Added on Thursday 17th Apr 2025
Parish Council News March 2025
Our annual assembly will be on April 17th – all welcome. 7.30pm Endecott House, followed by cheese and wine and soft drinks. Come and hear what we have been doing!
News since issue 8
Padley Common. We are optimistic that board walks will be constructed in the early summer over the paths that are most used and get particularly muddy. These should protect some of the fragile land by the paths, as well as making it easier to walk around the common. Work parties have halted for the time being to avoid disturbing nesting birds.
Swaling. There have been several recent fires around Chagford. Some of the fires have been at night (notably on Nattadon) and have been very worrying for people living nearby as the fires were close to their houses. The recent dry weather has meant the vegetation has burnt very readily and the fires have spread. The National Park has a clear code of conduct for swaling – available to read on their website. Swaling should not take place at night, and the National Park, the Fire Service, Natural England and the Commoners should all be notified in advance if swaling is planned. We have seen on the news the trouble that wildfires have caused on Bodmin moor – and also how much work they can give to the fire service. This impacts on our council tax which is used to fund the fire service.
Another burning issue. We were sad to see that someone used a disposable barbecue on one of the picnic benches in the jubilee skate park. These are made from recycled plastic. This has caused damage to the bench as you can see from this photograph:
Do please enjoy yourselves in the Jubilee Park, but if you use barbecues make sure they are on a heat proof surface – preferably on concrete!
Bellacouch car park. We will soon be getting solar panels installed on the roof of the business units to help supply the EV chargers. Car park charges will start when the mains gas work has been completed. We are considering issuing parking permits for the car park. More information on this will be available soon.
Nature Talks in Endecott House. We have had a fantastic selection of nature talks over the last few months. Many thanks to Lisa Schneidau and Tony Whitehead for arranging them. We have learnt about hedges and their ecology, flood prevention on Dartmoor, the reintroduction of pine martens on the moor, curlews and their struggles to survive, and other interesting topics. The last 2 talks have been packed out. The final talk in the present series is on Tuesday 22nd April – Right to Roam: access and nature on Dartmoor. 8 pm in the Jubilee Hall. (NB change of venue!)
Other News
Save the date. VE day is on May 8th. There will be a bring-and-share tea at the rec on May 5th, and we will have a beacon on Meldon on 8th as well as other events. Look out for the posters that will give more information.
Also – VJ Day will be remembered on August 15th.
Covid boosters. The spring Covid-19 vaccination has started and runs till June 17th. People aged 75 and over, and those with weakened immune systems are eligible. If you are unsure of your eligibility you can check online at http://www.nhs.uk/covid-vaccination. You can book appointments online at https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-service... or by calling 119.
Chagford Youth Project is holding a sponsored abseil down Chagford church on May 10th. The project urgently needs to raise funds to keep going and to provide support for our young people. Please consider joining the abseil or sponsoring someone who is doing it! You can also support them by becoming a friend of the project.
The Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) has a dedicated debt team to offer advice to anyone struggling with finances. Details are below:
Follow us on Chagford Parish Council’s Facebook page – we use it to post news items.
As always, a reminder that you are welcome to attend our regular monthly meetings, held in Endecott House on the 2nd Monday of every month at 7.30pm. The agenda is posted on the notice board on Wednesday or Thursday before each meeting.
If you would like to receive a regular copy of the newsletter by email please email Ruth the clerk with your email address.
