Bridford, Devon

VE Day celebrations May 2025

BRIDFORD VILLAGE VE DAY CELEBRATIONS

On Thursday 8^th May 2025 Pip Morrison will fly the VE Day flag from the Church tower and it will stay up for a week: it is a very handsome flag.

At 3.30pm on Thursday 8^th May, there will be a VE Day Tea Party in the Village Garden – a time to mingle with neighbours, wear fancy dress and take home a candle – a lamplight of peace – to light with the rest of the country at 9.30pm. Everyone is welcome.

The following evening, Friday 9^th May, step back in time to 1945 with the Bridford Inn. Live music from the fabulous Hummingbirds, a 40s style menu and fancy dress.

We look forward to sharing this time with you all.

PLEASE NOTE THAT CHAT IN IS CANCELLED FOR THURSDAY MAY 8TH AS IT IS VE DAY, INSTEAD PARISHIONERS ARE CORDIALLY INVITED TO THE VE DAY TEA PARTY IN THE VILLAGE GARDEN

Tree Planting in the Village Playpark

Have you been to the village playpark recently? If you have, you may have noticed a small copse of trees have been planted at the far end by the hedge. Following a Parish Council consultation on ideas for the playpark, it was agreed that planting a few trees would be beneficial for people and wildlife. The trees were sourced from Devon Wildlife Trust and planted in January. The trees are a combination of birch, crab apple, rowan and maple, giving spring blossom and autumn colour.

The spring flowers will provide a vital source of nectar to pollinating insects such as bees, beetles and moths. Helping the insects in turn helps insect eating species such as swallows and bats. The berries in autumn will be foodstuff for a large range of birds including blackbirds and song thrushes. The rowan tree alone provides one of the most important food sources for fruit eating birds in the UK, so this is a great tree to plant for wildlife.

These trees are part of a wider framework to encourage biodiversity in the area. Connected habitat is vital for encouraging wildlife. The copse is small, but it will link up with other areas that are managed sympathetically for nature, supplying wildlife corridors through the landscape. We hope that in a few years’ time you will be able to sit under the shade of these trees and watch as birds flock to eat the berries.

Many thanks to Lucy for sourcing and Stephen and Lucy for planting the trees which were provided free of charge by Devon Wildlife Trust.

TDC Carton Recycling Trial

Under new Government ‘Simpler Recycling’ reforms, all English local authorities will be required to collect the same set of dry recyclables. From March 2026, TDC must include cartons in kerbside recycling collections. From February 2025 they will be running a trial to test the most efficient and cost-effective way to do this. Approximately, 4700 households have been selected to take part. They will be contacted directly and given instructions and a pack of bags to collect their cartons. The streets included have been selected according to which vehicles collect the recycling. This is so they can monitor the impact on the efficiency of different sized collection vehicles. Some streets from the rural outskirts of Bridford have been selected along with other villages in the area. Participants in the trial will be able to recycle drinks cartons such as those used to contain juices, smoothies and milk and liquid food cartons such as those used to contain soup, custard and tomatoes and pulses. The cartons collected will be recycled at the only dedicated recycling facility in the UK, in West Yorkshire. Further information can be found at www.teignbridge.gov.uk/cartonrecyclingtrial

Next meeting

The next Bridford Parish Council meeting is on Monday 3^rd March 2025 at 7pm in Bridford Village Hall and members of the public are very welcome to attend.

 

Please note the new email address for the Clerk at Bridford Parish Council: [email protected]

Precept

At the January meeting the budget was discussed and the Precept – the funding which the Parish Council requests from Teignbridge District Council each year – was agreed. There was much discussion about the cost-of-living crisis, in conjunction with the rising cost of providing services against the need to meet the necessary expenditure of the council. With all these things in mind, a modest increase to the Precept was agreed, taking the total amount requested to £13442 for 2025; an increase of 10% on last year.

Facebook

Bridford Parish Council has a new Facebook page where we will share news from the Parish Council and updates about road closures etc. The link is: https://www.facebook.com/share/14dwub14eC/?mibextid=wwXIfr We will also share relevant items to the Teign Valley Facebook group.

Gritting team

Many thanks to the team of volunteers, including new members, who are continuing to work hard to ensure Pound Lane is gritted in the icy weather. Please take extra care when driving in icy conditions.

Potholes and drains

Many thanks to parishioners who continue to support the Parish Council by reporting issues online and volunteering to clear out blocked drains etc, your help is much appreciated.

If you come across a problem, such as a pothole or blocked drain, please report it to Devon County Council online at:

Report a problem https://www.devon.gov.uk/roads-and-transport/report-a-problem/

If you are reporting an emergency that requires immediate attention, please call them on 0345 155 1004. An emergency on the highway is defined as something that is very likely to present an imminent threat to life or serious injury or serious damage to property.