NORTHLEW NEWS THATCHED COTTAGES: THE LOW DOWN / 55,000 NEW TREES / EASTER TREATS / SCHOOL PTA UPDATES / WOULD YOU EAT WASPS? www.northlewparishcouncil.org.uk
7pm for 7.30pm
limited print run. If you enjoyed your read please consider sharing it online or lending your copy to another villager Read it Love it Share it Photo credits: Above: Snowdrop alley behind St Thomas Church, Victor Hulbert. Front cover: Approaching Ashbury church along the lane, Stephen Brownhill. In this issue…... From the Editor...............................................................................................................Page 2 Securing a future for St Mary’s Ashbury....................................................................Page 3 Pews News: St Thomas of Canterbury....................................................................... Page 5 Get Creative for FOST ...................................................................................................Page 6 Living in a Thatched Cottage (by our youngest journalist!).................................Page 10 PTFA and School News................................................................................................Page 12 With Gratitude...............................................................................................................Page 14 Produce Show - get ready, get growing....................................................................Page 15 55,000 New Trees for Northlew................................................................................Page 16 Expanding our heart for summer - a poem............................................................. Page 18 Harvest Workers Coop ...............................................................................................Page 20 Quiz Time: Spring into action.....................................................................................Page 23 Northlew Nature: Wasps.............................................................................................Page 24 Cottage Garden Wildlife..............................................................................................Page 28 Tania’s recipe: Easter Pie...........................................................................................Page 24 Eating out in Town. Try somewhere new.................................................................Page 24 Your Magazine Needs You..........................................................................................Page 31 Northlew Rainfall 2024...............................................................................................Page 32 INFORMATION PAGES Your Parish Council .................................................................................Page 30 Community Contacts ..............................................................................Page 31 Sports and Recreation ............................................................................Page 32 Bus and Train ............................................................................................Page 33 NORTHLEW NEWS IS A FREE NEWSLETTER PRODUCED BY NORTHLEW PARISH COUNCIL. YOUR NEWS, STORIES, ARTWORK, POEMS OR PHOTOS WELCOMED, EMAIL THE EDITOR, VICTOR HULBERT AT NORTHLEWNEWS@HULBERT.ORG.UK TO ADVERTISE OR IF YOU WISH TO JOIN THE E-DISTRIBUTION LIST, PLEASE CONTACT JOHANNAH SHAW AT CLERK@NORTHLEWPARISHCOUNCIL.ORG.UK OPINIONS EXPRESSED ARE THOSE OF THE INDIVIDUAL AUTHORS AND DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT THE VIEWS OF THE COUNCIL. THE COUNCIL DOES NOT ENDORSE ANY ADVERTISING BUT PROVIDE IT AS A SERVICE TO USE AT YOUR OWN RISK. PROOFREADERS: AUDREY ANDERSSON & ANA CARINA. ALL PHOTOS ARE BY THE EDITOR UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED.
with extra information from Tony Woollcombe & the editor. Many parishioners enjoy the twice-yearly services at St Mary’s Church, November’s service of Light, traditionally followed by fireworks, always being a special moment in this 13th century church. Derek manfully plays the pump organ while a packed congregation provide vibrant singing, perhaps in anticipation of the home baked refreshments to follow. Check through the visitors’ book and it is clear that this small isolated church is visited much more frequently than one might imagine -- sometimes out of historical or family interest, often as a place for quiet meditation. Annual Festival of light with a packed church and over 130 candles. [Photo: Liz Mary] Tony Woollcombe, long since emigrated to Australia, notes that their family has owned and managed the church ever since they married into the Walter family in 1664. Today, St Mary's Church stands isolated in the middle of its quaint churchyard, commanding a spectacular position overlooking Dartmoor to the south, and often with sheep in the fields below. The view takes your breath away. Nearby, converted farm buildings now provide much-needed homes. It is hard to imagine that this was once a thriving, self-sufficient estate. The church met the religious needs of all who lived and worked there A church has existed on this site since at least 1297. However, the current church was rebuilt in 1871 by Archdeacon Henry Woollcombe, the then owner of the Ashbury estate. The tower, dating back to the 16th or 17th century, is all that remains of the earlier structure. The present church is Victorian. It was rebuilt on the old foundations and according to the original plans (White's History, 1878). A survey conducted in early 2014 noted: "The church features attractive corbel stones, window frames, coloured leaded glass panels, and a blocked priest's door on the south wall of the chancel. Although much of the church was rebuilt in the 19th century, it is likely that many stones were reused from the older 16th/17th century building." PAGE 3
can be seen at the base of the tower. They are dedicated to the Walter family, who owned Ashbury at that time. The estate passed from the Walters to a Woollcombe cousin, and the Woollcombe family owned it until the 1930s. The church is small. Its size and remote location meant that by the 1980s, it was no longer viable as a place of worship. To prevent it from falling into ruin, it was sold to a member of the Woollcombe family in 1982. Three of her relatives have since maintained it. From 2014 to 2015, the church tower underwent extensive restoration, and last year, the decaying floor was replaced. Like many other churches, St Mary's is an important part of our country's historical and cultural heritage. The owners were keen to ensure that the church could be preserved for the future. To do this, they recently created a charity into which the church was transferred, with the trustees being three of the former owners. This arrangement facilitates the collection of donations, application for grants, encouraging legacies, and the benefit of tax advantages such as Gift Aid. The charity provides a firmer basis for the church's future, while maintaining continuity in its management and continuing role in the local and wider community. Fascinated by Devon churches? Why not explore and learn more with the help of the Devon Churchland website. https://devonchurchland.co.uk PAGE 4
CHURCH Dear Northlew, It’s hard to remember in winter that there’s life in abundance deep in the earth. As the temperature drops, it freezes the soil, slowing the tiniest molecular energy to a near standstill. Last year’s fragrant and fragile foliage is but memory in a grayer, harsher, world. Jonathan & Sarah Cook Green growth is dormant, and anything that hasn’t been diligently pruned now stands skeletal in our midst. The evergreens resisting change only seem to mock the fickle fate of everything else. Yet here we are. Leggy lambs begin to bleat and dance; bulbs break through on every surface. Flecks of colour from crocus, daffodils and snowdrops speckle our daily views with colour - not just yellows, whites, and purples, but endless subtle shapes, sizes, and shades of each. Deep down, there was life all along. For nature, the earth drawing closer to the sun warms our land, unveiling buried beauty. Yet, when we face life's sharpest struggles and pains, we also need the kindness of friendship, I believe, inviting God’s Holy Spirit into our lives, and that God’s words of life in scripture help us fully thaw from the harsher impacts of life as we know it, and to see a way through. There is a promise in scripture I often hold in prayer where I sense myself hardening in response to life's tougher bits: God says, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh”. (Ezekiel 36:26) On behalf of the St Thomas’s Church community, may we all in Northlew and Ashbury have a blessed springtime. That as we relax into the new found beauty and warmth of our landscape, may we also find the hope of goodness to soften the harder parts of our hearts, and the courage to move forward in faith towards that which brings us life. God bless, Jonathan Curate. North Parish District PAGE 5
EXHIBITION Showcasing the work of local artists and photographers Saturday 17 & Sunday 18 May 2025 from 11:00 – 17:00 at Northlew Parish Church and the Church Room EX20 3NJ Original work for sale Coffee, light lunches, teas and raffle in the Church Room Raising funds for Northlew Church repairs and North Devon Hospice Jackie Ellis jackie.ann.ellis@btinternet.com | Val Welsh valofgreen@gmail.com PAGE 6
FOST (Friends of St Thomas’ Church Northlew) is organising an Art and Photography exhibition on the weekend of 17/18 May. This is to raise funds for essential church repairs and to support the work of the North Devon Hospice. We are keen to promote local talent, so are inviting artists and photographers – both amateur and professional – from Northlew and the surrounding area to take part. Exhibitors will be able to offer their work for sale, with a small commission going to the two charities. A new visitor guide… Visitors to the church can now find out more about the building and its history by buying a new guide booklet for just £3. Look out for copies on the Welcome table. Art exhibits – watercolours, oils, drawings, collage and other 2D media - will be displayed in the Church over the two days, with photographs, refreshments and an art inspired raffle in the Church Room. Details of how to enter and entry forms are available from Jackie Ellis (contact details below) and Val Welsh (valofgreen@gmail.com). Important dates for exhibitors: Monday 14 April is the deadline for submitting completed entry forms. Monday/Tuesday 13/14 May is the date to submit work ready for display Use this QR code to donate to FOST Friday 16 May – preview evening for exhibitors Saturday/Sunday 17/18 May – exhibition open to the public https://cafdonate.cafonline.org/26506#! https://cafdonate.cafonline.org/26506#! FOST Committee 2025 Chair–Keith Ellis Secretary – Jackie Ellis 01837 658750/07952 071809 or Email to: jackie.ann.ellis@btinternet.com Treasurer-Tony Hazell Email: carmelcoaches@hotmail.com Allan Welsh Roger Atkinson Shaun Millership Tania Haycocks Val Welsh Revd. Leigh Winsbury [ExOfficio] PAGE 7
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