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Bodmin Moor Arson

This morning I read the following report on the Twitter feed of Mark Hewitt, Cornwall’s Chief Fire Officer:

Hence this afternoon Kasia and I decided to use our coronavirus constrained exercise period to investigate. Here’s our initial photo report:

 

 

 

On our way back to base we spotted these lambs in a field near the Moor. Please note that according to Julie Dowton of the Bodmin Moor Commoners this spring’s lambs haven’t been moved out onto the Moor just yet, and “no livestock were harmed” by the fire. However the High Moor is a site of special scientific interest, and all sorts of wildlife will undoubtedly have been terminally harmed.

Much more to come later, including a video we hope.

P.S. I just had a detailed description of the fire across 300 acres of Bodmin Moor from Rich Gibbons, Station Manager for the Cornwall Fire & Rescue Service. There are now lots more words to follow, but first some moving pictures from the middle of the Moor.

The only way to put the blaze out was to walk across the Moor to the fire front and use a traditional beater.

Something I hadn’t realised before is that soon after the fire on the Moor was ultimately extinguished another fire started in a building on Davidstow Airfield. Hence the confident use of the word “arson” in the title of this article. Here’s the site of the second attack:

Watch this space!

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Coronavirus Pandemic Mutual Support

Davidstow Parish Council have issued the following notice regarding the novel coronavirus pandemic:

CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

DO YOU NEED HELP? CAN YOU HELP?

The spread of Coronavirus is likely to have a significant impact on our community in Davidstow. Many individuals will have to self-isolate to keep themselves and others free from harm.

As a community we need to look out for and support our vulnerable neighbours and fellow residents. This may include:
• Shopping for essentials;
• Picking up prescriptions;
• Acting as a point of contact if they want advice, support or just a chat.

If you can help this initiative by acting as a volunteer, please let us know by using either of the contact points below.

If you need help, please also contact us and we will do what we can to assist you.

IMPORTANT: If you need medical help, remember to contact NHS 111 if you need advice. If possible, contact the NHS on-line on 111.nhs.uk. Call 999 if it is an emergency / life threatening condition.

Contact points:Telephone 07859 419519

Email: email hidden; JavaScript is required

Davidstow Parish Council

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Spring Has Arrived?

February 1st finally brought an end to the wet (and often windy) weather.

Cycling around the local lanes I discovered this evidence that Spring is in the air at Trevivian:

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February Parish Council Meeting

Following the cancellation of January’s meeting of Davidstow Parish Council the agenda for the meeting at the Tremail Methodist Hall at 19:00 on February 3rd has been posted on the Parish Council web site.

It’s not very long, but it is very interesting. To yours truly at least!

1.  Planning

PA20/00526 | Extension to the existing housing development providing continuation and completion with a detached three bedroom dwelling. | Plot 9, Kittows View, Hallworthy, Camelford, Cornwall PL32 9SH

2. Cornwall Governance Review

a) To decide on consultation arrangements for the proposed transfer of the remaining parts of Hallworthy into the Parish of Davidstow.
b) To review the decision to request an increase in the number of Parish Councillors.

3. Saputo Update

4. Feedback from the Camelford Network meeting

All Welcome

 

I discovered about this week’s Camelford Community Network meeting just too late:

Maybe I’ll be able to discover what was said last Monday in the Methodist Hall next Monday?

Maybe I’ll also be able to discover why there was still a powerful pong when I cycled past Inny Vale earlier in the week, after Saputo (nee Dairy Crest) had allegedly already installed their new aeration system?

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Davidstow Electric Car Hire

At Monday’s meeting of Davidstow Parish Council the chair asked if there was any other business to be added to the agenda. I raised my hand to announce the birth of Davidstow Electric Car Hire, which was duly discussed towards the end of the meeting.

As a pilot for the Camelford Electric Car Club project V2G EVSE Limited are making two of their research and development electric vehicles available for hire by residents of and visitors to the Davidstow area.

Lisa the Nissan LEAF and Zoe the Renault ZOE are now available for hire by the hour, day or week via HiyaCar.co.uk:

If you have never experienced the joys of driving a 100% electric powered vehicle now is your chance to do so at remarkably little cost.

Here’s an extract from a recent Top Gear review of the Nissan LEAF:

The real joy of the Leaf isn’t the money, it’s the motor, and its charming grace. For the way most people drive (if not, literally, for petrolheads), it’s simply a better source of motion.

and here is Top Gear’s opinion of the Renault ZOE:

It’s not for everyone – power can be a little bit reserved, something you’ll notice more if your range-anxiety is under control and you’re brave enough to tackle motorway stints – but for more regular urban use this is more than good enough as an entry to the EV world.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask, using the space provided for that purpose below.

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Surfing ex Hurricane Lorenzo’s swell at Summerleaze Beach in Bude!

As discussed in the article describing my surfing session in Newquay earlier this year, the images below are from beyond the parish of Davidstow. However Summerleaze Beach in Bude is an even easier drive from here for any visitors staying in the Davidstow area:

Not only is there surf when the wind and North Atlantic swells permit, there is also the much calmer Bude Sea Pool (almost) all day, every day:

If you’re very lucky, as I was this weekend, you may even find yourself in the midst of an art installation on your next trip up the A39 Atlantic Highway!

If you’re actually in or near Bude and/or Davidstow this weekend more information about the Reflect Arts+Minds Project can be found at:

https://www.reflectaamp.org

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October Parish Council Meeting

Davidstow Parish Council is back to its regular schedule of meeting on the first Monday of each month.

As far as I can tell the agenda for the meeting on October 7th 2019 is still not available on the Parish Council web site, so I cycled to the noticeboard in Tremail and took this picture:

I shall certainly endeavour to attend the meeting, since I represented Tremail on the meeting between the Parish Council and Saputo (as Dairy Crest is now called) up at the “cheese factory” last week. Here’s a photographic record of my visit:

Earlier in the summer I also attended a meeting where Cornwall Council’s “Climate Change Action Plan” was discussed:

That plan has now been published. According to the County Council web site:

As a Council we have a leading role to play in the climate emergency, but we cannot deliver these ambitious outcomes alone, we will need support from all of our residents – from our communities, businesses, schools, public sector partners, the voluntary sector and many more. You have an important role to play in making change happen, not just as residents but in your working lives too. This is just the start of the journey; please join us in tackling the climate emergency.

On Monday evening it will be interesting to discover what the Camelford area equivalent contains. At the very least I know that Claire Hewlett, the mayor of Camelford, is interested in what the Cornwall Council’s report refers to as “mak[ing] electric vehicles a viable option for many drivers”. She recently visited our courtyard here in Tremail to examine our fleet of electric vehicles and associated charging infrastructure. In the pouring rain!

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Global Wind Day 2019

Today is Global Wind Day!

Global Wind Day is a worldwide event that occurs annually on 15 June. It is a day for discovering wind energy, its power and the possibilities it holds to reshape our energy systems, decarbonise our economies and boost jobs and growth.

In honour of the occasion I waited for the heavy showers to blow away, then went on a bike ride around Davidstow Parish in search of wind turbines and clouds. Here is what I discovered:

There were plenty of sheep and cattle to be seen too!