What's happening in and around Meshaw
Drainage advice
If your land abuts a public highway, you might like to check this advice from the County Council.
Pledge for Nature
'It’s time to act! Pledge for Nature is a new campaign, launched at the end of January 2020, that aims to support and encourage communities in north Devon to help nature to flourish.
Actions might include creating flower and insect-rich habitats, planting new woodlands, and improving our spaces for wildlife. Getting involved with the campaign is a great way to get practical tips on what you can do and to find out about many local projects and initiatives you can join.
Pledge for Nature is being coordinated by the North Devon Biosphere, a cross sector partnership that is working to protect north Devon’s unique natural environment. It is supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Devon County Council and a successful Crowd funder.
Pledgers are invited to sign up to take action for nature at biosphere.org.uk/pledge-for-nature.'
Meshaw Harvest Festival
Sunday 22nd September at 9:30
at St John the Baptist, Meshaw
All welcome!
If you could help with flowers or setting out produce on Friday or Saturday, or with nibbles for after the service, that would be much appreciated. Contact Kathleen for details if you can help.
MP surgeries
If you'd like to talk face-to-face to our MP, Peter Heaton-Jones, details of his local surgeries can be found here.
Meshaw Parish Meeting April 2019
The next parish meeting will be held on Tuesday 30th April at 7:30 in St John the Baptist Church in Meshaw. Full details are here. Come along and have your say.
Meshaw Church fete
Letter to the editor from Celia
I would like to say “Thank you” to the many residents of Meshaw and environs who gave me emotional and practical support following my husband's death on 12 January. I felt held in a warm and loving community and it made a huge difference to me. Meshaw might be small and “isolated”? but it sets an example when it comes to compassion and neighbourliness. Thank you.
From the retiring collection at Gordon's cremation I sent £216.50 to the National Animal Welfare Trust, for which they expressed gratitude.
To date I have give £111.50 in cash to Barnstaple and South Molton Memory Cafes but I have since received a further £45 which I will hand over at the next meeting at the Assembly Rooms in South Molton on Thursday 14 March. Due to being given incorrect information by the Undertaker, some cheques were made payable to the wrong addressee. I am still trying to sort out two cheques, totalling £60. I have identified who gave the cheques and am in the process of contacting them.
Whatever happens, I will ensure that in total the Memory Cafe receives £216.50 to match the amount donated to the NAWT.
In accordance with Gordon's wishes, his ashes will be scattered on his dog Bobby's grave which is at the top of my field. This will take place at noon on 13 April.
LARNER
Gordon Edward Stanley
Passed away 12 January 2019 at NDDH aged 88.
Lovingly missed by his wife, family and friends.
Gordon's Committal will be held on Tuesday 5 February 2019 at 12.20pm at The Rowan Chapel, Barnstaple Crematorium, Old Torrington Road, Barnstaple, EX31 3NW followed by refreshments at “Glen Rosa”, Meshaw, South Molton, EX36 4NE.
Anyone who knew Gordon is welcome to attend.
No flowers please: donations instead at the ceremony, to be divided between The Barnstaple & South Molton Memory Cafe and The National Animal Welfare Trust. Cheques to be made payable to:
J Westacott & Son (Undertaker)
2a West Street
South Molton
EX36 4DG
Village Hub
I am very pleased to advise the residents of Meshaw that the National Lottery has agreed to fund our feasibility project “Meshaw together” with an award of £10,000.
This will enable the Meshaw Together Team to undertake the necessary review of the Church premises to reconfigure the building to accommodate a kitchen, toilets and seating arrangements that will allow St John the Baptist Church to become the Meshaw Village Hub.
This will benefit everyone by providing Religious Worship and a Meeting Place for the whole Village.
Jeff Souch
Meshaw Parish Meeting Chairman
It's (nearly) Christmas!
Pictures of wreath making, Christmas tree erection in The Square and church decoration are on the gallery page. Many thanks to Celia for providing the tree again, but it was her last one so if you've any ideas for next year do let us know ...
Quiz Night
The first day of December saw our annual quiz, held this year in Oxham Hall. Kevin S. was the quiz-master and eight teams of four (or five or six!) gathered at 7PM. Two sessions of questions were separated by a break for food. And we had a bar, ably manned by Andrew M., though not everybody seemed to realise this. We'll be doing it for future village events, so do make use of it! Best of all, we turned a profit on the evening, which will be ploughed back into other events, so please do come along and support things.
The Harker family were the worthy winners. The rest of us are still chuntering about the exact distance from Meshaw to South Molton ...
New Local Activities
Please contact Jill Souch on 01884 861505 or via email
to book your place or register interest for any of the following -
CHRISTMAS WREATH MAKING
Wednesday 12th December 2018, 7pm at Romansleigh Village Hall
'Hands on' session, make your own Christmas Wreath. Jenny Cole
of Ash Moor Nursery instructing. Bring your own foliage, holly,
ivy and conifer. Wreath frame provided. Mulled wine and mince pies.
£11.50 each to cover cost of Jenny's time, wreath frame and hall hire. TALK ON PATCHWORK/QUILTING Thursday 13th December 2018 7.30pm at Beech Tree House, Meshaw
Talk by Liz Musselwhite of Harvest Moon Quilting. Liz will bring
examples of her work, explain all the techniques she uses and tell her
story of how she got started. Liz takes commissions for bed quilts
and wall art. There will be some of her work for sale on the evening.
Small charge to cover Liz's fee and travelling.
MESHAW ART CLASS To be held fortnightly starting Tuesday 8th January 2pm at
Oxham Hall, Mariansleigh.
Tutor Norman Vertigan. £48 for 6 classes, to be paid at first class. MESHAW PILATES Pilates class held on Mondays at Oxham Hall, Mariansleigh, 7pm.
Tutor Diana Robinson. The class is fully subscribed but if there is
enough interest it is possible Diana will hold a second class.
BASKET WEAVING
Celia Drummond has suggested a "learn together" basket weaving class.
Celia would like to hold 2 sessions in her home and would be willing
to lead the group to make a simple basket with the help of YouTube
videos shown on an overhead projector, then if people want further
sessions we can decide as we go. Celia has some cut-willow we could
use to get started and people can buy stripped, properly-prepared
willow if they want to take this further.
December is proving to be very busy for most people, so Celia has
suggested holding a class on a Monday afternoon in January. Please
let me (Jill) know if this is something you would be interested in.
Are we a village?
Is Meshaw a village? Not according to The Guardian (4th September), where we have been demoted to a "lonely hamlet", albeit one that could field "30 scarecrows". Perhaps we can get a grant from somebody to help us cope with our newly acquired loneliness ...
Tour of Britain Stage 2
Pictures and videos are here. A drizzly day, but, hey, it's not every day an international race featuring the current holders of cycling's Big Three races (Giro d'Italia, Vuelta a Espana and Le Tour de France) comes through your own backyard. Welcome Chris Froome and Geraint Thomas! If you'd pulled over you could have had a bun :)
Meshaw Scarecrow Week
A big thank you to all involved in our Scarecrow Week and Sunday Cream Tea.
Well done to all Scarecrow Makers, Bunting and Flag Erectors and Cream Tea food-makers and helpers.
Jeff Souch
Meshaw Parish Meeting
Scarecrow Festival 2018
The Festival is in full swing and some excellent 'crows have appeared! See them all on our Gallery page. Plenty of time if you haven't yet made one :)
Village Noticeboard
The new noticeboard is now in place in The Square. Full details of who to see to get your notice put up are, of course, on the noticeboard! It does however look like only very tall people will be able to read the notices:)
Cycling Tour of Britain 2018
The Tour of Britain organisers have obviously decided that Meshaw is an important place in the world of international cycling, so much so that they've routed stage 2 of this year's tour through our village! Watch out for them on Monday 3rd September, around about 1PM.
To celebrate, we're going to have a scarecrow festival the week before, starting on Sunday 26th (that's the Bank Holiday weekend). On the next Sunday we'll have a cream tea in The Square, and maybe some games for the kids, and move the scarecrows onto bikes along the route ready for the race on Monday. We'll supply the bikes. If you've got time please make a scarecrow (or two!). Any size, any design. For more details contact the Parish Chairman Jeff Souch.
What a shock!
Earthquake rocks Meshaw! Well, shakes it a little bit. I was indoors at the time and things on my desk shook and rattled. My partner was outside and neither felt nor heard anything. This was at about 2:30 PM, Saturday 17/2/2018.
The British Geological Survey report that the earthquake measured 4.4 on the Richter scale. It's the biggest in our area for over a hundred years. I hope nothing was damaged anywhere. Initial reports on the BBC suggest not.
If you felt it, let the webmaster know and I'll collate our experiences and report back.
It's a mystery
Does anyone know why this sign for Meshaw has been blanked out? Do you suppose someone thinks Meshaw doesn't exist?
Forthcoming events
If you have any suggestions for a "village" event please do let us know!
Now we have our own projector we're hoping to organise another Quiz Night, possibly at The Retreat at Romansleigh Park. If you're interested let the parish Chairman know.
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