FOLLOWING the welcome and business at DOWN ST MARY when a delegate for the Spring Council meeting was elected, the Red Devon Earth Group meeting was discussed with two members attending.

Tom Coleman was welcomed to give an interesting illustrated talk on Devon Longhouses. He started with a slide of caves as the first dwellings, through round houses, Dartmoor villages, roman villas and on to longhouses and how they had been used with a through passage, with livestock kept one side and the family on the other.

He explained how the houses were two stories high but only contained the ground floor – possibly to allow the smoke to rise. By the sooted rafters and underlayer of thatch, it was wondered how it would be possible to keep people and things clean.

He explained thxat, later, when chimneys had been discovered, how the upper floor was then added and how things like porches and wings had become status symbols. The talk was very much enjoyed by the members.

The April 14 meeting will be a talk on the Street Children of India and given by Ruth Bealing.

JL

PRESIDENT Margaret Tucker welcomed three new members at the February meeting of Sandford. They were Ruth Waterhouse, Elaine Stanlake, and Jean Orwin. Secretary, Ann Evans, gave details of future events in the area, including a report on the recent Group Secretary's meeting, when it was agreed that in future there would be only one Group Meeting each year, one with a speaker and the second one would be a Social Event.

Dodie Huxter expressed her thanks to Margaret Bowden and Yeoford's president, Janet Noyes, for demonstrating WI crafts at her stall at the recent Crediton Farmers' Market,

Margaret did Posy making and Janet showed how to make Marzipan Sweets.

Dodie said she would welcome two members at the April 3 market, when the theme would be eggs!

Names were taken for Yeoford's Group Meeting on April 8. Anne Friend sent a letter of thanks for the members donations given in lieu of Christmas cards, for Hospiscare.

The speaker was Joan Northrupp, from the Trading Standards Office, who gave an informative and enjoyable talk on their work. She showed glasses with the measure stamps on, as used in public houses, to ensure no short measures are given, plus their own very accurate weights to check weights of goods sold.

She also brought some fake watches and jewellery, often available on market stalls, even fake cigarettes! Plus a selection of dangerous toys, which had been withdrawn from sale.

She answered a number of questions, She also told members that even medicines can be fake and that fake goods, are very big Business and can be used to launder money. She was thanked by Ann Still.

There was the first bring a prize draw which will be held every two months to help with fundraising.

Members discussed having a stall at the forthcoming Sandford Street Market and final arrangements were made for their cake and coffee morning at Sandford Congregational Church Hall on Saturday, March 27 from 10am to 12 noon

The competition for five Easter biscuits was won by: 1 Gwen Cleverdon, 2 Phyllis Conibere. Flower of the month winner: 1 Maureen Greenwood, 2 Margaret Tucker.

The next meeting is on Tuesday, April 13 at 7.30pm in Sandford Parish Hall, when local vet Emma James will talk on Exotic Pets and will be bringing along a couple for members to see.

Visitors are welcome.^

THE speaker at the March meeting of NORTH TAWTON brought back many memories for members when Ray Budd, described his rise to stardom with the Black and White Minstrels.

Ray - a Westcountry lad - as a boy entertained his family and friends and was a choirboy in his local church. After leaving school - keen to continue singing, he was auditioned by the BBC, which led to his first professional engagement - with the Billy Cotton Band.

He then had a spell in the Royal Navy and after leaving due to an injury, joined the George Mitchell Singers and found himself singing with the likes of Shirley Bassey, Bob Hope, Eartha Kitt and Cliff Richard. George Mitchell and George Inn devised the idea of the Black and White Minstrels and Ray sang with them until 1964 and still has a lovely voice.

Members have numerous forthcoming events organised, with visits to the theatre, a summer boat trip and some members are taking part in the Celebration of Performing Arts at the Barnfield Theatre, Exeter, later this month.

Next month's speaker will be Charles Palmer, who will be talking about "Country Interests".

AL

THE President of CREDITON took the March meeting and members were reminded of the Group meeting at Yeoford on April 8 when 19 members will attend. The competition will be for Easter Biscuits.

Two members will go to the Spring council meeting at Torquay next month and 19 members will visit the Barnfield Theatre, Exeter, to see the WI Performing Arts Show.

Ideas for our outing are still being put forward. Hestercombe Gardens seems most popular.

Wyn Bradley was presented with a bouquet on reaching a "big" birthday.

Our speaker was Peter Triggs, a railway enthusiast and brilliant photographer. He showed slides of rural scenes, flora and fauna, accompanied by amusing banter.

Members who could identify places were rewarded with sweets - all great fun. Joyce Pike gave a vote of thanks.

A bring and buy stall made £34 for funds.

The competition, for a rural scene, was won by: 1 Pam Gill, 2 Jean Turner, 3 Gill Halsay.

Flower of the Month winner was Enid Clifton and the raffle for an Easter egg was won by Beryl Bassett.

Next month's speaker is Marilyn James on "Pearls". There are still some seats available for Singing in the Rain"- telephone 01363 774357 for details.

JPM

PRESIDENT Angie Williams welcomed many members and visitors to the March meeting of MORCHARD BISHOP. The "business session" has been "re-vamped" so is now more concise, giving time for any queries and opinions, but more importantly, making sure the speaker is not kept waiting!

The raffle will also undergo a change in a positive sense. Together with the Maids of Morchard WI, members are organised for the annual village clean-up. The "girls" do a grand job collecting all the discarded rubbish.

Alan Baker, a volunteer with ShelterBox, a Rotary disaster charity founded and run by Helston Rotary Club, was introduced and with a "half box" unpacked, told us in detail a full Box's normal contents that can provide 10 people with shelter, drinking water means to cook and keep warm etc.

With the aid of slides, he explained how it was started by former driver Tom Henderson, how the charity has grown and gave so much interesting information that the audience was spellbound in admiration for all that ShelterBox does and achieves.

Marina Down thanked Alan for such a fascinating and riveting talk.

Refreshments followed with competition results.

A camping gadget had Jean Findlay's lamp come first and Janet Knight's second Flower of the Month results: 1 Mo Sparrow, 2 Pam Schofield.

Next month's meeting sees most members enjoying the annual birthday lunch!>

THE new evening WI in Morchard Bishop, calling themselves the MORCHARD MAIDS, have got off to a good start.

There were 28 members at the February meeting held at the London Inn, when the speaker was local farmer Phil Thomas from Linscombe Farm, New Buildings.

He gave an interesting and informative talk on growing organic vegetables.

Also in February, the group organised a quiz night at the London Inn, which attracted 10 teams of players. Quiz Master was Sarah Gillbard. It was very successful and they plan to arrange more in the future.

Speaker at the next meeting will be award winning landscape photographer Adam Burton who lives in Morchard Bishop.>

PRESIDENT Margaret Steer welcomed members of CHERITON FITZPAINE to the March meeting. Plans for the Spring Council Meeting in Torquay were finalised and we also discussed an entry in the Mid Devon Show. The WI hopes to work with other villagers in preparing a book of reminiscences from some of our older friends.

After the business, Dodie Huxter gave us an interesting talk about the origins of the Farmers' Markets in recent times. Historically, they had been a means of selling home and farm produce in local towns, usually on market day.

During the 1990's there was a resurgence in the markets, where customers were able to buy fresh, often organic, seasonal vegetables and meat without a middle man.

The first in the South West was actually on a small scale in the village of Drayton in Somerset, although, officially, Bath holds the trophy.

The foot and mouth epidemic of 2001 actually helped farmers' markets, because consumers wanted to know where their produce came from and generally food brought from "field to fork" comes from within 10 miles of the site of the market.

Dodie was thanked by Mary Burchmore and kindly answered further questions over tea.

The Competition, for an animal made out of a vegetable, was won by Doreen Bennellick, who had fashioned a very lifelike whale from an aubergine.

The next meeting will be on Wednesday, April 7 at 2.15pm in the Parish Hall, when the speaker will be Bob Ogden talking about the Life and Work of the Honey Bee.

MN

COLEBROOKE members were back back in the Parish Hall for their March meeting.

We had a short but lively business meeting and final numbers were taken for the Spring Council meeting in Torquay and the outing to the Lost Gardens of Heligan in May.

Hazel Walker is going to be our representative at the AGM in Cardiff and we have eight members who want to go to the Red Earth Group meeting at Spreyton in April.

Following this, we were pleased to welcome our speaker, Diane Pagliero, who gave us an extremely interesting talk on the History of Faberge Eggs.

Diane is a member of the Egg Crafters Guild of Great Britain and is passionate about her subject. We heard about the history of Carl Faberge and his work as a jeweller and the story of the tradition of giving eggs at Easter in Russia from humble painted hens' eggs to the beautiful gold and jewelled Imperial eggs of the Russian royal family.

Diane has crafted many eggs herself, using hen, goose and ostrich eggs and has won awards at the annual show of the Egg Crafters Guild for her original works and her amazing copies of the Faberge Imperial eggs - all of which she had brought along to show us.

She will have a stand at the Creative Stitches show at Westpoint in the autumn and we would recommend her as a speaker for a fascinating evening.

Our meeting for April will feature a talk on Patchwork and Craft by Naomi Keate.

BM

PRESIDENT Phil Tucker welcomed historian Robin Langhorne to the March meeting of SPREYTON.

He spoke about Crediton from ancient times, with special reference to the Church of the Holy Cross.

He judged the competition for an Easter card, which was won by Ann Winsor, runner-up was Marion Clinch who also won the raffle.

Members elected to go to the Spring council meeting in Torquay, where guest speaker will be singer Lesley Garrett.

Final arrangements for the diamond anniversary/group meeting will be completed in April. EC