Sunday 27th December 2009
09:30: 3hr Walk, Christmas Birdwatch (Trendlebere) A walk to see resident birds and winter arrivals. Guide P Page 07858 421148 Distance 3m/5km **
10:30: 3hr Walk, The Highs and Lows of the Teign Valley (Chagford) Enjoy a circular walk towards Dog Marsh bridge and Nattadon on this walk. Guide P Rendell 01837 54727 Distance 6m/ 9.5km **
Saturday 26th December 2009, 11:00: 3.5hr Walk, Boxing Day Walk to the East Dart Falls (Postbridge).
Join our traditional boxing day walk to walk off the excesses of Christmas. B Kocziban 01395 278533 Distance 4.5m/7km **
Sunday 20th December 2009, 10:00: 3hr Walk, Tinners’ Parliament and Wistman’s Wood (Two Bridges) .
Discover the Tinners’ parialment and Wistmans’ Wood. The walk follows the West dart and then across to crockern tor for the story of the Stannary Parliament which met there. Distance 4m/6km **
Saturday 19th December
Father Christmas will be riding on his pony and trap down Widecombe hill and touring the village before distributing his FREE gifts to children 11 and under. There will be lots of activities throughout the day. For detailed information tel 01364 621321
10am – 11am Church bells pealing
9.30am – 3pm Village Market
11am – 3pm Tavistock Brass Band
12 noon – 3pm Nativity Animals under the Christmas tree
1pm Father Christmas leaves top car park, Widecombe hill and tours the village ending up outside the National Trust shop to distribute gifts
3pm Father Christmas departs
3.00pm Church bells pealing
3.30pm Carol Service, St Pancras Church
On and around the green, there will be mulled wine and mince pies, fruit punch, hot chestnuts, raffle for the history group (1st prize - hamper), soup, biscuit decorating, story-telling, ‘Santa Special’ meals at £1 for children , old fashioned games, fir cone decorating, turkey and cranberry paninis, local market and food tastings.
For more information contact The National Trust on: 01364 621321.
Thursday 17th December 2009 – General / Conservation
Venford Reservoir Watershed – how many boundstones can we find? An open moorland walk down past waterworks and up onto Bench Tor, then Holne Lee, Ringleshutes tin mine and circling back over Holne Moor. 5-6 miles.
Location: Venford Reservoir car park (toilets) (SX 684 713)
Contact: Bob Bruce Tel: 01752 837564
Thursday 17th December
Tavistock Christmas Craft Fair takes place in Tavistock Town Hall until Saturday 19 December 2009.
Mince pies and tea will be on sale at a charity awareness raising event in Tavistock.
The Chestnut Appeal for Prostate Cancer is holding the event at the Wharf on December 16 from 10am.
A cup of tea and a mince pie will cost £3, and be accompanied by seasonal tunes.
Devon County Council has been awarded a £2 million grant from Cycling England as it aims to become a “cycling county”.
The funding from Cycling England’s ‘Finding New Solutions’ initiative will help the county to promote leisure cycling and to find out if this encourages more people to cycle more regularly.
The council is proposing to create cycling “hubs” across Devon which would be easily accessible by various modes of transport, and would serve local cycle networks.
These centres include Exeter, Exmouth, Barnstaple and Tavistock, and any increase in cycling trips would be monitored in these locations.
The project will also seek to establish what has inspired people to cycle.
Devon County Council will be looking to introduce people to cycling who may not otherwise consider taking to two wheels, as well as making cycle hire more affordable for families, and improving accessibility to routes for people with disabilities.
Cycle access to holiday parks and tourist accommodation will also be improved to make it possible for visitors to cycle, as well as exploring how to upgrade links to the railway network to encourage people to take their bicycles on trains.
The funding will be used to improve cycle routes and cycle facilities such as cycle route signing, secure cycle parking and bike hire.
A promotional campaign highlighting leisure cycling routes in Devon will also be supported.
Cllr Stuart Hughes, Devon County Council Cabinet Member for Highways and Transportation, said: “This is an ambitious project but we’re fortunate in Devon to already have hundreds of miles of family-friendly cycle trails.
“We already have a sizeable investment in place to improve cycle routes across Devon as part of our new cycling strategy, and this additional funding not only recognises what we have already achieved but will ensure we’re well placed to become a cycling county.”
The funding adds to Devon County Council’s £25 million investment up to 2012 as part of a new cycling strategy to make Devon a premier destination for cycling tourism.
Plans to cut search and rescue operations at RMB Chivenor in north Devon this winter have been scrapped.
Twenty four-hour cover will continue throughout January and February, said the Ministry of Defence.
It had planned to reduce cover for six weeks after some crew members were deployed to Afghanistan.
But the plan has been scrapped because new crew members have been put in place, making the reduction unnecessary.
RMB Chivenor could still see its night flights being cut in 2012 because the government says a fleet of new rescue helicopters coming into service will be faster than current aircraft.
Campaigners say this will put lives at risk as a third of callouts responded to by RMB Chivenor are at night.
A WORLD beating Devon cyclist showed off his skills to Tavistock College students as part of a sustainability day – encouraging them to live an active lifestyle and pursue their dreams.
Andrei Burton, a stunt rider and world top ten cycle trials champion, visited the college to inspire students to bike to school and put in the work needed to make the most of their talents.
The 23-year-old told the students: “I’ve ridden round the edges of buildings hundreds of feet high on walls a brick wide. I’ve ridden over the tors of Dartmoor with 60 to 70 foot drops. It’s all stuff I’ve built up to.
“I ride for the Great Britain cycling team and get to travel all around the world. It’s a pretty cool job.”
Mr Burton demonstrated his talent by riding and jumping over platforms and scaffolding erected in the college hall, before instructing geography teacher Paul Maddaford to lie on the floor. To cheers from the students, Mr Burton launched himself from the highest platform, landing inches from Mr Maddaford, and proceeded to flip his bike from side to side and between the terrified teacher’s legs.
Mr Maddaford said: “I was not sure what to expect but started to get nervous when he went up to the top platform.
“I tried not to think about it too much but could not look when he jumped off the top and landed between my legs. All I could feel was the air blowing as he jumped over my body.”
Mr Burton works in conjunction with Devon County Council to get young people thinking about cycling. He has been riding since 2000 after meeting bikers on his way home from school and being impressed by the tricks they were pulling.
He explained the importance of wearing a helmet while cycling, whether or not the students intended to try stunts.
He said: “I never used to wear helmets but a really good friend of mine started getting some good sponsors and was on the verge of going full time. He hit his head on the floor and later passed out and had 17 hours of surgery.
“He couldn’t ride for two-and-a-half years and he’s now working in a pub, so I started wearing a helmet.”
Rosie Agnew, Devon County Council’s sustainable schools travel adviser, told students the college was trying to reduce its emissions as part of its ‘Carbon Challenge’ and trying to cycle and walk to school more would help. She said there were some really good routes to follow for walking and cycling and the college had great bike storage.
She continued: “I started riding when I was very young and by sticking at it you get more and more confident and cycling does not have to be costly. It’s always possible to make a change.”
Mr Burton has featured on Children in Need and broke the record for the most 180 degree jumps on a bicycle on ****ss World Records Smashed, performing 34 in one minute.
He rides for the British Team for the International Cycling Union Trials World Cup, World Championship and European Championship, and is spearheading the bid to make trials riding an Olympic demonstration sport for London 2012.
