the ivybridge magazine - january 2012 issue

Life is local Issue 012JANUARY 2012

Spell-bindingspectacular

Future ofIvybridgeexhibition

You can makea positive difference

WILDabout

Ivybridge

Gym and dance showwows the crowds

New series

Sustainableliving, locally

Look and feel

great in 2012

New Year, New You

IM_Jan12_01:Layout 1 19/12/11 14:21

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January 2012 THE IVYBRIDGE MAGAZINE 3

Life is local Issue 012JANUARY 2012

Spell-bindingspectacular

Future ofIvybridgeexhibition

You can makea positive difference

WILDabout

Ivybridge

Gym and dance showwows the crowds

New series

Sustainableliving, locally

Look and feel

great in 2012

New Year, New You

COVER: Amazing gymnasts fromICC’s Gym and Dance Show.Photo: Steven Vincent

The Ivybridge magazine isprinted by

6 Pynewood House, 1a Exeter Road,Ivybridge T: 01752 898 777

Send news, letters & reports to:E: editor@the ivybridgemagazine.co.ukP: 6 Claymans Pathway, Woodlands,

Ivybridge PL21 9UZDeadline is 12th of the month.

To advertise:T: 01752 426522E: [email protected] can advertise in The Ivybridge maga-zine for less than £4 per week! Contact usnow for great value advertising.

Publisher and editorSteven VincentT: 01752 426522E: [email protected]

www.facebook.com/theivybridgemagazine

The Ivybridge magazine is published andproduced by:Lily design, 6 Claymans Pathway,Woodlands, Ivybridge PL21 [email protected] | www.lilydesign.co.uk

All information, advertised or provided, is accepted ingood faith as being correct at the time of going topress. Opinions expressed in the magazine are notnecessarily those of the publisher and editor. Thepublisher accepts no responsibility for products, goodsor services that may be advertised or referred to.

�inside this month

Contact The Ivybridge magazine

05 Future of Ivybridge exhibition06 News08 Royal British Legion newsletter09 Feature – PL:2112 Gardening with feminine touch13 Wild in Ivybridge NEW!14 Appreciation of Magic16 Clubs & groups19 New Year, New You21 What’s On calendar22 New Year, new hobby23 Your local, dependable printer24 School reports26 Sport27 Take better photos

NOT ENTIRELY unexpectedly, thebelt has had to be let out a notch ortwo after enjoying rather too muchfabulous festive food and drink! Areyou fed up with turkey with every-thing, yet? No, me neither, I love it.

I hope you, your family andfriends have all had a very goodChristmas, we certainly have.

We did much more of our shop-ping locally this year, and werepleasantly surprised at the nice,unique presents on sale in the town.They were not always obvious withjust a glance in a shop window, butby taking a bit of time to go insideand look, there were some real finds.

But, to paraphrase a famous saying,local shops and businesses are notjust for Christmas! By all accounts,2012 is set to be a difficult year, andlocal firms will not be immune fromthis. It is even more vital, therefore,that we, as local consumers, use localshops and businesses whenever it ispractical – and we would save money,too, on petrol and parking, not tomention precious time.

INSIDE JANUARY’S MAGAZINEICC’s annual gym and dance showis an incredible showcase of danc-ing and gymnastics and I hope thepictures in the centre pages giveyou a sense of the amazing visualspectacle these immensely talentedyoung people put on.

We also have a feature on thePL:21 group (page 9), a new columnon the wildlife you can see aroundthe town (page 13), as well as theusual clubs & groups news, schoolreports and What’s On calendar.

But looking forward is the mainfocus of this month’s issue. The Fu-ture of Ivybridge exhibition (page 5)is our chance to view, and commenton, the plans drawn up as part ofthe Masterplanning process.

We also have two special featuresaround the theme of the New Yearbeing a catalyst for change. NewYear, New You (18-20) is the place tolook if you want a new, healthier youfor 2012, and New Year, New Hobby(page 22) has information about awide range of clubs and groups inthe town if you are considering tak-ing up a new hobby/interest.

I hope you enjoy reading thisissue, and all that is left for me to dois wish everyone a happy and pros-perous New Year.

Steven

Will the New Year be acatalyst for change?

Monthlymusingsfrom theeditor


4 THE IVYBRIDGE MAGAZINE January 2012

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Life is local news

PLANS FOR THE redevelopment of the centre and easternside of town, drawn up following the Masterplanningprocess, are now on show.

The Future of Ivybridge exhibition, in The Watermarkinformation centre, runs until 20 January, 2012, and isthe chance for residents to look at, and comment on,the plans drawn up by the Princes’ Foundation.

As an added incentive to give your views, each com-pleted questionnaire will be entered into a prize drawto win £50 to spend in local shops.

One of the display boards detailing plans for future improvements

Development plans on show atFuture of Ivybridge exhibition

Exhibition is your chance to comment on the plans

Business Fair will be greatpromotional opportunity

RESEARCH YOUR ROOTSA COURSE ON using computers and the internet to investi-gate your family history is being held at Ivybridge Library.

Research your Roots: Family History using computers andthe internet, starts on Tuesday, 10 January, 2012, from 1-3.30pm and consists of 6 x 3hr sessions. The course will showyou how to use the internet to trace your family history, useonline records and how to organise and make sense of yourfinds. Cost £60. MORE: www.devon.gov.uk/adultlearning.

AN EXHIBITION EVENT, featuring local businesses andorganisations, together with a programme of freeseminars is being held at The Watermark onWednesday,18 January, 2012.

The Business Fair will be a great place to networkyour ideas, products and services and to promoteyour business. It is open to all businesses but willsuit, in particular, entrepreneurs, small businessowners, local businesses and local community serv-ice providers

Stands are very reasonably priced, from £25 for ahalf circle to £45 for a perimeter oblong. If you wouldlike to join in and book a stand, email [email protected] or call (01752) 892220.

To find out more, visit the special page on The Wa-termark website – www.ivybridgewatermark.co.uk



Read Week planstake shape

Update your IT and life skills

THE WINNERS of the Gribble’s/The Ivybridge magazineChristmas draw were picked by sisters Isobelle, 7, (right)and Abigail, 5. The lucky winners were: first prize of a 10lbfree range Devon Christmas turkey went to Stephen Hope,from Bittaford; second prize, a free range Devon duck, MrsJoyce Plunkett, of Park Close; and the third prize, a freerange chicken, Hazel Hancock, of Paddock Drive.

The winners of Ivybridge author Rachel Elliot’s stun-ningly illustrated children’s book, The Adventurers, wereHannah Lloyd, of Fore Street, Mrs Mutton and EvieShearn, both of Bridge Park, Miss A M Fraser of Dun-sterville Road, and Stacy Thorn, of Dairy Lane.

AN EXCITING programme of eventsto celebrate the joy of reading isbeing lined up for the first Ivy-bridge Reads Week next month.

Running from 4-11 February,there will be something for allages, with story times for thelittle ones and a reminisce ses-sion for older readers. As partof the programme, the Friendsgroup is sponsoring a special il-lustrated talk ‘Jane Austen andher West Country links’ on 8February.

The library has also launched‘Wild’ books, whereby peoplecan donate good quality bookswhich they have enjoyed so thatothers will get to enjoy them aswell. You can donate books now.Look out for a feature on IvybridgeReads Week in next month’s magazine

Life is local news

Sue dedicatesaward to

group

Ivybridge’s Citizen of the Year, SueLavender, proudly shows off her award,which she received for her exceptionalwork with Ivybridge Caring.Sue was naturally delighted with the ac-colade but was keen to stress that it is farfrom a one-person effort. “The award istremendous recognition as much for thegroup as it is of me,” said Sue. “Everyoneinvolved, including my fellow trustees,Phillip Dredge, Carol Beeson and ValCarmichael, have worked so hard to getus where we are today.”Sue also thanked the town council andthe town’s district and county council-lors for their continued support.

IT AND SKILLS for Life courses, as well as information, ad-vice and guidance to help you explore your career andtraining options, will be available at The Watermarkfrom this month.

Groundwork South West is offering a range of coursesfor anyone who wants to update their skills, whether acomplete beginner or someone wanting to take qualifi-cations to help with work. For many, the courses will befree of charge and for those who do have to pay, it is arelatively small cost.

IT courses on offer cover the basics of internet andemail, through to the ITQ Level 3 certificate, an ad-vanced, nationally-recognised qualification. There is alsoa ‘mix and match’ option where you choose the topics.

The Skills for Life courses are designed to refresh andrevise literacy and numeracy skills for everyday life. Themaths and English courses will help you feel more con-fident filling out forms, writing letters and make num-bers easier to deal with.

Courses start on Friday, 13 January, 2012. To book asession phone The Watermark on (01752) 892220.

WINNERS WITH THE IVYBRIDGE MAGAZINE

Save a life, give bloodThere is a National Blood Serv-ice donation session on Mon-day, 23 January, 2012, at theRugby Club. Appointmentsonly, so call 0300 1232323.

The Devon Stop SmokingService will be at the leisurecentre on Tuesdays between4-7pm. Support is FREE andmedication is available on pre-scription. Call 01884 836024.



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There has been a flurry of activity within theIvybridge branch of The Royal British Legionas 2011 draws to an end.

POPPY APPEALThe Poppy Appeal, which this year celebrates the90th Anniversary of the founding of the British Le-gion, was launched at the end of October andhas, to date, raised over £23,600 thanks to thegenerosity of the people of Ivybridge and surround-ing communities. Last year saw the grand total of£22,786.29 collected in a 12-month period, sothis year’s fundraising has already exceeded that.Thanks go to Bill Hibbert and his staff at TheSportsmans Inn, who donated £2,000, raisedfrom various events held there, and to our Mayor,Trevor Parsons, who has nominated the PoppyAppeal as his charity. The Mayor is looking fornew ways to raise charity funds, so if you have anidea or novel way to do this, please get in touch.The branch’s Armistice Day and RemembranceSunday services attracted an impressive throngof people at the War Memorials and to watch theparade through the town.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETINGThe branch AGM was held in December. Chair-man Dave Davis was re-elected for an eighthconsecutive year, and a new Vice Chairman, TimLynch, was introduced. Tim has taken over fromDave Cosh who, as the Poppy Appeal organiser,can now focus his efforts on fundraising.Membership secretary Paul Chilarecki informedthe meeting that the branch membership nowstands at 138, with ages ranging from 19 to 102,which just goes to show you don’t have to be oldto become a member of The Royal British Legion.The AGM over, newly-elected committee memberMajor George Vosper gave the attendees an en-lightening presentation and insight into the Ethosof the Army, which was well received by all.

JOIN THE ROYAL BRITISH LEGIONThe branch meets at 8pm at The Sportsmans Innon the second Wednesday of each month (ex-cept January), so please come along and see foryourself how Ivybridge can make a difference tothe wellbeing of serving and ex-serving membersof our Armed Forces and their dependants. � For more information, or welfare requirements, con-tact the Branch chairman on (01752) 690647, prefer-ably evenings, or email [email protected]

Ivybridge branch ofThe Royal British Legion

NEWSLETTER



Life is local feature

Positive living in the 21stCentury. That is the mottoof Ivybridge environmen-tal organisation PL:21.

The group, part of the TransitionTown movement, is trying to createa more environmentally-friendly,and cost-effective, way of livingwhich could benefit us all.

The Transition Town initiative aimsto raise awareness of many issues af-fecting us, most notably climatechange; over 700 transition groupshave been created across the country.

In 2007, Transition Ivybridge waspresented to the town council andgained approval. Known as PL:21,since its launch, PL:21 has con-tributed to making Ivybridge a moreenvironmentally-friendly town.

PL:21 works pro-actively withlocal residents, groups and or-

You can make apositive difference

Local Food Forum

River Clean Up

Forest School

A community-led groupbelieves sustainable livingstarts at the local level, as

Katherine Davis discovered

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ganisations to meet challengesaround issues such as food, waste,energy, transport and the environ-ment.

It joined forces with the RotaryClub for this year’s River Ermeclean-up and members have alsotaken part in litter picking. The pro-duction of the popular Ivybridgebag, which is on sale at The Water-mark, was helped by PL:21.

One of PL:21’s current campaignsis to improve public transport linkswithin Ivybridge. The train station,for instance, is up to two miles awayfrom those who live on the West sideof the town, consequently, somepeople find the station inaccessible.PL:21 is planning to create a busservice between the train stationand other areas of Ivybridge, whichthey hope will encourage people touse public transport more.

The bus link may also provide abetter reason for people to com-mute via train, reducing car use;petrol costs are rising and using thetrain could be a cheaper alternative,as well as helping reduce our carbonfootprint. They are also pushing formore trains to stop at Ivybridge,which would make a huge differ-ence to a range of people, from fam-ilies to commuters.

Growing your own food is anotherof the group’s current campaigns. ItsLocal Food Forum aims to encour-age people to buy local food or to

grow their own fruit and vegetables.Food Forum events include visits tolocal producers and, most recently,a talk at The Watermark to promotebuying local produce.

An important element of the cam-paign is to highlight the benefits ofshopping local for food, which, aswell as saving people money onpetrol and reducing carbon emis-sions, will help local businesses sur-vive, and hopefully thrive.

PL:21 hold regular film nights inChapel Place, with the latest filmhighlighting ways in which we canuse natural resources. This shortdocumentary, which was filmed inDevon, showed one man’s transfor-mation of an empty piece of land toa resourceful green area. Before thefilm, Tess Wilmot, a long time, dedi-cated member of the group, gave abrief talk about the subject.

The film night was attended by adiverse range of people, both youngand old, all united in making ourtown more environmentally-friendly. One member said: “I lovecoming to PL:21 because they arefighting for such a good cause. It isgreat because there are so manylike-minded people here, too.”

PL:21 committee members meetat least once a month to discussideas and upcoming events. Theirmailing list consists of around 220members, who are emailed infor-mation of upcoming events. Mem-

bers can attend as few or as manyevents as they wish.

PL:21 is a group that forms part ofthe community, as well as workingto promote important causes.Simon Blackler, publicist of PL:21,said: “PL:21 works to promote betterrelationships with ourselves and theplanet itself.”

PL:21 is always looking for newmembers who are interested in theenvironment and positive living.Anyone who is keen to get involvedis encouraged to go along to any ofPL:21’s events.

About PL:21PL:21 is a Transition Initia-tive which aims to encouragemore ‘Positive Living in the21st Century’ for Ivybridgeand the surrounding area. Incommon with all Transition Initiatives,PL:21 is rising to the twin challenges ofpeak oil and climate change throughcreating a more resilient communityand economy, focusing on a more sus-tainable way of living.

PL:21 is a community-led grass rootsorganisation building from the bot-tom up but also encouraging interac-tion from the top down. By findingnew ways of thinking, working, pro-ducing and sharing together at a locallevel, we are becoming part of a solu-tion rather than part of the problem!

To discover more about PL:21 andhow you can get involved visitwww.pl21.weebly.com

Hedge clearing

Community

Renewable energy

Local food

photos courtesy of pl:21 unless otherwise statedTH

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Would you like to be agovernor at WoodlandsPark Primary School?The governors at Woodlands Park are lookingfor a member of the local community to jointheir governing body. This is a voluntaryopportunity to be a part of the governingbody and support pupils at Woodlands Park.You don’t have to have specific knowledge oneducation matters, all our governors have avariety of skills which we use together to raiseeducational standards for our pupils.

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Gardening with the feminine touchIT IS VERY much New Year, new life forone Ivybridge woman, as she launchesher ‘gardening with the feminine touch’service on 1 January.

Spades Garden Services is the fulfil-ment of a dream for Nicola Daniels,who, after being made redundant fromthe public sector, is turning her love ofgardening into a business.

Nicola is currently nearing comple-tion of her RHS (Royal Horticultural So-ciety) Level 2 course in horticulture andgarden maintenance, and has been get-ting invaluable experience working as avolunteer gardener in the NationalTrust gardens at Saltram House.

Spades Garden Services can energiseyour garden, no matter how small,through specialist help with prepara-tion and planning, through to on-goingsupport with cutting, watering andfeeding, pruning and planting.

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needs a bit of guidance. Spades Garden Services guarantees

reliability, security and competitiverates for hard work, whether for one-offprojects or for regular spots of mainte-nance work to suit your needs.

Nicola uses environmentally-friendlymethods as much as possible, as she iscommitted to creating style and beautyalongside improved biodiversity.

So, for friendly and reliable help inyour garden, with the feminine touch,call Nicola of Spades Garden Services.

BUSINESS SPADES GARDEN SERVICESChristmas Fairwinners

Best shop window displayWell done to all who par-ticipated and helped makeIvybridge look so festive.Several shops tied with thesame number of votes, soMayor Trevor Parsonspicked the winners:Winning shop: The Bak-ery – who win a Bottle ofRockcliffe Family Califor-nia Rosé WineWinning voter: LauraBülbül, who wins a largebox of Cadbury Milk Tray.

12 Days of ChristmasWinner: Olivia Coakerwins a large box of FoxesFabulously Special Collec-tion Biscuits.

All prizes were kindly do-nated by The Co-Opera-tive (Ivybridge).

Give your gardensome TLC – withthe femininetouch



In a new monthly series, MargeryEvans and Celia Ralph, volunteerswith the Ivybridge and South Brentlocal group of the Devon WildlifeTrust, will highlight some of thewonderful wildlife you may be for-tunate enough to see in the town

Ivybridge is a great place to live, sur-rounded as it is by so much wildlife.It’s surprising what you might find ifyou keep your eyes and ears open

but it does help to know what to lookfor and where you might see it. Hereare a few suggestions.This month you might see an unusualduck on the river, a goosander. Thisstriking bird has a long red serratedbeak which it uses to catch fish whendiving. The male is largely white with adark back and a black glossy head.

The female is greyish with a chestnutcoloured head. Both have tufts on theback of the neck.Goosanders are often seen on theRiver Dart, where they breed, but duringthe last few winters they have becomeregular visitors to the Erme, the sign ofa healthy fish population. Look out forthem from the viewing platform and onthe river near the tennis courts.

Other birds to look out for this month in-clude redwings, fieldfares and, if youare very lucky, waxwings, all after theberries in your garden, and kingfishersand heron on Filham Lake. Further afield, great flocks of winteringwaders and geese – avocets, godwits,lapwings and Brent geese – on the ExeEstuary at Topsham.

Margery and Celia, as volunteers for theIvybridge and South Brent local groupof the Devon Wildlife Trust, each monthlead a wildlife walk, on which anyone iswelcome. Details of these can be foundon the Devon Wildlife Trust website –www.devonwildilfetrust.org – or in New-somes’ window.The next walk is at Topsham on Thurs-day, 12 January, 2012, meeting on theQuay at 10.30am.

Contact Margery Evans on (01752) 892984FIND OUT MORE

A monthly guide tothe wildlife you may

see in IvybridgeWildABOUTIVYBRIDGE

Look out for a goosander onthe River Erme this month

Cuddly meerkats, homemadecakes and Santa’s grotto werejust some of the delights onoffer at Stowford Primary

School’s annual Christmas Fair, as theFriends of Stowford School pulled out allthe stops as they strive to raise the fundsfor a new adventure playground, writesKatherine Davis.

The current playground equipment,which Foundation pupils are unable toenjoy, is barely used and the aim is to givethe children a fun and learning experience.

A new adventure playground will costthe school a hefty £20,000. The Friendsbegan fundraising two years ago andhave already raised £7,000 through a va-riety of events and activities. It is hopedthe Christmas Fair will move the groupcloser to the required amount.

Friends members, parents and teach-ers ran stalls or made refreshments andthe children helped out by running theirown self-built games, singing carols andworking as Santa’s Elves in the grotto.

Pupils are excited by the playgroundplans and have been involved in its de-sign, with two children from each classdrawing and planning what they wouldlike in the playground.

The playground will be split into threeseparate areas – musical-themed appara-tus, nature trail and soft play equipment –which will give the children a more variedplaytime. Incorporating music and na-ture, the playground will be educational aswell as fun. All three aspects are connectedwith adventure and will be a chance forthe children to explore and discoverwithin their own school premises.

Helen Tipping, head teacher, said:“The reason why we want an adventureplayground is for the enjoyment of thechildren. Happy children will learn well.”

The next fundraising event is theFriends’ first-ever film night, on 24 Jan-uary, 2012, when they will be showingThe Smurfs.FIND OUT MORE: Visit www.stowford.devon.sch.ukand click on Friends

The Burring family chose the fair asthe venue for Dad Paul and son Jackto shave their heads to raise moneyfor Breast Cancer Care.Paul and Jack collected £670 in spon-sorship in the week running up to thefair, and Mum Julie and daughtersKatie and Olivia made bath bombsand cakes to sell at the fair to raiseeven more money. All the childrenare current or former Stowford pupilsand the family presented a chequefor over £700 to Year 4 teacher LauraPlane, who was recently treated forbreast cancer and has pledged toraise £2,500 for Breast Cancer care.

FRIENDS FUN-RAISING FOR SCHOOLADVENTURE PLAYGROUND

Paul andJack



The audience got involved too

Take the grace and elegance of dancers, mix inthe sheer physicality of the gymnasts’ leaps,tumbles and lifts, add a pinch of the cute factorwith the primary dance and gym groups, thesewere the ingredients of a successful spell as gymand dance students conjured up a spell-binding‘Appreciation of Magic’ for Ivybridge Commu-nity College’s annual gym and dance show.

The 400-strong cast, whichranged from primary schoolage to sixth formers and in-cluded guest performers fromthe college’s partner schoolsin Germany and Russia,wowed sell-out crowds forseven performances over fourdays with a visually-stunningfusion of delicate dance andacrobatic excellence, set to amagic-themed soundtrack.

Ivybridge Community CollegeGym and Dance Show 2011

Appreciationof Magic



Editor Steven Vincent enjoyed a magical experiencewhen he went to watch Ivybridge CommunityCollege’s awe-inspiring Gym and Dance Show



WITH LITTLE more than a month until showtime, re-hearsals for the Pantomime Snow White by Mark Reidare proceeding well.

Panto performances are on Thursday, 16 February, at2.30pm, and Friday 17, and Saturday 18, February, at2.30pm and 7.30pm. Tickets are now on sale at The Wa-termark, priced £7, concessions £5, and a family ticket(two adults + two children) is £21.

Snow White and ‘her Prince’ were last seen parading inIvybridge on a rather wet December evening, taking partin the annual Ivybridge parade. The theme for this year’sfancy dress was ‘Snow White & the seven Dwarves’, so therewere quite a few Snow Whites in the area. Prizes wereawarded to the various categories and ITC kindly donateda family ticket to the Pantomime to a young prize winner.

ITC have fun too – it’s not all about acting and non-

stop rehearsing. Members enjoyed several social eventsleading up to Christmas, including a Christmas meal atthe Sportsmans Inn, with ‘secret santa’ pressie giving,and a visit to a local theatre production.

In December, Black Ivy Mysteries performed a Christ-mas party-themed murder mystery, entitled ‘Mistletoe,Mirth & Murder’, at Endsleigh Garden & Leisure Centre.Guests enjoyed a three-course Christmas meal and be-came amateur sleuths for the evening.

At least three murder mysteries are planned for theNew Year in the local area – so please look out for de-tails in local publications.See New Year / New Hobby – page 22 – for more on Ivy-bridge Theatre Company

IVYBRIDGE & DISTRICT Camera Clubstarts its 2012 season with a high-pro-file speaker on Tuesday, 10 January,when celebrated photographer IanWright will give an illustrated talk on“Travel Photography from Location toPrint”. It starts at 7:30pm at the club’susual venue, Bittaford Hall.

Non-members are always welcome

at the club’s meetings, normally freefor the first visit, but on this occasionvisitors are asked to contribute £5.Please call David Rayner on (01752)691260 or email [email protected] to book a seat.See New Year / New Hobby – page 22– for more on Ivybridge & DistrictCamera Club

Blow away thecobwebs withmoorland walkIVYBRIDGE WALKING CLUB isstarting the New Year with awinter moorland walk toblow away the cobwebs! The walk, 8-9 miles towardsthe head of the Yealm, is onSunday, 15 January.Walk leader is A Pellatt andwalkers should meet at themoorgate at New Waste,north east of Torr (Corn-wood). SX625 611. Newcom-ers are welcome.All weather gear is essential,including gaiters. Debrief atCornwood Inn. FIND OUT MORE: www.iwc.org.uk

SHELIA HADLOW, recent chairman of Devon and Cornwall Area of NAFAS,demonstrated at the December meeting of Ivybridge Flower Club. Her Christ-mas theme included several designs with a contemporary twist, using the mostbeautiful colours and fantastic flowers – amaryllis, three types of orchid andlarge roses – all put together with well-conditioned foliages and in several casesbattery operated lights! Members were delighted to be told that some of theglass containers and lights were to be prizes in the raffle.

The club’s next meeting is at The Watermark, at 7.30pm on 10 January, whenthe demonstrator will be Susan Wills-Pope and her title is “Fun with Flowers”.

The committee and members of the club wish all read-ers a very happy New Year.

Life is local clubs&groups Has your club/group got news?Send it to [email protected]

Countdown tocurtain call

The cast of ‘Mistletoe, Mirth & Murder’

Celebrated snapper at camera club

Christmas displays with a twist

Formal and fun meetingTHE NEXT meeting of Ivybridge Garden Association is itsAGM on Thursday, 26 January, in the Methodist ChurchHall. A fun quiz will take place after the formal busi-ness, complimentary refreshments will be availableand there will be a raffle. The meeting starts at 7.45pm.FIND OUT MORE: contact Mrs Acheson on 01752 894867



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IT’S ALWAYS exciting looking for-ward to the new year fashion trends.Well, this year’s fashion forecast isabout change!

We have all spent the past yeargrowing our hair, in limbo aboutwhat to do with it, sticking with whatwe know best, and shoving it up in aponytail. What’s the point of thatlovely, long hair if no-one gets to seeit? There is a style out there for every-one, whether it be short or long.

This year, we are seeing the come-back of the bob! Again, I hear yousay! The modern bob is the old bobbut with attitude – it’s about choppylayers and volume. “My face is toochubby,” is something I hear oftenwhen I dare to utter that dreadedword ‘bob’. There is a bob out thereto suit everyone, whether it is a longor a short bob, inverted or blunt.

If you are not yet ready to lose yourlovely, long locks, this year long hairwill shout volume! A few layers cantake weight out of your hair and withthe right products and the correctknowledge you will be able to createvolume in your straight, flat hair.

To ensure you choose the rightlook, book a consultation with yourstylist to discuss the best style foryou and, most importantly, how tore-create your look at home.

The past year has been a chal-lenging time for most, and, as wecome into the New Year, there is nodoubt that we all hope that thecoming year will be an improve-ment on the last. What better placeto start then with yourself, so thatyou can start to feel good about you!

Donna Reynolds is owner of Revela-tions Hair Studio, 27 Glanvilles Mill,tel: (01752) 698631. Book now foryour new look!

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Make your NewYear’s resolution

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New Year,

You deserve to take some timeout to do something for your-self, says Donna Reynolds,and what better place to start

than with a new hair style

This year’s fashionforecast is... change

greatLosing weight is one of the mostcommon New Year’s resolution,with 75% of adults saying it’s theirnumber one goal, but most havegiven up by the end of the month.

Here, Slimming World Consult-ant Leanne Tancock, who runsgroups in Ivybridge, offers her toptips to stay on track.

“New Year can be a good time tomake the decision to lose weight,but there are some common trapsthat people fall into. Being awareof these will give you the bestchance of success,” she says.

� THE WEIGHT LOSS TRAPSLosing weight just because it’sJanuary – Why do you want tolose weight? Making smallchanges that you’re confident youcan keep up will increase yourchances of success. Going hungry – Slimming doesn’thave to mean starving. SlimmingWorld’s healthy eating plan en-courages members to eat lots ofsatisfying and naturally low-fatfoods, so they’re never hungry andthey can enjoy all their favouritedishes. No foods are banned, sothere’s no guilt or deprivation. Setting unrealistic targets – Setyourself achievable short-termand long-term goals. Unrealistic

targets will demotivate you.Going it alone – Research showsthat slimmers are more successfulat losing and maintaining theirweight when they have the sup-port of like-minded people. Slim-ming World members share theirups and downs every week.

“If anyone in Ivybridge has madeit their New Year’s resolution tolose weight, they’re more than wel-come at my Slimming Worldgroup. I’m confident that with thecombination of a delicious eatingplan and a super support networkthey’ll be successful, not just inJanuary, but throughout the year.”See the Slimming World advert op-posite for details of groups



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We lookforwardto seeingyou soon

Call us on (01752) 896999 to find out moreand discuss your New Year resolutionsor visit www.toneleisure.com for more programme information

Call us on (01752) 896999 to find out moreand discuss your New Year resolutionsor visit www.toneleisure.com for more programme information

health beauty FITNESSANDWELLBEING new you

New Year,

IT’S THAT TIME of the year; after agood Christmas, our attention turnsto New Year’s resolutions.

At Ivybridge Leisure Centre, weoffer a sociable atmosphere in ourtoning table room, a friendly, vi-brant gym and an exercise class pro-gramme that will suit all your healthand fitness needs.

Whether it is weight loss, toningup or just maintaining a healthylifestyle, we have all the facilities tohelp you achieve your goals.

Research in the UK indicates that,to maintain a healthy lifestyle, weshould be performing moderate ex-ercise for 30 minutes, five days aweek. This can be adjusted depend-ing on the intensity of the exercise.For instance, if you exercise vigor-ously for three 50 minute sessions aweek, then your body may requiremore time to recover in order for

you to perform at your best. Like-wise, you could potentially perform25 minutes of moderate exercise sixtimes a week. The important thing isto look at your weekly commitmentsand plan out what would be realis-tic for you to dedicate your time to.

What is moderate exercise?Many people are unsure as to whatconstitutes moderate or vigorousexercise. When performing moder-ate exercise, you should be feelingwarm, mildly out of breath andmildly perspiring; you should beable to maintain a conversationbut not be able to sing the words toa song. Examples include a reallybrisk walk, jogging or swimming.

Vigorous exercise, in contrast,means you would not be able tomaintain a conversation and youshould be feeling hot and sweating.

Examples could be an intense longdistance run or row.

Whatever your choice of exercise,it is important to remember that, atthe right intensity and time, it canhelp to reduce the risk of heart dis-ease, high blood pressure, high cho-lesterol, developing diabetes andother such health risks. Exercise canalso help to maintain healthy mus-cles, bones and joints; reduce de-pression and anxiety; improve yourself-esteem and confidence; im-prove sleep and generally help tomaintain a health lifestyle.

So, whether you want to take partin a class, would benefit from ourtoning tables, or would like tomaintain a healthy lifestyle by at-tending our gym, we have friendlyand professional staff on hand tohelp you achieve your goals, withfacilities to match.

The centre of health & fitness


CalendarWHAT’S ON

Betty’s Memory Café, Ivy-bridge Methodist Church, 2-4pm. 01752 893952.Devon Stop SmokingService Tuesdays 4-7pm,Ivybridge Leisure Centre.

Ivybridge Work Club,10am-12 noon. The Water-mark IT Suite.

Ivybridge Country Market8.30-11.30am, Scout Hutnext to the leisure centre.Careers Advice for Adults(19+) Contact The Water-mark to book an appoint-ment – tel 01752 892220.

Saturday Market, ErmeCourt / Glanvilles Mill. 9amto 5pm.

South Hams Citizen Ad-vice Bureau. Drop in at TheWatermark, 10am to 1pmMeeting of IvybridgeTown Council, includingpublic participation pession,7pm, The Watermark

Research your Roots:Family History usingComputers and the Inter-net, Ivybridge Library – seepage 5 for details.

Meeting of Town CouncilPlanning & InfrastructureCommittee, 7pm, includingpublic participation session,at the Town Hall.Ivybridge & District CameraClub Meeting, 7.30pm, NewHall, Bittaford. See page 16.

Toybox, Chapel Place Com-munity Centre, Fore Street.Wednesday mornings 9.30-11.30am. £1.50 per family.

Ivybridge Country Market8.30-11.30am, Scout Hutnext to the leisure centre.Groundwork South WestIT Courses, Skills for Lifecourses, The Watermark. Tobook call 01752 892220.

Saturday Market, Erme Court/ Glanvilles Mill. 9am-5pm.Annual River Leat Clean,main road bridge River Erme.

Ivybridge Walking Clubwalk, New Waste, Nth east ofCornwood, 10am – see page16 for details. www.iwc.org.uk

Citizen Advice Bureau.The Watermark, 10am-1pm.Erme WI Meeting, 7.30pm,Waterside House, Keaton Rd.

Betty’s Memory Café, Ivy-bridge Methodist Church, 2-4pm. 01752 893952.

Toybox, Chapel Place Com-munity Centre, Fore Street.Wednesday mornings 9.30-11.30am. £1.50 per family.Business Fair, The WatermarkOne-day pencil and wa-tercolour workshop(10am-4pm), Town Hall.£37.50 for the day. Spaceslimited. Tel 01752 893852.

Ivybridge Country Market8.30-11.30am, Scout Hutnext to the leisure centre.

Saturday Market, Erme Court/ Glanvilles Mill. 9am-5pm.

Citizen Advice Bureau.The Watermark, 10am-1pm.Ivybridge U3A, 2pm, Ivy-bridge Methodist Church.Give Blood, IvybridgeRugby Club. Appointmentsonly. Contact 0300 123 2323, www.blood.co.uk

Meeting of Town CouncilPlanning & InfrastructureCommittee, 7pm, includingpublic participation session,at the Town Hall.

Ivybridge & District Cam-era Club Meeting, 7.30pm,New Hall, Bittaford. 1st MeritCompetition.

Toybox, Chapel Place Com-munity Centre, Fore Street.Wednesday mornings 9.30-11.30am. £1.50 per family.

Ivybridge Garden Associ-ation AGM, 7.45pm,Methodist Church Hall.

Ivybridge Country Market8.30-11.30am, Scout Hutnext to the leisure centre.Gary Streeter ConstituencyAdvice Surgery, afternoon,Town Hall. Pre-booked appoint-ments only – 01752 335666.

Saturday Market, Erme Court/ Glanvilles Mill. 9am-5pm.

Citizen Advice Bureau.The Watermark, 10am-1pm.

Nordic Walking free tastersession 11-11.45 am. Fromviaduct, Station Rd. Poles pro-vided. Contact Fiona Swan on01626 890120 for details

Tuesday 3rd

Wednesday 4th

Friday 6th

Saturday 7th

Monday 9th

Tuesday 10th

Tuesday 10th

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Thursday 26th

Friday 27th

Saturday 28th

Monday 30th

Tuesday 31st


To get your event listed in the Community Diary please supply details by the 12th of each preceedingmonth – tel (01752) 892220 or e-mail [email protected](All dates and times believed to be correct at time of going to press)

january



Develop yourphotography skillsIvybridge & District Camera Clubnormally meets on the 1st, 2nd and4th Tuesdays each month.Its objectives is to promote and sup-port the interest of photography asa recreational pastime for everyonewho is interested.The club welcomes visitors and newmembers of all levels of photo-graphic ability.

FIND OUT MORE: www.ivybridgecameraclub.org

Raise the curtainon a new interestIvybridge Theatre Company meetWednesdays at 7.30pm at ChapelPlace. Current members range from17 to 70 yrs and it is just £15 per year!It is great to share an interest indrama – not only acting but othertasks as well, such as costume, set,lighting and sound design, public-ity and back-stage assistance. We strive to make everyone feel partof a team, so why not call in?

FIND OUT MORE: Contact Ron Davis: (01752)893308 or www.ivybridgetheatrecompany.co.uk

Erme Valley Harriers welcomenew members and if you are newto the sport or looking to improve,why not join the beginners/im-provers’ group on Wednesdaysfrom 5.30-6.30pm at the commu-nity sport reception at IvybridgeCommunity College. There arethree groups, based on ability,which are suitable for a range ofrunners, from complete novices to

those who have already done somerunning. Everyone is welcome.

On Thursdays there is trainingfrom 6pm for juniors (over 8) at Ivy-bridge Community College.

If you are already in training, theclub’s senior athletes meet a 6pmon Tuesday and Friday nights fromIvybridge Leisure Centre.

FIND OUT MORE: www.ermevalleyharriers.co.uk

GET YOUR NEEDLES at theready! Make 2012 the year youtake up the knitting craze by join-ing the knitting club run by Mar-garet Punchard of True DesignCards & Crafts on Fore Street.

The club is an informal, friendlygroup who help each other andshare ideas at the Wednesdayevening meetings in the shop be-tween 7-9pm.

There is 10% off all wool boughton the evening, or you can bringyour own project along to themeetings.

The club’s help and advice isavailable beyond the weeklymeeting. Margaret is free to helpmembers at any time if they pop

into the shop. The group is not all about knit-

ting, knitting, and more knitting –members enjoy a social meal outat least a couple of times a year.

The club is run on an open doorpolicy, with no commitment, soyou can go to as many or as fewmeetings as you can attend.

The sessions cost just £2.50,with an optional 50p entry intothe raffle to win a voucher tospend in the shop, and as well asthe chance to share knowledgewith fellow knitters, tea, coffeeand biscuits are served.

FIND OUT MORE: Pop into the shop or [email protected]

new YEARHOBBY{The start of the new year may spur some of you to look to take up

a new hobby. The good news is that you do not have to go out-side of Ivybridge to find a great range of clubs and groups

FUN RUNNING FOR A FITTER YOU

Join the knitting craze

Ivybridge Community Choir is open toanyone to join. You can be of any age, any level ofexperience (including complete beginner) andfrom any sort of background.They usually rehearse on Tuesday evenings in themusic suite at Ivybridge Community College from7.30-9.30pm. The choir’s musical director is DavidHaines, who also writes a lot of the music they sing.You can even be a “remote member” – they recordall rehearsals and post them online. Go towww.communitychoir.co.uk and find out how to be-come a member of the internet choir. You’ll be sentlinks to listen to rehearsals and PDFs of the music.FIND OUT MORE: Telephone 01626 870107 or email [email protected]

Dinnaton Swimming Club is a family ori-entated club which trains mostly at Maccaulay’sFitness and Golf Centre. It has a high-quality and comprehensive ‘Learn toSwim’ programme from the age four years up-wards, to high-quality training provided by coachesfor squad members. It provides a training pro-gramme for all abilities and can also offer trainingfor adults with their masters’ session.The club offers swimming lessons for your child,training for the more experienced and adult train-ing sessions. Why not join today and look forwardto a fitter future.FIND OUT MORE: Email [email protected] or call07850445405

For contact details of more clubs andgroups in the town, turn to page 26



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REPORTS

s c h o o ls c h o o l

WOODLANDS PARK Primary School held four, themedproductions this Christmas, each with shows in the af-ternoon and evening.

The traditional Christmas play, the Nutcracker, wasperformed by classes 2, 7 and 10.

After the mouse king turned Karl into an ugly nut-cracker, the only way to break the spell would be tofind a girl who would love the doll. Can the famousmagician, Dr Drosselmeyer, break the spell?

The book, Not Last Night but the Night Before, wasperformed by classes 12, 5 and 9... but with a twist!This involved performances by the black cats, the manon the moon, Macbeth old and new, Miss Muffet andSpiderman, Rama and Sita, the New Zealand rugbyteam, punch and Judy, Jim Jarvis, and of course Santa!

It was a fantastic performance with dancing, singingfrom children of all ages. Many of the scripts werewritten by the children themselves

What Gives Christmas the X-Factor was a brilliantperformance inspired by the hit TV show. The cast hada great time imitating this spectacular show, whichwas a Christmas performance like no other! With actsincluding the food, the sweets, the decorations, thetoys and, of course, their own Dermot O’Leary andCher Lloyd, it was a performance to remember.

A quartet of Christmasproductions at Woodlands

Woodlands Park Primary School’sreception classes performed thetraditional Nativity.Pictured are Isabella May as anangel, Paige Thonner as Mary andDaniel Sidebotham as Joseph.

Children at The Erme Primary School put on an as-tounding production of Cinderella, to the delight oftheir families. It was a magical atmosphere, and thechildren performed marvellously. Pictured are someof the cast: Back row (l-r) Oliver, Sam, Kobi, Zoe-Ann& Elizabeth. Front row (l-r) Elodie, Lizzie & Paige

Jack, Marcus, Anna, James, Izzy, and Emily with ICTco-ordinator Joe Baxter

Smart users of internetYEAR 5 CHILDREN at Stowford School have beenlearning about how to stay safe when using mod-ern technology. And after demonstrating their abil-ity to be SMART users, they have all received their“e-safe users” certificate.

Throughout the term they have been looking atthe SMART rules: how to stay Safe, what to doabout Meeting people, when to Accept messages,how to decide if information is Reliable and whento Tell someone about things that have made themuncomfortable. They have looked at various differ-ent aspects of modern technology, including email,mobile phones and the internet.



Victorian lessons

Christmas around the World

Yes to friendship, no to bullyingWOODLANDS PARK celebrated‘Friendship Week’ by wearing Bluemufti in support of Anti-BullyingWeek ‘Stop and Think Words canHurt’ in November, writes EvelynMarsh (10) and Katy Preston (11).

We are trying to show that peopleof any size or age, can be friends.The children dressed in blue, toshow that they are against bullyingand that it won’t be tolerated intheir school. As part of friendshipweek, the children were put in tolarge groups of children they hadnever met before and had to worktogether in partners to complete a

series of fun and active tasks.In class 6, children made a long

paper chain of friends. They cre-ated a friendship web of thingsthey liked best about that personand shared with the class.

In class 7, the children madebookmarks for each other andplayed trust games outside withtheir new friends from differentclasses and years.

All the children thoroughly en-joyed the morning and made newfriends, who they will rememberthroughout their years and be-yond at Woodlands Park.

Kei

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Key Stage 2 children at Stowford Schooltook family and friends on a whistle-stopworld tour in their production “ChristmasAround the World”.The audience was whisked to exotic, far-flung places such as China, India, Spain andHawaii as classes took it in turns to performa song and dance from different countries.

A proudperformance

KEY STAGE 1 and Founda-tion children at StowfordSchool proudly performedtheir Christmas produc-tion Little Angel gets HerWings for family andfriends.

The story is of LittleAngel, the only angel whohadn’t yet earnt her wings.While all the other angelswent to do important jobslike telling Mary that shewas going to have a baby,Little Angel always got leftbehind because she was tooslow, and none of the other

angels would tell her howshe could gain her wings.

When they all set off forBethlehem, Little Angel hasno choice but to walkthere. She is last to arrive atthe stable, but on the wayshe helps the donkey, whohad a thorn in his foot, res-

cues the shepherds’ lamb,whose foot is stuck in ahole, and ensures that adove with a sore wing canfly again.She is in time tosee the baby and learnsthat because of all her gooddeeds she can finally haveher wings.

Ciaran, Jake, Abigail, Izzy, Connor, Jasmine, Charlie, and Livy

CHILDREN IN Year 4 at Stowford Schoolwent back to Victorian times as partof their work investigating some ofthe key inventions from the time ofthe Industrial Revolution.

To give them an idea of what lifewould have been like for Victorianchildren living through these mo-mentous times, staff and pupilsdressed in authentic costume, class-rooms were organised into rows of ta-bles and instructions were on a“blackboard”, and the children had towrite on slates instead of in books.

There was a change to their lessons,too. They had to recite poetry, com-plete writing and arithmetic tasks, lis-ten to a Bible story and have their PElesson in Victorian style.

Teacher Janet Westonwith Solly, Jacob,Sadie and Megan



SPORT Send your sport report to:[email protected]

IVYBRIDGE CRICKET CLUB starts its prepara-tion for the 2012 season this month.

Indoor training for the junior sectionstarts on Sunday, 15 January, 2012. Thecoaching sessions, which will be run bythe club’s ECB-qualified coaches, will runevery Sunday morning from 10.30am atthe sports hall at Ivybridge CommunityCollege through to the end of March.

The Under 11’s session will run from10.30am until 11.30am, with the Under13 and Under 15 session following from11.30am to 12.30pm.

The sessions are open to existing clubjunior members and any newcomers

who want to give cricket a try.The emphasis will be on fun and en-

joyment and will focus on the basicskills of the game. Batting, bowling,catching, ground fielding and wicket-keeping will be covered at differenttimes during the winter programme.

During November, the club held itsAnnual General Meeting. As a result ofthe AGM, Gareth Andrews will continueas first team captain for the 2012 season,and Mike Tuckwell was officially ap-pointed second team captain, havingfulfilled the job for the second half oflast season in an unofficial capacity.

Coaching sessions for young cricketers

ERME VALLEY HARRIERS’ athletes haveturned their attention to ‘off road’events with several athletes competingin the Westward League at Exeter. Thiscross country event included the DevonChampionships, so there was a largerentry than usual.

The club were mainly represented inthe Senior Men’s race with Andrew Perrybeing the first Harrier home. JoeBracher and Russell Mogridge again hada competitive race, with Joe just gettingthe better of Russell on this occasion.

Eight Harriers made the trip to

Torquay for the picturesque but chal-lenging ‘Cockington Christmas Caper’.Ewan Lake was the first Harrier home inan impressive seventh place and a timeof 57.10 over this seven mile course.Richard Ayson and Nigel Stopard alsoran well.

Athletes will now ease back on theirtraining over the festive period and ‘re-charge’ their batteries for the New Year!

See New Year / New Hobby – page 22 –for more details about joining Erme Val-ley Harriers

A Christmas Caper for Harriers!

Ewan Lake and Julie Deuchars at the Cockington Caper

Joe Bracher leading Russell Mogridge

Here are some more groupsin the town that you maywish to consider joining:

Ivybridge Art [email protected] Arts & Crafts(01752) 897024/ 344096Ivybridge Garden AssociationContact (01752) 894867Ivybridge Flower Clubwww.iwc.org.ukIvybridge U3Awww.ivybridge-u3a.org.ukIvybridge Twinning Association(01752) 893726Ivybridge German [email protected] Rotary Club of Ivybridge (01752) 898906Ivybridge Lions [email protected] WI(01752) 893851Erme WI(01752) 89299850+ Club(01752) 691974PL:21www.pl21.weebly.comFriends of Ivybridge [email protected] Computer Club07979 998 949Ivybridge Walking Clubwww.iwc.org.ukCleeve Angling Club(01752) 895241Ivybridge Cricket [email protected] Rugby Clubwww.pitchero.com/clubs/ivybridgeIvybridge Town Football Clubwww.ivybridgefc.comIvybridge Bowling Club(01752) 691258Ivybridge Short Mat Bowls Club(01752) 402658Air Cadetswww.339sqn.org.ukFire [email protected] Brigade(01752) 892756Girls Brigade(01752) 892756Scouts(01752) 893277Explorer Scouts(01752) 346866Erme Valley Girl [email protected] Football Clubwww.manstowfc.co.uk

All details believed to be correct at time of going to print

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‘FILL THE FRAME’ is a common help phrase given to pho-tographers, but it doesn’t always translate into real lifesituations when a photo opportunity turns up.

By ‘frame’, we don’t mean the wooden bit we hang onthe wall, but the edges of the image itself. Every photofills the frame in one sense or another, and it is some-times hard to decide which part of the scene in front ofyou to fill the frame with. This time we’re going to con-sider what we mean by ‘filling the frame’ and look at afew related compositional tips on the way.

I know we have looked at simplicity in photographspreviously, but it bears repeating here that a simpleimage often conveys more than a ‘busy’ one. Compli-cated pictures are passed over surprisingly quickly be-cause they appear demanding.

One stealthy tip is to engage your viewer with an ‘easyon the eye’ image that under closer inspection reveals awealth of extra detail, and thus maintains interest.

I have visited the bluebells above many times, as haveothers I’m sure, but there are always plenty of differentviews to be photographed here. Some of them work bet-ter than this one, others not as good, so it’s an idealplace to think about exactly what it is you want to put inthe frame and what you want to leave out.

I’ve picked this photo for our discussion partly be-cause of its simplicity, and it does have hidden depths,all of which add to our visual pleasure.

At first glance it is a simple vista of bluebells and ared-roofed barn, but soon we see the path to the barn,then after a short tour around the barn our eyes followdown a wall to the next field of bluebells, then furtheragain to more bluebells and the tors beyond. Use sim-plicity wherever you can, but spice it up with little de-tails and eye-catching shapes if the scene allows.

The sky on this day was a bit uninteresting, but thatled me to fill the top of the frame with less of it. The treesmeet the frame at natural stop points that are not cutinto and the base of the image has a solid foundationwith the remains of a dry stone wall. I’ve filled the frameby picking these elements for the edges and by exclud-ing anything not relevant to the main subject, the fieldof bluebells.

Finally, another tip, and it’s an important one. Use theforeground. It forms so much of every photograph thatit behoves the photographer to select the foregroundscene with care. Emphasise foreground element(s) bychoosing a low viewpoint and angling the cameradownwards slightly. A wide-angle setting on your zoomwill help.

In this photo I have used the remains of the wall togreat foreground effect, and to my delight the peaks ofthe boulders also slightly mirror the treetops. Next time,I’ll make sure they match exactly and I’ll also probablyPhotoshop out the distracting lichen on the central one!

Take BETTER PHOTOSMore tips on how to improve the images you take using your digital camera from David Rayner of Ivybridge & District Camera Club


the ivybridge magazine - january 2012 issue

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