AT their July meeting, members of the Crediton and Area Branch of Devon Senior Voice (DSV) welcomed Stuart Dowle. Stuart has worked on the Quicke Farm at Newton St Cyres for more than 35 years and his extremely interesting and entertaining talk covered not only the actual cheese making process, but also, on a more personal level, the way his working life had been transformed from shepherd to front man for Quickes Cheeses, travelling all over the UK giving talks and selling their famous cheeses. Samples of three different cheddars were handed round for tasting after the talk. After refreshments those who stayed for the monthly committee meeting learned of the large amount of signatures that had been collected at the "Save Our Hospital Beds" rally on Saturday, July 5. BBC Spotlight had also broadcast a brief piece about the campaign. Pauline Thomas, Chair says they have now collected more than 1,000 signatures opposing the closure of the overnight beds. The next meeting of DSV will be on Wednesday, August 13, at the St Boniface Roman Catholic Church Hall, Park Street from 2pm to 4pm. The speaker will be Geoff Jackson who will be giving a talk "All About Tea." All are welcome. Please contact Pauline Thomas on 01363 866776 for further information.