May Festivals and Fairs

The end of May and a remarkable Monday bank holiday - no rain! Shaldon held its long established Fair at which the May Queen for the year was crowned - alongside her princesses. She looked radiant and carried off her first official duties with great poise awarding prizes in a painting competition. Traditional stalls - and of course the cakes! - brought out many villagers and the Green was packed. I bought some truly yummy apricot flapjacks and was tempted by some interesting wooden- yes wooden roses. A dozen now sit on my bedroom windowsill. Richard Younger Ross was there but had no particular message to bring from Westminster -or indeed anywhere else.

The Ram Roasting Festival at Oakford Lawn in Kingsteignton was a huge success with long queues to get in. As usual despite reserves, the supply of roasted ram ran out! Lots to see and lots to do, from the bucking bronco, the donkey rides, maypole dancing, racing and of course the tug of war! Tony Beard the Wag from Widicombe did a great job - and of course crowned the May Queen, seven year old Robyn Pearson, whose great grandmother had been the Ram Roast May Queen 81 years ago. The local Conservatives ran a treasure hunt this year which was a great success....while the Liberal Democrats decided not to take a stall at all! And yes, I bought another cake - a very rich and moist Ginger Cake with lemon zest.

You are going to think I am a bit of a foodie - but there really is nothing like home made cakes....and local wine! This was English Wine Week. Old Walls Vineyard in Bishopsteignton and the new Kenton Vineyard offered tours and tastings alongside a number of others in South Devon. I think English wine has finally made its mark as a true quality competitor in the market and about time too!

On Thursday I attended a really excellent talk at the Town Hall in Newton Abbot organised by the Civic Society and Friends of the Museum- Michael Martyn has a rare gift of bringing the history of Newton Abbot to life. This time we were taken on a tour of the creation of and competition for educational establishments in Newton Abbot - indeed it was one of the attractions of living there. Quite fascinating with exhibits from the museum on show which had played a key part in the story!

On Friday I spent a couple of hours with the residents of the Churchills in Newton Abbot listening to their concerns about the behaviour of children around Coombeshead College. A residents meeting has been called for next week with the school to see what can be done to improve the situation which I shall be attending to see if we can find a solution.

And finally I have been out with the team canvassing again! Everyone complains politicians are only interested during an election - I am interested all of the time in doing what I can to help. I met a couple of families who really did have problems and I am working with them now to try to solve them. People are not just frustrated by the inadequate bin collections, the poor state of the roads and the generally poor upkeep of the town, but also by much bigger failures in social services, health care and the police. They have had enough!