News

News

CodNShips

Cod ‘n’ ships at the North Devon Record Office

Aug 5th

Posted by BidefordBuzz in Events

No comments

We currently have a new exhibition charting the history of North Devon’s involvement with the Newfoundland fishing industry on display in the entrance foyer to the Local Studies Centre in Barnstaple Library.

For around 300 years after the discovery of Newfoundland by the explorer, John Cabot, at the end of the fifteenth century, the ports of Barnstaple and Bideford were major players in the English fishing fleets that dominated the trade in salted cod caught in the bountiful waters of the Grand Banks. Devon fishermen arrived in Newfoundland each spring, spending six weeks building ‘fishing rooms’, constructed from local timber and comprising a landing stage with areas for dressing the cod and pressing out the oil, or ‘train’.
Small open fishing boats were also built in Newfoundland each year. This work was finished by the end of May in preparation for the arrival of the cod shoals in late June and July.  The huge catches of fish were dried in the open air on vast drying racks set up on the local beaches, salted and then shipped back to be sold for the best possible price in the fish markets of Continental Europe.
At its peak in the 1630s it was estimated that around 20,000 English seamen were engaged in the Newfoundland trade. The presence of the Newfoundland Hotel on Bideford Quay was testimony to the importance of the North Atlantic trade in the history and prosperity of the town. That building is still there, and is now The Rose of Torridge restaurant.

Our exhibition, entitled ‘Cod ‘n’ Ships’, is on display throughout August.

If you would like further information on the North Devon Record Office, please visit our website at www.devon.gov.uk/record_office

The North Devon Record Office is part of the Devon county archives service provided by Devon County Council.

Tim Wormleighton

d&c-constabulary

Neighbourhood Beat Team

Aug 5th

Posted by BidefordBuzz in Local People

No comments

http://www.devon-cornwall.police.uk/

I am  the Neighbourhood Beat Team (NBT) leader stationed at Bideford police station,  an officer of 29yrs service, having also  served in and around Plymouth for 20years . I work alongside regular officers and Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs)  who together are responsible for the Neighbourhood policing of Bideford and surrounding parishes. There are also  patrol officers who cover 24hrs, CID who deal with more serious crime, the Special Constabulary and Neighbourhood Watch. Our Inspector is Shaun Kenneally who also has responsibility for Holsworthy and Torrington

The team  consists of five regular officers  for  Bideford Town, Bideford West, East The Water, Westward Ho! Appledore/Northam and parishes as far as and including Hartland. Each of these  is supported by a PCSO .

One of our  main responsibilities  is community engagement. PCSOs , for example, are expected to patrol their area for at least 80% of the time on duty. They are the eyes and ears of the police force, talking to people, gaining their confidence, and dealing with important community issues .    They attend local meetings, visit schools and clubs, and work closely with partner agencies

Regular officers are also expected to do this,  but have other responsibilities. They investigate criminal offences such as criminal damage and act upon intelligence gathered in relation to unlawful drug use. We are very fortunate in Torridge that there is not a big drug problem nor  a high rate of crime. A lot of this is down to the success of the NBT in dealing with issues when they arise

We believe it is important for the community to be able to contact the police. Of course there is the 999 system for emergencies;  if the call is not urgent we urge people to phone  08452 777444 which will go through to one of the Force Enquiry Centres (FEC) or 01237 428009 where a message can be left for the officer covering the area in which the caller resides.’ Sergeant Simon Bassett,

Northam

Northam Twinning Association

Aug 2nd

Posted by BidefordBuzz in Local People

No comments

Northam Twinning Association

Northam Twinning with France and Germany has been going on for almost 40 years, with a good deal of bonhomie, entente cordiale and freundschaft during all that time.   Some of our members were there at the start, and we keep it going because we have such a very good time with our French and German friends.  Mondeville, outside Caen, Normandy, and Buddenstedt in what was East Germany, are our link towns, and for the majority of us, we ‘clicked’ straight away.   We soon  realised that we all have the same ideals, laugh at the same jokes, love our children, take pride in our homes and the hospitality we offer to guests;  we have  attended weddings as well as funerals, birthday and anniversary parties, and we all have  grievances about our politicians and the way our countries are run – plenty to talk about there!   Many families have spent holidays together, apart from the Twinning.

We would like more people to share the enjoyment we have with our European friends, and we invite anyone, family, couple, or single, to get in touch with us if they would like to join the Twinning.     The exchanges take place in the Spring and Autumn, for a long weekend, usually Thursday to Monday.   Outings and entertainments are arranged, and we find that we get to know each other better by sharing enjoyment.  You don’t have to speak French or German;   most of us get along with sign language and pidgin-English! It all adds to the sense of humour we share.

If you would like to join the Twinning and be matched up with a family, or just fancy a visit to France with us on our coach in  September (23rd – 27th) and would like more information, please phone Maureen Palmer, on 01237 475836, who will be pleased to hear from and help you.

Diana Warmington, (Twinning member since 1971)

, , , , , , ,
bideford-long-bridge

Bideford Bridge Trust

Jul 29th

Posted by BidefordBuzz in Local Business

No comments

Bideford Bridge Trust

Book Grants are given both to students who live in the Parish of Bideford, who have just finished secondary education, and also to students who live in the north of the Parish but to the south of the Link Road. Discretionary Bursaries are only given to students living in the Parish of Bideford.

Persons living in Bideford and its immediate neighbourhood who are similarly going onto or continuing higher education may be eligible for assistance in the event of severe financial hardship (please note that “severe” indicates something over and above the necessity of seeking a student loan). Each of these cases are considered in any event on their own merits.

In addition, any other persons generally commencing a further education course are again eligible to apply for assistance to be considered on its own merits.  Grants were awarded last year up to £150.

For further information please write to The Steward, Bideford Bridge Trust, 24 Bridgeland Street, Bideford, Devon, EX39 2QB, or alternatively telephone The Steward’s Assistant on (01237) 473122.

1234»