Susan Desmond welcomed the members to the last meeting before the summer break of the Werrington Ladies Circle and introduced the speaker Wendy Redwood from SW Podiatry Clinic based at the Homeleigh Garden Centre in Launceston who gave a talk on quality care and advice for your feet. Wendy explained that the Podiatry and Chiropody Clinic provides professional high quality care to your feet which helps to improve foot function and reduce pain.

Wendy began her talk by explaining how skin provides a barrier against injury and the various foot problems such as corns and callus which can be caused from hard skin as a result of friction and pressure on your feet when you are walking or exercising. Wendy also talked about the causes and treatment of fungal and bacterial infections on your feet such as athlete’s foot which can be prevented through good hygiene by washing, drying and moisturising. Wendy went on to talk about toe nails and advise not to cut into the cuticles and cut straight across and regularly keeping your toe nails tidy and trimmed. The toe nails provide protection for the tips of the bones underneath which can over time be susceptible to damage causing fungal nail infections, in growing toe nails and thick hard nails.

Wendy then talked about the 26 bones in your feet which are prone to injury which shape your body and help you to move about. Brakes and fractures, weak and brittle bones, bone spurs on the heals to name a few. She also talked about the joints in your feet explaining how bunions and arthritis can cause deformation by restricting joint movement therefore becoming very stiff and painful. Sport injuries are caused by damage to the muscles, ligaments and tendons such as ankle sprains, hammer toes, fallen arteries, and torn ligaments.

There are also two nerves in your feet which are sensory nerves for feeling and motor nerves for movement. Diabetes has been known to cause nerve damage through a lack of vitamin B12 deficiency. Arteries and veins provide oxygen and nutrients to the body and it is vital that you get blood to your feet as resulting problems can cause deep vein thrombosis (DVT)

Wendy concluded by explaining how important it is to look after your feet through regular good hygiene, keeping a healthy weight and balanced diet, exercise and good fitting shoes that will support and protect your feet.

Wendy bought along with her a foot Doppler machine, also known as a Doppler ultrasound, which is a handheld device that uses high-frequency sound waves to measure blood flow in the feet. The members were given the opportunity to have a try of the machine on their feet

Susan thanked the speaker and invited questions from the members. Tea and coffees were served by Mrs Agnes Colwell and the committee provided the refreshments of a variety of biscuits, cakes and cheese and biscuits.

Our next meeting will take place on Tuesday, September 24, at 7.30pm where we would welcome old and new members to join us for our new 2024/25 programme so if you are interested in becoming a member of the Werrington Ladies Circle then please contact Susan Desmond, president, on 01566 773768.

In July the Jubilee Club went to Cleave Farm, Buckland Brewer,where they enjoyed a lovely meal and afterwards with the weather being good we strolled around the lovely garden.

Thanks were expressed to Mr and Mrs Mills by the members for an enjoyable time.

A coffee and cake morning was held on June 21 when numbers were down a little but the sum of £174 was raised for Parkinsons.

On August 9 the coffee and cake morning was well attended and £215 was raised for the British Heart Foundation. Thank you to everyone who attends these events.

The Coad’s Green WI enjoy a fascinating tour of the Antique Chair Musuem.

The Coad’s Green August Social is always a welcome opportunity to visit places of local interest along with friends and partners. This year was no exception, as Alice Brown welcomed the group to her Antique Chair Museum at Polson, which she established with her husband, Tom, in 1993.

Alice gave us a fascinating introduction to the chair, the development of which has been recorded in this country for over four hundred years. The collection of over three hundred and fifty chairs was displayed in four showrooms and illustrated the changes that had taken place from the Elizabethan carpenter to the Georgian designer, which included the wood that was used. The group members toured the rooms with a challenging quiz, designed to help to distinguish a Georgian ladder back from a Victorian balloon back and become familiar with the works, amongst others, of Chippendale and Sheraton.

Alison Gribble won the close-fought quiz and was presented with a tea towel, with a verse printed on it entitled ‘Friendship’, the ethos of the WI Celia Jennings gave the vote of thanks for such an interesting and educational evening. It was mentioned that many in the group had seen the brown signs for the ‘Antique Chairs and Museum’ on the A30 but had no idea of the extensive collection behind it.

The evening finished with a shared supper at the home of Janet Ham, to round off a very enjoyable occasion.

The next meeting will be held on Wednesday, September 11, in the Chapel Parlour at Coad’s Green at 7.30pm when the guest speaker will be Toni Martin, whose topic will be ‘Life in the Army’. New members and visitors are always welcome.

On Saturday, August 24, the members of Granville Lodge in Bude were delighted to receive a visit from some of the members of Cotehele Lodge which meets in Calstock.

They were taking part in a sponsored walk from Lands End to their Masonic Hall. They set off on Thursday, August 22, walking in relay with several members taking part on each leg. The aim was to raise funds for the Redruth charity Penhaligon's Friends which supports children and young people who have suffered bereavements. The route took in a total of 120 miles with the walkers visiting 16 Masonic Halls, home to 41 different Cornish lodges.

Bude was the 13th stop on the route and they were greeted by members, friends and families and treated to a splendid afternoon tea prepared by Margaret Reeve. Jeff Green, the Worshipful Master of Granville Lodge, presented the Master of Cotehele Lodge, Geoff Kavanagh with a donation of £100 towards the chosen charity.

The walkers were hoping to raise a total in excess of £2,500 by the time the walk was completed. At 6am on Sunday the walkers set off from Bude en route to Callington via Launceston and on Monday the final 'short' walk saw them arrive at their Masonic home in Calstock.

For further information about Penhaligon's Friends phone 01209 215889.

For information about freemasonry in Cornwall phone 01872 276191.

The Parish Church of St James the Great Flower Festival for 2024 was held last weekend. The theme this year was 'History in the Making'. The bells rang out at 10am on the Friday morning, declaring the Flower Festival as being open.

There were twenty four stunning displays, arranged by groups and organisations based in the village, many local individuals and others from beyond the parish.

Those arranging the displays chose a variety of history making topics to go under the theme and were: Rugby through the years, Titanic, Olympic Sports, Moon Landings, Lighthouses, History in the Writing, Rock 'n Roll 50's and 60's, History in the Making Crafts, London Olympics, Votes for Women, Digging for Britain, Victorian Decades, The Last Supper, Land Girls, 1940's and 50's, The Hippie Trail - 1960's, Royal Ascot Ladies' Day, Oranges and Lemons say the Bells of St Clements, Concorde, History of Film, History of Communication, The Roaring 20's, 1910 to 1920, and The East Window of St Andrews Church, Stratton.

The organisers thank all sponsors, flower arrangers, those who served refreshments, those who manned the door and sold raffle tickets, all who attended and all who contributed in any way.

On the Sunday morning the Church Bells rang out once again and Rev Teresa Folland led the service of Holy Communion. The Church Choir sang as the congregation arrived and the singing of congregational hymns was led by organist Luke Francis and the Choir, with the Choir also rendering hymns during Holy Communion. The lesson was read by Tony Davis and the collection was taken up by Lyn Ward-Smith and Jenny Reed. After the service, a luncheon of hot pasties with salad was served, followed by desserts, teas and coffees. All takings and donations over the course of the weekend were for church funds.

The Launcells Horticultural Show took place on Saturday, August 17, and despite the very unseasonal spring and summer, the growers and makers of the Parish yet again produced a lovely display. 

There was an excellent selection of vegetables and a lovely display of cakes and biscuits together with flowers, preserves, crafts and photographs. 

It was lovely to see some new exhibitors as well as some who had not entered the show for a while.  We hope they enjoyed the day and that they will join us again next year.

Many thanks to all those who took part, the organisers, the volunteers who helped set up and clear away, the judges, the helpers in the kitchen, to  Fiona Hargreaves  for presenting the prizes and to everyone who came along for a very sociable afternoon.

Let’s hope the weather is kinder to us next year and that perhaps a few more people can enter the 2025 show, especially all the children in the parish.

Section 1, Vegetables:

The Cleave Challenge Cup, winner — Graham Tape

The Snowden Perpetual Trophy, runner-up — Derek Cole 

Stedwill Memorial Cup, Classes 28 to 34 — Graham Tape

The Sainsbury Cup, Class 1 — Graham Tape

Section 2, Flowers:

The Hunt Perpetual Cup, winner — Graham Tape

The Yelland Perpetual Trophy, runner-up — David Long

Mrs Cleave Cup, Class 36 — Derek Cole

Section 2, Pot plants: 

Launcells Horticultural Show Cup, winner — Mandy Pollard

The Dinner Trophy, runner-up — Graham Tape

Section 3, Floral Art:

The Brooks Challenge Cup, winner  — Sandy Cheshire

The Sainsbury Trophy, runner-up — Sue Urwin

Section 4, Cookery and salads:

The Barkwill Challenge Cup, winner — Mandy Pollard

The Stedwill Perpetual Trophy, runners-up — Marlene Bath

The Pickard Cup, Classes 87 to 92 — Mandy Pollard

Section 5, Preserves:

The Tape Perpetual Salver, winner — Mandy Pollard

The Higher Grimscott Preserve Plate, runner-up — Caroline Tape

The Havasu Trophy, Classes 114 to 120 — Mandy Pollard

Section 6, Handicrafts:

The Venner Challenge Cup, winner — Freda Hockin

The Dingle Perpetual Trophy, runner-up — Sandy Cheshire

Les Yelland Trophy, best exhibit — Derek Cole

Section 7, Photography:

Launcells Horticultural Show Bowl, winner — Alison Butler

Launcells Horticultural Show  Trophy, runners-up — Mandy Pollard and Brian Pollard

Section 8, Children under 10 years:

The Jenkins Cup, winner — Dylan Bath

Stedwill Plaque, runner-up — William Westaway

The Cann Trophy, best exhibit — Louise Symons

The Alf Snowden Trophy, Classes 153 to 157 — Dylan Bath

The Ron Pearce Cup, Most Points 160 -166 — Dylan Bath

Section 9, Children 10 to 16 years: 

Sillifant Cup, winner — Ella-Rae Bath

Patt Trophy, best exhibit — Ella-Rae Bath

Trophy, Most Points 167 - 171 — Ella-Rae Bath

MEMBERS of Lewtrenchard WI met on August 13 for an ‘Afternoon Tea Fund Raising Event’. Barbara extended a warm welcome to our members, guests from other WI’s, the general public and Matt Holland, the speaker.

After everyone had a cup of tea, food and was nicely settled down, Barbara reminded us about the coffee morning, walk and working party at the Rampsonwillis, then introduced Matt Holland, press officer from North Dartmoor Search & Rescue (NDS&R). He spoke about how he got involved, how he always wanted to be part of this volunteer group. It was sad to hear that there is a growing trend for members of the public who wished to end their day on Dartmoor and the poor volunteers have to search for them. They often walk many miles in the worst possible conditions, often taking much, much longer walking back with a casualty on a stretcher, but they will always follow up a call for help no matter the weather. If you are in trouble, call 999 and ask for the police then Mountain Rescue. Matts advice: Always tell someone where you are going, which route you plan to take and what time you plan to be back. If the person doesn’t come back as planned, make that 999 call. We raised a fantastic sum of more than £500 for NDS&R - well done all.

You can also find more information in the Oke Links magazine, July/August 2024, Issue 45, page 11. Matt kept his talk brief so as not to bore people, but everyone was fascinated and interested, so much so that Matt answered about 15 questions from the floor. Matt was indeed very informative and helpful and enjoyed our WI welcome.