Dear friends and supporters of our parish hall, thank you to all of you who came and supported our Christmas Bonaza day! We have had lots of fun decorating the hall! Thank you to Isla for decorating the Christmas tree so beautifully. It has been wonderful to hear so many of you marvel at the glorious Gittisham halo and we will be very sad when it has to come down! Thanks to your support we had a very busy craft fair in the morning with many of the crafters asking if they can book a table for next year! Let us know what you think of the idea. The coffee and cake afternoon really was a lovely genteel affair with the very finest offerings from the talented Gittisham bakers. If you haven’t ever been to one of these events, you really should try one! They attract quite a following of friendly regulars! At the opposite end of the scale was the hotly anticipated Xmas Bingo and mega raffle! …..What can I say! We were absolutely full to the rafters! Sarah Abbotts beautiful hand packed and picked chicken dinner hampers were an absolute thing of beauty and hotly contested. We were delighted to see Wolfie win the Gittisham lottery! Huge thanks to professional caller Marty for a great evening! As well as enjoying enormous community support throughout the day we were very generously supported by the local business community. Snows Toyota, funded all the bingo prizes and many local business gifted incredible raffle prizes, including The Pig, Combe Estate, Combe Garden Centre, Drakes Plumbing and many many more. Thanks to your support and theirs, our Bonanza Day raised over £1000. That really is an incredible result and we thank you all. This money will go towards kitting out our new kitchen which is now on order, with installation planned over the Christmas and new year period. Your support and engagement with hall events has enabled us to make some major hall improvements this year including the new kitchen. We would like to wish you all a very Happy Christmas and healthy new year. We look forward to welcoming you back to the hall in early 2026 with what we hope will be a kitchen warming party! Watch this space! Gittisham Parish Hall Committee 
PARISH COUNCIL – NOVEMBER 2025 REPORT
Six councillors met for the November meeting along with Cllr Richard Jefferies (DCC).
Superfast broadband. Alex Rowe reported that the original proposal to lay a micro-trench across fields from the
garden centre was now in doubt, as part of this land is in EDDC’s allocation for the local plan. The owner of Radio Fibre is considering an alternative route. Councillors expressed a collective sigh that progress on installing superfast broadband appears once again to be running into issues.
Libraries. Richard Jefferies reported that DCC is carrying out a public consultation about the future of its library service. The county council has 50 libraries, run by the charity Libraries Unlimited, alongside a Home Library Service and outreach programmes. No libraries will close under the proposals, which are designed to save money in the face of rising costs. The consultation includes suggestions to reduce and ‘standardise’ opening hours and options to extend opening hours through additional volunteering by using technology and the potential introduction of community-managed libraries.
Footpaths. Councillors discussed with Richard Jefferies the possibility of him taking Gittisham’s proposal to support a footpath from Hayne Lane to the Otter Inn to his Highway and Traffic Orders Committee (HATOC, which meets quarterly). All agreed that as one of the few amenities in the area, people should be supported to walk there safely. The clerk said that West Hill PC have recently carried out a small highway improvement, and may be willing to share their experience with the parish.
Glyphosate. Alasdair Bruce (East Devon District councillor) was not able to attend, but in his absence he sent a report outlining a range of issues. He explained that EDDC, along with DCC, are considering overturning a local ban on the use of glyphosate (a non-selective herbicide). This has come about after public complaints concerning overgrown roadside verges. Alasdair said that as a committed naturalist and beekeeper, he strongly opposes what he sees as a potential retrograde step. The evidence is clear on the long-term hazards associated with this chemical, he said, especially the devastating impact it has on the little-seen elements of our wildlife. However he said he was confident that common sense will prevail, and that this request will be dismissed.
Finance. Councillors agreed the finances.
Crimes. August 2025: Parsonage Lane: 1 x other theft. Hedge Field Close: 1 x anti-social behaviour, 1 x violence & sexual offences
Planning applications. a) 25/1857/VAR – 1 Hamlett Close, Gittisham EX14 3FR – Variation of Condition 1 (approved plans), on planning permission 24/2200/FUL (Conversion of existing garage to living accommodation, with first floor extension over), to make the project more accessible to a disabled person. Councillors resolved to have no objections to a).
Interpretation boards. Gary Pester outlined further details on the two interpretation boards which the parish
council is considering installing at two sites in the village. This is to provide visitors to the parish with information on facilities and some local history in an attractive format, similar to boards in Ottery and Budleigh Salterton.
Next meeting. 11 th December 2025 at 7.30pm in the parish room.
You can see the full parish council minutes on the Gittisham website, along with other
information about the parish. www.gittisham.org.uk