 million funding through the Barnett formula as usual where UK Government support doesn’t cover Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.
Why is the government providing support?
• The government recognises many households will need support to deal with rising energy costs, which are being affected by global factors.
• From 1 April, the energy price cap will rise from £1,277 to £1,971 – an almost £700 increase in energy bills for the average household.
• Wholesale gas prices have quadrupled in the last year. Because gas is used for electricity generation this pushes up retail electricity bills as well as retail gas bills.
How will the Energy Bill Discount Scheme work?
• Domestic energy customers in Great Britain will receive a £200 cash discount on their bills this autumn. The government will provide funding to all suppliers for them to pass on to their domestic energy customers from October.
• Customers will pay back the discount automatically in equal instalments over five years, starting from financial year 2023-24, when wholesale gas prices are expected to come down. This is expected to be reflected as an increase to standing charges on bills.
• This approach will help to spread the increased costs of global prices over time in a way that is more manageable for households.
• The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy will set out more detail on this policy in a consultation in the spring.
How will the Council Tax rebate work?
• Households in England in Council Tax Bands A-D will be eligible for a £150 rebate in their council tax bill in April this year.
• The rebate to bills will be made directly by local authorities. This won’t have to be repaid.
• 80% of households in England are in Council Tax Bands A-D, so will benefit from this rebate. The rebate will not be paid for second homes or empty properties. • We expect the vast majority of people who pay by Direct Debit to receive this money in April. For households in Bands A-D who do not pay by Direct Debit, their councils will be ready to process their claims in April.
• For those with council tax bills lower than £150 that month, it will take a bit longer to receive the benefit in full. Almost all households should see the full benefit by May.
• The government is providing new funding to local authorities for these rebates, as well as extra funding to help with increased administrative costs.
• For those who need help with their energy bills but are not eligible – such as households on income support in higher bands (E-H) or with properties in bands A-D that are exempt from council tax – local authorities will receive £144 million of discretionary funding to help.
• Further details will be set out by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and local authorities.
Will people across the whole UK benefit?
• The £200 energy bills discount applies across England, Wales and Scotland. The Northern Ireland Executive is responsible for energy policy in Northern Ireland. The Northern Ireland Executive will be funded to provide comparable support with around £150 million through the Barnett formula next year. The Barnett formula will also be applied when UK Government spending is recovered in future years, which will result in lower funding for the Executive in those years.
• The £150 Council Tax Energy Rebate applies in England only, as Council Tax policy is devolved in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. As a result, the devolved administrations will receive around £565 million extra funding through the Barnett formula, which will enable them to provide similar support. They will be able to choose whether to spend this funding this year or next year.
• This comprises around £290million for the Scottish Government, £175million for the Welsh Government and £100million for the Northern Ireland Executive.
What other help is available for people struggling with the cost of living?
• These new measures are on top of the existing £12 billion support the government is providing for the cost of living this financial year and next. This includes reducing the Universal Credit taper rate, raising the National Living Wage, freezing alcohol and fuel duties and providing targeted help with energy bills.
• The government is continuing with plans to expand eligibility for the Warm Home Discount by almost a third and increase the rebate value to £150 each year (from £140). 3 million vulnerable households will now benefit from the £150 supplier rebate. More detail will be published shortly in the government response to the consultation on this. • A fuller explanation of how the government is helping with the cost of living is available in a separate factsheet here https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/government support-for-energy-bills-and-the-cost-of-living-factsheets