Bridford, Devon

Brilliant Bridford reminder

Saturday May 17^th 2025 12pm-3pm – Brilliant Bridford 

– a delicious lunch and an afternoon of celebration for all the community

On Saturday, May 17th you – and everyone in the parish of Bridford – are invited to join us from 12pm for lunch and an afternoon of activities in and around the Village Hall for a Community Celebration. There will be a delicious Ploughman’s Lunch with drinks and sweet treats too, along with displays and photographs celebrating village life, activities for children, music, and happy chatting – all to showcase and celebrate volunteering and community in Bridford. The event will be FREE – thank you Devon CC for their help in making this possible through Locality Funding.

Chair

Voting took place for the roles of Chair and the current Chair, Councillor Judy Topley, was proposed and unanimously agreed upon, so was duly re-elected to the post. Councillor Topley signed the declaration of acceptance before continuing the meeting. Councillor Purser will continue as Vice Chair for a further year. We are very grateful for the hard work and dedication they both bring to their roles.

Groups and roles

Responsibilities for groups and other roles in the parish were reviewed and agreed. Many thanks to all those volunteers in the parish who help to ensure that everything is well maintained and runs smoothly; we are very grateful for your help.

Councillor vacancies

There are currently two vacancies for Councillors. If you are interested in supporting your community, are 18 or over, live or work within the Parish of Bridford and could attend one meeting a month on a Monday evening for 10 months of the year (no meetings August or December), please get in touch with me on the details at the bottom of this article to find out more.

Speeding in the village

There have been reports of issues with speeding in the village recently. Please be aware of pedestrians and other road users when driving through the village of Bridford and drive slowly and carefully to ensure the village is a safe place for all road users.

 

Following the resignation of Councillor Ashenden-Pearce, a vacancy now exists on Bridford Parish Council for a Councillor.  If you are interested in becoming a Councillor and can attend one meeting a month on a Monday evening (except in August and December when there are no meetings), please get in touch with the Clerk, Tamsin Mowat on [email protected]

Please see the official Notice of casual vacancy April 2025 here and the text below:

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, pursuant to Section 87(2) of the Local Government Act 1972, that a vacancy exists in the office of Councillor for the Parish of Bridford, and that unless ten or more electors of the electoral area have, on or before the 12^th May 2025, submitted a request in writing to the Proper Officer, Forde House Brunel Road, Newton Abbot TQ12 4XX that an election be held to fill the vacancy, the Parish Council will take steps to fill the said vacancy by co-option.

 

Reminder: 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

Annual Parish Meeting

The Annual Parish Meeting will take place on Monday 2^nd June 2025 from 6.30pm upstairs in the Village Hall, before the regular Parish Council meeting which starts at 7pm. This is a meeting for the people of the parish and an opportunity to raise and discuss parish affairs. All parishioners are very welcome to attend.

Devon County Council Locality Funding

Bridford Parish Council was delighted to receive funding from the 2024/5 DCC Locality Fund for a new picnic bench for the play park and for hosting the FREE Community Celebration on Saturday 17^th May at the Village Hall (12-3pm) to which all Bridford parishioners are invited. Many thanks to County Councillor Jerry Brook for supporting our bids.

Dog fouling in the village

Several parishioners have raised the issue of dog poo in the village, the churchyard and the woodland park. Please could dog owners be mindful of this and ensure that dog poo is picked up and dogs are not left unattended around the village. It is unpleasant for all those living, working and playing in the village and can pose a health threat to young children; please help us to keep the village clean.

 

Time to celebrate our community in brilliant Bridford!

It was a house (and a view) that brought us here 6 years ago, but we soon realised we’d landed in a wonderfully welcoming community. Maybe it’s in part the challenges of the weather and the lanes, the deer and the potholes that bring folk together, but the Bridford community thrives way beyond helping a neighbour out or shifting a tree off the road! There are 3 crucial places in the village: the well-resourced village hall, the beautiful church and the fantastic Bridford Inn – our community centre in so many ways (and my husband’s second home!) But there’s so much more besides: the Woodland Park and the Bridford

Trust, the sweetest village garden, our play park, and allotments with the best views imaginable. None of these can thrive without the wonderful people of the village – people like you, dear reader – who keep everything going and form our supportive community. People like you make possible the groups and events that happen in the village – for example (and this isn’t an exhaustive list!) the long-established Twinning Society, the Bridford Fete and its committee, the Wassail, the ongoing delights of Bridford Wives, Chat

In, our Bridford community Larder, the wildlife and tree wardens, the book exchange in the phone box, the clothes bank, the Snow Team, Unity Magazine keeping us all in touch, and, of course, the Parish Council which I am now delighted to be part of.

SAVE THE DATE – Saturday May 17^th 2025 12pm-3pm –

Community Celebration

– a delicious lunch and an afternoon of celebration for all the community

So, let’s celebrate the splendid people who give up their time to plan events, bake cakes, organise rotas, help out, put things up/take things down, provide lifts, report problems, sort problems and make Bridford brilliant.

On Saturday, May 17th you – and everyone in and around Bridford – is invited to join us from 12pm for lunch and an afternoon of activities in and around the Village Hall for a Community Celebration. There will be a delicious Ploughman’s Lunch with drinks and sweet treats too, along with displays and photographs celebrating village life, activities for children, music, and happy chatting – all to showcase and celebrate volunteering and community in Bridford. The event will be FREE – thank you Devon CC for their help in making this possible through Locality Funding.

If you or your group would like to put up a display, showcase your organisation, share village photos, offer an activity, or help out in any way we would love to hear from you – please contact me,

Cllr. Pippa Marriott on marriott.bpc@gmail.com.

We have been informed by DCC Highways that there will be two road closures on Tuesday 25th March 2025. Bridford Bridge will be closed in the morning then reopened in the afternoon, and Sowton Cottage Bridge will be closed in the afternoon only.  Please see further details in the letters and maps below.

Consultation Letter – Bridford (00697)

Consultation Letter – Sowton Cottage (00699)