A great start was made in restoring Sidmouth’s ‘secret garden’ on Thursday, 9 June.
More than 12 volunteers from The Friends of Glen Goyle gathered at the former Victorian parkland in the Manor Road area, which was once home to many beautiful plants and trees, but has since become neglected and overgrown.
The first working party event began with an introduction by Paul Fealey, Horticultural Technical Officer with East Devon District Council, discussing the state of the plants along the stretch of the Glen. The group then set to work clearing overgrown areas of ivy and brambles.
The Friends of Glen Goyle will be meeting every Thursday morning from 10am to 12.30pm at the entrance on Manor Road. Paul is happy to give training to the volunteers, while members of his own council team tackle the more inaccessible areas.
We would like to take this moment to thank our StreetScene teams responsible for maintaining the three Green Flag gardens - in Exmouth, Sidmouth and Seaton.
They did an outstanding job preparing the three gardens for Green Flag judging - whilst also looking after dozens of other sites. Green Flag status is the highest accolade a green space can have, and StreetScene maintains three of them!
An extra special mention goes to the ‘above and beyond’ dedication of Jerry Preston, Dave Seal, Paul Tiller and John Kirwan, who diligently rearranged their working patterns so they could spend the week at Seafield Gardens in Seaton (despite it not being on their round), so they could add their magic to every part of the gardens.
The result was Green Flag judging feedback that surpassed all expectations. The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra, which is what we are so proud to experience every day with StreetScene‘s maintenance and improvement teams.
John retires at the end of June, and we all wish him well in his retirement…and possible volunteering in our green spaces!
During this very hot weather at the moment, we urge you to look out for those in our communities who may struggle to keep themselves cool and hydrated.
Useful information to help you choose a good swimming spot.
Before you go
Aim to swim at a beach that is lifeguarded. If you have never been to the location, speak to the lifeguards – let them know of your plans and, most importantly, take their advice! (Be aware that they are there to manage the main swimming and surfing areas).
Have a look at where other people are swimming. Ask the locals, see if there is a local swimming group (formal or informal – many have social media pages or groups). Aim to go with other people.
Check the weather forecast and tide timetables. Take note of wave and swell height, tide timings and whether it is a neap or spring tide. (Make sure the information is local to the area you are going to!) Useful websites to check are magicseaweed or the Met Office.
Upon arrival
Take a while to observe the water. Look at what is happening, how is the sea behaving?
What type of waves are they? How are the waves breaking?
What type of beach is it? (Sandy, shingles, pebbles, rocky, silty or muddy)
Are there any rocks? If so, where are they? How big are they?
Are you in a bay or long shore line? Is the bay sheltered?
Can you see any rip currents? Do you know how to spot a rip current?
What is the tide doing? Is the ground wet on a dry day?
Is there anybody else using the beach? Are there any boat users or creel pots in the water? Are the boats motorised or with sails?
Entry and exit points
Plan your exit before you get into the water. Consider any currents, the tidal flow and wind direction. Decide how long you are going to be in the sea for.
Walk from your exit point up to where you would like to start from. This enables you to take a good view and identify any hazards of the stretch of sea you would like to swim.
A good choice for an entry or exit would be an area that you can get out of quickly if needed. Preferably with less pebbles, seaweed or rocks.
Find out more about our beautiful district by visiting the EastDevonly website and share your own photos and favourite places by tagging #EastDevonly when posting online.
Exmouth Pride taking place tomorrow
June is Pride month - a month dedicated to celebrating LGBTQ+ communities all around the world. And this year, Pride is having a special celebration as it is 50 years old.
Want to get involved?
Exmouth Pride is taking place in Manor Gardens on Saturday, 18 June from 11am to 6.30pm. Come along for a day of celebration, with live music, bar, food, retail, info and family area.
There's even a dog competition at 3pm!
Free to enter, retail and activities charge.
An event for all; LGBTQ+, their friends, families and supporters.
Events happening over the next week for East Devon Together
Here is a list of the events taking place over the next week as part of East Devon together, find out more information by visiting our website. Please note events are subject to change, please check before travelling.
You will have a pre amble ramble with Wild East Devon giving information about spotting field signs of wildlife on the river Otter, including the Beavers and Otters. Then our friendly walk leader will guide you on a walk along the River Otter.
Wear strong footwear and bring a bottle of water if a warm day.
If you want to stay up to date with local and community events in and around East Devon, please visit the EastDevonly website.
Business update
Come along to this year's Going Local
A fantastic opportunity to interact and network with public sector buyers across Devon and Cornwall.
A major event aimed at local suppliers who want to find out how to work with the public services is taking place on Thursday, 21 July 2022 from 10am-2pm.
It will be held at Main Hall, Bicton College, East Budleigh, Budleigh Salterton.
The free event will provide suppliers with the opportunity to:
Meet and get advice from a wide range of public sector procurement specialists
Attend seminars by expert speakers from across a range of sectors and disciplines
Learn how to access opportunities to bid for public sector contracts
Understand how to use the Supplying the South West procurement portal
Network with other local organisations
Presentations are 10.30am to 11am, and 12pm to 12.30pm.
The race to net zero is on - make sure your business is ready!
If you are an SME manufacturer based in the South West of England, this funded* support programme from SWMAS will offer your business valuable advice and guidance at every stage of your net zero journey.
*A limited number of fully funded spaces are available to SME businesses based in eligible regions of the South West.
Join Low Carbon Devon for System Shift, a series of innovative, imaginative and solutions-focused events exploring how we can rise to the climate challenge.
The Low Carbon Devon team host a range of online and in-person events at the Sustainability Hub and venues across Devon. Our Knowledge Exchange events engage Devon based enterprises and the wider public with expert speakers and present the latest research around the low carbon agenda.
We look forward to meeting you at a future Low Carbon Devon event.
If you want to stay up to date with the latest news about grants for East Devon businesses, or other news about business opportunities, funding and training, you must subscribe to East Devon Business news
Latest news and newsletters
East Devon District Council also produce regular newsletters and news on different topics, in the last week we have issued the following which may be of interest:
Over the next week the following East Devon District Council meetings are taking place. Any public meetings will be streamed live to the Council’s YouTube channel, and in the event of difficulties these will be streamed on our Facebook page instead.
Summer is on its way and the gardening season is upon us.
Join 18,000 households across East Devon that subscribe to our green waste collections service and make your gardening easier and save trips to the recycling centre.
You can subscribe to the green waste service here or call 01395 571515
Join over 30,000 people using our smartphone app and get simple personalised collection reminders, the latest collection updates and tell us about a missed collection.
Thelma Hulbert Gallery
Calling East Devon artists, performers, creatives and culture organisations
Monday, 20 June, 9.30 – 11.00am.
Please join our next Arts & Culture East Devon (ACED) meeting for an update on the findings of the East Devon culture survey and the development of a Cultural Strategy. Make new connections with other like-minded artists and creatives.
An informative walk focusing on the traditional medicinal use of local plants in the spectacular setting of a Wild East Devon Nature Reserve
Join Medical Herbalist Maggie Haworth on a gentle walk through Holyford Woods to explore the medicinal plants that can be found there. Hear some of the traditional stories of the plants, and learn about their historical use as medicines, as well as their current day applications.
This is part of a series of medicine walks taking place throughout the year. Each walk will offer new plants and stories as the seasons change.
Currently there are 17 places available. £10.00 per adult, £5.00 per child.
To keep in touch with the Wild East Devon Team follow them on Facebook and Twitter
Tiverton and Honiton Parliamentary Election - Thursday 23 June 2023
A reminder that the by-election to elect an MP for the Tiverton and Honiton parliamentary constituency will take place this coming Thursday, 23 June. Polling stations will be open from 7am to 10pm on the day.
These elections are only take place in part of East Devon, for more information visit our website.
Apply for a Thatchers Bursary place at Honiton's Gate to Plate
Organisers of eat:Festivals, which take place across Devon, Somerset and Dorset are offering support to new food and drink businesses to enable them to make their first steps into trading.
The Bursary, sponsored by Thatchers Cider, aims to encourage business start-ups to consider festival trading and an entrepreneurial spirit.
The winning producers will benefit from a free pitch at the Honiton Gate to Plate festival in August and there is support from the organisers throughout the year.
The Thatchers Bursary is for food and drink producers who have not engaged in retail trade before.
Interested businesses need to complete the simple form on our website www.eatfestivals.org.
Applications for the bursary need to be in before 10 July 2022 and there are 5 bursary places at the Honiton Gate to Plate event on 20 August.
Feeling lonely is something that all of us can experience at any point and it can have a huge impact on our wellbeing. It’s important to remember that these feelings can pass and that there are lots of ways we can help each other too.
Fancy a cuppa? Fancy a walk? Sometimes reaching out to each other with as little as three words can make a big difference.
As part of the Better Health: Every Mind Matters campaign, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport are encouraging people to ‘Lift Someone Out of Loneliness’ by taking a simple action to help someone who may be feeling lonely. If we do this regularly, we can all help to lift each other up.
Do you want to help us to preserve and restore our planet's natural capital for future generations?
At Suez, the efficient and sustainable management of resources is at the heart of everything we do.
We have exciting opportunities in East Devon for experienced LGV drivers with a Category C licence and valid DQC (CPC) card.
With a true team spirit, we can give our customers a standard of service that goes above and beyond, and ensure that our local communities have access to essential services.
If you want to be part of a winning team, contact Gary on 07977 941177 or Kirsty on 07970 108866 for more details.
Next edition
We plan to send out our next bulletin on Friday, 24 June 2022.
Please forward this email to anyone you think would find it useful and encourage them to sign up.
You can also can share this update on social media and in any online groups you're part of by using the view it as a web page link at the top of the page.
