Thar She Blows!

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Want a whalebone that once belonged to an Arctic explorer? Well it’s yours if you want it, just make a bid at the Chilcotts sale in Honiton on November14th.
What a great story this is.
The curious story of the day that intrepid explorer Shackleton, best known for his expedition aboard the ship Endurance that became trapped in an ice floe for nine months in 1915, decided to gift the whalebone to an order of French nuns after they bought his family’s house to turn it into a school for girls.
The humorous story of the whalebone that lay in the school garden in all weathers, before a history teacher realised its significance and removed it indoors for safekeeping.
The historic story of Shackleton’s connection to Torquay – the home his family owned and his residence there in the early 1900s. Of another of his ships, Nimrod, that moored briefly in Torquay harbour in 1907 before setting out on the first of Shackleton’s three Antarctic expeditions.
The sad story of the last of Shackleton’s ships, Quest, being anchored in Anstey’s Cove below the school before setting sail for South Georgia in 1921 – the voyage during which he died.
The fascinating story of Stoodley Knowle School, established in 1925 by the Congregation of Les Filles de la Croix, an order of nuns founded in Paris in 1641 by one Madame de Villeneuve who was driven by passion to provide an education for girls.
The concluding, melancholy story of the closure of the school earlier this year after pupil numbers crumbled.
The perfect story, in fact. Containing drama, history, sorrow, death, and even wildlife, albeit in the shape of a rather large bone. Sometimes I love my job

The Biker Boys

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Well I know the Hairy Bikers have been in town, but there’s another group of bikers, not so hairy, that I’ve been involved with for a while. In fact, it struck me this week that I’ve been working with the Devon Freewheelers charity for almost a year.

I first heard of the charity in 2015 when I read about the launch of the first Honitonfestival pig Sausage & Cider Festival. I offered to help with PR for the event, which was being held partly to raise funds for the Devon Freewheelers.

I met with Daniel Lavery, who founded the charity, and we talked about all things motorbike. Not one of my areas of expertise, but there you go, I learn quickly. In fact, the Devon Freewheelers offer an out-of-hours courier service to the NHS free of charge. Yes, I’ll say that again, free of charge, throughout the night and for 24 hours on Saturdays, Sundays, and Bank Holidays.

Devon Freewheelers courierThey transport urgent medical supplies like blood, tissue for transplant and breast milk. They also deliver and collect patient notes when asked. If they didn’t do these things, a taxi or ambulance would be used, costing the NHS a lot of money and calling on scarce resources. I’m full of admiration for these volunteers, who include the riders, operations support and fundraisers. No-one gets paid.

Over the year I’ve written hundreds of press releases, taken photos, spoken to fundraisers, supporters and journalists, met the Wurzels (well I stood next to them BssssloodBike-Matt-Austin-3backstage at the Sausage & Cider Festival), persuaded Matt Austin to take photos of one of the riders for Devon Life, shaken hands with local MP Neil Parish who has been incredibly supportive of the charity, encouraged the team to find their first patron (Mark ‘Flymo’ Hayes), negotiated radio interviews with the BBC and Heart FM and generally done what I could to help raise the profile of the Devon Freewheelers.

The riders are out every night in the dark hours, journeying carefully across Devon’s road network, often on their way to save someone’s life. They are unsung heros as the patients they help never know they’ve been there.

It’s been a fascinating year – I’ve learned so much and continue to be full of admiration for the team. And yes, a second Sausage & Cider Festival is scheduled for 2015!

And finally, there’s some exciting news to come for the Devon Freewheelers, so watch this space – the press release will have my name on it!

Devon-Freewheelers-600-600

Skydives, Terriers and Ice Cream

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So the tandem skydiving world record attempt at Dunkeswell happened on June 21, when the great British weather held its own with blue skies and just the right sort of fluffy cloud.

Having been commissioned to write a feature about skydiving and the event for Devon Life, it was on the cards that I would be jumping myself. In the end that didn’t happen but I did get the chance of a truly exciting flight up to 15,000 feet with one group of jumpers. Sitting next to the pilot, Aussie Tom as we cruised around above the clouds, I turned to watch the intrepid folk leap from the plane into the blue. A little part of me breathed a sigh of relief that I could stay sitting next to Tom while they plummeted out of view! On landing I hung around to watch them all travel back to the ground safely. In small 3 total, 281 jumped, beating the record by 30.

Many were raising money for charity. I interviewed some of these, and there were some amazing stories. I spoke to the mum of a young man who was killed in a road accident at the age of 24. Five brave people were jumping to raise funds for the charity she’d set up, called PAULY. Having a son myself, I had tears in my eyes. I can’t imagine anything worse than losing a child who has his whole life before him. (For more info on the charity click here)

Terrier racingVery different was another feature that Devon Life asked me to cover. Terrier racing takes place in the East Devon village of Yarcombe every year, in August. I don’t live that far from Yarcombe yet I’d never heard of it. I drove over and had a chat with a lovely farming couple, John and Barbara Salter. John was involved right at the conception of the race day in the 1970s, and forty years on is the only surviving member of the original team.

This is a great community event (I love community events!) attracting thousands of visitors from other villages and holidaymakers who come along every year. There are six races with a mixture of dogs, a 10p tote, and lots of fun to be had. This yeIce creamar race day is on Saturday August 2. I’m hoping to go along with the family, and on the way I am dead set on stopping for an ice-cream from the Otter Valley Dairy who make such delicious-sounding concoctions as Ginger and Butternut Squash and Devon Rice Pudding with Raspberry Jam. All made from milk and cream from their own Pedigree herd. Yum!

Festival-itis!

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This week I’ve mainly been working hard to promote two community events ‒ the Honiton Sausage & Cider Festival on May 3 and the Ottery St Mary Food & Families Festival on June 14.

The fabulous Exeter Food & Drink Festival, which I’ve had nothing to do with (!) is already underway this weekend. I’m hoping to drop in on Sunday to sample the delights of the South West’s finest fare and see some our finest chefs show off their cookery skills.

There is such a great community spirit in Devon. People work hard to support each other’s businesses and to celebrate the very best in their neighbourhood.

At the Sausage & Cider Festival a local producer is creating a Devon Freewheelers banger, in honour of the charity that the festival is supporting. Personally I can’t wait to sample the many locally produced zyders whilst being serenaded by the Wurzels. Yes, the Wurzels. We know how to party…

As Devon Freewheelers is my charity of the year, I’ve been helping out with PR for the event. Our local paper, the Midweek Herald has been amazing in its support both of the charity and the festival. I hope we’ll be seeing quite a few members of the press next weekend when Honiton really lets its hair down!

OFFFJust under six miles west of Honiton, the Ottery St Mary Food & Families Festival had its inaugural outing last year. I chanced upon the festival when I popped into the town on a sunny June afternoon with my son, returning home with lots of lovely nibbles, including an amazing Coppa (cured pork) that Josh loved (expensive tastes, my boy) and a somewhat lighter purse.

This year I’m helping to promote the festival, pinging out press releases and media invites and negotiating a media sponsor. The response has been so positive. Devon media folk do like to celebrate along with the community! I might even be supplying a busker or two if I can persuade the Coppa lover to take to the streets of the festival with his two band members.

Now, does that make me a manager, and do I deserve a cut of their takings?