Alphington
Loram success
RESIDENTS have impressed the Royal Horticultural Society with their maintenance of open spaces in Loram Way.
Taking part in the recent It's Your Neighbourhood competition, the Loram Maintenance Group split the area it looks after into three.
One of these areas which encompasses flowers and a wildlife area walked off with the top accolade of being deemed "outstanding", while the other two areas – woodland and the central green were given a "progressing" designation.
City wide
Prebendary dies
PREBENDARY Michael Moreton, who for 33 years was rector of St Mary Steps, has died.
Father Moreton, who retired in 1992, was instrumental in saving St Mary Steps' famed Matthew the Miller clock.
Matthew the Miller strikes the hour from his seat next to the St Mary Steps Church clock in West Street, and is named after Matthew Hoppin who created the clock in 1619.
Matthew sits beneath an ogee arch and dates back to 1835. His two pikemen, who strike the quarter hours, are mentioned in churchwardens records in 1738 and may date back to the Restoration period.
Following a previous restoration in the early 1980s Matthew together with his pikemen became a victim of pigeons and had to be virtually remade.
Father Moreton coordinated the restoration work which lasted six years and was carried out by expert craftsmen.
Father Moreton was also well-known locally both as an academic at Exeter University
His funeral will be held at St Mary Steps on Friday, October 10.
Charity concert
THE Exeter Police and Community Choir is to perform at the St Nicholas Methodist Church in Topsham at 7.30pm on Thursday, October 16.
The choir will be supported by guest soloists John and Lyn Burgoyne.
The concert is being organised by the Rotary Club of Exeter Southernhay and proceeds will be given to the End Polio Now campaign and other Rotary charities.
Tickets cost £6.50 and are available from several contacts – Topsham News, tickets4rotary@gmail.com or on 01392 461702.
Countess Wear
Bridge changes
DEVON County Council has applied for listed building consent for its road widening scheme in Bridge Road.
The scheme involves the addition of a new cantilevered foot/cycle way against the side of Countess Wear bridge which faces upstream.
This will enable the existing footpath on the bridge to be removed and an additional traffic lane created over the structure to reduce congestion.
The bridge was first opened in 1771 and was re-profiled in 1842 when one of the middle piers was removed.
Exwick
Polling change
EXETER'S executive meets next week to determine if the ward should have another polling station.
The number of polling districts in Exwick was reduced from four to three following a review in 2007.
The current number of electors registered to vote is just over 2,000.
The Thatched House Inn is used as one of the polling stations and, although the venue can cope with average turnouts of 30 to 40 per cent, there is some doubt that it will have sufficient space to deal with larger turnouts, particularly with respect to the forthcoming Parliamentary election, where turnout could be as high as 70 per cent.
The city council is therefore considering adding an additional polling station at Exwick Parish Hall.
It estimates this will reduce the electorate at the Thatched House Inn to a more manageable 1,500. In order to balance numbers a reduction of approximately 500 will be made from Exwick Community Centre, which will reduce the need to provide a double station at that venue.
Heavitree
Open church
THERE are many who complain they never have any peace and quiet.
Well help is at hand in the shape of the parish church, St Michael and All Angels, in Church Street which has begun opening on Wednesdays from 8.30am until noon.
The church is open to allow people to be still, quiet and prayerful, and if this proves successful the aim is to extend it to other days.
Rector, Fr Robin Eastoe said: "It's sad that churches have to be closed, because when our church is open people often put their head in.
"We want to give people a chance to find stillness and silence and therefore we shall be opening the church, and we hope that with a few more volunteers we will be able to open the church at other times."
Victorian life
ASPECTS of the life and career of Exonian Sir John Bowring will be given by Dr Robin Wootton at a meeting of the Friends of Higher Cemetery on Saturday, October 4.
Sir John was a remarkable Victorian public servant, a man of letters and the first president of the Devonshire Association.
The meeting will take place in the cemetery chapel beginning at 2pm. There will be a small charge to attend the lecture.
Following the talk those present are to be invited to visit the grave of Sir John where a floral tribute will be laid on behalf of the friends.
Coffee morning
THE congregation from St Paul's in Burnthouse Lane are holding their next monthly coffee morning in the Rifford Room at the parish church in Church Street on Saturday, October 4.
There will be the usual stalls and the event will run between 10am and 11.30am.
Newtown
Paving reported
LOCAL councillor Richard Westlake has received complaints from residents about the state of the pavement on the shops side of Magdalen Road.
Cllr Westlake said: "I had a phone call from a lady who had actually fallen down.
"The pavement has slabs and some of them are in a shocking condition, I found four bad ones in just five minutes.
"I have reported this to the county council."
Parking change
CLLR Westlake is also chasing the county council to find out when the approved residents' parking changes in the Denmark Road area will come into play.
He said: "I am pushing for this to be done before Christmas."
Changes mean that all the unrestricted spaces in Denmark Road and Athelstan Road will disappear, and a 15-minute parking slot, at a cost of 20p, is being introduced to benefit those picking up and dropping off children at the nursery and for those collecting prescriptions from the surgery.
Pennsylvania
Annual meeting
THE Sylvania Environment and Community project is holding its annual meeting on Saturday, October 4 between 10.30am and 12.30pm.
This is a chance to find out about the group's current project as well as have an input regarding what will be undertaken in the future.
The meeting will be held in the community hall in Stoke Hill.
The group represents the interests of residents in Sheppard Road, Mayflower Avenue, Plassey Close, Linnet Close, and Falkland Close.
Pinhoe
Orwell Garth
THE mobile polling station which has been provided at Orwell Garth could cease to be. The city council believes that the arrangement is unsatisfactory for electors, staff and election tellers.
There are no toilet facilities available for staff other than by consent with a nearby resident, or by the provision of temporary facilities. Similarly, it is difficult for the secrecy of those voting to be maintained due to the type of temporary accommodation which is available and disabled access is virtually non-existent. Next week the city council's executive will vote on whether to do away with the temporary arrangement and replace it with a new venue – Willowbrook School.
If given the go-ahead the school would not need to close on polling day.
Polsloe
Bramble mess
THE brambles are taking over at Polsloe Bridge.
Local councillor Richard Westlake has reported the problem to Network Rail and told Community News: "It really is looking an absolute mess and I don't want our group of volunteers to do tidying up until the heavy stuff has been dealt with.
"It would be ideal if we could coordinate the work with Network Rail but I am waiting to hear back from them at the moment."
Earlier this year Cllr Westlake led a group of volunteers in a general tidy-up of the railway halt which is becoming increasingly popular with passengers. Further volunteer days are to be arranged.
Too much light
CLLR Westlake is also looking into the problem of the street lights that never go off.
He has received reports from residents that the lights in Hanover Road are staying on all day.
Road progress
SOME progress has been made in repairs to the surface of Goldsmith Street.
The worst of the potholes have been filled but the road is due to be re-surfaced and Cllr Westlake tells community News that he is trying to find out from the county council exactly when this will happen.
RD&E Hospital
Heart help
PATIENTS at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital are benefiting from a brand new CPR (Cardiopulmonary resuscitation) machine thanks to local charity HeartSWell. The £10,000 AutoPulse machine has been donated by the Plymouth based organisation to give patients a better chance of surviving a cardiac arrest.
AutoPulse is a portable cardiac support pump that provides automated chest compressions to keep blood pumping around your body if you have a cardiac arrest.
The machine delivers consistent and high quality chest compressions, while freeing up medical staff to perform other lifesaving duties.
Dr Gavin Lloyd, consultant emergency physician at the hospital, said: "The AutoPulse is an effective alternative to manual chest compressions, which is beneficial to patients in prolonged cardiac arrest. We have now secured two of these units for the hospital – one stationed in the emergency department, the other in cardiology.
"We are most grateful to the charity HeartSWell for funding one of them."
This is the third AutoPulse device that HeartSWell has donated to hospitals in the South West in recent years. Since the charity was founded in 1996, it has raised well over £1m to support heart patients and their families, funding everything from lifesaving equipment to specialist cardiac nurses. They also provide affordable accommodation for relatives of cardiac patients with their HeartSWell Lodge near Derriford Hospital.
David Wells, trustee director from HeartSWell said: "We are delighted to donate the vital AutoPulse machine because of the possibility of improved survival for cardiac arrest victims.
"HeartSWell was pleased to have also supported and donated AutoPulses to Derriford Hospital, Plymouth and Royal Cornwall Hospital, Treliske."
Gary Nicholas, UK manager for ZOLL, which manufactures the machine, said: "At ZOLL Medical our mission is to help save lives from sudden cardiac arrest.
"We are delighted to work once again with HeartSWell, this time to provide an AutoPulse device to the RD&E hospital and we look forward to supporting them in the future to help improve the chances of survival from cardiac arrest."
St James'
Trust launched
ON Saturday, October 4, a community company, the Exeter St James Community Trust will be launched.
It has been set up by the St James' Forum but is open to members and non-members alike.
At the launch there will also be a discussion on what happens next to the forum and its steering group.
The launch meeting will be in the St Sidwell's Centre, Sidwell Street between 4pm and 6pm.
St Thomas
Library events
ST Thomas Library in Church Road is putting on a range of events throughout October for Active Life Active Mind month.
Local councillor Rob Hannaford said: "It's great that these sessions are being held at our very popular local library.
"I also hope that new introductory and information events can be held by other local organisations and groups in the future, so that they can showcase their activities and enable new people to become involved.
"I would like to thank the St Thomas library supervisor Lee Rawlings for working so hard putting all this together for the community."
The events are as follows:
Friday, October 10, 10am to 5pm, St Thomas Health Centre – What are our services? Free drop in session.
Saturday, October 11, 2pmto 3pm, Needle Felting Talk and Demonstration, a talk and demonstration with Joan Prowse, free but please book.
Wednesday, October 15, 11am to 4pm, photography day, an open day including talks, mini exhibitions (digital and printed) and networking, free.
If you would like to display a selection of your works please contact the library.
Friday, October 17, 10am to 5pm, Age UK drop in: What are you entitled to? Free drop in session.
Wednesday, October 22, 11am to noon, Dementia Friends Session, Dementia champion Gina Awad runs an in depth session, free but please book.
Wednesday, October 29, 2pm to 4pm, Make&Take Needle Felting workshop, Joan Prowse runs a two-hour session, cost is £3. Spaces are limited, please book at the library.
To book please contact the library on 01392 252783 or email lee.rawlings@devon.gov.uk or stthomaslibrary@devon.gov.uk
Local history
AFTER summer meetings which included viewing the mosaics in St. Thomas, an historical guided tour to St David's train station and a walk around the Guy's and Hylton allotments, the St Thomas Local History group will meet at St Andrew's Church hall in Alphington Road on Friday, October 3 at 7pm.
Members will speak about "The street where I live or lived" and bring memorabilia as well as memories. Newcomers are welcome.
Topsham
Polling change
WITH the number of households continuing to grow on the site of the former Royal Navy Stores, the city council's executive will decide next week if an additional polling station should be introduced in the ward.
If given the go-ahead this would be in the Community Room within The Rydons.
Better bird hide
THE RSPB will open its new and improved Bowling Green bird watching hide in Topsham, on Friday, October 3 from 11am.
RSPB president and TV presenter Miranda Krestovnikoff will cut the ribbon at noon.
Miranda said: "One thing I'm passionate about is connecting people with nature, and this building will really help people make the most of the bird spectacle here on the Exe estuary, especially in winter."
On the opening day there will be activities for all the family, a chance to start work on the new community wildlife garden, live art and storytelling performances. There will also be some local food for sale, donated by Darts Farm, Tom's Pies, Otterton Mill, Topsham Kitchen Deli and Tideford Organics.
"Bowling Green hide has always been popular, with 40,000 wintering water birds calling the Exe home at this time of year.
The original hide was built in 1996 with funds raised by the Topsham community in memory of much loved local man, Bryan Baker.
Brian co-founded the Topsham Birdwatching and Naturalist Society in 1969. A plaque dedicating the original hide to his memory remains on the new build.
Morwenna Griffiths of the RSPB said: "We want to encourage more families to use the hide as well, to create a hide that appeals to everyone. "The hide's new extension offers a breathtaking floor-to-ceiling panorama of the whole marsh, it almost frames it.
"It doesn't matter if you don't know whether the bird you're looking at is widgeon or an avocet, Bowling Green hide is now the perfect spot to simply pull up a bench and lose yourself in nature.
"We have also greatly improved the original hide by lowering the windows for wheelchair users and making the windows bigger so that the hide's regulars gain an even better sight of the nature reserve's wildlife. We have clad the old hide's breeze block structure in FSC wood and painted the interior, giving it a warmer and more welcoming feel."
The next part of the hide's transformation is to turn its garden into a community wildlife garden. The RSPB is seeking local support to help make this happen, as it currently does not have the funds to complete the work. If you would like to help, please get in touch at Morwenna.griffiths@rspb.org.uk
University
Recognition
EXETER'S world-leading scientists are being recognised nationally and internationally for their pioneering research.
In the last month alone, the University of Exeter has celebrated a number of prestigious accolades bestowed on its academics across a range of disciplines.
Among them, Professor Pierre Friedlingstein is one of just 14 scientists nationwide to be bestowed with a Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award. This award recognises his research into climate systems.
In separate awards, academics across the Arts and Sciences were recognised by the Academia Europaea. Professor Nick Talbot of Biosciences and English scholars Professor Gabriella Giannachi and Professor Regenia Gagnier have been invited to become members of the academy, which aims to promote learning, education and research. Invitations are made only after peer group nomination, scrutiny and confirmation of scholarship and eminence of the individual in their field.
Meanwhile, a group of computer scientists are celebrating winning an international award. Postgraduate student Alma Rahat, Professor Richard Everson and Dr Jonathan Fieldsend received a Best Paper award at the recent Genetic and Evolutionary Computation Conference, held in Vancouver, Canada.
Dr Thomas Richards from Biosciences is one of 43 UK scientists to be made a Royal Society University Research Fellow for 2014. Dr Richards will study how two cells work together to operate as one unit, known as endosymbiosis.
A spokeswoman for the university said: "The university's ethos promotes first class education informed by world-leading research. As we welcome our new intake of students, these accolades are recognition of the outstanding calibre of the academics with whom they will interact."
West Exe
Activity hive
LOCAL councillor Heather Morris has contacted Community News with an update of a number of meetings which have sprung from a public meeting held some two months ago.
Cllr Morris said: "West Exe has become a hive of activity since the public meeting a couple of months ago, held at the Baptist Church in Cowick, which wasorganised by police neighbourhood beat manager Mark Oliver.
"During that meeting two key areas of concern were identified – the future of the West Side Youth Centre, and isolation and loneliness.
"A further public meeting was held at West Side Youth Centre in Merrivale Road organised by Peter Stephenson of the YMCA, and various options were explored, which included looking into whether the centre would be better served if transformed into a community centre.
"A meeting was also held at Age UK to discuss isolation and loneliness and whether a Neighbourhood Health Watch Scheme could help address loneliness in the community, and Jayne Clarke, of Neighbourhood Health Watch took a stall at the St Thomas festival in order to promote the benefits of this.
"Another public meeting was held at the Methodist Church in Cowick Street, organised by the Environment Agency and Exeter City Council, to discuss What would you do if St Thomas flooded again."
Cllr Morris has attended all four meetings along with her co-councillor Paul Bull and other West Exe councillors and says that she is grateful to the various organisations for coming forward and arranging these meetings but is very keen to see more members of the community coming along to these public meetings.
Cllr Morris added: "The St Thomas festival which was held a couple of weeks ago shows that there is a real community in St Thomas and West Exe, and I would really like to see more residents attending these meetings because the more input and ideas we have, the better for the whole community."
Whipton Barton
New cooker
THANKS to solicitors Ashfords, Whipton Community Association is benefiting from a new electric cooker.
This is mainly for use by the luncheon club but all groups who use the hall kitchen can also take advantage of it.
In addition CES, electrical suppliers, removed the old cooker and fitted the new one free of charge. And the good news is that there are now some vacancies in the luncheon club which meets every Thursday between 11am and 2.30pm.
The club is mainly for people living alone.
Apart from the lunch some social activities are also provided afterwards.
Transport can be provided by Freedom Wheels.
If you would like more details contact Mary on 01392 462144.
