by David Birch | Sep 26, 2026 | Recent Articles
Well, that was a Summer that surpassed last year’s efforts! In fact, it was probably too hot for some, and they say this could be the norm for some time to come. How the extended heatwave has affected nature will possibly reveal itself in the shorter term as Autumn establishes itself. While trees have been shedding their branches, and certain hedgerow fruits have been in short supply due to the dry weather, we will soon find out how it has affected the usually rich tapestry that Autumn provides. The garden certainly hasn’t been as bountiful as it normally is!
It has been a wonderful summer for butterflies with many species not normally seen being in such profusion in this country. A record-warm spring gave butterfly populations an early boost, allowing species like holly blues and small coppers to emerge in high numbers, and experts predicted and recorded a massive “painted lady summer” in Britain, with heatwaves and southerly winds pushing thousands of migratory orange butterflies north from Africa.
Blackberries arrived early this year and have been in abundance. I have been picking them from the garden since the end of July and have a nice quantity in the freezer! Blackberries are incorrectly named as they are not true berries. Instead, they are “aggregate fruits”, agglomerations of individual berries known as drupelets. There is traditionally a date after which the berries should not be picked, most commonly taken to be Michaelmas (29 September) but later in some areas, after which time the devil is said to spit or stamp (or worse) on the berries, rendering them unfit. It seems likely that this is a reference to the grey botrytis cinerea mould which envelops the fruits later in the season.
Rose hips too don’t seem to have suffered to much from the dry weather and are a rich source of vitamin ‘C’. During the World War 2, when there were shortages of citrus fruits, the hips were collected and used to make ‘rose-hip syrup’ as an alternative. The seeds inside rose hips are covered in tiny bristles which can irritate the skin. They have been used by generations of kids as the main ingredient of itching powder. A potent reminder of my school days!
A damp Autumn brings on many wonderful fungal fruiting bodies, e.g. mushrooms and toadstools. Woodlands, both deciduous and coniferous, and old pastures are the best places to find fungi. However, they are everywhere and can be found on rotting wood and healthy trees, and in parks, gardens and on lawns for instance. One noticeable formation of toadstools is the fairy ring, formed by Marasmius oreades, although it can fruit from Spring through to Autumn. As the years pass the fungus spreads out further and further from the centre of the circle, and hence some examples can be proved to be decades old.
To quote Mr Keats, Autumn is the ‘season of mists and mellow fruitfulness’. It is also the season of bonfires so can I reiterate the annual message regarding hedgehogs. Please check your bonfire, before you light them, for these small creatures. As hedgehogs tend to hide in the centre and bottom two feet of the bonfire, check by gently lifting the bonfire section by section with a pole or broom. Never use a spade or fork as these can stab them. Using a torch will help and listen for a hissing sound, as this is the noise they make when disturbed.
That’s it….’til next time!
Geoff Pinn
by David Birch | Sep 26, 2026 | Recent Articles
August Bank Holiday Monday saw another successful and enjoyable Fete in the grounds of Tipton School and the Community Hall.
After this year’s scorching summer, I had begun to worry that my prayers for some rain for the garden might backfire asclouds gathered and showers fell in the days before the Fete but, yet again, the weather was kind to us and the sun shone on the day.
This year, out of an abundance of caution in view of the tinder-dry grass on the school field, we relocated the barbecue onto the hard standing of the playground and moved the children’s games, which were many and various, from there onto the lawned area at the rear of the Community Hall. This also helped us to accommodate some additional stalls and we were delighted to welcome local businesses – Fern & Flow selling beautifully presented herbal teas, lotions and other products and Tipton Raw Honey selling (you guessed it!) delicious local honey. Tipton Ladies were also there, auchioning a lovely painting by local artist Lynda Kettle.
The Men’s Shed attended with a wide range of handmade goods, together with Marion Hinds with her hand-crafted bags and accessories. Other stalls all did good business, offering a huge selection of books and jigsaws on the bookstall, bric-a-brac, jewellery, cards, toys and games, plants and produce and delicious home-made cakes – and my thanks go to all those who ran the stalls and who collected, sorted, made, baked, cooked and grew the wares on sale.
Ken, Paul, Roger and their helpers on the barbecue cooked delicious burgers, sausages and veggie burgers (2 varieties!) and Janet and her team worked hard to satisfy the seemingly endless demand for cream teas and home-made cakes. Our splendid local musicians, Wonky Buzzard (Vanda, Chris, Martha and Josie joined, this year, by guest singer Blossom) performed their extensive repertoire of popular music which again contributed so much to the relaxed and happy atmosphere of our Fete.
Further entertainment was provided in the form of a wide range of children’s games organized and overseen by Linda, Mo and their helpers. The ever-popular how many sweets in the jar? game kindly provided and run by Shirley; the tombola/bottle stall run by Keith and Caroline (where I won both a bottle of shampoo and a bottle of shower soap, causing me to worry over my personal freshness …) and raffles of a beautifully embroidered cushion and of a bottle of gin (and tonic) kindly donated by Sundial Care Home.
Thanks are due to the Golden Lion, Tipton Garage, Baters Removals, Sargent and Sons and the many other local businesses who again provided splendid prizes for the Grand Draw efficiently, as always!, run by Ann and Terry; to Elizabeth for collecting many of the prizes (and running the plant stall with Janet) and, of course, to Sundial Care Home for again making their grounds available for the convenient parking for our visitors and helpers.
Car parking was again efficiently supervised by Malcolm and his able team of high-vis helpers and entry at the gate by our senior team of June and Sue (who I hope will forgive me for this description!).
Our churches in Tipton and Venn Ottery are very pleased to arrange this event for our local community, but the funds raised also make a very important contribution to the funds needed for their work in the parish, the charities they support and, of course, the running costs of the churches themselves, and I am pleased to report that this year’s Fete raised the record sum of just over £5,700.
Thank you again to all who attended the Fete and to our many kind helpers and donors, who made it all possible. I hope you all enjoyed your day and look forward to seeing you all again next year.
Mike Smith, Fete Chairman
by David Birch | Sep 26, 2026 | Recent Articles
Tipton School Update
There was a brilliant turnout from the community at the drop-in session held in the village hall on 23 July. The event was organised by DCC’s planning consultants to help inform the planning application that is due to be submitted.
Throughout the summer, DCC’s technical consultants have continued to progress the reports required to support the outline planning application. The application is expected to be submitted at the end of September or beginning of October. Once the application goes live on East Devon District Council’s planning portal, it will be important for residents who support the proposal to submit their comments.
As well as liaising with DCC’s project team throughout the summer, I have continued to work closely with the Department for Education and the School. I remain hopeful that DCC will be able to satisfy the Department for
Education’s requirements so that the project can proceed. Securing outline planning permission is a key part of this process.
Local Government Reorganisation
As many residents will be aware, the Government announced in July its decision to reorganise local government in Devon into four unitary authorities. The programme has since been paused, and at present there is limited information about what this actually means. The Government had selected the least popular of all the options and it would have meant Tipton St John falling in the huge rural authority.
The costs involved to date by DCC will have been substantial and I understand that Devon County Council is seeking to recover these from Government.
EDDC Community Grant Fund
East Devon District Council has launched a new round of its Community Grant Fund. The scheme is available to voluntary groups, charities and social enterprises that provide support to residents across East Devon.
A total of £118,454 has been made available during the 2026/27 financial year to support voluntary and charitable activities.
The fund consists of:
- Small Community Grants of between £300 and £1,500.
- Community Building Grants of between £500 and £10,000.
Further information is available on the EDDC website.
by David Birch | Jul 27, 2026 | Recent Articles
Background. As you will be aware, our school is required to relocate due to the serious flooding issues on the existing site. The rebuild is due to be funded and delivered by the Department for Education as part of the Government’s School Rebuilding Programme. The first step is for Devon County Council to identify and provide the Department for Education with a suitable piece of land. We consulted on the relocation of the school to Ottery St Mary in 2024 in response to a previous site appraisal exercise which did not identify a suitable site in Tipton. This was met with widespread opposition from the local community and the governors approached Devon County Council and requested they look again for a feasible site in Tipton St John Village.
Update. Last year, Devon County Council agreed to look again at potential sites in Tipton. Land West of Tipton Vale was selected as the one potentially feasible option and a detailed assessment of the site has progressed at pace and as a priority by Devon County Council over the past year. This has involved a multi-disciplinary team working together to prepare for an outline planning application for the development of the site, which requires detailed consideration and assessment of both on-site and off-site works that will be required to enable the site to be developed, including the identification of suitable pedestrian access route through the village. This work is extensive and ongoing. Governors have been regularly updated throughout this process and have worked constructively alongside Devon County Council officers throughout and we now have progress that we can relay to you…
Next Steps. Devon County Council will be leading a drop-in session as part of the outline planning application process to rebuild Tipton St John Primary School on Land West of Tipton Vale. This will be held at Tipton St John Village Hall on Thursday 23rd July (Main hall 2:30pm – 5:30pm / Small hall 5:30pm – 6:30pm). Here you will be able to learn more about the outline plans and discuss this with the project team. The intention is for Devon County Council to submit the outline planning application in the Autumn Term 2026.
Your Role. School governors really hope you can show your support for the project through engagement with the planned drop-in session and by responding to the outline planning application with your comments once the formal planning consultation begins. It is not an option for the school to remain long term in its current location and if this outline planning application is unsuccessful, it is likely the school will move to Ottery St Mary.
A Brighter Future for Our School. It is important that it is understood that this is simply a relocation to a new building, in a nearby location, NOT the opening of a new school. In fact this proposed location would be close enough for us to walk our resources to the new site! The essence of our church school and all that makes us special would journey with us. The Governors’ highest priority is to reach a deliverable solution which offers all pupils of Tipton St John Primary School a safe school building and an environment with allows all pupils and staff to thrive personally, socially and academically and be the best they can be!
Kind regards,
Sarah Walls Amanda Fulford
Chair of Governors Executive Headteacher
by David Birch | Jul 27, 2026 | Recent Articles
John who died on 1st June was the youngest of five children born to Stanley and Lilian Sargent. John was the only one of the siblings to be born at Tipton Mill where he would live all his life until deteriorating health forced the move into long-term care. John attended the village school and then Sidmouth Secondary Modern and impressed his teachers, ending his time at Sidmouth as head boy. He was keen on sports especially football, later playing for Tipton AFC alongside brother Edwin. On finishing school, he settled into life at Tipton Mill helping around the farm and learning the milling trade from his father and particularly enjoyed milking the cows and rearing the calves.
At just 17, John’s carefree life was abruptly cut short by the sudden death of his father in January 1956. Overnight he had to take over the running the mill and the farm. The family suffered a further loss In September the following year, when his beloved sister Betty lost her life in a road traffic accident at just 30 years of age. This double tragedy weighed heavily on John for many years. This period in John’s life was very hard. Finances were tight, work was gruelling with long hours and now the family was torn apart. Just at an age when John should be socialising and pursing other pastimes, he was trapped at the mill. Given all this, little wonder people considered John a recluse.
The old water powered mill was pushed to the limits often working long into the night to fulfil orders. There were no longer any farm animals at the mill and the stables, shippen, etc., were now used for feed storage. The milling business had been expanded as far as it could go. So, in the early 70’s the decision was made to build a new electric powered mill and warehouse on the current site. The new mill would offer a range of bagged or bulk products for delivery to farms. And best of all raw materials coming in were mostly in bulk and products leaving the mill were now stacked on pallets to be handled by forklift. Before the old mill finally closed, the University of Plymouth made a film of John and Eddy operating what was then one of the last working grist mills.
John conducted all his business by telephone. He regularly spoke to traders from around the country and farmers far and wide for years without meeting in person. John was a great one for collecting snippets of information via the telephone. Although he rarely left the mill it was well know that if you wanted some information, ask John Sargent. John loved cattle and over the years, with the encouragement of others established a large herd of Charolais cattle. A few were selected for showing and on occasion won rosettes. Good prices were achieved at market for the quality beef reared. As the herd grew more fields were acquired and additional barns built to accommodate the herd over winter.
One achievement John was rightly proud of was the construction of the hydroelectric Archimedes screw on the mill leat. John had spent some three years bringing the project to fruition; battling planners and the Environment Agency. The project generated its first electricity in 2010 and is still going strong.
John’s love of nature and animals was one of his passions. He enjoyed walks around the fields by the river where he would often see kingfishers and dippers. A chance meeting with other walkers would often lead to a good chat. John loved “putting the worlds to right” and would often walk across the fields to Hugh Rudham’s at Fluxton to seek Hugh’s opinion on the topic of the day. John remained a bachelor all his life and never learnt to drive which he repeatedly said was his biggest regret.
John’s final years were spent at Kings Manor Care Home. John had a lovely room beside the garden with views to East Hill. The catering was five star and the care and compassion he received from all levels of staff was exceptional.
by David Birch | Jul 27, 2026 | Recent Articles
The 19th edition of the Otter Rail & River 10km and Fun Run was another great success. The event, which took place on Saturday, 11 July, raised more than £4,500 for the Tipton Playing Fields and other local causes.
The success of the event is a reflection of the village community who provide the majority of the marshals and volunteers. Many of the participants return year after year. And we know from the many thank you messages we received after the race it’s because of the support, friendliness and encouragement of the volunteers: “What amazing Marshalls you have, despite many standing in the baking heat they remained cheerful, encouraging and really worked hard to direct us all and keep the water stations, sponges and hoses going which was fantastic.”
The heat this year added an extra challenge to the participants, volunteers and organisers. But it didn’t discourage 250 runners lining up on the start line to run in temperatures of 27°C at the start, rising to 29°C by the finish! Despite the heat, Tom Merson came within 20 seconds of breaking the men’s course record and thankfully our medical team (expanded due to the conditions) were left twiddling their thumbs.
Tom Merson of Exmouth Harriers won the men’s race in 34:56, making him the second person in 19 years to break 35 minutes. Hannah Bown, also of Exmouth Harriers, won the women’s race in 50:28. The first local runners to cross the finish line were Andy Wiltshire and [???]. For the second year running, Dennis Burrell travelled up from near Camborne, Cornwall to cross the line as the oldest finisher – age 82! It’s not all about the 10km, though. Before the main event, more than 70 youngsters from 2 years upwards lined up for the fun run. They run about a mile, some of them at amazing speeds, for a medal and [the much sought after] jelly snake. This year, due to the heat they received an extra reward of an ice pop – a bonus that was very well received.
Our thanks go to Michelmores, Otter Brewery (beer for finishers), The Golden Lion Pub (vouchers for spot prizes), Four Elms Fruit Farm (apple juice to category winners), Pinnacle Icing (prizes for 1st, 2nd & 3rd male and female), Ian Winchester & Sons (fruit for finishers) and Phyzz (vouchers for spot and local runner prizes). And a special thankyou to Jo Earlam and Cathrine Hilton, our committee members, who make it all look easy by working so hard.
Race director Adrian Harris
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