Archive for June 15th, 2008
posted by Cptn
Bike Week cruised into action yesterday, and if you’re a little concerned by saddle soreness or not being able to pull the wheelies of your youth, consider this sobering piece of information which was included in the press release: ‘With unleaded petrol costing on average £1.16 a litre anyone cycling even a 10-mile round trip each day for five days can save around £7 per week in petrol costs alone.**’
But it’s not just the price of fuel that can persuade you to the peddles – there are health and lifestyle considerations, too.
Cathy McGarvey, of South West Water, cycled to work for the first time this week having completed Devon County Council’s cycle training course for adults, Cycle To Your Heart’s Content. She told the PRSD: “I had never cycled to work before the course and went on it to gain more confidence of cycling on roads in traffic and it has really helped. It’s only four miles from my home to work but it was much more pleasant than a car journey.”
Zoe Humble, who cycles from Stoke Hill to Landmark Information at Sowton Industrial Estate, said: “Having not ridden for 20 years it was a bit daunting to cycle again but it’s enjoyable, especially at this time of year. The main reason I cycle to work is for my health and it’s surprising how quickly your fitness and confidence improves, but I’m also saving around £30 a month. The county council’s cycle maps of Exeter have helped immensely at finding off-road routes. There are cycle paths that you aren’t aware of as a driver. I didn’t realise that 90 per cent of my journey is on a cycle lane, some of which is across green fields. The provision of the cycle network has helped me feel a lot more confident about tackling the journey.”
• Events being held during Bike Week include a free Dr Bike clinic and free police security marking outside WHSmith’s in Exeter Guildhall on Monday 16 June, from 9am - 5pm.
• Employees on the Sowton Industrial Estate and Exeter Business Park are invited to Ashfords Solicitors on Grenadier Road for its cycling celebration from 8:30am to 4pm on Friday 20 June.
• On Sunday 22 June, Bike Week will culminate with Cycle Sunday, a celebration of cycling from 10am to 5pm which will also raise funds for FORCE Cancer Charity. The six or 12 mile charity cycle rides start at Flowerpot Playing Fields near Millers Crossing in Exeter anytime between 11am and 2pm. Entry fees are £3 for adults and £1 for children under 16. This money, together with sponsorship money from those who choose to raise it, will go to FORCE Cancer Charity. To register call 01392 402875.
Calculations
**based on the average car consumption of 37.8mpg and cost of petrol at £1.16 a litre.
4.5461 litres in a gallon, so a gallon costs £5.29
50 miles @ 37.8mpg - takes 1.323 gallons
£5.29 x 1.323 = £6.998 (rounded up to £7)
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June 15th, 2008
posted by Mr Beady
With the Torbay Coast and Countryside Trust facing a financial hill to climb, they are going to be a lot happier after this weekend’s brilliantly attended beer festival at Occombe Farm than they were a week ago.
The beer festival is the biggest fundraising event for the Trust and contributed £11,000 to their finances last year. Expectations must have been high and nerves must have been jangling in anticipation of what the 2008 event would achieve, but with an estimate at the mid-afternoon stage of day two of 2,000 visitors, organisers were justifiably pleased.
With over 60 ales, 10 ciders and perries, the choice on offer to the enthusiast was excellent and diverse but, as you might expect, with Occombe’s aim to champion local producers, there was a real Westcountry slant. Keltek’s ‘Beheaded’ ale at 7.6% was the loopiest of the loopy juices on offer and had, perhaps predictably, sold out by mid-afternoon on Saturday.
I couldn’t bring myself to ask the barman for a ‘Golden Shower’ (Dartmouth Brewery) so went for a ‘Black Boar’ instead from Countrylife which had a delightfully dark and treacly appeal. The perries had sold out quicker than the unleaded at Sainsbury’s so a pint of Stoke Gabriel’s Yarde cider got me into the festival feel. Gargoyle’s Summer Ale was a delight and Brimblecombe’s Vintage Dry cider had that straight-from-the-farm quality that, for me, epitomises proper cider.
On the subject of ‘festival feel’, it seems obligatory for British Festivals to have extreme weather of some description and Occombe was no different, hail and stair-rods interrupted what had been a warm, if overcast, afternoon and sent the crowds scurrying for cover.
It also prompted some worried looks from Pink Floyd tribute band, In the Flesh’s sound engineers who were busily trying to keep water and electricity apart with a sheet of plastic and a bulldog clip or two. Unfortunately, this attendee wasn’t at the festival for the whole day so the sound-checks were all I got to experience of the music on offer.
A missed opportunity as some acoustic music, played by local emerging musicians, would have made for a more rounded feel for the day and supported local talent in the same way that Occombe sets out to support local producers. As it was, the ongoing sound checks and piped music from an empty stage created a waiting-for-something-to-happen feeling in the afternoon.
An omission was a lack of soft drinks. Yes, I know it’s a beer festival, but I’d roped my wife into driving and judging by the fullness of the car parks other people had negotiated similar deals yet the soft drinks were only available from the slightly flustered staff in the main farm shop. On the whole though these were minor deficiencies when so much was done well.
According to festival spokesperson, Rachel Tapper: “We have had really positive feedback from everyone involved and learnt from last year in terms of signage and reducing the queues.”
Having found a golden goose are they tempted to milk it (a goose’s lack of udders notwithstanding, but being farm people they’ll know all about that)?
“The advice we have had from CAMRA is to resist the temptation to try and repeat the festival too often.” said Rachel.
Which poses a real dilemma: you have an event which is really well attended and not only that, but attended by a good mix of people from croc wearers, to stag and hen groups, to stereotypical CAMRA types, to young people, to not-so-young people, to families, all having a good time, all supporting local producers and it raises a pile of cash for an organisation doing valuable and interesting work that really needs the money.
How can Occombe carry that gold-dust mix on throughout the year, maintaining such high levels of interest and community engagement? I don’t have the answer to that question, I’m afraid, but if the brains at the trust can harness and adapt the formula a lot of their financial worries will be solved.
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June 15th, 2008
posted by Cptn
This year’s plymouthprideevent will finish today with a walk in the Plym Valley. It steps out at 2.30pm from the B&Q at Marsh Mills, Plympton.
The circular walk rounds off a week which saw an estimated 2,500 people attend the annual one-day, free-entry event in Plymouth Guildhall to raise awareness of LGBT issues and celebrate the diversity of the city’s communities.
If you’re popping along remember to wear suitable footware, clothing and bring a liquid refreshment. And don’t forget your sun cream.
For more details visit the plymouthpride2008 website.
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June 15th, 2008
posted by Cptn
Today, in the grounds of A la Ronde, the National Trust house and grounds just outside of Exmouth, Simon Persighetti (Wrights & Sites) and Phil Smith will be creating a special one-day-only walk/performance today called A Man About The House.
Phil Smith told the PRSD: “Last year, I created a walk based on the origins of this extraordinary late 18th century house built by Jane and Mary Parminster and its connections to Ravenna and the end of the world.
“I didn’t think it could get much more unusual than that. Particularly as Simon and I are basing this year’s walk on the apparently stuffy life of a 19th century local historian and guardian of the poor, the Reverend Oswald Reichel, the only male occupant during A la Ronde’s 200 year existence.
“Well, not only have we quickly turned up an early, glittering and forgotten career engaged in ritual and symbol, and wrestling with the meanings of global history, but, also, guided generously by one of the National Trust volunteers, we can tell a story has remained unspoken in public for over a century, the story of a life that Reichel left behind and yet never quite stopped living.
“Welcome to the symbolical story of Reverend Reichel: of clandestine lives, ceremonies, apples, of a house built on sand and a future governed by grace. Whose are those ghosts? Who are ‘Mr and Mrs Rice’?
These performance/walks all start at the reception of A la Ronde, times are 10am, 11.30am, 2.30pm and 4pm. The tickets cost £4 for adults and £2 for children.
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June 15th, 2008
