Gazette

A monthly community newsletter published by St Michael’s Church and Gittisham Parish Council

PARISH COUNCIL – JUNE 2024 REPORT

Seven councillors met for the June meeting along with Nicole Stacey & Mark Sexton (Baker Estates), Justin Lascelles (Combe Estate) and six members of the public.

Hayne Farm development update. At present the development managed by First Port, but Baker Estates said they could provide advice on how residents could set up a management company made up of a board of directors. This would give residents more control over what maintenance is done there and when. Mark Sexton said he was happy to meet residents for a walk around the estate to look at what needs to be done, and take action on whatever falls

within the remit of Baker Estates. He will suggest some dates for a walkabout which will be circulated in due course.

Hayne Farm play area. Some residents feel that there are many gaps in the provision. Baker Estates said the

playground facilities that have been provided have met the legal obligations with EDDC. If residents would like to see additional equipment in the play area, it will need to be under the management of Hayne Farm residents (directors) before this can happen. Maintenance, insurance and safety inspections of this play equipment will also fall under the authority of the directors. This would be same for bins and dog bins. The parish council will be happy to help advise on funding for new equipment, as was done at the village play area. 

Finance. Councillors agreed the finances, as well as the annual accounts and governance statement for 2023/24.

Crimes. March 2024: No reported crimes.

Planning applications. 

a) 24/0539/LBC – 2 Riverside Cottages, Gittisham EX14 3AG – Replace existing porch with enlarged lead flat roof porch on south elevation; replace existing extension on north elevation to create bedroom and bathroom and glazed

canopy over rear door

b) 24/0988/FUL – Parkers East Gittisham EX14 3AS – Proposal to repair and preserve existing brick and timber greenhouse within the curtilage of a listed building

Councillors had no objections to either application.

Footpath.

Councillors discussed proposals for a traffic-free footpath to connect Hayne Farm with the village and with the garden centre. Justin Lascelles explained that this would have to be a ‘permissive footpath’, not a legal public footpath and the route would need to minimise impact on the environment and on the tenant farmers’ activities. He said there may be some funding the estate can access through stewardship schemes which could provide for capital works and annual maintenance. He invited the parish council to submit a definitive route which he can put before Combe Estate trustees for discussion.

Public transport.

Peter Orchard said he would follow up with Stagecoach regarding the late arrivals or no-shows noted on the clipboard in the village bus shelter.

Next meeting. Thursday 11 th July at 7.30pm in the parish room.

Parish Council links Who’s who https://gittisham.org.uk/parish-council/

Emergency Plan https://gittisham.org.uk/parish-council/emergency-plan/Parish Council Clerk Email: 

A monthly community newsletter published by St Michael’s Church and Gittisham Parish Council 

PARISH COUNCIL – MAY 2024 REPORT

Six councillors met for the May meeting along with Alasdair Bruce (EDDC), Phil Twiss (DCC) and one member of the public. 

Chair & Vice Chair. Carol Hall was elected as chair and Alex Rowe as vice chair for 2024/25, Janet Twist having stood down as vice chair.

Funding for higher energy and food costs Phil Twiss reported that Devon County Council has been allocated a little over £5 million from the government to help households struggling to pay higher bills for energy, food, water, and other essential items. This will be the fifth round of Household Support Funding received from the Department for Work and Pensions, to run between April and September 2024. It will take Devon’s total level of Household Support Funding received so far to just over £30 million. The funding is to support households in most need, but

specifically those that may not be eligible for other support that is already available from the government. Further details will be provided once plans are finalised.

Finance. Members agreed the finances.

Crimes. March 2024: 1 x public order, Meadow Acre 1 x violence & sexual offences, Cypress Close. Members agreed the increase in crime over the past year reflected the growing number of residents in the parish, and a rise in the reporting of crime.

Planning applications.

a) proposed upgrade to the existing radio base station installation at CS_121551, SWEB Tower EX14 3TZ (NGR: E314620, N096545). Councillors had no objections to this application.

Road closures. 3–20 June 2024 road through Alfington is closed for gas works.

4–5 June 2024 Old A30 by Kings Arms farm. Temporary traffic signals for Highways

                                                   England works.

Old Elm Road rewilding. Alex Rowe said the parish council would be looking for volunteers to help lay the grass matting that will go underneath a footpath suitable for pushchairs in the rewilded area.

Hayne Farm. Carol Hall said some residents of Hayne Farm had drawn up a list of items they would like to see in the play area. Representatives of Baker Estates will be attending the June parish council meeting to discuss.

Broadband. Phil Twiss encouraged people to register their interest on the Airband website, which appeared to show some Gittisham village postcodes likely to be served by the rollout of superfast broadband at some point in the future. Adam Powell queried this, as he had intelligence that suggested Airband is reassessing the contracts it has with Connecting Devon and Somerset (the rural broadband programme). Phil Twiss said he was waiting for a response from CDS. To share your experience of poor broadband in Gittisham village, please contact or telephone 07535 233558.

Public transport. Peter Orchard said there was now a clipboard in the village bus shelter where passengers should report any late arrivals or no-shows, which helps in gathering evidence to present to Stagecoach.

Village play area. Councillors agreed to attend to the items highlighted in the annual safety inspection report. A table tennis tournament is planned in the play area for Father’s Day.

Next meeting. Thursday 6^th June at 7.30pm in the parish room. 

Parish Council links Who’s who https://gittisham.org.uk/parish-council/

Emergency Plan https://gittisham.org.uk/parish-council/emergency-plan/Parish Council Clerk Email: 

A monthly community newsletter published by St Michael’s Church and Gittisham Parish Council

How is your broadband ? – meetings and media campaigns

Firstly thank you to all of you who sent in witness statements about the poor broadband service you are getting in Gittisham, and the ways it negatively impacts your lives. I was able to hand three of these strongly worded statements to our MP, Richard Foord, when three Gittisham Parish Councillors (Alex Rowe, Maggie Walker, Adam Powell) met up with him recently to discuss improving broadband speeds in the Parish, specifically to get fibre connection. Richard listened carefully, we explained the uneven broadband speeds in the Parish. It was good to have Alex and Maggie present, as long-term residents as they know the history of failed attempts to install fibre connection. Four points came out of our hour-long meeting. On Richard’s part he would chivvy up the staff responsible for digital connections at Devon County Council, he had spoken up for Gittisham on this matter two years ago, so it was about time he went back to them. Secondly, Richard said he would raise the matter again with the digital minister in parliament, John Widdingdale, this may lead to more questions being asked in the House of Commons.

For our part, Richard suggested we start a media campaign to highlight the issue. Lastly, It was also suggested we work as closely as we can with the Combe Estate in achieving fibre connectivity across the Parish.

We thanked Richard for his interest and time, he didn’t over promise, but I believe he will fight our corner.

So, we need to start a media campaign! I’m sure there is someone out there reading this that can help us with this….

From my limited research a ‘media campaign’ requires three elements ;

1. Data – of download and upload speeds and how these relate to targets, the rest of

the country, dare I say to Europe.

2. Case histories – Specifically how does it affect your lives; ability to working from

home, access to health care, studying, and entertainment.

3. Collective action – this could be a petition, letters to the minister, a strike or demonstration, or probably just a group photo of those affected with a statement. With some or all of the above we will be ready to contact the media ( local and national papers, radio and TV and posts on social media). We need to provide the information, then we can get help on how it is presented. All help and ideas on the above are welcome.

A few facts about broadband.

The government promised national coverage at speeds at or above 24mb/s by 2024,

currently most of Gittisham village and most surrounding dwellings achieve less than

10mb/s many as low as 2mb/s. Would anybody like to help with a poll around residents?

Over £15 million provided for rural fibre connection has been clawed back to Devon

and Somerset County Council.

If you live within 1.6 km of a telephone connection box served with fibre your broadband speeds maybe adequate, unfortunately Gittisham village is further than this from the box at Fenny Bridges and the one opposite Lidl.

I could tell you more….much more

We need more witness statements, how does this effect you?

We need help with our ‘media campaign’, creative ideas please.

Contact Adam Powell on behalf of Gittisham Parish Council 07535233558

PARISH COUNCIL – APRIL 2023 REPORT

Six councillors met for the April meeting.

Public toilets. Alasdair Bruce (EDDC) had emailed the parish council in his absence to tell councillors about a decision taken last week at EDDC’s planning committee. Two public toilet blocks are to be removed and replaced by an ugly pay to use prefab literally craned into place. One in Honiton and the other in Budleigh Salterton. Cllr Bruce said he had always been of the belief that it should be a right to use a public convenience for free. He was

appalled by the decision, and felt it was a backward step to now be faced with the option of needing to use this grotesque monstrosity, in place of the previous sanctuary of relief, and pay for the privilege. Neither buildings contribute any aesthetic value whatsoever to these towns, and to many this change will become a contributing factor in the calculation of a shopping trip out. So in future the public and visitors in Honiton are faced with either

paying to pee (providing the locks work), relying on the good graces of a certain coffee shop, or, use the facilities of the large church and leave a contribution.

Finance. Members agreed the finances.

Crimes. Due to an ongoing error on the Police UK website which the force is aware of, it is not possible to report crime statistics.

Planning applications.

1 Beaumonts Cottages, Gittisham – T1, Willow: pollard to approximately 8m above ground level; maximum diameter cuts of 20cm; western limb over building; reduce to 3m off main stem. Councillors had no objections to this application.

Road closures. 20 May–7 June 2024 road through Alfington is closed for water works.

Broadband.

Adam Powell reported that he, Maggie Walker and Alex Rowe had met Richard Foord MP earlier in the day to discuss the delay in rolling out superfast broadband. The MP has agreed to follow up with Devon County Council as well as the Digital Minister in Parliament. It appears that Gittisham parish is no longer on the list of locations for

Airband, the remaining full fibre broadband infrastructure provider in the area. Members thanked Adam Powell for raising the profile of the lack of decent broadband. To share your experience of poor broadband in Gittisham village, please contact or telephone 07535 233558.

Hayne Farm play area.

Janet Twist reported that residents of the Hayne Farm development had been repeating their calls for the play area there to be improved. Members agreed that until the ownership of the land had been established on a more permanent footing (likely in two years’ time), the parish council was limited in what support it could provide. It had been pointed out on previous occasions that the equipment in the village play area was provided through fundraising, not capital expenditure. The parish council is happy to assist with providing advice / support on fundraising. Councillors agreed to invite Baker Estates to a parish council meeting to provide an update on the development, and answer concerns raised by residents about the play area to understand where, if at all, the parish council might be able to get involved.

Next meeting. Thursday 2 nd May at 7.30pm in the parish room. This is also the annual parish meeting. All welcome.

Parish Council links      Who’s who                          https://gittisham.org.uk/parish-council/

Emergency Plan               https://gittisham.org.uk/parish-council/emergency-plan/

Parish Council Clerk       Email:                   

A monthly community newsletter published by St Michael’s Church and Gittisham Parish Council

PARISH COUNCIL – MARCH 2024 REPORT

Seven councillors met for the March meeting. Phil Twiss (DCC), Alasdair Bruce (EDDC) and one member of the public were also present.

Highways Phil Twiss said that thanks to a combination hard work by DCC Highways’ teams and the milder winter, the service has recorded 5,500 safety defect potholes in January, slightly below the 7-year average (5,926). This compares well to the 7,500 in 2023. The significant reduction in the gritting operations frees up resources to continue the planned patching operations, again helping to reduce safety defect potholes across the county. However the prolonged wet weather of the last few months does not help matters when trying to make repairs to the highway. Phil Twiss added that the ‘report a problem’ website now looks somewhat different https://www.devon.gov.uk/roads-and-transport/report-a-problem/ To this Alasdair Bruce added that people should firstly report every relevant hole they find in the road and, secondly, regularly check that it hasn’t been removed from the online map before a successful repair, as this can affect insurance claims. If it has been removed, put it back on and keep doing so until the hole is fixed.

Finance. Members agreed the finances.

Crimes. Due to an ongoing error on the Police UK website which the force is aware of, it is not possible to report crime statistics.

Planning applications.

a) Land at Weston Park Devonshire Road – Construction of new industrial units (Use Class B2) – the clerk agreed to check whether this was another iteration of an application that had come before the parish council last year, to which there was no objection.

Road closures. 20 March: road to Catshayes closed to install sewer level equipment.

Broadband. Adam Powell reported that Richard Foord MP had accepted his invitation to a meeting on 4 th April to discuss the delay in rolling out superfast broadband. He has also invited representatives of other parishes similarly affected, and rural broadband campaigners. To share your experience of poor broadband in Gittisham village, please contact or telephone 07535 233558.

Footpaths Hayne Farm to Gittisham village. Adam Powell and Alex Rowe said they had met representatives of the Combe Estate and the Marker family to discuss a range of traffic-free routes between the new development and the village. The most likely option was a permissive path past the farm

shop and barns to the village along a serviceable farm track that ends by the old marlpit, as it might be more acceptable than a right of way. Conditions of use could be determined by the estate and could potentially be limited to certain times of year. The second route discussed was under the overgrown railway bridge at the Hayne Farm development to follow the hedgerows down to the minor road leading to the garden centre and village. If approved, in both cases the routes and conditions of use may change, as the built landscape is likely to change in the future.

Village play area. The clerk reported that the legal side of releasing the S106 funding for the outdoor ping pong table had been completed, and the parish council could now proceed to purchase the item. This was one of the most popular choices in the public consultation carried out before the pandemic.

Next meeting. Thursday 4 th April at 7.30pm in the parish room.

Parish Council links     Who’s who                        https://gittisham.org.uk/parish-council/

Emergency Plan              https://gittisham.org.uk/parish-council/emergency-plan/

Parish Council Clerk       Email:                   Tel: 01404 851442

How’s your broadband?

Of course, we know the answer and yes, the Parish Council is ‘on the case’. Those of us with a connection to the village wifi Voneus do have a fairly good service but it depends on the weather, foliage, pigeons in the way, etc. You do need to have a direct line of sight to the transmitters. Others are left with coping with little more than dial up, How is this affecting you? Your work, your education, your leisure, managing health, finances, etc. Do you feel disadvantaged?  It’s not a money thing, it’s just not reached us here in the village. The Parish Council is meeting our MP next month and it will greatly strengthen our case if we can give him some anecdotes from people of all ages, backgrounds and careers. Please send your thoughts to or speak to one of your Parish Councillors. Thank you

The Equinox and Big Tides Hamish Hall

On the 20th March the sun will pass across the earth’s equator, moving from the southern hemisphere to the northern.  This means the whole planet gets the same amount of sunlight and we have pretty much equal amounts of sunlight and nighttime (equi -nox).  The sun will all rise due east and set due west wherever you are.

This is also a time when we often get high tides and this year is pretty special.  On the 11th & 12th March, just after the new moon, we will have one of the highest and lowest set of predicted tides for the last eight years.  This happens because the tidal forces are strengthened when the moon is closest to the earth in its elliptical orbit and enhanced when the sun is over the equator.  The moon is almost at its closest to earth and on these dates (only 356,800km away, compared to 406,500km away  in October).    You may note that I;ve said predicted tides as the atmospheric pressure and strength of the wind can make big changes to both the height and the time of the tides

Wash out winter ! Jack Bartlett

Rain rain go away, come back another day! It’s been a while since I’ve written, but the weather hasn’t changed much! It really does need to dry up now, fields are saturated and just can’t take any more. The field work needs to begin but we can’t even get into the fields without making a mess. Slurry needs to be applied for nutrients to this coming years crops, and bagged fertiliser for the same reason. We also need to roll the grass fields, this smooths out any lumps, bumps and molehills so that when we cut the grass the mowers don’t hit these lumps and bumps. Soil contamination in the silage doesn’t make for a good feed.

The wet weather doesn’t mean we haven’t had much to, winter time means all the animals are tucked away in the sheds keeping dry, which means lots of feeding, scraping slurry and bedding up! We are also calving a lot of cows and heifers at the moment too, in just one day this week 7 calves were born! They like to keep us on our toes.

You may have seen lots of sheep around, these have done a good job eating down the excess grass through the winter, which in turn helps for making good quality silage in the summer. As the grass is nice and young & fresh.

Some fields will also be turned over and planted to maize, lots to happen in the next couple months!

Some of you will have noticed the track we have built to Catshayes, although still not completely finished yet, this has made a huge difference to get to and back from Catshayes without going all around the village. This will also help with some of the summer tractor traffic.

Bring on summer !

A monthly community newsletter published by St Michael’s Church and Gittisham Parish Council

Broadband

Please share your experience of issues caused by the continuing delay in installing superfast broadband in Gittisham village with your Parish Council via or telephone 07535 233558.

PARISH COUNCIL – FEBRUARY 2024 REPORT

Five councillors met for the February meeting. Alasdair Bruce (EDDC) was also present.

Water quality. The focus on seawater bathing quality is a hot topic at present and rightly so, said Alasdair Bruce. He explained there is much anecdotal evidence from outdoor swimmers of a major deterioration in the quality of our coastal waters. Many experience stomach illness and ear infections, even dog walkers tell him their animals are sometimes poorly after a stroll on the beach. With this in mind, Alasdair Bruce thought the parish might be interested in some figures recently released by the EDDC coastal officer:

Permitted Discharges from CSOs (storm overflow discharge): In total in 2023 there were the following (the number in brackets is the number that fell within the formal bathing season May 15th  September 30th) Sandy Bay 21 (8), Exmouth 40 (15), Budleigh 44 (15), Sidmouth 28 (10) Beer 32 (13), Seaton 31(12). Given that in their Water Fit document South West Water commits to achieving no more than 20 discharges at any given beach, this is pretty poor performance.

Devolution. In his absence, Phil Twiss sent a report explaining that the Government had published proposals for a deal that could re-draw the future relationship between local government in Devon, Torbay and Whitehall. It’s hoped that additional powers with the cash that follows will happen in future years. This would enable more decisions to be made locally by people who know their areas best and on things that matter to local people such as building more affordable homes, investing in new quality jobs and skills, and improving public transport.

Finance. Members agreed on the finances.

Crimes. Due to an ongoing error on the Police UK website, it is not possible to report crime statistics.

Planning applications.

a) 8 Campion Way, Honiton – T1, Oak approx. 14 metres high and 14 metres wide at all points; to pollard back to the previous pollard position when work was last carried out in 2016. No objection.

b) Rapshayes Farm, Gittisham – Variation of condition 2 (approved plans) of planning permission 20/0782/LBC (Conversion of barn to holiday accommodation) to change the proposed roof covering from clay Roman tiles to natural slate. No objection.

c) Kings Arms Farm Nags Head Road, Gittisham– House of multiple occupation (HMO), that provides individual living-rooms for vulnerable people; the facility includes communal areas for socialising, cooking and dining set with private and secure gardens. No objection.

Road closures. 20 March: the road to Catshayes closed to install sewer-level equipment.

Broadband. Adam Powell said he had drafted a letter to Richard Foorde MP regarding the continuing delay of installing superfast broadband in Gittisham village. Councillors agreed he should use the village WhatsApp group to build a picture of the issues people experience. To share your experience, please contact or telephone 07535 233558.

Play area. The clerk reported that she had accepted the offer of a free silver birch tree from Devon Wildlife Trust. The organisation is offering parish councils in East Devon, North Devon and Torridge a “landmark” tree to help combat the devastating effect Ash Dieback is having on the landscape.

Next meeting. Thursday 7th March at 7.30 pm in the parish room.

Parish Council links      Who’s who                          https://gittisham.org.uk/parish-council/

Emergency Plan               https://gittisham.org.uk/parish-council/emergency-plan/

Parish Council Clerk       Email:                    Tel: 01404 851442

A monthly community newsletter published by St Michael’s Church and Gittisham Parish Council

Gittisham Village Hall

Tufty Tots

Hello! My name is Jasmine, I am a great niece of Uncle Reg and Pam Chown and have strong family connections with Gittisham. My family and I now live in Honiton but enjoy visiting the park. My husband and I have two young daughters- who keep us very busy. Tom is a graphic designer and I am a primary school teacher. During my childhood visits and family parties  I often visited the Gittisham Village Hall. The beautiful building and space has now inspired me to start up TuftyTots, baby and toddler classes.

I will be running- Tufty Tots – on a Thursday morning. The classes will run from 9.30-11.30 with inclusive activities tailored for children from 6 months- 4 years old. The sessions will include stories, songs, sensory activities and tuft tray activities to ignite curiosity and imagination. To look after the adults there will of course be a selection of homemade cakes and strong coffee!  And time for a good natter. 

TuftyTots classes will be informed by the Early Years Framework- to develop a love for learning and help children to reach their milestones.

On the last Saturday of each month we will also be running a family  – stay and play brunch – these will be themed, based on books and children’s interests such as dinosaurs or princesses! No age limit. 

TuftyTots is still in the planning stages, but soon we will have a website and more information available. TuftyTots will be launched in March, but booking will be available from February. During the Thursdays in February I will be running pilot sessions for families and friends so you may see and hear little people mischief in and around the hall! I ask for your patience with families parking in and around your lovely village. If there are any problems or parking queries please do not hesitate to pop in and see me or ask Carol Hall for my contact details. 

Kind regards and best wishes, Jasmine Chugg-Rogers 

PARISH COUNCIL – JANUARY 2023 REPORT

Six councillors met for the January meeting. One member of the public was also present.

DCC Budget. In his report Phil Twiss (DCC) said that setting DCC’s budget for the next financial year would once again be a challenging task. More than 79% of the net revenue budget of £743.4 million proposed for 2024/25 is spent on children’s and adult service areas i.e. £588.5m with £154.8m for the others. The council is identifying savings and alternative sources of income, including grants, but the majority is derived from council tax and business rates. He explained that social care provision is particularly impacted by increases to the national living wage, which at first glance a 30p per hour increase announced by the Government does not seem vast. However, it will add an extra £25.7m to the DCC wage bill, which will need to come from further savings and efficiencies.

Broadband. Following the acquisition of Jurassic Fibre and three other internet service providers, All Points Fibre (APF, part of Fern Trading) has looked again at the business case for bringing full fibre broadband to Gittisham village. A representative of APF was due to join the meeting remotely, but due to issues with broadband it was not possible to connect. Members expressed their profound disappointment that the company would not be pursuing its roll-out, which APF explained was no longer commercially viable. Phil Twiss indicated in a recent email that the contract for Airband to deliver the roll-out under the Connecting Devon & Somerset scheme appeared to be the most likely option.

Finance. Members agreed the budget for 2024/25 and the parish precept was increased to £10,139.08; as the population of the parish has increased, this should not represent a rise at the individual level.

Crimes. Due to an ongoing error on the Police UK website, it is not possible to report crime statistics. In his report, Alasdair Bruce (EDDC) said the ongoing issue of anti- social behaviour on the Hayne Farm development has been raised with Sovereign Housing and the council officer whose brief it is.

Donations. Members agreed to donate money to Force, Diabetes UK, TRIP, Citizens Advice and Hospiscare.

Road closures. 20 March: road to Catshayes closed to install sewer level equipment.

Play area. The Chair and Vice Chair signed the grant funding agreement for EDDC to release S106 funds to allow the parish council to go ahead with the purchase of the outdoor ping pong table.

Limited residential development. David Valentine said Gittisham Community Land Trust was drawing up a memorandum of understanding with Combe Estate. The planning application is due to be submitted very soon. Research into a possible housing association partner is ongoing.

Footpath. Councillors discussed how they could take forward the proposal for a permissive path connecting the Hayne Farm development with Gittisham village. All agreed it would fit with the parish council’s climate change agenda and take cars off the road. Adam Powell (new parish councillor, Gittisham Vale) highlighted the success of a recently created path linking Feniton and Colestocks.

Next meeting. Thursday 1 st February at 7.30pm in the parish room. The Chair wished everyone a happy New Year.

Parish Council links      Who’s who                          https://gittisham.org.uk/parish-council/

Emergency Plan               https://gittisham.org.uk/parish-council/emergency-plan/

Parish Council Clerk       Email:                    Tel: 01404 851442

Gittisham Gazette	Dec ‘23 Edition
A monthly community newsletter published by St Michael’s Church and Gittisham Parish Council

PARISH COUNCIL – NOVEMBER 2023 REPORT

Five councillors met for the December meeting.

Flooding Councillors noted the recent flooding along the Honiton Link Road which has made it impassable. They highlighted the statement in the outstanding planning application for the proposed Combe Farm shop that the development will not increase the flood risk elsewhere. Councillors expressed serious concerns that the recent rainfall and surface water flooding have shown this proposed development to be unsuitable, and will highlight this to EDDC planners.

Councillor Walker reported that the lengthsman had been clearing the drains up Parsonage Lane, and he had also dug a hole along that stretch which had kept one entrance to Gittisham village free from flooding.

Finance. Councillors noted the finances.

Crimes. Due to an ongoing error on the Police UK website, it is not possible to report crime statistics. However other sites report 1 x violent crime in Aug 2023 for Honiton Rural, which covers several parishes. Alasdair Bruce (EDDC) said he had passed on information to EDDC and Sovereign Housing regarding an incident of anti-social behaviour at Longlands Way at Hayne Farm. Apparently this has been aggravated by unnamed residents removing the security locks on the main doors.

Road closures. 7th January 0930-1530 road through Alfington closed for BT pole work

Trains. The railway line between Salisbury and Exeter St David’s is expected to re-open on 11 th December, following work to remedy a landslip at Crewkerne. Rail replacement buses have been affected by the recent flooding.

Buses. Phil Twiss (DCC) said the £2 bus fare is to be continued until end 2024 (although there

are still cheaper fares available, depending on the journey). Not only does this help with the cost of living, it also encourages more people to use buses thereby reducing congestion and helping with decreasing carbon emissions. The revised Stagecoach timetables beyond the parish are now bedding in and there are a lot fewer complaints. Unfortunately, the changes coincided with an increase in illness, mainly respiratory infections amongst bus drivers. Resilience will improve as Stagecoach now has a full cohort at the bus training school.

Councillor vacancy, Gittisham Vale. Adam Powell was elected parish councillor for Gittisham Vale by an unanimous vote.

EDDC Local Plan. David Valentine reported that East Devon District Council has decided to proceed with the development of a second new town of 8,000 homes between Exeter Airport and Crealy. He said this was likely to have some sort of impact on the reallocation of development sites in the Local Plan.

Scam awareness. Janet Twist said WhatsApp users are being encouraged to be vigilant after scammers

hacked into accounts and asked their victim’s friends and family for money.

Beavers. Following the visit of a beaver to the River Gitt for the first time since their re-introduction, the clerk said she had reported this to the Devon Wildlife Trust who have suggested giving a presentation on how parishes can manage beaver colonies.

Next meeting. 4 th January in the parish room at 7.30pm. The Vice Chair wished Councillors, their families and all those who support the parish council a merry Christmas, and a happy and healthy New Year.

Parish Council links      Who’s who                          https://gittisham.org.uk/parish-council/

Emergency Plan               https://gittisham.org.uk/parish-council/emergency-plan/

Parish Council Clerk       Email:                    Tel: 01404 851442

A monthly community newsletter published by St Michael’s Church and Gittisham Parish Council 

What’s On?  Pierre’s Café   Sunday 12th Nov   Community Kitchen  Every Thurs, village hall  6.30pm. All welcome to   enjoy a free meal and  good company  Act of Remembrance  at the Lych gate Sunday  Nov 12th 10.50 followed  by Eucharist in Church  Ember Pizza  Pizza van by the church 1st Wednesday of the month  07751 532843  Coffee Together  18th Nov 10.30-12   at the Parish Room inc  double 200 club Nov &  Dec draw  ‘Getting   ready for Advent’  Sun Nov 26 th  11am at the   church   Quiz   Saturday evening   2nd December   Quizmaster Hamish  Christmas Swap Shop  2nd December

Come and join us in our   beautiful church as we begin   the lead up to Christmas. We   are presenting a lovely festive   concert suitable for all ages   with professional singers. Join   us in our carol singing and  enjoy a drink and a mince pie.   There will also be a prize draw   with a splendid lunch for two to   be won at The Pig’s Folly. Book   early to avoid disappointment!   The proceeds will be shared   between Force Cancer Charity   and St Michael’s Church,   Gittisham.

Christmas Swap Shop Saturday 2^nd December 3-6pm at the Hall 

“For a more sustainable Christmas” 

Swap toys, decorations and lights. 

One gift donation entitles the giver to one free gift.  Donations from 10am at the hall. Good quality only. 

Mulled wine, mince pies and cream teas from 3pm 

Quiz Night 

At the village hall Saturday 2^nd December  

Quizmaster Hamish 

Combe Farm Shop 

Its nearly time to start thinking about Christmas. Here at  the Farm shop we are looking forward to a busy festive  season. 

We have lots of lovely things planned including our late  night Christmas shopping event, where you can meet  some of our suppliers, enjoy some free samples, listen to  a local choir and even meet Santa. There will be hot  drinks, mulled wine and turkey baps available in the  Café. We will also have some great deals on, so it could  be a chance to get some Christmas present shopping  done. This is going to be on December 2^nd. 

We will be hosting our popular wreath making workshops  again with a local florist and using locally sourced  greenery. We will be running them on November  29^th and December 13^th in the evening. Mulled wine and  nibbles are included. If this interests you, please let us  know to book your spot as numbers are limited. We also  have capacity to run private wreath workshops for small  groups. 

We also have our diary open for Christmas orders. We  have Local Turkeys from near Exeter (Rosamond Farm),  Turkey breast rolls, in house cured Gammon ( using local  free range pork from Prestige Pork), Pigs in Blankets,  Carvery Rib, Rolled Sirloin, Ducks, Chicken and so much  more. We also offer our Christmas Meat Hampers. All  information can be found on our Facebook page or pop  by the shop to speak to one of the team. 

Look forward to seeing you soon, 

Joanna and the Farm Shop Team. 

01404 519093 

Community Theatre 4All  presents  

An evening of 2 short plays Gentle comedy from a bygone era. The Laboratory by David Campton The Bear by Anton Chekov 

Talaton Parish Hall Thurs 16^th, Fri 17^th and Sat 18^th November 

 Tickets £6 from www.ticketsource.co.uk 07867 791093

Auction of Promises Saturday 10th February 7 pm at the Hall 

Do you have a service or skill you could  donate as a lot? This would be placed in  a catalogue for Auction in February in  the village hall, bar and nibbles  available on the night  

It’s raining cats and dogs 

Our wonderful Devon village lies at the bottom of a pretty steep valley and when it rains heavily, we know it. Large rivers with big catchments, like the Exe, cause problems after prolonged and extensive rainfall – for example, a flood can take several days to reach Exeter after the rain has started. The River Gitt, however, has a tiny catchment area to the centre of the village, just a few square kilometres. This small area, coupled with the steep nature of the catchment  – means we are less susceptible to low-intensity prolonged rainfall, but are far more sensitive to short-duration, high-intensity rainfall.

 

This means when we have heavy rain it reaches the village in minutes! All the floods that have affected the village over the years have followed this pattern  – where there is so much rain it cannot soak in and often exceeds the capacity of drains and sometimes the river too. The event that recently caused a lot of surface water flooding, followed this pattern. The graph, from a rain gauge in Honiton, shows just how heavy the rainfall was. The event in the early hours of the  2nd of November did not last for long but had a peak rainfall intensity of over 60mm an hour – which is a lot!  Even though the event only lasted a few hours – enough rainfall landed to overwhelm the soil’s ability to infiltrate water and the drainage system’s ability to convey water adequately. 

Forecasting really intense rainfall is difficult as the weather systems that create them can be small and intense and predicting where and when they will travel and how heavy the rain will be is hard. For somewhere like Gittisham, with a catchment that reacts very quickly to rainfall, it is also then hard to give a flood forecast. So, working out if the village or nearby roads will flood has to be made based on a combination of weather forecasts, with their inherent uncertainty and observing how heavy the rain is. An online rain & river level gauge in the village could help us better understand the relationship between rainfall and flooding. I’d be happy to chat with anyone who wants to know more about flooding, forecasting flooding and how to manage risk. Hamish () 

St Michael’s Church and Honiton Mission Community 

Advent and Christmas Services 

Advent Sunday Christmas Concert Dec 3 rd 4pm 

2 nd Sunday Eucharist Dec 10 th 11am 

St Michael’s Carol Service Sun Dec 17 th 4.45pm mince pies and festive drinks 

‘Carols on the Green Fri Dec 22 nd 5pm sausages and mulled wine’ 

Sunday Dec 24 th Midnight Eucharist 11.30pm 

Monday Dec 25 th Christmas Day Eucharist 11am 

Around the Parishes – for events and news see copies in Church or visit https://honitoncofe.org/newsletter. Rev’d Tracey Voysey – licensing service as Team Vicar changed to Mon Dec 4 th 7pm at St Paul’s. 

Blue Foodbank Box Church Porch – donations gratefully received

PARISH COUNCIL – OCT 2023 REPORT 

Six councillors met for the November meeting. One member of the public was also present. 

Flooding. Councillors discussed the flooding in the parish which had occurred in the early hours of Thursday  morning, 2nd November. The member of the public, who works for a flood risk organisation, advised the parish  council that when serious flooding occurs, getting involved in mitigating its effects during the event can be  dangerous and it is often best to wait until the worst has passed. For example inspection covers often lift in floods  and can’t be seen under water or in the dark. Flood risk is best dealt with proactively, he said, and the parish  council is not in a position to advise individuals. All agreed that with climate change bringing about more extreme  weather events, people would have to adapt their behaviour and take further precautions to try to minimise flood  damage. 

Parish emergency plan. Given the recent weather, councillors were reminded that there are various locations marked on the emergency plan where sandbags are stored. (A copy of the emergency plan can be found on the  Gittisham website www.gittisham.org.uk click on the ‘parish council’ tab.) Additional sand for the sandbags will be  ordered. In the event of a dangerous flood, those affected should call the emergency services. Carol Hall (Chair)  thanked Alex Rowe for clearing the drain under the railway bridge by the Forge. 

Highways. In his report sent to the council in his absence, Phil Twiss said Devon’s Highways teams have taken an  absolute battering this year where climate change, and flooding events in particular, have decimated planned  maintenance. But despite that, Highways are pressing on with as much of the programme as possible when not  dealing with ’risk to life’ events or clearing up after flooding, fallen trees and damaged buildings. He asked for  understanding that they must prioritise workload for those ‘risk to life’ events, while not diminishing the necessity of  alerting them to issues on the parish’s roads. Peter Orchard reported that the internal channel of the balancing  pond has filled with rubble, so it needs to be cleared out. Alex Rowe said the broken grit bin on the road heading west out of the village had been reported. 

Residential development. In his report sent to the council in his absence, Alasdair Bruce said he was somewhat encouraged by the statements that have come out of EDDC’s latest Strategic Planning Committee meeting. If  implemented in full, they could offer an element of protection from the scourge of never ending developer-led  mass housing applications, he said. The Government will be issuing a new National Planning Policy Framework in  the near future. This should help empower EDDC’s planning committee to make a stand against inappropriate  development, he said. A case in point was last week’s refusal of the application for 63 houses to the south of Ottery  St Mary. Despite officer recommendation, the committee decided to refuse. Alasdair Bruce said it remains to be seen if the council lawyers come back with reasons why these grounds will fail, something he described as an  unfortunately familiar scenario. 

Finance. Members agreed the finances. 

Crimes. Due to an error on the Police UK website, it was not possible to report the crime statistics for August and  September 2023. 

Casual vacancy. Carol Hall encouraged all councillors to speak to people who might be interested in joining the  parish council to represent the Vale ward. People can also contact the clerk for further information by emailing  The deadline for applications is 3rd December. 

Next meeting. Thursday 7 th December at 7.30pm in the parish room. 

Parish Council links Who’s who https://gittisham.org.uk/parish-council/ 

Emergency Plan https://gittisham.org.uk/parish-council/emergency-plan/ Parish Council Clerk Email: Tel: 01404 851442

A monthly community newsletter published by St Michael’s Church and Gittisham Parish Council

What’s On?  at the village hall  Pierre’s Cafe  Sunday 12th Nov   07545 214940  Christmas Concert  Sunday 3rd December  4pm £10 (u16 free)   Carol Singing   drinks & mince pies   at the church   Community Kitchen  Every Thurs, village hall  6.30pm. All welcome to  enjoy a free meal and  good company  Folk Dancing   Wednesday evenings village hall  Fit for Life class   Tuesday mornings   village hall  Yoga   Monthly Thursday   village hall  Christmas Swap Shop and Family Quiz  2nd December  Ember Pizza  Pizza van by the church 1st Wednesday of the month  07751 532843  Coffee Mornings  3rd Saturday of the month  at the Parish Rooms   (village green)

Pumpkins – Ed Hayman  This year at Gittisham Farm, between finishing my studies and Graduating with  a degree in Agriculture at Harper Adams University, I have been busy growing  a field of pumpkins as a ‘pick your own’ experience. So far, we have been open  for three weekends, and I’m very happy with how it’s gone. Everyone seems  to be enjoying the experience of visiting the farm, seeing our cows and calves  and of course lots of pumpkins. With plenty of questions and intrigue,  it’s been great to show people more about the produce they buy beyond the  sight of a supermarket shelf.  The pumpkin patch offers lots of different varieties from tiny decorative  gourds right up to huge Atlantic Giants that are a handful to say the least!  There is also plenty of seasonal hot food and drink to beat this cold October  weather.  It’s been great to see a few people from the village visit us already, and anyone  who would like to come along is more than welcome. As Halloween  approaches, the patch will be back open again 10-4pm everyday through  October half term, from Saturday 21st up to the following Sunday on the 29th. Harvest Supper  The annual Harvest Supper was a well supported event, with about 70 people  attending. The menu of chicken casserole or nut roast. Baked potatoes and peas  followed by apple crumble and ice cream went down well. Second helpings were  taken up enthusuastically! (Community Kitchen could be serving pudding for  weeks to come, due to the generosity of the cooks.) This was a truly communal  effort, with about 20 people involved in preparing, cooking, serving, washing up,  setting up and tidying up. Many thanks to all. Sue Fallows, Gittisham Village Hall  Committee

A monthly community newsletter published by St Michael’s Church and Gittisham Parish Council

What’s On?  at the village hall  Pierre’s Cafe  Sunday 8th Oct   07545 214940  Harvest Supper  Saturday 7th October 7pm £5 07880 178297   Community Kitchen  Every Thurs, village hall  6.30pm. All welcome to  enjoy a free meal and  good company  **NEW** Yoga  Thursday mornings 11-12 £10  Michelle Corrigan   07833 558253  Gentle, safe, classic yoga  with attention to back care.  Film Discussion Night 10th October 7pm  Christmas Swap Shop and Family Quiz  2nd December  Ember Pizza  Pizza van by the church 1st Wednesday of the month  07751 532843  FOOD BANK  Donations are always  welcome to the box in the  church porch

Gittisham Fete SUCCESS  Thank you for helping   to raise over £2,500   for the church.  1000 visitors from the   parish and further   afield enjoyed the   Honiton band, stalls,   classic cars, a dog   show and the duck   race.  Thank you to Alex   Rowe and all those  who helped organize and manage the   day.

Thank you, from Alex  Thank you to everyone who supported me and the fete but a few I would like to mention ~  •The committee  •The Tea ladies  •Kate for painting the lovely signs  •The parking chaps especially Bernie for his traffic  management  •Mikey with his horse and trap  •Helen and the flower arrangers for the beautiful church  display  •Robert for coming back from London especially to help  me setup

Parish Council Vacancy  To represent the Vale ward. Please contact the Clerk for  further information    The deadline for applications is 22nd October  https://gittisham.org.uk/2023/09/01/parish-councillor vacancy-gittisham-vale-ward/  And then come the  nightjars   Honiton Beehive Cinema  Friday 13th October  A heartwarming film of friendship and  survival set against a backdrop of the  2001 Foot and Mouth outbreak  The story of an unlikely friendship  between a Devon farmer and the vet  who is assigned to cull his precious  herd.

Pumpkins 

Open weekends from the 30^th September to the 29^th October and  everyday through October half term

FETE SUCCESS by Alex Rowe 

Unlike this week’s storms, at the beginning of September we had lovely sunny weather temperature at almost 30°c,  I couldn’t have asked for better weather for the restarting of the fete. 

Since February a small working committee of Sue, Julia, Maggie, Will, Pierre and myself had been planning for the  2nd of September. The few days prior were very hectic however we are extremely pleased with how the day panned  out and very grateful to all of the residents of the Parish who came along to help with the setting up, stewarding on  the day or even just came to enjoy the afternoon. 

The Village was buzzing and I would approximate on 1000 visitors in total including children it was great to  encompass people from the parish living in the Vale, Hayne farm and the village they all seemed very much enjoy all  the fete had to offer Honiton band, the stalls, classic cars & the dog show organised by Will, compared by Hamish  and kindly judged by Maryanne. 

Lastly an exciting duck race concluded the event (kindly sponsored by Airband) 

Robert is working on a little video of the Fete and the link will be shared shortly. 

We will be having a post fete meeting to discuss any issues that arose, I apologize to those who didn’t get to  experience the fete if you were helping on the day, you were invaluable to the event, thank you. If you are interested in helping with next year’s fete email and I will let you know the date  of the next meeting. 

We will celebrate our success at a good NYE party! 

~ Alex 

GRAIN TO CREAM by Russell Hayman 

It was spring the last time I wrote and autumn now! So I missed summer, quite a different one to last year. Nowhere  near as much sun but much more grass which the girls will and have loved. Harvest was a typical one maybe a bit  more catchy than normal but we muddle by. Yields where a bit below average as a result of the lack of sunshine.  Last year it was too much. never see a satisfied farmer. Also part of the problem was virus carrying aphids which  infect the crop in the autumn and show no sign of infection until April May following. Unfortunately the most  effective way to control this is to spray insecticide which we did once, but the mild winter could well of resulted in  infection happening later; the aphids don’t like frost. The problem is it can result in complete crop failure if we get  it wrong and we try to use as little chemical as possible. Hedges do harbour the aphids (don’t worry not advocating  taking the hedges out) but most the trial work is carried out in the east of the country where they have less hedges  and cooler winters so advice given is not always appropriate for this neck of the woods. 

We still have our heron out front fishing the little stream, sparrows also seem to thrive here with the hedge bending  under the weight of them all and the barn owls had chicks again, three this time! On the subject of wildlife we have  also had Bicton students here and vet students as well. 

The cows have been treated to a new fan by the robots to help keep flies away which appears to work though I  have seen the occasional one flying into the air flow to get a good work out! We are also in the process of digging  a new slurry store which will enable us to spread the good stuff over a larger area and be more flexible there-by  make better use of it. Unfortunately the contractor doing the digging has let us down by leaving site before  finished so we are well behind schedule. 

We also have a new exciting crop introduced by Edmund fresh from uni. Of pumpkins. They are like triffids and  grow at a blink of an eye. Weed control is a hoe and Edmund has made a gardener of me! He has put loads of time  into it and was also in the process of doing his finals for his degree! I think it is a good year for pumpkins so his efforts have resulted in what looks like a bumper crop. (though I must admit I know nothing about them really)  Looking forward to welcoming everyone here at Gittisham farm to come and pick a pumpkin or two in October.

PARISH COUNCIL – SEPT 2023 REPORT 

Five councillors met for the September meeting. Cllr Alasdair Bruce (EDDC) was also present. 

Sewage. Alasdair Bruce explained that EDDC’s coastal officer had produced a report which highlighted the large  number of occasions where South West Water’s sewage monitors were found to be in ‘maintenance mode’, and  therefore not doing the job they are designed to do. EDDC has approached the supplier for a response. River Gitt. 

Floods. Councillors heard that a flood prevention consultant had advised EDDC that the best course of action  would be to remove any vegetation and debris from the river, and allow for the silt to be washed away naturally  during heavy rainfall. Work is due to be carried out in the next few months. 

Road closure. 21st September, road through Alfington to Ottery closed 0930–1530 for pole tests. Finance. Members agreed the finances. 

Crimes. May & June 2023: no reported crimes. 

Casual vacancy. Carol Hall encouraged all councillors to speak to people who might be interested in joining the  parish council to represent the Vale ward. People can also contact the clerk for further information by emailing  The deadline for applications is 22nd October. 

Planning applications. 

a) 23/1631/MFUL Coastguard Road Heathpark Industrial Estate – development of 17 commercial units b) 23/1632/MOUT Coastguard Road Heathpark Industrial Estate – outline application for class B2, B8 and E(g)(iii)  development within two sites (Phase 2A and 2B) comprising total floor space of 4,000 sq m (all matters reserved) c) 23/1207/LBC & 23/1206/FUL The Lodge EX14 3AD – demolition of internal wall, removal of roof to existing  extension construction of new extension with parapet and roof lanterns. 

Councillors resolved to have no objections to the applications. However, in relation to a) and b), they expressed  concerns over the point of access onto Devonshire Road, given the nature of the road itself, lack of visibility on the  bend, and the proximity of the bus stop. Councillors also discussed whether this represents an over-intensification  of the site. 

Bus timetable. Peter Orchard reported that Stagecoach is now operating additional last journeys on the 44 / 44A  bus, Monday to Saturday evenings at 20.30 from Exeter to Honiton and at 22.45 from Honiton to Exeter. The bus  will not serve Gittisham village. 

Scams. Janet Twist said that Mole Valley’s IT systems had been hacked, and anyone who has an account with them  should check their own bank account. 

Outdoor table tennis table. Councillors heard that the funding from S106 had been approved. The proposal is  now with EDDC’s legal team to sign off. 

Next meeting. Tuesday 3rd October at 7pm in the parish room. 

Parish Council links Who’s who https://gittisham.org.uk/parish-council/ Emergency Plan https://gittisham.org.uk/parish-council/emergency-plan/ 

Parish Council Clerk Email: Tel: 01404 851442

St Michael’s Church Julia Barratt 

Many thanks to everyone and especially to our flower arranging team led by Helen Hayman who helped to prepare  and decorate the Church for the Fete Flower Festival. We had a constant stream of visitors throughout the  afternoon, so much so we had to organise a one way system! 

Thank you also to everyone who contributed to the collection which raised £577 as a gift for Carol McCann in  recognition of her dedicated service of nearly 30 years as Churchwarden. We had hoped to present the cheque to  her in person at the Fete & Flower Festival Service but sadly she wasn’t able to be with us. However, Robert Rowe kindly videoed the service and now she is back at home, she is very much looking forward to watching it.  Carol was very surprised and pleased to receive both the cheque and the lovely ‘card signed by so many and  sends her thanks and love to everyone. Providing Carol is well enough, we hope to say ‘Thank You’ to her in person at our Harvest Festival Service on October 8 th . 

The PCC also wishes to thank everyone who helped to make the Fete such an enjoyable occasion with special  thanks to Village Hall Committee for generously donating the profits towards the upkeep of the Church. 

After a break in August, our Coffee Together meetings on the 3rd Saturday of the month have resumed and we  had a full house. And everyone is much impressed with our new coffee machine kindly donated by Claire and  Gary. 

Julia Barrett. LLM. St Michael’s.