This page contains the archive of news items from the Bishopsteignton village website.

Moors Park House is committed to 'bridging the gap' between care home and community as well as between young and old in creative and innovative ways. We believe that life does not stop when someone moves into a care home - rather it should be an opportunity to continue to learn, develop and enjoy new opportunities. We have been bowled over by the support and offers of help we have received so far from groups and individuals in the village and feel very privileged to be involved in such a generous local community.

We are currently working with the Bishopsteignton Outdoor Art Group on a project involving the creation of a willow scupture that will encompass 'snapshots' of a memorable part of an individual's life. We have a bid in for funding from the Department of Health and need the help of everyone in the village to enable this community project to go forward. Please go to www.big.dh.gov.uk/node/87 to vote for us by clicking on the stars at the bottom. Our project is entitled 'Community Art Project'.

Projects with the highest votes on the closing date of March 18th will receive the funding they have applied for. Please pass this on to everyone you know - how wonderful to be able to publicise the fact the village community were behind us!

For more information, please contact Debi Tilcock at Moors Park, by emailing moors.park@crocuscare.co.uk.

This scheme ischampioned by Teign MP Richard Younger-Ross and Teignbridge District Council, and aims to reduce CO2, fight fuel poverty, and will boost jobs. If you plan to take advantage of the scheme, please use a local plumber! 

The Government has launched a new national scheme, the Boiler Scrappage Scheme.  Households in England can apply for a £400 voucher to help with the cost of replacing old, G-rated boilers for a new A-rated boiler or renewable heating system such as a biomass boiler or a heat pump.

The scheme is open to householders, including tenants, and landlords who privately own and rent dwellings.  To be eligible, the boiler to be scrapped must be the main boiler used to heat the home.  If the householder is under 60 years of age the boiler to be scrapped must also be in working order.  However, householders aged 60 and over can apply regardless of whether the boiler is in working order.

The £400 vouchers will be issued from 18 January 2010. Vouchers are only valid for 12 weeks from date of issue.

If you believe that your home has a G-rated or worse boiler and wish to register an interest in the scheme to receive a £400 cashback voucher towards the cost of upgrading to an A-rated boiler, then arrange for your nominated installer to visit and provide you with a quote. You will be required to provide all of the following information:

1. Your full name.
2. The address of the property you wish to claim the voucher for.
3. The make and name of the boiler being scrapped.
4. The company name, address and contact details of the installer carrying out the work.
5. The type of replacement boiler to be installed e.g. gas, biomass.
6. Confirmation that you have received a quote or visit from the installer to carry out the work.

Once you have this information please email (boilerscrappage@est.org.uk) or call ACT ON CO2 advice line on 0800 512 012.

Further information can also be found at www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/Home-improvements-and-products/Heating-and-hot-water/Boiler-scrappage-scheme.

Bishopsteignton Outdoor Art Group are proud to announce that the winners of the 2009 Christmas Songs trail were (fanfare!) Abigail and Kate Lockyer of Wellington, Somerset. Congratulations! They each get a book token for correctly identifying all 14. Runner up prizes go to the Bailey family in Manor Road and the Doxsey family in Murley Crescent, who each had 13 correct answers. Huge thanks to everyone who took part.

Many people have asked for the list of answers, so here they are:

1. Ring of Bells - ‘I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas’
2. Supply Stores - ‘Mistletoe & Wine’
3. Tree on Hump - ‘Silver Bells’
4. Corner of Moors Park - ‘All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth’
5. Paved area bottom of Radway Hill - ‘I saw 3 Ships’
6. Top of Bishop's Avenue - ‘Little Drummer Boy’
7. 37 Fore St - ‘Silent Night’
8. Church gates - ‘Jingle Bells’
9. Cockhaven House - ‘Hark the Herald Angels Sing’
10. Stone at Cross House - ‘Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer’
11. Village Hall end wall - ‘Deck the halls’
12. Tree in school grounds - ‘We Three Kings’
13. 1 West Town Cottages - ‘The Holly & The Ivy’
14. Gas light bracket West Town Meadow - ‘Ding Dong Merrily on High’

The group will now be working on their entry for the Teignmouth TRAIL sculpture exhibition in summer. For this we need lots of unwanted CDs (about a million!), so if you have any, then please pop them round to Cockhaven House, 6 Cockhaven Road. And if you’d like to join this whacky band of outdoor arters please contact Gill Greatorex 779628. No art experience necessary but a sense of humour is advantageous.

The Bishopsteignton Outdoor Art Group invites you to find this year’s Christmas Song titles.
We have made and placed a number of artful installations around the centre of the village. Each is a clue to a song with a Christmassy theme.

Pick up a 50p BOAG entry form (from the Post Office or Supply Stores).
Answers by Twelfth Night.

Naturally there will be a fabulous prize for the winner with the most correct answers.

Christmas is a wonderful time of the year but there is an increase in crime leading up to the festive period. By taking note of the following advice, you and your family can help reduce that risk.

• Ensure your car is fully locked when you park.
• Don't leave anythng of value on view in your car including loose change for parking, sat-navs, coats, CDs etc.
• Try and use a car park rather than on street parking.
• If you return to your car during shopping make sure your purchases are placed in the boot out of sight.
• Keep your wallet and purse secure and keep your coat or handbag in sight when trying on clothes.
• Be wary of being jostled in a crowd. This is when a pick-pocket can operate.
• If you draw out cash try and use a well lit area or an indoor machine at the bank.
• If you're buying from the internet, always use a credit card never a debit card.
• At home don't leave presents on view around the tree if it can be seen from outside.
• Keep your windows and doors locked when out.
• Fit timer switches to standard or table lamps so your house is never in darkness.
• Never reveal your card PIN to anyone especially on the phone. Banks will never ask for it.

HAVE A VERY HAPPY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!

For more information about crime prevention, and local police surgeries, see the local information page.

Moors Park House, Bishopsteignton, is inviting any person or couples over the age of 65 who may be on their own for Christmas Day to come along and join our family. Come and join us for the day, enjoy a lovely traditional Christmas lunch, great company and receive a Christmas present. It is completely free! We have a warm happy atmosphere and do not like to think that any one is left without love and laughter on Christmas Day. Join us and enjoy the true spirit of Christmas. To help our Chef David know how many he is cooking for, please ring Debi Tilcock on 01626 775465 to let us know you would like to come along and let us share our festivities with you. We look forward to hearing from you.

The Bishopsteignton mummers were formed in 2000 to celebrate Twelfth Night and tackle contemporary issues. They are currently looking for new members to join the group, so if you are interested in being a mummer, or joining in as a musician, please get in touch with Marilyn Bannon on 778004. Find out more about the Mummers on the clubs page, or see the events listing for details of this year's Mummers' performance (January 9th 2010).

The Bishopsteignton village website is now one year old. I hope that local residents, and visitors to the area are continuing to find the website of use. If you have any ideas for content for the site, updates to the current content, or other features you would like to see included, please do get in touch.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has contributed to the website over the past year, providing information about local clubs, the local businesses who advertise on the site, the team who update the daily weather reports, and everyone who posts local events on the calendar.

Sadly, again the chalets at Luxton Steps have been targetted and property there vandalised. This time holes have been drilled into the bottom of a dinghy moored on the beach. This latest incident follows on from thefts of property, and two arson attacks within the past 3 years.

This is a remote area of our village, which is perhaps why it is targetted, and it's relatively isolated spot also makes it more difficult to trace the culprits. However this area is also used by a number of people walking their dogs, or simply enjoying the beautiful location of our village. Could we please ask that anyone who does use the area around Luxton Steps, or indeed other remote parts of Bishopsteignton, just keeps an eye out, and reports anything suspicious?

Full details of the local police contacts can be found on the Local Information page.

If you have some spare time, internet access and would like to help your local community, would you consider volunteering to act as a co-ordinator for a local "parking space rental" scheme? There are a number of websites which help match up people with a spare parking space (or driveway or garage), with local people looking for somewhere to park their vehicle. Since there is such a shortage of parking available within Bishopsteignton, general consensus is that it would be a good idea for a rental scheme to get off the ground. However it's likely that some villagers don't have access to the internet, so a co-ordinator would be really helpful in matching people up, and providing information from websites to people wishing to participate.

If you are interested in volunteering, please email this website (contact@bishopsteignton.org.uk). A guide to renting parking spaces can also be viewed online for anyone interested in such a scheme.

 

It has been reported that the inaugral Bishopsteignton Autumn Ball at the Teignmouth Golf Club on the 10th October was brilliant! Thanks are due to Anne-Marie Cowell and the other organisers for all the hard work they put in to help fund the Pre School Play Group. Let's hope that a Ball like this becomes an annual affair whether it's on behalf of the Play Group or some other well deserving village cause! If anyone has any photos of the event perhaps they could send them in!

If you are aged 70 or over, and are a car driver, you may be interested in the "Driving Safer for Longer Scheme", operated by Devon County Council and Devon and Cornwall Constabulary. The scheme offers a guide, workshops and driving assessments to help drivers to continue to drive safely on the roads for longer. Further information about the scheme can be found on the Devon County Council website. Devon residents can also request a "Driving Safer for Longer Guide", or find out more about the driving safety workshops and assessments, from the Road Safety Helpdesk (email: rshelp@devon.gov.uk or telephone 0845 155 1004.

If you have tried to access the Bishopsteignton Village website over the past couple of days (16-17th September), you may have experienced some problems getting to the site. I would like to apologise for these issues, which were caused by upgrades to the servers where the site is hosted. I have now been assured that the upgrade is complete, and we should not experience further interruptions to the service.

The weekend of 5th and 6th September saw Bishopsteignton Community Centre packed with people who had gone along to see the fantastic array of exhibits at the 14th annual Bishopsteignton Village Show.

Show Chairman, Roy Halsey, said “ It has been a really great weekend. The standard of exhibits this year was incredibly high. In fact two of the judges commented that the dahlia and vegetable classes were possibly the highest quality they had seen at the Show in recent years. The floral art has also been especially good this year, with more entries than we have had for many years.”

The rain-clouds on Saturday did nothing to deter locals from going along to the show. As well as all the usual exhibits Saturday's show also had a display of “Medals of Achievement”. Spitfire pilot Group Captain Billy Drake, RAF, DSO, DFC & bar, DFC (USA), submariner Captain Hedley Kett, RN, DSC & bar and acting serviceman Jack Cockerton were kind enough to come along and visitors to the Show really enjoyed seeing them and having a chance to talk to them.

• The Society Class was won by Bishopsteignton Garden Club and other winners included:
• Flowers Division (sponsored by Huntly Officers' Association Country Home) was won by Mrs Jackie Halsey.
• Fruit and Vegetables Division (sponsored by Bishopsteignton Parish Council) was won by Mr Geoff Smirthwaite.
• Floral Art Division (sponsored by Cockhaven Manor) was won by Mrs Sheila Gibson.
• Domestic Division (sponsored by Addicott Electrics) was won by Mrs Pat Best.
• Handicraft Division (sponsored by Channel View Medical Practice) was won by Mrs Janet Pepperell.

The full list of this year's winners can be viewed on the Bishopsteignton Village Show website.

Mr Halsey said “The Bishopsteignton Village Show is a real team effort and we are also lucky enough to have fantastic support from lots of local businesses for which we are extremely grateful. Various local companies sponsor sections within the Show, provide raffle prizes or help in other ways, such as a local dairy who provided all the clotted cream for our fabulous cream teas. All of this support helps us run a really great Show which is then enjoyed by the local community.”

For all of this year's winners, sponsors and a photo gallery, as well as archive results and photos from previous years, visit the Show website which is designed and maintained by local company, Studio Devon, at www.bishopsvillageshow.co.uk.

The 'Say No to Shared Streets' Campaign aims to stop the introduction of shared surface street schemes across the UK. The campaign is championed by the Guide Dogs for the Blind, and is also backed by over 20 other national charities including the Royal National Institute for the Blind, Royal National Institute for the Deaf, Arthritis Care, and MENCAP as well as the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee and TUC Disability Conference. The Guide Dogs for the Blind have commissioned a significant research project into shared surfaces, resulting in this campaign, which urges the government to provide local authorities with guidance on street design, and to stop local authorites commissioning shared surfaces. Further information on the campaign can be found on the Guide Dogs for the Blind website.

How will you feel safe if you don't know where the pavement stops and the road starts?

This is one of the slogans of the campaign - guide dogs, cane users and children are all taught to navigate our streets safely using kerbs as a cue. This is relevant to us in Bishopsteignton as the scheme to enhance the junction of Fore Street and Bishops Avenue is based on shared surfaces. A group of local residents has made the Enhancement Group and Parish Council aware of the issues faced by disabled people, and requested that the scheme take these concerns into account before any plans are finalised.

 

Frequently mentioned at Parish Council Meetings. Village parking is a problem due to the amount of vehicles in a confined area that was never designed for traffic. It is likely to get worse as families get bigger and offspring find that due to insufficient and inaccessible public transport, they need their own vehicle in order to get to work etc.

It is one of the most frequently raised issues at meetings and on the streets.

The decriminalisation of parking in the Teignbridge area means Council Enforcement Officers now issue double yellow-line parking tickets bus-stops/timed zones etc. but there are still clear obstruction issues that are dealt with by the police.

There are also obstruction issues that do not require police involvement as they do not impede traffic flow, but cause inconvenience to other motorists and pedestrians living in the area.

In full appreciation that parking in Bishopsteignton is very limited and people park in areas that would not be allowed in a traffic busy city, some consideration needs to be given as to where you park your vehicle. Ask yourself and consider the following:

1. Is parking here likely to impede through traffic flow? (Shute Hill, Fore Street, Forder Lane, Teign View Road)
2. Is parking here likely to prevent people leaving their house easily, perhaps a mother with a pram or a wheelchair user.
3. Should I be parked on the pavement? These are for pedestrians and may force a mother with a pram or a wheelchair user out into the road.
4. Have I parked with my wheels straight? Parking with your wheels on full-lock, particularly in a wide vehicle will reduce available road space.
5. Can I use my driveway or garage to park?
6. Am I on double yellow-lines? They are there for a reason.
7. Does my trailer need to remain attached?
8. Are you taking up 2 parking spaces with your vehicle?
9. On a general note. Is it necessary to leave my wheelie bin in the road all week?

PCSO Colin Rider
Email: colin.rider@devonandcornwall.pnn.police.uk
Radio phone: 0845 6566935
General Police enquiries: 08452777444 EMERGENCY:999

Following last month's report of a number of crimes having been committed in the village, sadly we report that a number of further thefts have occurred. Please do take note of PCSO Colin Rider's recommendations (below) for the security of your homes and vehicles, remember to lock your vehicle and do not leave any valuables on display.

There has also been a report within the past month of a man approaching a local resident in the street and asking for money. Please be on the look out, and if you are approached, please try to provide a description of the man to local police. This suspect is targetting more vulnerable members of the community, so please do also pass on the warning.

Despite these reports, thankfully Bishopsteignton remains a low crime area, so please do not be alarmed.

Sadly we have suffered a spate of crime in the Bishopsteignton area to include house burglary, theft of vehicles, theft from vehicles & attempted burglary.

These crimes are being investigated, but there are things you can do to help protect your belongings, your property and your vehicle.

1. Suspicious vehicle? Let us know and if you can, give us the registration number. (Never put yourself at risk)
2. Suspicious house callers? Get a description and let us know.
3. Inevitably the shed and garage get used for storage and some equipment can be valuable. Make sure good locks are used and get a shed and garage alarm, making sure the battery used, if applicable, is maintained.
4. Do the external security lights work?
5. Make sure all the house windows are closed and locked.
6. If you have wooden external doors, make sure they are secure using a 5-lever mortice lock.
7. Make sure external uPVC doors have multi-point locking, particularly patio doors. If in doubt have them checked.
8. Never leave keys in the door lock.
9. If you have a house alarm use the zone facility to give downstairs coverage while you sleep.
10. Use time switches to bring on table and or standard lamps.
11. Start or join a Neighbourhood Watch Scheme.
12. Perimeter prickly shrubs are better than fencing for keeping out intruders.
13. Gravel around the perimeter of the house is noisy when walked on and can act as deterrent to would-be intruders.
14. Implementing some of the above may have the added benefit of reducing your insurance premiums
    

If you would like a free home security survey, this can be arranged through your local police community support officer. See the Home Security Survey document for details.

Vehicles

1. Empty your vehicle of valuables, particularly if its a van. Don’t leave money on view even small change for parking.
2. All modern cars have a transponder ignition key that electronically talks to the ignition lock on insertion to allow the vehicle to start. If you have an older vehicle (pre-1997) check with your garage whether it has a transponder . If it doesn't get a decent steering wheel lock, available from Halfords and other good stores.
3. Try and park in a lit area.
4. Do not leave car keys visible to thieves. They now need the key to steal your car and will look for them if they get into your house.

Remember we live in a beautiful part of the country with a statistically national low crime rate. Let’s try and keep it that way.

PCSO Colin Rider
Email:colin.rider@devonandcornwall.pnn.police.uk
Radio phone: 0845 6566935
General Police enquiries: 08452777444 EMERGENCY:999

Saturday 5th September and Sunday 6th September 2009 will see Bishopsteignton Community Centre packed to the rafters with fruit, veg, flowers and handicrafts.

This is the 14th year of the Bishopsteignton Village Show and it looks set to be bigger and better than ever. Last year's Show attracted over 100 exhibitors showing over 400 exhibits in the traditional village show divisions of flowers, fruit and vegetables, floral art, handicrafts, children's, domestic and art and photography.

Roy Halsey, Village Show Chairman, says “We are very excited about this year's Show. With the mix of sunshine and rain we've had just recently, there are some bumper crops about so I'm expecting a high number of great quality entries. The Show's not just for horticulture fans either. We have lots of excellent artwork, handicrafts and photography. We also have some great stalls for people to buy local produce from as well as cream teas available both days and Ploughman's Lunches on the Sunday.”

“We are also delighted to announce that the 2009 show will include a display of “Medals of Achievement” featuring awards for brave acts by members of our armed forces over the last 80 years. Spitfire pilot Group Captain Billy Drake, RAF, DSO, DFC and bar, DFC (USA) and submariner Captain Hedley Kett, RN, DSC and bar will be at the Show on the Saturday afternoon to talk about the exhibits. We are very grateful to them for giving up their time and know that this will be a popular section of the Show. There is also a chance that an acting serviceman will be present.”

Doors open to the public at 2pm on Saturday 5th September. Admission for adults is 50p and children get in free. On Sunday 6th September the Show opens at 11am and finishes with the Prize giving and Grand Raffle (with fantastic prizes donated by local businesses) in the afternoon. For all the most up to date information as well as previous years' results and photo galleries go towww.bishopsvillageshow.co.uk.

There has been much talk about this initiative which was originally started to just cheer folk up in the cold dark months of winter. However, it seems to have taken on a bit of a life of its own, as things sometimes do in villages. One of the surprises was that so many individuals were nominated. Although it emphasises the importance of people in the village, it blew out the original plan to hold a competition to find the '7 Most Popular Village Treasures'. It is encouraging that so many people are appreciated by others, but it may not really be appropriate to single folk out... and the list would be very long! Therefore, the exhibition of village treasures planned for October at St John's Church will not include individual names.

However, it would be lovely to include people in some other way, so we will be asking those nominated if they would like to champion a particular non-human nominated treasure for the DVD that Maggie Sullivan will be making. Whether we will be able to include everyone remains to be seen, so many names have now been put forward. If you would particularly like to get involved (or have any photographs of any of the nominations) please get in touch with Maggie Sullivan 775649 or Gill Greatorex 779628.

The Outdoor Art Group would like to thank everyone for finding and donating hub caps for our sculpture for TRAIL in Teignmouth this year. Some of you may have seen an edifice which appeared briefly in Cockhaven House garden. This is only a small part of the whole which will be displayed from July 22 on The Ness. And yes, it will be as whacky as last year's entry - bring your cameras!

Huge thanks to everyone for donating oodles of foil milk bottle tops for an art piece paying homage to milkmen. Gill now has over 5,000 which is certainly enough to play with. However, if you have more gorgeous purple cranberry drink ones then these would still be appreciated. Contact Gill Greatorex 779628.

Following the display outside the Community Centre on 4 June (Polling Day), Bishopsteignton Enhancement Group is pleased to announce the support of the village for the detailed plans for the top of Bishops Avenue. 305 voted in favour, with 5 against. It will now be our task to try and find funding for the plan to go ahead. Not an easy task in the light of the credit crunch, funding streams being diverted to the Olympics and county councillor changes. But we will do our best!

If you have any questions, then please contact one of the group members; Gill Greatorex 779628, Janet Pepperell 772072, Bryan Ellard 775298, Colin Day 775293, Peter Hepworth 775598, Ian Johnson 775919, Roger Hunt 775255.

Warm hospitality, fantastic weather and a good balance of organised activities and time to relax... what more could anyone ask for from a twinning weekend? Seasoned twinners from Bishopsteignton agreed with those on their first visit to La Roche Maurice, that the weekend of 29th May to 1st June had been just perfect!

58 villagers visited their counterparts in the Breton village at the end of the half-term holiday. From the 'cruise' across to Roscoff on Brittany Ferries' flagship, the Pont Aven to the crêpe evening with traditional Breton musicians and dancers, from the long lunches in restaurants or 'en famille' to the organised trips, it all went without a hitch thanks to the tremendous efforts of the French twinning committee.

No fewer than nine Bishopsteignton children and teenagers joined in the fun, most of them for the first time, and, although shy at first, were soon conversing in a mix of French and English with the youngsters of La Roche. Where there's a will, there's a way.

Bringing in outside caterers for the main event of the weekend, the Saturday evening meal was a stroke of genius, as it freed up hosts to enjoy a relaxing day with their guests, doing what the French do best, taking their time over excellent food and wine. Hardly surprising then that many twinners were convinced, that they could not eat another bite in the evening. Some very special caterers soon changed their minds.

A team of ladies in traditional Breton costumes, complete with lace head dresses withstood the heat of a balmy summer's evening to cook half a dozen different styles of crêpes, giving the English visitors a real flavour of the region. It was pure entertainment, like watching celebrity chefs at work, only without the attitude!

After a night of revelling, well into the wee small hours for many, everyone was up and raring to go at the crack of 10.30 the next morning. Brittany is famous for its Parish Enclosures, and few can boast a prettier setting than Guimiliau, a small community near Morlaix named after Saint Guimiliau, King of Cornwall. No one could fail to be impressed by the gothic style Church, Calvary and Ossary, which date back to XVIth century.

After a picnic lunch on the beach at Carantec, the twinners and their hosts were whisked across the bay and round the headland by boat to the Château du Taureau (The Bull's Castle). Originally built in 1542 as a fortress, the castle has enjoyed a chequered history. It has served as a prison, a summer residence, a Germany anti-aircraft base in World War II and even a sailing school before restoration started in the 1990's.

The traditional farewell buffet on the Sunday evening proved a showcase for home-grown talent and, not to be outdone, the Bishopsteignton visitors were soon singing rounds in both French and English. The evening proved such a success that Bishop twinners are already putting together song sheets for the return visit next May!

Pictures from the Twinning Event

Armelle Giles, Mme la Présidente of the La Roche committee welcomes the twinners in both French and English, as the Vice-Chairman of Bishopsteignton Twinning Assocation eagerly awaits his chance to address the assembled company in French!

The Calvary in the Parish Enclosure of Guimiliau describes the life of Christ and boasts no fewer than 200 individual figures.

Le Château of Taureau can only be reached by boat.

Fast food... the Breton ladies prepared two crêpes at a time.

End of a successful visit... the English twinners take their leave against a backdrop of La Roche Maurice castle.

The Bishopsteignton twinners take a break on the way back to the Roscoff ferry.

About Bishopsteignton Twinning Association

The first official twinning visit between the two villages took place in September 1990, when 10 people travelled from La Roche Maurice to Bishopsteignton by car. Numbers taking part in the exchange have been steadily rising, and this year saw record numbers going to La Roche Maurice, which is situated to the east of Brest between the towns of Landerneau and Landivisiau.

Bishopsteignton Twinning Association is thriving and has very healthy and ever increasing membership numbers. It is always delighted to welcome more. The Association organises a series of very popular evenings, at which non-twinners are also welcome. In May a Call my Bluff wine tasting put a new spin on an old favourite, and on 11th July twinners and others will be deciding 'whodunit' at a Murder Mystery evening in the Community Centre. For further information about the Bishopsteignton Twinning Association please ring the Honorary Secretary, Carolyn Ansell on 01626 776393 or visit the clubs and society section.

Elections for Devon County Council were held on June 4th 2009. The results for the Teign Estuary ward (covering Bishopsteignton) are:

• Chris Clarance (Conservative) 41.3%
• David Cox (Liberal Democrat) 33.3%
• Alan Lumb (Labour) 3.2%
• Adrian Porter (Green Party) 5.4%
• Richard Stanton (UKIP) 16.4%

Chris Clarance is therefore elected as the representative for Teign Estuary (including Bishopsteignton) on Devon County Council.

...for Bishopsteignton Village Show. This year's show will be held on Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th September in the Community Centre. The schedule for the 2009 show is now available. Pick up your copy from local shops, or download one from the Village Show Website. Get growing, preserving, baking, flower arranging, painting, photographing...

On Thursday June 4th, elections will be held for both Devon County Council and the European Parliament. The polling station will be at the Community Centre, Shute Hill, and will be open from 7am until 10pm.

Devon County Council Elections

The following candidates will be standing for the Teign Estuary seat on the County Council. The candidate receiving the largest number of votes will be elected.
Conservative Chris Clarance, 5A Marine Parade, Shaldon, Teignmouth, TQ14 0DP
Liberal Democrat David Nicholas Cox, 3A Bridge Road, Shaldon, Teignmouth, Devon, TQ14 0DD
Labour Alan Albert Lumb, Lower Coombe Cot, Coombe Lane, Teignmouth, TQ14 9EX
Green Party Adrian Porter 10 Tolchers, Dartington, Devon, TQ9 6HN
UK Independence Party Richard Lionel Stanton, The Anchorage, Riverside, Shaldon, TQ14 0DJ

European Parliament Elections

European Parliament Elections are run on a regional basis, and we are in the South West Region. Each voter has one vote, which they can use to vote for either a particular party, or for an individual candidate. Representatives will be elected using a form of proportional representation (click for an explanation). This link is a list of the candidates standing in the South West Region.

The 14th Annual Bishopsteignton Village Show will be held this year at the Community Centre on Saturday and Sunday September 5th and 6th. The schedule for this year's show has now been agreed and in addition to the usual categories, there will be a non-competitive display of Medals of Achievement. Show schedules will be available from the end of May from local shops, or can also be downloaded from the Village Show Website, where you can also see pictures from previous year's shows.

Various fund raising events, including a cheese and wine evening at Old Walls Vineyard on June 25th, and a coffee morning at Huntly on 18th July, have been scheduled. More details can be found on the Events page.

At a meeting held on March 30th 2009, the Bishopsteignton Community Allotment Association was formed. That's strange you may think, as there are currently no allotments within the village! This is where the Association is currently focusing its efforts, and the committee has spent the past month petitioning Teignbridge District Council for some land for allotment holders. Under the Smallholdings and Allotments Act 1908, if 6 people request land for allotments from their local council, the council is obliged to look for land to meet the request. Unfortunately, progress so far has been slow, and at a committee meeting held on April 30th, we were informed that our request had been passed to Teignbridge's Green Spaces Manager. Fingers crossed that some land is found soon, as we are all keen to get our hands dirty!

Subject to land being found, the Association is planning to provide allotments for all those who initially registered an interest, as well as providing a community space, which could be an allotment for use by Bishopsteignton School, a community sensory garden, or another means of enabling local people to use the space, enjoy the open air and the social aspects of allotment gardening. To find out more about what the Bishopsteignton Community Allotment Association is doing, see the Clubs page.

Sport England has announced that it will launch a new £10 million fund to create sporting opportunities for people in rural areas. This will be the first in a series of themed funding rounds aimed at increasing community based sports. The Rural Communities Themed Round will give a wide range of organisations, from local authorities to sports clubs and smaller community groups, an opportunity to develop and deliver new and innovative projects to overcome barriers to both participation and supply of sporting opportunities. Successful bids will make significant contributions to two of Sport England's strategic outcomes: growing participation in grassroots sport and sustaining participation by improving the quality of people's sporting experience. The minimum grant available will be £10,000, but in order to maximise the positive effect on sport in rural areas, Sport England is explicitly encouraging high value, high impact projects. A significant proportion of the successful bids are expected to be projects requiring National Lottery funding of more than £500,000. A detailed application prospectus for the Rural Communities Themed Round will be available on Sport England's website by the 1st April 2009, and there will be a three-month window for outline applications.

The second themed round will be announced on the 1st September 2009 and will open for business in October 2009.

So, if you are interested in setting up a tennis club (or another sports club) to make use of the existing court facilities at Lawn's End, funding may be available, and further information is available from the Sport England Website.

Local resident Gill Greatorex is making a sculpture and needs a huge number of foil milk bottle tops. If you have milk delivered and can donate some please contact Gill on 779628 or drop them to Cockhaven House, 6 Cockhaven Road.
Please do not crush them!

Gill has already collected over 2,000, but needs another 1,000 by May.
Can you help please?

Particularly needed are the fruit juice tops: green (apple juice), red (fruit cocktail), dark blue (summer fruits), mauve (cranberry juice) and organic milk range: pale green (semi-skim), pale blue (whole).
Many thanks for your help!

Given the glorious weather we have been basking in over the last couple of days, the harsh winter weather may seem a distant memory. However, its legacy lives on, as this winter's frosts have caused some damage to the walls at St John's Church and repointing has been necessary to stop further damage, which could even be caused by the church bells.

The picture shows Adrian and David from Western Steeplejacks carrying out repairs to the tower.

Bishopsteignton's Annual Parish meeting was this year held on March 16th, in the Community Centre. The meeting was open to all in the parish to attend, and updates were provided by our local councillors (at County, District and Parish levels), Devon and Cornwall Police, Bishopsteignton Primary School, and United Charities. The minutes of this meeting have now been published, so please take a look.

Want to do something to help your community?
Bishopsteignton Parish Council are currently looking for someone to fill a casual vacancy.
Why become a parish councillor?
A parish council is a local authority that makes decisions on behalf of the people in the parish. It is the level of local government closest to the community, with the district authority (Teignbridge District Council) and the county authority (Devon County Council) above it in the hierarchy.

As it's the authority closest to the people parish councils are invariably the first place people will go with concerns or ideas. For this reason they are a vital part of any community.

By becoming a parish councillor you become someone your community will look to for help, guidance and support - a community leader with the power to influence decisions for the benefit of the people you serve. Seeing your community change for the better, as a result of decisions you have helped make, is something that can give you a sense of achievement and pride.

To be eligible to stand for election on a parish council, you must be at least 18 years old and on the electoral register.

If you do become a parish councillor you will have to sign up to the Code of Conduct which can be seen on the Office of Public Sector Information website [external link]. Meetings are held on the first Monday of each month in the Community Centre commencing at 7.30pm with other subcommittee meetings arranged as required.

If you would like to be considered, then please forward an application letter to The Clerk, Bishopsteignton Parish Council, Community Centre, Shute Hill, Bishopsteignton, TQ14 9QL or email your application to: bishoppc@btconnect.com by the 2nd April 2009. Further details can be obtained from the Clerk on 01626 870170.

More than a little while ago, folk were invited to nominate their village treasures in the parish as it is now. By the end of 2008, over 60 forms were received giving a total of 264 nominations listing 110 different items. These were divided into the following four categories: Villagers and groups, Facilities and services, the natural Landscape, Buildings and manmade features.

A newsletter is now available to show you what has been nominated so far and to ask for any more before the closing date of the end of April. You can pick one up from our local shops, pubs, post office and vineyard. The printing of the newsletter was kindly sponsored by the Millennium Committee and distribution via newspapers was made possible with thanks to Ann and David at our local Supply Stores. Perhaps someone will nominate the village website as it's proving to be quite a treasure chest of information!

And what will happen next? Maggie Sullivan has volunteered to make a DVD about the treasures and this will be available next year. It will be an update of the Village Millennium video that many of us enjoyed following the heralding in of the new millennium. There may also be an exhibition in autumn if a venue, time and resources permit.

If you have any questions about this just for fun initiative, please contact Gill Greatorex 779628.

One of the most common concerns raised amongst villagers is that of speeding and road safety within the village. Collisions occur too frequently on the main A381 (Teignmouth to Newton Abbot road) through the village, particularly in the areas of Wear Farm, and at the start of the 30 mile per hour restriction by the entrance to the recreation ground, and all too often result in injury or even death. Local concerns are being taken seriously by local councils and police, and an assessment of the issue is being undertaken by Devon County Council (Highways). This involves speed check machines being put in place to inform motorists of their speed as they enter the village, with the intention of educating drivers and riders and encourage them to abide by the 30 mile per hour restriction. Other measures are also being considered, including changing the road surface to one with better grip in areas where incidents occur most often, and erecting crash barriers to prevent vehicles leaving the road.

These measures are being supported by our local police officers, who now have a 'speed trolley' in operation. Again the intention of this gadget is to educate motorists as to their speed and to encourage anyone speeding to slow down as they pass through the village. The benefit of the trolley is that it can be located anywhere, and local police intend upon using it both on the A381 and on smaller roads within the village, to identify locations where speeding is an issue. Any motorists registered at an excessive speed will be pulled over and could face prosecution.

Many events are organised by a number of clubs, associations and charities within the village. Hopefully you will be able to find details of all of these on the Events page of this site. Events are also advertised on notice boards and telegraph poles around the village, so keep your eyes peeled.

Request to Events Organisers: If you are promoting your event using notices around the village, please can you make sure that you do not post notices until 2 weeks prior to the event, and remember to take the notices down again afterwards. This will help make best use of the noticeboard space available, and to keep the village tidy.

In the last week of February a little flavour of France came to Bishopsteignton Primary School. From September 2009 modern foreign languages will feature in the National Curriculum and, to give the children a taste of what is to come, the school held a French day.

Pupils, teachers and helpers dressed in red, white and blue and the school hall was decorated with flags and posters. Throughout the day the children took part in various activities including number, colour and object games and a role-play café, where they were able to pay for their purchases with Euros. They looked at maps to see where France is, and found La Roche Maurice, the village's twin in Brittany. In the ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) suite they researched France and, using Google Earth, were able to zoom in on the Eiffel Tower.

There was also a food tasting area where they sampled French bread, croissants and pain au chocolat, pâté and various cheeses. Snails were also on offer, but not very popular! The food was donated by FOBS (Friends of Bishopsteignton School).

The children also composed a 9-page letter to the primary school in La Roche. We hope that this will be the start of regular communication between the two schools. A whole school assembly was held at the end of the day. It was apparent that the children had really enjoyed the experience, and that they had learned a great deal about France and had already mastered a few words.

After school, Bishopsteignton Twinning Association was pleased to run a café in the school hall, with typical after-school snacks (eg hot chocolate and brioche) available for the children and good, strong French coffee for parents and for the teachers who had worked so hard to make the day a success.

The Twinning Association is pleased to have been involved and wishes the primary school every success with learning French from September.

If you would like to see some photos of the day, these will be posted on the school's web site www.bishopsteignton.devon.sch.uk.

Fed up with the amount of dog mess around the village?
There have been a number of complaints made recently regarding the ongoing problem of dog fouling in the village. Dog fouling is a serious offence, and the Dog Warden will investigate complaints of dog fouling, patrol problem areas and prosecute offenders.

Under The Dog (Fouling of Land) Act 1996, it is an offence to not clear up after a dog. If you are caught you will be issued with a fixed penalty of £75.00. Failure to pay could result in court action and an increased fine.

Help your Council make the District Cleaner and Safe, You can make a difference.
What do I do if I see someone not clearing up after their dog?

• Make a note of the date, time and place that it happened
• Note as much information about the dog and its owner, if you can their address or a car registration
• Contact the Dog Warden or Teignbridge District Council on 01626 215881 or 01626 215859 or E-mail srollinson@teignbridge.gov.uk. The Dog Warden is usually available from 8.30am to 5.00 pm Monday to Thursday and Friday from 8.30am to 4.30pm.

Many of you may have noticed the banners informing you of digital switchover for television services in this area. The switch will be happening in two stages. Stage one is on April 8th, when BBC2's analogue signal will be turned off and the channel will be broadcast on digital only. The remaining channels will switch on April 22nd.

What does this mean for us?
If you already have equipment for receiving digital television channels, you will simply need to retune your equipment after each of the switchover dates. If you have not yet converted your television to receive digital signals, you could lose your television service after April 22nd.

What do I need to do?
You can convert your existing television to receive digital channels by purchasing a set top box from an electrical retailer (you may also need to upgrade your television aerial). There are also options for receiving digital channels via satellite. If you need help or advice regarding the digital switchover, a help scheme is available and more information can be found on the switchover help scheme website. If you are aged 75 or over, live in a care home, receive certain disability benefits or are registered blind or partially sighted, you may be eligible for help in converting your television service. More information is available on the help scheme website. If you know of someone in the village who may need assistance, you can also contact the South West Regional Co-ordinator, who can provide details of training and information sessions that are being organised. This leaflet also gives further information on the assistance available.

The Bishopsteignton Annual Village Quiz was held on the evening of February 21st at the Village Hall, with 12 teams competing for the Lynne Jenner Memorial Trophy. After a close contest, the winners were T.A.I.L. (Tina, Annie, Ian and Loretta). Many congratulations to the team, and thanks to the Village Hall committee for organising the event. Further winners from the evening are the RNLI and Rowcroft Hospice, who are the nominated charities of the winning team. Proceeds of £127.50 will be shared between the two charities.

The cold weather that has gripped the whole country during the first few weeks of 2009 has not missed Bishopsteignton. In January, the Teign Estuary froze - for the first time in over 10 years!




If you have any other pictures of the village in the recent spells of cold weather, please email them in to be published on the website!

In the early part of February, the UK has experienced its heaviest snowfall in 18 years, and whilst we escaped the worst of it, the village was dusted with a good sprinkling of the white stuff, as these pictures of the estuary and lanes show. More pictures of the winter weather in Bishopsteignton are available to view.

The Lunch Club is held monthly, on the third Wednesday of every month, in the Community Centre from 12:30pm. A special Christmas Lunch is held in December, and 2008 was no exception. A very tasty Christmas lunch was enjoyed by all.

Here are some more pictures from the December Lunch Club. If you are interested in going along, further details about the Lunch Club can be found on the Events page.

Thanks go to the team of volunteers who worked hard preparing the meal, and the venue, and without whom the Lunch Club would not be possible.

A new tool for posting free classified ads has now been added to the Bishopsteignton.org.uk website, and can be accessed via the Classified Ads option on the menu. Anyone can post an ad for items wanted or for sale privately (not commercial items or services), and posting is free of charge. There is also a search function to make browsing the ads easy.

The latest addition to this website is a new chat forum, where villagers can discuss local issues, ask for advice, talk about their interests, swap recipes, and much more. Register now and get in touch with old friends and new acquaintances. Once registered you can create new topics to discuss anything Bishopteignton-related, or reply to existing topics. Give the Bishop Babble discussion board a go!

The Bishopsteignton Enhancement Group, in conjunction with the Parish Council and the Parish Plan, have been busy producing a plan for the top of Bishops Avenue, which improves the look of that area plus providing more parking spaces. The scheme is to include some artwork, and we have a spiral design which follows the line of the river Teign estuary. Within this spiral we plan to incorporate blocks, 80mm (approx 3 inches) in diameter, with different designs embedded within them.

This is where you come in. We have now reached the stage where we are asking for the help of villagers in the form of ideas for the blocks. The Primary School is also involved with this. Your ideas should be relevant to the village, whether it be something historical, or past and present village life and activities. These ideas could be in the form of a drawing, photograph or even an illustration from a magazine, and if it helps you could use a paper plate to present your idea on. If you prefer, you can just tell us your idea. Please remember the size of the blocks are 80mm (approx 3 inches) in diameter. A specialist artist will interpret the ideas used.

Our intention is to have a public presentation of the final plan in the new year, so we really would appreciate the help all villagers with ideas for the design. If you need any further information either contact Janet Pepperell (772072, or janet.pepperell@btinternet.com) or Peter Hepworth (775598). We look forward to receiving your ideas.

A new calendar has now been launched for the Bishopsteignton Village Website. The calendar allows you to enter the details of any events you are holding in the village straight onto the website and they will be listed on the Bishopsteignton Events page. Why not take a look? If you have any problems or queries with the new calendar function, please email contact@bishopsteignton.org.uk.

Welcome to the new Bishopsteignton village website. This site has just been launched, with the aim of providing both residents of the village, and visitors to the area, with a useful source of information about Bishopsteignton. On this site you will find information about the village today, and the facilities it has to offer for all ages, a directory of local businesses, a listing of upcoming events in the village, and much, much more.

If you would like to contribute an article to the website, add your event to the events listing, or include your business in the online Bishopsteignton directory, please contact us at contact@bishopsteignton.org.uk. We want this website to be a true community resource, and this will only be possible with the involvement of the local community, so please, get involved!

Two of Bishopsteignton's local councillors, David Cox and Alun Williams, have teamed up with Teignmouth Community Association to distribute energy saving light bulbs to those who are in receipt of either benefits or tax credits, and to those aged over 70. Each household in the village should have received a yellow form detailing this scheme. If you are eligible, please remember to complete your form and take it to Bishopsteignton Post Office to collect your pack of energy saving light bulbs.

A fire on the afternoon of Sunday October 5th has destroyed one of the wooden chalets located at Luxton Steps on the banks of the Teign Estuary. The photograph shows the smoke rising from behind Flow House, and flames were also visible above the rooftop, from the viewpoint on the Bishopsteignton Road. The incident was attended by a number of local fire crews, with concerns being raised about asbestos contamination. The railway line was also closed temporarily due to fears of exploding gas canisters. Access to the site for the emergency crews was difficult, with a 4x4 vehicle being required to carry fire-fighting equipment across fields to the scene. It has been reported that arson is the likely cause of the fire, which has completely destroyed the property.

This is the second time in less than 3 years that one of the historic chalets have been burnt down. Full details of this story can be found on This is South Devon October 7th 2008 and This is South Devon October 6th 2008.