What’s on in Dobwalls and Trewidland? Spring 2016€™s on in Dobwalls and Trewidland? Spring 2016 ... Quiz Night Highwayman Pub 8.30pm ... VOLUNTEERS TO MEET AT THE HIGHWAYMAN

What’s on in Dobwalls and Trewidland? Spring 2016 Regular weekly activities: Monthly activities

Su

n:

St. Keyne Service SKC 9.30am Dobwalls Service DUC 9.30am

office 01579 347411

Short Mat bowls DMH

7.30–10pm 01579 320786

Messy Church at DUC 4 -

6pm 1st Sunday of the Month 01579 326185

Mo

n.

Karate DMH 6.30 – 8.30pm

01208 873673

Dog TrainingTVH 01503 240 621

DIG [gardening club] DUC

1st Mon. 01579 320983

Ladies group DUC 2nd Mon.

01579 320980

Tu

es.

Funfit Exercise class DMH 10-

11am. 07850 473428

Girls Brigade [Term Time] DUC

6.30pm [5-8yrs] 8pm [8+yrs] 01579 320233

Wed

. Fun & Social Ceroc Dance Club DMH 07984 470281

Parish Council DUC/TVH

7.00pm 3rd Wednesday 01579 350962

Th

urs

Zumba DMH 6-7pm

07850 473428

Short Mat Bowls DMH 7.30–10

01579 320786

Ju Jitsu TVH 7pm 01503 240421

Slimming World DUC 5.30 & 7.30

07807 289801

Quiz Night Highwayman Pub 8.30pm

Duloe WI Jubilee Hall Duloe,

7.30, 1st Thursday

Senior Lunch Club DMH

12 for 12.30 3rd Thursday 01579 320567/ 320482

Fri

.

50+ Keep Fit DMH 10–11am

07850 473428

Knit & Natter DUC 2pm

2ndand 4th Friday 01579 320007

Get together Cornwall. DMH 6-7.30pm 01579 326683

Sat.

Coffee Morning TVH 10.30

3rd Saturday

Lunches DUC 12-1.30pm

June – Nov. last Saturday

Bingo DMH 7.30 3rd Sat.

Key: DMH = Dobwalls Memorial Hall DUC = Dobwalls United Church TVH = Trewidland Village Hall SKC = St. Keyne Church

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The Villager March - May 2016

Dobwalls and Trewidland Parish Council

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DOBWALLS PUBLIC RIGHTS OF WAY

Dobwalls Public Rights of Way …… “ Having lived in Dobwalls for over 30 years I was amazed to discover

that there are numerous public footpaths around the village that until

recently I had never known to exist. Although I have been the parish

council coordinator for the maintenance of the village grass verges, I

have only recently taken on the footpath maintenance. The parish

council are only responsible for the gold category areas which are

highlighted on the above map.As a dog owner I have walked miles

around the local country lanes and I am delighted to have discovered

new places to explore.

It is amazing how we can overlook things that are on our doorstep for so

long.” from John Dunn

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Welcome to the Spring 2016 Parish Magazine

This issue focuses on a wide range of subjects related to the past and future landscape and environment of our parish; increasing focus on Neighbourhood Planning; details of the Parish in Bloom competition; together with information on the Annual Parish Meeting in May 2016

If you would like to see particular issues covered, or have a contribution you would like to make to the magazine, please let us know! (contact details on page 34)

Disclaimer: 'The Villager is published by Dobwalls and Trewidland Parish

Council to provide information for parishioners. Any views or opinions presented in the magazine are solely those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent those of the Parish Council.’

Members of Dobwalls & Trewidland Parish Council

Councillor telephone /email contacts Major roles

Peter Scott (Dobwalls)

[email protected] 01579 320128

Chair of the Parish Council

John Dunn (Dobwalls)

[email protected] 01579 320733

Vice chair / Footpaths and grass cutting

Davina Finch (Dobwalls)

[email protected]

01579 326661 Police Liaison

Hugh Francis (Trewidland )

[email protected] 01503 240204

Parish Magazine

Tracey Kitto ( Dobwalls)

[email protected] 07854 278789

Parish in Bloom

Mhairi Mackie (Trewidland)

[email protected] 01503 240565

Parish Magazine

Del Mills (Dobwalls)

[email protected] 01579 320346

Marie Morford (Dobwalls)

[email protected] 01579 320349

Parish Council members who appear above will be pleased to give you advice on any matters relating to their area of the parish or responsibilities

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Parish Council Meetings Members of the public are welcome to attend any council meeting and can speak to the council about an agenda item by giving the Clerk notice of their intention to do so prior to the meeting starting. Time for those wishing to speak will be allotted either at the start of the meeting or during the meeting at the Chair’s discretion. Other items can be brought up under public participation which is usually towards the beginning of the meeting. If you have an issue that you feel the Parish Council should know about, please let us know.

Parish Council meetings, all starting at 7.00pm will be held on:

March 16th at Dobwalls Church Hall

April 20th at Trewidland Village Hall

May 18th at Dobwalls Church Hall

Minutes of the most recent meeting and the agenda for the next meeting are available on the website at www.dobwallsandtrewidland.org.uk. These meeting documents are also posted on the Parish Council notice boards in Dobwalls (opposite the Heads or Tales shop) and in Trewidland Village.

Thanks to all our ‘Villager’ delivery volunteers!

A total of 23 local people are involved in the delivery of ‘The Villager’ magazine

and without their help it would be very difficult to ensure that all homes in the

parish get a chance to keep up to date. The Parish Council would like to thank

each of our volunteers personally, and hope that all volunteers will join us at

6.30pm in Dobwalls Church Hall on Wednesday 16th March.

This occasion is intended to allow volunteers to meet each other and members

of the Parish Council, and to provide an opportunity for feedback on the nature

of the magazine and ideas for the future.

Reporting problems and raising issues

General problems may be reported to Dobwalls and Trewidland Parish Clerk, Linda Coles by email to: [email protected] or

by post to: Mrs. Linda Coles, The Firs, Lower Metherell, Callington, Cornwall PL17 8BJ

by Telephone: 01579 350962

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Parish Council Vacancies We are currently three Parish Councillors below strength and wish to co-opt additional members. Despite the title 'Parish Council', this merely refers to the area of responsibility of the council (like a Town Council) and has no church links whatsoever. Being a Parish Councillor can be a very rewarding experience, immersing yourself in the local community and its functioning and helping shape its future. If you are interested, please watch out for notices in the local papers or contact the Parish Clerk direct at [email protected] or at the address above.

Have you checked out the Parish Council Website?

What’s on in Dobwalls and Trewidland this Spring?

March

Thu 3rd Duloe WI – AGM

Sat 5th Village Cleanup Events in Dobwalls and Trewidland

Mon 7th DIG Gardening Club: Talk by Jim Stephens

Sat 12th Easter Bingo in aid of Marie Curie and Macmillan nurses

Mon 14th Dobwalls Ladies group: Talk on Age UK

Fri 18th Trewidland Local History Evening, Village Hall 7.00pm

Sat 26th Easter Bingo in aid of Parkinson’s

April

Mon 4th DIG Gardening club: Fun with Succulents Becky Martin

Thur 5th Duloe WI – ‘To make Beautiful’ Affino Studio

Wed 11th Dobwalls Ladies: ‘Talk on Birds’

May

Mon 2nd DIG Gardening Club: Talk by Owen Glyn Smith

Thur 5th Duloe WI: Resolutions followed by games.

Mon 8th Dobwalls Ladies: ‘Triangle’

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Annual Parish Meeting Please come along!

The Annual Dobwalls and Trewidland Parish Meeting will be held on

Wednesday 18th May at 6.30pm Dobwalls Church meeting room.

Refreshments will be provided

Annual Parish Meeting The annual Parish Meeting is intended to be the parishioners’ opportunity to come and meet the Parish Council and bring forward items for its future agendas. All local organisations and community groups will be invited to present a brief annual report of their activities.

Please let The Villager editorial group know if you or your

organisation has special events coming up in the

Summer months (June – August 2016) or if your regular

meeting dates have changed– check the back page now!

Please contact Linda Feek or Mhairi Mackie before the next publication deadline of 1

st May

Linda Feek [email protected] 2 Wherry Way,Dobwalls.01579 326185 Mhairi Mackie [email protected] – Forge Cottage, Trewidland PL14 4ST

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DOBWALLS AND TREWIDLAND PARISH COUNCIL IS ORGANISING A PARISH LITTER PICK TO JOIN IN WITH THE NATIONAL CELEBRATIONS FOR THE QUEEN’S 90TH BIRTHDAY THIS WILL BE HELD ON SATURDAY 5TH MARCH 2016 FROM 10.00AM -12.00PM DOBWALLS VILLAGE – VOLUNTEERS TO MEET AT THE HIGHWAYMAN CAR PARK AT 9.45AM TREWIDLAND VILLAGE – VOLUNTEERS TO MEET AT THE VILLAGE HALL CAR PARK AT 9.45AM ALL NECESSARY EQUIPMENT WILL BE PROVIDED BY THE PARISH COUNCIL BUT IT IS SUGGESTED THAT YOU BRING A PAIR OF GLOVES. PLEASE HELP US TO MAKE THIS A SUCCESSFUL EVENT

To register your interest in taking part, please contact: Linda Coles, Parish Clerk, telephone 01579 350962 or 07977416812,

or by email: [email protected]

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New challenges for Town and Parish councils Liskeard and Looe Community Network meeting

The meeting at St Keyne Village Hall on 9th November 2015 started with a

presentation from Jeremy Rowe, CC Portfolio holder for Localism, who admitted that in the past Cornwall Council and town/parish councils had not worked very well together. However current cuts mean that CC recognizes that it needs to work effectively with local councils, otherwise many services will not be delivered.

The Cornwall ‘Localism team’ - now the Communities and Devolution team -includes members from all major Cornwall Council services who meet together on a regular basis. ‘Devolution’ is passing services to town, parish and community groups to try to protect some of the services. This will mean that in future the local Parish Precept may need to include funds to support such devolved services. (The ‘Precept’ is the sum of money that is needed by the parish Council to carry out its responsibilities. This sum forms part of the Council Tax paid by householders to Cornwall Council) The impact on small parishes, both in terms of increased precepts and on the role of Parish Clerks was raised. In some of these cases there might be opportunities to ‘Cluster‘ parishes together. The role of Town councils in providing services such as Libraries which other surrounding parishes use was also raised. We will all need to agree on which services are important to us. For further discussion of these issues see the https://www.cornwall.gov.uk/media/16197542/11-communities-and-devolution-bulletin-november-2015.pdf

Jeremy Rowe emphasised that CC must keep local people informed, but it is challenging to make this happen. The role of the Community Network Areas (particularly in relation to Community infrastructure and European funding) was questioned, as many NAs did not operate effectively at present, and in any case did not currently have the capacity to serve this function. CC is developing a four year plan, partly to avoid the constant disruption to personnel and services caused by annual reorganization to meet new cuts being imposed. This 4 year plan should mean less disruption - but CC can’t guarantee. David Read, the Liskeard and Looe Community Network Link Officer, is the hotline to Jeremy Rowe for all queries from local councils in the area.

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DO NOT FEED BODMIN MOOR PONIES!

Parish Councillor Davina Finch is the D&T Parish representative on the Liskeard Police Rural ‘Have Your Say’ Panel.

At recent meeting at Liskeard Police Station the following information was passed on for inclusion in local Parish Magazines:

Animals continue to be killed and injured on Bodmin Moor as a result of road traffic accidents. In many areas members of the public have been leaving fruit and vegetables and other feed on the moor close to the road for ponies to eat. This draws the ponies to the roads, putting them at grave risk.

The Bodmin Moor Commons Council in conjunction with the Animal and Plant Health Agency are urging the public not to feed the ponies. The owners of the ponies are responsible for ensuring their animals are receiving enough feed. APHA carry out regular monitoring visits and work with the BMCC to ensure action is taken if problems are found.

Please do not feed the Bodmin Moor Ponies: • Feeding on the roadside draws ponies onto the road and puts them at risk of death or serious injury.

• Eating unfamiliar feed such as fruit and vegetables can be harmful to the ponies and can cause painful death through colic or choking.

• If ponies become used to being fed they could bite, or other-wise injure humans if feed is not provided.

• It is an offence to incorrectly dispose of food waste and it carries a huge risk of introducing diseases such as Foot and Mouth to cattle and sheep on the moor.

If you have any concerns for ponies or other animals on the moor please contact: Bodmin Moor Commons Council - 07973468628

By law you must report a collision involving livestock. Please call Police on 101 or 999 in an emergency.

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East Cornwall Neighbourhood Plans

Dobwalls and Trewidland is Parish no.31 There was considerable discussion of the development of Neighbourhood Planning in Cornwall, at the recent Planning training session in Callington Town Hall. An exhibition showed the position, by September 2015, of processes to develop these Neighbourhood Plans in South East Cornwall. These Plans are intended to replace the Parish Plans which were developed in many local Parishes around 2005, (when our Dobwalls and Trewidland Parish Plan was published).

The map above shows how far parishes in East Cornwall have managed to get in their Neighbourhood Plan Process.

For information on objectives and processes of Neighbourhood Planning see: http://www.cornwall.gov.uk/environment-and-planning/planning/neighbourhood-planning-toolkit/

We have been urged by District Councillor Mike George to engage with this process, and on Wednesday 17th February we have invited the Liskeard and Looe Community Network officer David Read to speak to the Parish Council meeting about the development of a Neighbourhood Plan. We will report on this event in the June edition of the Villager. If you are interested in being involved in such an initiative you are welcome to make contact with any member of the Parish Council.

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DEFIBRILLATOR FOR DOBWALLS

We are currently raising funds to provide a fully automated defibrillator

for Dobwalls, the cost will be just over £3000. It will be based centrally in

the village and can be released for emergency use remotely by 999

operators. Several village organisations have already pledged to assist

with the fundraising, but as much help as possible is needed, from either

individuals or groups.

If you, or an organisation you are involved with, can help us please

contact Peter Scott at Heads or Tales, on 01579 320128, or

[email protected].

There will also be collecting jars in businesses in the village for individual

donations, or pledges can be made online direct to

www.justgiving.com/dobwallsPADappeal.

Please help us, this device could literally be a lifesaver for village

residents, providing vital support in minutes, well ahead of paramedics

being able to attend an incident.

Inclusion of this article in the Villager has been sponsored by Heads or Tales

Parish Marquee Several years ago the Parish Council purchased two 6m x 6m

marquees (which can be assembled together to form a 6m x 12m unit).

The marquees are available for use by any Parish organisations, free of charge and can be used by other parishioners for a donation

towards their upkeep. However, please note that we do not generally allow the marquees to be used outside the confines of the

parish. If you are interested in borrowing the marquee(s) please contact

Peter Scott at Heads or Tales in Dobwalls, 01579 320128 or [email protected].

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Tracey Kitto would welcome contacts from volunteers to help with this event!

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ENTRY FORMS TO HEADS OR TALES, DOBWALLS, YOUR LOCAL PARISH

COUNCILLOR OR ALTERNATIVELY SCANNED AND EMAILED TO

[email protected] or [email protected]

Tracey Kitto 07854 278789 or

Linda Coles - Parish Clerk on 01579 350962

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Dobwalls - A Journey in Time Part 3 by Adrian Wilton We left off last time at Treheath Estate, and so we continue our walk just across the road where we have the entrance to Highwood Park. Like Treheath, a well-built estate of fine family homes. Prior to the estate being developed, there was a large house on the land at the corner of the Main Road and the Duloe Road, this was the home of the Kerkins, Mr Kerkin being the village milkman. Before that, it was a small dairy farm run by a captain Dobson. The estate was built by Mr Ken Wood, who was later joined by his sons John and Frank. Ken was a Yorkshireman and one of life’s characters. I knew him quite well. He was very forthright, and what you saw was what you got. He was a good builder and very proud of his work. He also played a big part in the development of the area as, after Highwood Park, he built Braeside Flats, behind the Chapel, and then the factory units that you see after passing Mole Valley Farmers at Moorswater, which for many years he leased out to various companies. Highwood Park was started in the late 60’s and carried on into the 70’s,the inside houses being built first and selling for around £3,000 and finishing down the main road for £5/£6000 as property prices began to rise. As I said earlier, they are fine family houses, and many children have happy memories of growing up there, as it has been very much part of the village for many years. As we leave Highwood Park, immediately on our left is the Memorial Hall, built in 1953/4. As the name suggests, the hall was built in memory of all those people within the Dobwalls Parish, who lost their lives as a result of two world wars, the names of whom can be found on the Cenotaph outside the hall. It is also so appropriate that the cenotaph is now at the hall. For many years it was situated at the top of the village near the junction with the old Lostwithiel Road. In my days on the Parish Council, we got together with the Royal British Legion and had it moved. The building of the hall was a huge feat for the village. Apart from a few grants, the bulk of the money was raised by the very strong committee, through whist drives, gymkhanas, fetes, and anything that would generate funds. Most of the village were involved in one way or another, and a lot of the ground work, foundations etc. was carried out by locals at weekends or in the evenings. The actual building was done by Dickie Runnalls, who was a builder at Liskeard. He also had a hardware shop called modern grates, which is still in operation in Station Road albeit under different ownership. It was as the name suggests originally opened to sell new grates for cottages and houses replacing old black stoves etc. Once the hall was opened money was still needed . This began in earnest with dances, variety shows, whist drives, and pictures (cinema). The projection room was up the stairs you see at the side of the building. The hall was kitted out with very posh cinema seats! These came from a cinema that was closing down in Dover in Kent. Maurice Rowe from Rowes Garage, who also ran a fleet of coaches at that time, took all the seats out of one of his coaches and along with other men went up to Kent to fetch them, quite a journey in those days. Since the hall was built, it has of course been the

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hub of social events in the village. These include indoor bowling, good companions, for many years modern sequence dancing, church bazaars, carnival events, general elections, all village celebrations and hired out to countless outside organisations. It is a hall we should all be proud of and we should never forget those in whose memory it was built. Immediately opposite the hall we have the Spar shop and Post Office, as we all know a very busy and useful asset to our village. However this was the site of a completely different business for many years, and was the focal point and almost daily meeting place for the farmers in the village and for those from outside. This was the all-important blacksmiths shop and petrol pump. Run for many ,many years by Mr Archie Uglow, a lovely affable man, highly respected, not only for his skill as a blacksmith, but also for his kindness and good humour. He, of course, was a very important part of the farming community, with lots of horses to be shod, (tractors did not come to the fore until the late 40’s early 50’s) plus there was farm machinery to be made and repaired

and various things to be made for villagers. There was always a fire in the furnace, and I know lots of children would look in on Archie on their way home from school on a cold and frosty day for a warm up, in the good old days before health and safety! When Archie finally retired, he was given a huge send off in the hall, organised by the local young farmers, and the place was packed with friends and neighbours. He sold the building to another good friend of mine Mr Algie Bradford. Algie was a car body repairer, and for many years ran his repair business in the old building. He eventually tore down the old shop and built what you see today. What is now the shop was his

new workshop, and it was a few years later when his wife Phil, initially opened a small general shop directly under the flat. When they retired the new owner and subsequent owners gradually turned the workshop into the shop and we have what we have today. It was made complete when the present owner bought out the post office which was situated in the middle terrace of the village, and moved it with the then post master, Mr Jeff Jubb, down to the Spar. A little further down on the left we have Higher Meadow, a development of nice bungalows built in two stages. The first two on the left as you enter were built by a builder named Mr Fiddock in the late 50’s. There was then a long spell before the rest were built possibly in the 70’s, by a builder from the Torquay area called Peter Farmer. Again, a development that has become an integral part of our village.

Adrian Wilton

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Dobwalls Memorial Hall Update January 2016

HAPPY NEW YEAR from the Dobwalls Memorial Hall Committee

The group remain committed to ensuring that the hall remains at the centre of the village and that all user groups can enjoy using the building. The seven members of the committee work very hard to ensure that the hall is maintained, but would welcome any assistance that the members of the village can offer, either by joining the committee or assisting in maintenance and fundraising. Could you spare a couple of hours a month to help your local village hall?

The hall continues to dilapidate (mundic block and an asbestos roof) and, ultimately, the provision of a new facility is the aim of the committee. This may be a lengthy and difficult process. If you have any experience with this type of funding application we would love to hear from you. The Committee always welcome new ideas on how to improve the service we offer. Please contact a member of the team or our Facebook page if you have any suggestions.

It is recognised that the current booking system is complicated. The members of the committee will be focusing on simplifying the process in the coming months to make it more user friendly. We are in the process of changing the booking line number. In meantime, please contact us through the Facebook page – Dobwalls Hall. A member of the committee will contact you within 48 hours to discuss your requirements. The new number will be published in the village as soon as it is finalised.

Finally, the committee would like to thank all those who currently volunteer at the hall. Your contribution is greatly appreciated.

Gail Dyer Secretary for the Dobwalls Memorial Hall Committee

Trewidland Community Group Update Jan 2016 On 22nd January 2016 there was a village meeting in Trewidland Village Hall which was attended by 18 residents. The purpose of the meeting was to bring the community up to date with the work which had been done on how best to use the Solar Energy Fund.

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The meeting began with a summary of the work done by the Trewidland Solar Energy Fund Steering Group. This had been an informal group which had met regularly to discuss the feasibility of the possible projects identified in the village questionnaire (October 2014) and the village meetings held in January, February, September, and October 2015. The Steering Group was then formally wound up. During the next part of the meeting a rationale was presented for the establishment of a properly constituted small charity with a mandate to pursue projects on behalf of the Trewidland community. As such it would be able to run democratic meetings, open a bank account, raise money, and apply for funding from a variety of sources. A thoughtful and inclusive discussion followed which concluded that as a result of the recent engineers report, the Village Hall and its future was now a clear priority. Therefore the Solar Fund could provide a valuable seed fund to underpin exploration of the availability of grants and funding for a new hall. Another lively discussion then considered the possibilities which a new hall could provide. A draft constitution, obtained from the Charity Commission website, was presented and after some amendments were agreed it was unanimously accepted. The following people were then voted in as Trustees: Lisa Coyte, Anne Huggett, Stephen Huggett, Sean Parker, Liz Veysey. It was agreed that the Trewidland Community Group would continue to engage with the Village Hall Management Committee and would also be in contact with the Village Hall Trustees. All other attendees were invited to become members of Trewidland Community Group. The meeting was updated on progress with the work being done on superfast broadband provision in the village. Mike Lloyd and Liz Veysey were thanked for their continuing efforts on this project. An advance notice was also given that a Barn Dance will be held in Trewidland Village Hall on Saturday 8th October 2016. Finally, Trewidland now has both a Facebook and web page so information will be posted regularly on these in the future. In particular the draft minutes of the village meeting will be available online. Membership of Trewidland Community Group is free, and open to all residents of the village, so if you would like to join please contact Liz Veysey by email: [email protected] or by ’phone: 01503 240808

Anne Huggett

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The Liskeard and Looe Foodbank Centre is open Monday, Wednesday, Friday 09.30-12.30

Unit One, Barras Place, Liskeard. PL14 6AY For help at other times, please telephone 07512 011452

Monday to Friday 9.00am to 5.00pm or email us at: [email protected]

We rely on food donations to feed local people in crisis. From pasta to puddings, please give in-date non-perishable food.

Dobwalls Church, open from 10.00 till 15.00 daily, is a drop of point for donations to the Liskeard Foodbank.

For more information on donating or volunteering please check out our website at http://liskeardlooe.foodbank.org.uk/

Why don’t You advertise here? Why not advertise your business or event in this Magazine?

Full page £75.00 per annum - £20.00 single issue

Half page £40.00 per annum £12.00 single issue

Quarter page £25.00 per annum £7.50 single issue

Contact Hugh Francis on 01503 240204 or email [email protected] to receive our ‘Notes for Advertisers’

Chequeshould be made payable to Dobwalls and Trewidland Parish Council

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People of the Parish George Joseph Rubén Hocking George -ocking -as this lovely way with -im. -e hoften drops the "h" from words that start with han "h" and hadds han "h" to words that don't -ave one hat the start. "I think hit's just a -abit, a part of me, and we Cornish are hinclined to do hit," he said. -is -abit -as hendeared -im to many. (Hope you followed that, but for the rest of George's story we'll ignore his addition, or subtraction, of the letter 'h')

This 87-year-old Cornishman nearly didn't make it beyond 15, after he went on a World War II bombing raid on Germany.

George was born in Tresillian near Truro in June 1928, the eldest of five children. His parents had a smallholding and later they moved to Par when his father got a job in the docks. George left school at 13 to look after his uncle's cows when his uncle was injured on the farm at Porth near Newquay. It was wartime and the Canadian Air Force were based at Trevelgue near Newquay. The airmen used to come to the farm for eggs and other food. They wanted to buy a young goat and got George, probably just 14 at the time, to kill and skin it for them.

"Back in they days, things were very different. On two occasions the Canadian airmen took me over to Germany in one of their bomber planes on raids. The second time we ran into enemy fire and one of the engines was hit," George recalled. "At one stage we did not know if we were going to make it all the way back to England or no. I felt no fear. I would not have been more than 15 at the time. But when we landed the Canadians said to me: 'Now Georgie boy, you won't be coming with us again!"

When George returned to live at Par he delivered milk for a local farmer - by pony and trap. He was also very athletic and ran for Cornwall in the half-mile and three mile races. George was infamous for turning up at Pelynt sports day and coming away with more than his share of the trophies!

George’s father took on Treverbyn Farm, St Neot, and he worked on the farm for several years. He also met his wife to be Joycelyn at chapel where she played the organ. They married in 1953 - 62 years ago - and had two daughters, Ruth and Judith. George became a van salesman for Kendalls food and fruit company in Bodmin and did that for about 10 years.

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He got involved in politics initially leafleting and canvassing for Liberal John Foot, one of the famous sons of the even more famous Isaac Foot, when Mr Foot stood in the general election for the former Bodmin seat. George went on to do the same thing for election candidates Stuart Roseveare and Peter Bessell and it was in 1964 that Mr Bessell finally won the seat back for the Liberals from the long-standing Conservative Sir Douglas Marshall. But when George entered local politics on St Neot Parish Council he did so, like many others, as an independent. He gradually emerged as a “good, old-fashioned Liberal” and went to on serve more than 40 years on parish councils, Caradon District Council and Cornwall County Council.

“When I became a parish councillor first I found that by doing small things for some local people, how much it was appreciated. By working with other people on the parish council you were able to expand into bigger things,” he said.

His greatest triumph was in much “bigger things” - his relentless, and finally successful campaign to get the bypass for Dobwalls, the area he represented on Cornwall Council for many years. It took him 35 years, along with many others, to win the bypass battle. What follows is George’s recollection of events which, he says, finally got the ball rolling on the bypass. The real-life characters in this story are George himself, the staunch Liberal, fellow county councillor Godfrey Smale, a leading traditional Socialist, and John Prescott, at the time the Labour Government’s Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and The Regions.

George remembers having a cup of coffee with Godfrey Smale in the members’ room at County Hall, Truro, after a meeting.“I said ‘Smale you’re no help to nobody’ and he said to me ‘What are you moaning about now Hocking?’ I told him I’d been trying to get hold of somebody in the Government with a bit of clout to talk to about the bypass.

“Godfrey fumbled in his jacket and pulled out an old diary. He told me to write a telephone number down and ring it. I did and a young lady at the other end said ‘John Prescott’s personal secretary’. I nearly falled off the chair. I told her what it was about and explained I was a colleague of Godfrey Smale - and she knew Godfrey.A date was fixed for George to go to London to meet John Prescott. The night before the meeting, George got a call to say Mr Prescott wouldn’t be at the meeting because of last minute urgent business, but George was to come up anyway to discuss the bypass.

“I went up to London and was shown into a room with somewhere around 30 people in it. I got the feeling that they didn’t want to see me more than they wanted to see a dead rat. You could feel the atmosphere.

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“Someone said to me ‘How do you know….’ I said ‘What, John do you mean?’ and I went on ‘Where do you think he stays when he come to Cornwall. D’you know how busy I and Mr Smale is working with him?’ Then we got down to work. I didn’t leave that building that night until seven o’clock but by the time I left I’d shown them that the plans they were working to wasn’t going to work

George had told them in no uncertain terms could they take the proposed route of the bypass south at the western end of Liskeard bypass because of Moorswater industrial estate or to the north because they could not touch two buildings which would be in the way - an old “count house”, one of the oldest in Cornwall, and behind it, the oldest registered mill in the county.

His visit to London caused a stir in the county council planning office. Apparently the phones were red hot with calls from London.

“But I told the planning staff ‘Hold your horses. I’m not blaming you, ‘tis they up in Westminster and Whitehall’. About a week or ten days later John Prescott’s office rang me and said ‘When can you come up again, Mr Prescott would very much like to meet you.’ I went up to see him and got on with him exceptionally well because Godfrey Smale said to me that if John Prescott said something I didn’t agree with I was to tell him so right away. I spent several hours with him, had lunch and come away. Then shortly after that Godfrey rang me to say John Prescott was coming down and we had to pick him up from Plymouth and bring him down and show him the area. We did that and, from them meetings on, the road began to take shape and form and they really got on with it.

“Now the village is a different place completely from what it was.”

Over the decades George has been a councillor he has helped literally thousands of people. In retirement, he still gets a number of calls a week from people with issues to raise and problems to solve who’ve been told to “give George a ring”.

George, who now lives with Joycelyn in the village of Dobwalls, sums it all up rather modestly: “Thinking back over it, when I have been able to do something for someone they have been so grateful that, even now, years on, when they meet me they say ‘I’m some glad you were able to help’. But it’s only a matter of speaking to the right people to get the job done.”

Mike Taylor

Please let us know of other local People of the Parish you would wish to nominate for inclusion in future editions of the Villager!

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Established in 1973 as a haulage contractor, We can now offer 10 and 16 ton lorries.

Our HIAB crane lorry is perfect for delivering the convenient I tonne dumpy bags direct from our yard to wherever you need them.

Sand and Sea Sand Coloured Chippings

Top Soil Round cobbles

Rocksalt available now

Richard E. Doran Dumpy Bags and Haulage Contractor,

Doublebois, Cornwall

Tel: 01579 320040 http://www.dumpy-bags-cornwall.co.uk/

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Can you help us add toTrewidland’s History Jigsaw? The Trewidland Local History Group have been busy updating the History Exhibition in Trewidland Shop window (thanks to the generosity of Doug and Denise Payas). The group is also hosting an event open to all local people who would like to hear about, explore or contribute to the developing Trewidland Village Archive. Please come along to

Trewidland Village Hall on Friday 18th

March at 7.00pm

If you have old photographs, documents such as House deeds, or memories of the village in former years, We would be delighted to have you join us on the 18th March. For more details or information contact [email protected] or see Trewidland Village Notice Board

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The Villager – Dobwalls and Trewidland Parish Magazine The Parish Magazine is published four times a year in September, December, March, and June. The publication deadlines for these editions are respectively:

1st May for the June 2016 publication date

1st August for the September publication date

1st November for the December publication date

1st February for the March 2017 publication date No additional material can be accepted for publication after the publication deadline dates, although articles submitted after these dates will be held for publication until the following edition if they are still relevant.

The Villager is FREE to people living in the Dobwalls and Trewidland Parish. The Villager is also available (in full colour) on the Parish Website at www.dobwallsandtrewidland.org.uk

Submitting Articles Articles, photographs, news items and adverts are welcome for inclusion in the magazine. Submissions for publication can be hand written, printed, typed, photocopied, or (preferably) digital - but must be legible! Please ensure that your name and contact details accompany articles as no anonymous items will be included Submitting Adverts All advertisers are advised to request the ‘Notes for Villager Advertisers” from [email protected] before submitting copy. All adverts must be paid for in advance of the Copy dates for the edition in which they are to appear. Payment should be made to Linda Coles, the D*T parish Clerk.

When submitting articles or adverts, please remember that they will be published on an A5 printed magazine page. The editorial group cannot undertake to confirm times/spellings/date venues etc. Contributors are asked to check the accuracy of all information sent in.

Articles can be emailed to Linda Feek or Mhairi Mackie or posted/ delivered to the addresses below.

The ‘Villager’ Editorial group:

Linda Feek [email protected] - 2 Wherry Way,Dobwalls.01579 326185

Mhairi Mackie [email protected] -Forge Cottage, Trewidland PL14 4ST

Hugh Francis [email protected] tel: 01503 240204

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Cornwall Council Telephone numbers

General Enquiries /Comments /Complaints 03001 234100 Adult Care and Support 03001 234131 Benefits 03001 234121 Children Schools and families 3001 234101 Concerned over a child’s safety? 03001 231116 Council Tax and Business Rates 03001 234171 Elections 03001 234115 Environmental health and Licensing 03001 234212 Environmental management 03001 234202 Fire and Community safety 03001 234232 Housing 03001 234161 Libraries and Archives 03001 234161 Planning 03001 234151 Refuse and recycling 03001 234141 Registration Service 03001 234181 Roads Transport and parking 03001 234222 Trading Standards 03001 234191

Cornwall Council website can also give access to a wide range of information on Planning, Housing and other current matters.

See their website at: https://www.cornwall.gov.uk/environment-and-

planning/planning/contacts-team-info-and-contact-details/

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Dobwalls and Trewidland Parish Directory

Police : Ring 999 in case of an Emergency only

Ring 101 for all other non emergency enquiries or reports Refuse Collections : Dobwalls-Friday Trewidland-Wednesday

Cornwall Council Refuse and Recycling tel. 03001 234141 Cory Environmental (Recycling) tel. 01872 243830

Post Offices

Dobwalls (Spar) Opening Hours: 6.30am – 10pm Mon – Sat 7.30am – 10pm Sun

Trewidland (Village Hall) 12.30-2.30pm (Mondays only)

Schools Dobwalls Primary School tel. 01579 320527 Trewidland Primary School tel. 01503 240275 Liskeard Community School tel. 01579 342344

Health

Ambulance ring 999 for emergency only Out of hours emergency advice tel. 111 Liskeard Community Hospital tel. 01579 373500

Doctors Rosedean Surgery, Liskeard, tel. 01579 343133 Oak Tree Surgery, Liskeard tel. 01579 324242

Dentists The Smile Centre, Liskeard tel. 01579 342348 G Bradshaw, tel. 01579 343361

South West Water helpline tel. 0800 169144

Western Power Emergency line tel. 0800 6783105

British Gas Emergency line tel. 0800 111999

Viridor – Lean Quarry tel. 01579 343006

Views expressed in letters/articles in the Villager are not necessarily those held by members of the editorial group,

or by the Parish Council

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TREWIDLAND PUBLIC RIGHTS OF WAY

Trewidland rights of way, ……

“ I regularly enjoy walking all the accessible footpaths around

Trewidland, and it has been lovely to see the work being done to

improve some of the paths, which had become difficult to use.

Overgrowth has been cleared; new ladders; styles and gateways

formed, along with new signs. Hopefully the remaining paths will also be

completed soon, enabling others to walk our peaceful paths and enjoy

our beautiful surroundings.

My favourite circular route uses five of our footpaths incorporating

Trehere, Fursdon, Trewen, Pensipple, Brendon and Rivendell and then

back along the road to Trewidland.” from Nikk Hoult

For more detailed information see https://www.cornwall.gov.uk/community-and-

living/mapping/ In due course copies of these footpath maps will be

available on parish notice boards