 Hello,
In this week's newsletter, read about these stories and more:
 News and updates:
Elections taking place on Thursday, 2 May
On Thursday, East Devon will be heading to the polls to vote in the Police and Crime Commissioner election, and residents in Brixington in Exmouth will also be voting for a new East Devon District Councillor.
Polling stations will open at 7am and close at 10pm. If you're voting in person, you will need to bring along an accepted form of ID.
If you're voting by post, your ballot paper will need to be with the elections team by 10pm on polling day to be counted. If you can't send your postal vote in time, you can take it to your polling station.
Work to begin on Monday to upgrade Exmouth's Bapton Valley shared-use trail
 The existing pathways that will be upgraded
An Exmouth Town Council spokesperson said:
"The Bapton Valley off-road route is a vital way for cyclists and pedestrians to travel into the town from the Brixington area.”
“I am delighted that this long-awaited work to improve the existing paved and muddy ‘desire line’ paths to a shared-use trail is due to start on Monday, 29 April.”
“I hope residents will enjoy using the upgraded pathway through this green space, encouraging them to get around in a more active and sustainable way."
South West Water conducts dye test at Exmouth
 Photography by Francis Whiteley
You may have noticed that South West Water (SWW) put an organic food dye in the sea at Exmouth on Wednesday, 24 April and Thursday, 25 April. They conducted this test to establish the location and condition of an outfall pipe.
SWW informed the council that the dye is harmless and will break down naturally. It has the potential, though unlikely, to show on any swimmers or animals that come into contact with it.
The dye's consistency means that it will behave and disperse differently to SWW's other outputs.
Storm clear-up work continues in Exmouth
 The slipway in Exmouth opposite the rowing club was demolished by East Devon District Council on Thursday, 25 April. Large voids had appeared below the slipway, as recent storms caused beach levels to drop. A temporary slipway will be open in time for the summer.
Devon’s nature-focussed organisations welcome expert dog advice
 In response to increasing numbers of dog owners, land managers and nature-focussed leaders came together recently to explore how people and pets can interact with Devon’s picturesque countryside in wildlife- and livestock-friendly ways.
Read the full article for more details about how this conference helped local organisations.
 Remember to separate your jars and lids
 When recycling your glass jars in your recycling box, please be a super-recycler and take the lids off, then drop them into your green recycling sack.
We can then recover the lids too. The lids are made from aluminium which is a really valuable metal.
Please visit the Recycling and Waste service's webpages for more information.
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Events in East Devon
Discover local produce this weekend
 Explore more than 60 stalls showcasing bakers, makers, and plant cultivators, at the Garden and Food Festival at Colyton Grammar School, on Saturday, 27 April, between 10am and 4pm.
Exmouth's first Gate to Plate will be celebrating all the fantastic food and craft on our doorstep, at the Strand on Sunday, 28 April, between 10am and 4pm. This event is funded by East Devon District Council and delivered by eat:Festivals.
 Don’t miss a gripping new play about gender-defying painter Gluck and celebrity florist Constance Spry
Gluck (1895–1978) adopted a shortened form of the surname 'Gluckstein' as a genderless name in 1918. They rejected the strict gender norms of the time, wearing clothes traditionally worn by men, choosing cropped hair, and smoking a pipe. Gluck’s scandalous relationship with Constance Spry would challenge gender, class, and social mores, and produce some of the most stunning paintings of the era.
Theatre West, a Bristol Old Vic Associate Company, is touring this new play to three South West galleries including performances from 6.30pm on Friday 3 May and Saturday 4 May at Thelma Hulbert Gallery. Get your tickets for £15, or £10 for THG Friends.
To read more about what's on at Thelma Hulbert Gallery, view their latest newsletter.
Thelma Hulbert Gallery, Dowell St, Honiton EX14 1LX thelmahulbert.com
Visit new temporary art installations in Sidmouth
 Left: the One Day Museum. Right: David Bellingham next to the 'Ring Ring' installation. Credit: Sidmouth School of Art
Have you seen Sidmouth’s two iconic red telephone boxes that have been converted into the 'Micro Museum of Contemporary Art'?
On display until Sunday 5 May is 'Ring Ring and Beep Beep', with audio recordings and handwriting from the participants of the 'One Day Museum' workshops, that were led by David Bellingham.
The workshops from the 9th to the 11th of April were attended by people from 6 to 69 years old, who reflected on their relationship to Sidmouth and to objects found, discarded, gifted, treasured, and repurposed. Sidmouth School of Art have shared photos and a short video from The One Day Museum.
'Sidmouth Beauty Spots' by David Bellingham is also on display, at the wall space public art gallery by the Ham East car park, until Friday 10 May.
Discover more events in the local area by heading to the East Devon Excellence website
Entries open for the 2024 Tenant Garden Competition
 Green-fingered residents of all abilities, get recognition for your hard work by competing in the Tenant Garden Competition categories of front gardens, back gardens, communal gardens, pots and containers, veg plots or eco gardens. There is also a category for disabled gardeners and one for young gardeners too.
To enter, contact tenantparticipation@eastdevon.gov.uk or call 01395 517453, providing your name, address, phone number/email address, plus the category you would like to enter. Those entering the under-18 category must also provide their age. Entrants must live in an East Devon District Council owned property.
Submit your entries before 24 June. Sow Much More's Becky Searle is scheduled to judge the entries in-person in July.
 Wild East Devon celebrates a successful bluebell day at Holyford Woods
 Glorious sunshine and a continuous flow of delighted visitors came out to the return of the popular bluebell event last Saturday (20 April), following a five-year hiatus.
160 guests took the shuttle bus from Colyford Village Hall and upon their arrival, they were met with an array of hot beverages and cakes. By the end of the day, not even a crumb was left!
Fun and engaging craft activities were led by Educational Ranger, Penny, whilst Rangers Jon and Ben led free guided bluebell walks. A Plant Medicine walk was also guided by the herbalist Maggie Haworth.
Thank you to the Wild East Devon team and volunteers that made this day possible. We are already looking forward to Bluebell Day 2025.
Keep in touch with the Wild East Devon team on Facebook and Instagram .
 New training programme launches for Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprises
 Credit: Devon Communities Together
A series of free bitesize and deep-dive sessions for VCSEs over the next few months will cover a range of topics, including funding, planning, strategy, budgets, partnerships, stakeholders, measuring impact, and evaluation.
Discover more about these useful sessions, and sign-up, by visiting the East Devon VCSE Support Service Eventbrite page.
Don't miss out on the online Meet the Funder Event, where you can learn about funding opportunities, and what funders like to see in an application, on Tuesday, 30 April from 1.30pm.
 You may also be interested in...
 Council meetings dates
Over the next week the following East Devon District Council meetings are taking place:
You can watch public meetings live on the council’s YouTube channel.
Next edition
We plan to send out our next bulletin on Friday, 3 May 2024
Please forward this email to anyone you think would find it useful and encourage them to sign up.
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