DCC Roads and Transport reporting tool

By Community Information, Featured, News, Ongoing Community Issues, Parish Council, Parish Council News

DCC roads and transport - report an issue

Devon County Council Roads and Transport have an online tool that allows the reporting of problems with the roads or transport in the County. You can use the service to report issues such as flooding, blocked drains, pot holes or defective signage. The Parish Council have been informed that the quickest way to report an issue, and presumably get it resolved, is to use this service. In an emergency (something that is very likely to present an imminent threat to life or serious injury or serious damage to property) do not use the tool but contact the emergency line on tel:03451551004.

Meeting with Sir Geoffrey Cox

By Featured, Parish Council, Parish Council News

Meeting with Sir Geoffrey Cox

A meeting has been arranged by Cllr Robert Oxborough, our WDBC member, between the local Parish Councils and Sir Geoffrey Cox, MP for Torridge and West Devon, to discuss various issues that are of great concern to those living and working in the area. The meeting is due to take place early in the new year.

Top of the list is the abysmal provision of reliable internet connections in the Parish. Despite much effort over the years from both public bodies such as the Parish Council and local residents the provision of decent broadband still appears to be something that Openreach is unable, or unwilling to achieve. Another concern is the crumbling condition of local roads with pot holes frequently causing dangerous and expensive damage to vehicles on a regular basis. Speeding, flooding, the maintenance (or not) of culverts and drains by Devon County Council have also been suggested as subjects to be raised at the meeting.

If you would like to suggest a subject to raise with Sir Geoffrey or have information that you would like to the Parish Council to highlight with him, for example repeated failed attempts to get pot holes repaired, please get in touch using the form opposite.

Suggest a subject

    Thermal Imaging Cameras for loan

    By Community Information, Featured, News, Parish Council, Parish Council News

    Thermal Imaging Cameras for loan

    Image of a house through a thermal imaging device

    Thermal imaging can help detect where heat is leaking from your property

    Are you interested in seeing where your property is "leaking" heat?

    West Devon Borough Council has obtained several thermal imaging cameras that can be used to find where heat is leaking from your windows, walls and roof. Information on the scheme can be found here: https://www.westdevon.gov.uk/housing/housing-support/thermal-imaging-camera-hire.

    If you are interested in the service then please get in touch with so we can gauge interest in the Parish and arrange for the loan of the cameras (they can only be loaned via Parish Councils).

    Thanks to our local councillor Cllr Robert Oxborough who was instrumental in arranging the acquisition of the cameras for residents use.

    Mistletoe Fair 2023

    By Featured, News, Village Groups, Village Hall

    2023 Mistletoe Fair

    Brentor Village Hall was packed with festive visitors last Saturday (2/12/23) attending the annual Mistletoe Fair. As well as tasty food and drink there were lots of stalls selling all sorts of Christmas essentials with accompanying music from the Hummingbirds.

    The fair is an important event in the Village Hall calendar raising vital funds for the upkeep of the hall. It takes an enormous amount of energy to put on such an event (and bake all those goodies!) so a big thank you to the VHPFC for their hard work in making is such as success and to all those that came along and enjoyed the event.

    See you in 2024!

    Swamp Stomp at Village Hall

    By Community Information, Featured, News, Upcoming, Village Groups, Village Hall, What's On

    BRENTOR VILLAGE HALL hosts The Swamp Stomp String Band

    BRENTOR VILLAGE HALL hosts The Swamp Stomp String Band

    Doors open 7pm for 7.30pm Tickets £12 adults £8 children

    The Swamp Stomp String Band are a raucous and energetic travelling three-piece band from the UK, consisting of banjos, upright bass, guitars, anda flat-pack honky-tonk piano. We play rambunctious, up-tempo, old-time music infused with Bluegrass, Country, Americana, and anything else you might find pouring out of a beer soaked, roadside dive-bar!

    Book tickets online at: https://villagesinaction.co.uk/performances/the-swamp-stomp-string-band/

     

     

    The Brentor Band of Hope Banner

    By Brentor History, Community Information, Featured, News

    The Brentor Band of Hope Banner

    An article has been sent to the website about the restoration and preservation of the Brentor Band of Hope Banner that was donated to the Tavistock Museum when then chapel was closed down. You can read more about it on the Brentor Band of Hope Banner page. Unfortunately the name of the person who sent the article and pictures to the site wasn't included so please get in touch and let us know your details so we can give credit to the author!

    Electoral Canvassers

    By Community Information, Featured, News, Ongoing Community Issues, Parish Council

    Electoral Canvassers

    It is that time of year again when canvassers will be calling on all properties within the council area who are required to, but have not yet returned, a Canvass Form with regard to Electoral Registration. The Canvassers will be trying to make contact with those households who have not supplied information that we have requested under Electoral Registration legislation. 

    The canvassers will be carrying ID and will be delivering forms and not taking information at the doorstep, unless it is offered to them.

    The Brentorians – 2023 AGM

    By Community Information, Featured, News, Upcoming, Village Groups, What's On

    The Brentorians 2023 Annual General Meeting will be held on the 27th September 2023 in the Village Hall at 7 p.m.

    All are welcome to attend the meeting where we will be discussing the next play we will perform and rehearsal and performance dates. If you would like to join us then please come along and find out all the different roles that are on offer.

    Click here to download the AGM and 2022 AGM Minutes.

    Stop the closure of the mobile library service

    By Community Information, Featured, News, Ongoing Community Issues, Parish Council

    Save Devon's Mobile Libraries

    Image: Devon County Council

    The campaign to save Devon’s mobile libraries from closure by Devon County Council has now reached more than 4000 online signatures and hundreds more paper signatures, with support from a whole host of celebrities and authors including Stephen Fry and Michael Morpurgo.

    To sign the petition online  https://www.change.org/SaveOurMobileLibrary

    This petition calls on Devon County Council to keep the mobile library service running in Devon, especially here where we have many very rural and isolated areas which really benefit from its service.

    Please sign and share this petition to help save our mobile libraries before the final decision is made by county councillors in the next few weeks.

    The campaign to save the mobile library service has attracted national attention and support from Stephen Fry and Michael Rosen:

    Authors join online campaign to save ‘vital’ Devon mobile library services

    If you would rather sign the petition in person then please visit the Brentor Village Hall on Saturday 2 September during the Summer Fete and Produce Show between 9:30 and 3:00

    Why are there names missing from the war memorial?

    By Featured

    Why are there names missing from the War Memorial?

    A few months ago the Parish Council received an enquiry regarding the reason why the names of two casualties of the Second World War appeared to have been left off of the Brentor War Memorial. The names of the two individuals were Russell Eastcott and Percival Cocks. After some research the circumstances in which they died have been ascertained and possible reasons as to why they are not on the Brentor War Memorial.

    Russell Eastcott

    Russell Eastcott was killed in an air raid at Devonport just after his 49th birthday. He was a Engine Room Artificer 1st Class in the Royal Navy and had been in the Royal Navy since 1914 surviving the First World War where he served on a number of ships. At the time of his death he was married and the marital home was in Hampton-on-Thames in Middlesex (now in London). It would seem that he was buried in Christ Church as it was his family church and it was the most appropriate option rather than moving his body to Hampton, although the actual reasons are unknown.

    The general rule was that casualties were commemorated where they lived, as his wife was still in Hampton (now Hampton-on-Thames) he should be named on a memorial there. Hampton didn't build a war memorial but instead built cottages for returning veterans. There is a tablet attached to the cottages and a small memorial but no names are on either. I have contacted the trust that still runs the cottages for ex-service men and women to see if he is commemorated somewhere. If he isn’t commemorated in Hampton (or elsewhere) then it may be an application could be made to have his name added to the war memorial.

    Percival Rowland Cocks

    Percival Rowland Cocks was a South African Master Mariner who was lost at sea when the merchantman he was serving on as Chief Officer, S.S. Navasota, was torpedoed by U-Boat U47 just off the Scilly Isles on 5th December 1939. It was the day after his 42nd birthday. He had married only a few months before on the 11th August 1939 in St Michaels on the Tor where he is commemorated with a plaque. He is also listed on Plaque 27 on the Merchant Navy Memorial at Tower Hill in London for those who have no known grave. As he is commemorated in the church and also in London we would not be able to add his name to the war memorial.

    We are continuing to research these two men, if any one has anymore information on either individual that throws further light on the matter then please get in touch via the contact page.

    Mitchell and Vincent at Brentor Village Hall

    By Featured, News, Upcoming, Village Groups, Village Hall, What's On
    two people, possibly mitchell and vincent, stand in a mysterious and misty landscape

    Brentor Community Trust hosts Mitchell and Vincent at Brentor Village Hall

    TICKETS STILL AVAILABLE!

    New date! Saturday 23rd September 2023

    Doors open 7pm for 7.30pm start

    Tickets £12 adult/£8 under 16s

    To buy tickets online please go to:

    Westcountry folk duo Mitchell and Vincent bring traditional and contemporary styles on fiddle and guitar to music from the British Isles with their own varied arrangements telling stories with their tunes as well as songs.

    They have performed concerts around the UK, including festivals such as Glastonbury, Broadstairs, Oxford and Beverley.

    Acoustic magazine praised their playing as, “Stunning”; FATEA said, “Music that is beautifully played”; while Bright Young Folk described their performance as, "Providing skilled arrangements and expert delivery of tunes and songs which showcase the vibrancy, and variety, of folk music across Britain. A thoroughly engaging and enjoyable experience.”

    To find out more about the band, go to https://mitchellandvincent.com/

    mitchell and vincent performing in an unknown venue

    Brentor Commons AGM 2023

    By Featured, Natural Brentor, Village Groups, What's On

    Brentor Commons AGM 2023

    You are invited to attend the Brentor Commons Association AGM which is being held in the Brentor Village Hall at 7.00pm on Wednesday the 24th of May 2023.

    There will be a brief business meeting.

    This will be followed at 8pm by a talk by the well known nature conservationist and author Derek Gow.  

    Derek is a breeder of the Eurasian Beavers, Water Voles, White Storks and Wildcats, for planned reintroduction programmes across the UK. 

    Derek lives locally near Broadwoodwidger where he has been rewilding areas of his 300 acre farm.

    His latest book is ‘ Birds Beasts and Bedlam Turning my Farm into an Ark for Lost Species’.

    If you plan to attend, we would be grateful if you would contact Will Walker Smith via email liddaton@icloud.com 

    The cost to non BCA members is £5 per adult (children free) payable on the door. You are welcome to bring your own refreshments.

    We look forward to seeing as many of you as possible,

    Brentor Commons Association Commitee

     

    Parish Cemetery Maintenance

    By Featured, News, Parish Council, Parish Council News

    Parish Cemetery - New bench and new contractor

    Over the winter period the Parish Council have been advertising for a new contractor to mow and maintain the Parish Cemetery. It has been difficult to find someone willing to take the work on for a number of reasons but we are hopefully about to conclude negotiations with a local company to carry out the work.

    During the annual inspection the Parish Councillors noticed that the bench and noticeboard were in a state of disrepair. Both have been replaced using donations to pay for the new bench and noticeboard. The bench is already in place and the new noticeboard is being manufactured and will soon be in place.

    Thanks to Cllr Fraser for her hard work sourcing, ordering and installing the bench and removing the old one.

    Photo ID now needed when voting

    By Featured, Parish Council, Parish Council News

    Don't forget your photo ID when voting

    A change in the rules relating to voting now means that you must show photographic ID when voting.

    Acceptable forms of identification are:

    • Passport
    • Driving Licence
    • Blue Badge
    • Older Persons Bus Pass
    • Defence Identity Card
    • Biometric immigration Document
    • PASS Card (Identity card bearing
      the Proof of Age Standards Scheme
      hologram)

    If you do not have any of these documents you can apply for a free Voter ID document. Full details are on the poster and at www.electoralcommission.org.uk

    2023 Mayoral Awards – Nominations Open

    By Community Information, Featured, News, Parish Council

    Press Release

    The following press release has been issued by West Devon Borough Council:

    West Devon Mayoral Awards Now Open

    Issued: 23 January 2023

    Nominations are open for the 2023 West Devon Borough Council Mayoral Awards, which recognise deserving people providing valuable contributions to the community.
    The Borough Council is looking for outstanding people who deserve public recognition for their unpaid work or contribution. Whether an individual, group or an organisation, the Council wants to hear about them.
    The Mayoral Awards have now been running for a fantastic 25 years. They have celebrated the outstanding achievements of a wide range of people who have done something significant to benefit the Borough.
    Some past winners have enhanced the reputation of West Devon nationally, while others have contributed hugely to the conservation and protection of the Borough’s beautiful natural environment.
    The four categories this year are:
    • The West Devon Mayoral Award for Under 18s
    • The West Devon Mayoral Award for Over 18s / Organisation
    • The Mayor’s Green Award
    • Long Service Award
    The Long Service Award, which was introduced for the first time last year, recognises those who have worked behind the scenes, contributing to their community over a number of years.
    The Green Award covers a wide range of environmental or sustainable areas, such as recycling, improving biodiversity or green transport. If you know someone who is ‘green fingered’ or doing their bit to combat climate change, this award is a great way to celebrate their achievements.
    Nominations close on Friday 17 February 2023.

    Mayor of West Devon, Cllr Caroline Mott, said: “With life difficult for many it is even more important for us to value and recognise those who strive to make a difference in their communities.

    “Please use this opportunity to nominate someone who has made a difference in the Borough so that they may be considered for an award. It is always a joy to read through the nominations even though it is a difficult task to name a final winner.

    “All those nominated will receive a certificate to recognise their endeavours with the winners invited to receive their award after the Hub Committee meeting on Tuesday 7 March 2023."

    Judges will include the Mayor, Deputy Mayor and two other Councillors. The winners will receive their awards at a ceremony planned for Tuesday 7 March 2023 at the Council Officer, Kilworth park, Tavistock.
    If you know someone who you think is deserving of an award, you can complete a nomination form, giving us details of why you think they should receive one.

    To access the nomination forms and for more information visit: https://www.westdevon.gov.uk/mayors-awards

    Villages in Action – Help! I think I’m a Nationalist!

    By Community Information, Featured, News, Village Groups, Village Hall, What's On

    This event is now sold out

    Don't forget your tickets!

    Saturday 18th March 2023 7.30pm start at Brentor Village Hall

    Who am I?  Where do I belong?  And who should I vote for? Cornwall is at a tipping point.  House prices soar, the population shifts, tensions rise.  Some people see it as a separate nation, whilst others see it as a prime holiday destination and playground for the rich.  Seamas Carey is confused.  He is desperately trying to understand.  He’s watched a wave of gentrification sweep through his rural hometown.  There’s nowhere to live, yet second homes stand empty.  He wishes Cornwall was more welcoming and inclusive, but watches “up country” money sow division and suspicion.  Could closing borders and nationalism be the answer?  Where’s the line between pride and power?  What happens when it all goes too far?

    Seamas needs help…he needs your help!

    Suitable for 16+ years.  Tickets £13 available to book in advance online at:

    https://villagesinaction.co.uk/events/help-i-think-im-a-nationalist/

    TWO VENUES & NIGHTS ON THIS WEB PAGE – SO BE SURE TO BOOK BRENTOR

    Or call HELEN ON 01822 810412

     

    Free Trees!

    By Community Information, Featured, News, Village Hall, What's On,

    Trees, Bacon Rolls, Cake and Hot Drinks this Saturday at the Village Hall

    Help us make sure that the morning runs as smoothly as possible:

    Please do not arrive before 9:45 and only park on the hall side of the road so that tractors, buses etc can safely pass.

    Bacon Rolls, cake and hot drinks will be served from 9:45.

    Trees are first come first served. On arrival please come into the hall to collect a numbered ticket to ensure your place in the queue.

    Trees will be given away in order of ticket number from 10:30 onwards. Please wait in the hall until your number is called

    There is a maximum of 5 trees per household and we have enough trees for about 65 households.

    There are about 13 types of native trees including crab apple, hazel, rowan, hawthorn, birch and alder

    Drainage maintenance

    By Community Information, Featured, News, Ongoing Community Issues, Parish Council, Parish Council News

    Brentor Lengthsman

    Unfortunately our Parish Lengthsman will be out of action with immediate effect for 8 to 10 weeks due to sudden illness.  Work had only started in the Parish so there are likely to be areas where the drains are not working properly during periods of heavy rainfall, especially now that all the leaves are off the trees.

    Should this be causing flooding near you,  I would advise that you call MY DEVON on 0345 1551004 and ask for Highways, this will connect you to the emergency helpline who will be happy to help.

    Let’s Talk Pre-Teens

    By Featured, Parish Council

    Let;s talk Pre-Teens

    The South Devon and Dartmoor Community Safety Partnership have been working with a wide range of partners to produce a toolkit to support parents of pre-teens (9-12 year olds).  This has been developed as a result of the resounding success of the Let’s Talk Teenagers programme that has seen 2497 engagements with parents and carers so far.  FREE online sessions through the Let’s Talk programme for parents and carers of pre-teens are available this month.

    The Let’s Talk program is designed to increase parent and carers knowledge around the key risks whilst giving simple tools and techniques to help them support their child.  As a partnership we acknowledge that parenting can be really difficult, especially in such challenging times.  We want to get these resources to as many parents as possible and we need your help!  We would be really grateful if you could share the information included in this email with all your contacts and communities so we can reach as many parents and carers as possible.  From the 2nd of January we will be running a social media campaign through Devon County Council so if you have social media please share the posts.

    Tickets are free and available at Let's Talk Pre-Teens.

    The topics covered will be as follows:

    Tuesday 17th January 2023

    • Biology
    • Difficult emotions
    • Substance misuse

    Tuesday 24th January 2023

    • Relationships
    • Exploitation
    • Pornography
    • Societal Stereotypes

    Tuesday 31st January 2023

    • Physical risks
    • Safety planning
    • Mental health
    • Self-care

    Cost of Living Advice

    By Featured, Parish Council

    Cost of Living Special – how and where to find support this winter

    West Devon Community and Volunteer Services have produced a factsheet with lots of advice to help during the cost of living crisis. You can read it by clicking the button on the right.

    There are several sections:

    1. Foodbanks and transport
    2. Warm spaces
    3. Money, Debt and Benefits Advice
    4. Funding for Individuals
    5. Funding for Groups

    As well as the factsheets there is lots of information on their website, In Touch Tavi, click here to visit this excellent resource.

    Residents

    By Featured

    In this area of the site you will find information for those that have made Brentor their home. There are links to the Brentor Parish Council, information about recycling, local amenities and other useful information.