Herald Express (Torbay, Brixham & South Hams Edition)
Club reports
BABBACOMBE & ST MARYCHURCH PROBUS CLUB
THE talk on October 25 was by local herbalist, Dawn Ireland who introduced the members to wayside herbs and their medicinal properties. Dawn, who is a qualified medical herbalist, with a practice in Torquay, took the members on a virtual wayside walk.
Dawn had with her a selection of plants and we discussed all of them.
The first out of the bucket was the humble dandelion, which everyone identified correctly.
A difficult one to get rid of from your lawn, but did you realise just how useful it is as a medicine?
Its leaves and flowers are a source of vitamin C and E, plus triggers for certain digestive enzymes, which help the body absorb nutrients. It also supports liver and gaul bladder function and is an aid to the digestive system. For salad lovers, dandelion leaves are indistinguishable from Rocket.
Next one out of the bucket was Japanese knotweed. Although it is now illegal to grow it except under controlled situations, its roots are medicinally very useful, similar to Echinacea, it can help to boost the immune system and is useful in the treatment of certain skin conditions.
Fennel leaves can be eaten, as can the seeds and fennel tea can be used to help digestion. Everyone remembers Gripe Water to aid cholic in babies. The main ingredient was fennel!
Rose Hips, and the syrup made from them, contain more vitamin C than oranges, and are used to treat degenerative changes in joints and cartilage.
Bay Leaves reduce cholesterol and aid digestion.
Yarrow is a circulation stimulator, good for healing wounds, and according to Culpepper’s herbal of the eighteenth century, good for curing nosebleeds.
Black mustard related to rape seed, improves digestion and aids painful muscle joints.
Dawn Ireland, gave the group a very interesting talk and stimulated a lot of discussion after the meeting!
The Vote of Thanks was given by John Earnshaw.
DAWLISH & TEIGNMOUTH CAMERA CLUB
THERE were prizes galore at the club’s first competition of the season.
Photographic Judge, Peter Hyett ARPS, was given a warm welcome by members of the Dawlish and Teignmouth Camera Club as they heard how he had stepped in at the last minute to judge the club’s 1st Open Competition in place of Derrick Holliday ARPS, who was unable to participate due to illness.
Peter is the Digital Images Competition Secretary at the Exmouth Photo Group and his specialist areas include creative, macro and low light images.
He had the unenviable job of critiquing over 60 prints, which covered a variety of genres from landscapes and portraits to street life and wildlife.
He praised the composition and chosen style of many of the submissions and shared a joke about one particular photo of a sunbathing crocodile, citing it was best taken from the rear! Chairman Nigel West thanked Peter for all his hard work.
The following prizes were awarded:
Colour: Gold - Paul Hepple; Gold - Barry Holmes; Silver - Stuart Houghton; Silver - Tony Wilson; Bronze - Paul Hepple; Bronze - Ken Redshaw; Bronze - Howard Sheard (x 2); Bronze - Peter Sillifant; Bronze - Ernie King.
Mono:Gold - Ken Holland; Gold - Edward Chorlton; Silver - Bob Normand; Silver - Tony Wilson; Bronze - Peter Sillifant; Bronze - Tony Wilson; Bronze - Ken Holland; Bronze - Leslie Cooper.
The club meets on Wednesday evenings at Holcombe Village Hall and new members are always welcome www.dawlishteignmouthcameraclub.co.uk
COURTLAND LODGE OF FREEMASONS
MEMBERS of a Torbay Freemasons Lodge are doing their bit to help fight vandalism.
When the owner of A&M Doors, who is also a member of the Courtland Lodge of Freemasons who meet in Paignton, went to inspect damage caused to an outside security door on the wheelchair store of the Cheshire Homes Douglas House in Brixham, he found it had been caused by vandals.
Andy Dewis immediately returned to discuss the situation with the members of his lodge to see what could be done to help. They agreed to help fund a replacement electric roller door which would be much more secure, enabling Douglas House to keep their vital equipment safe at no cost to themselves.
MID DEVON CYCLE CLUB
MEMBERS took matters into their own hands when a well-used cycle path in South Devon started getting overgrown.
The path beside the new road through the Claypits at Kingsteignton was being narrowed by the encroaching foliage, so the cyclists got stuck in to re- store it to its full width.
In the end the job took 34 people contributing 102 hours to clear 1.6 miles of path.
Cllr Philip Bullivant, Teignbridge District Council’s Portfolio Holder for Recreation and Leisure, said: “On behalf of Teignbridge and everyone who uses the paths along Kingsteignton’s Clay Pits Way, we would like to offer a massive thank you to the 34 volunteers from the Mid Devon Cycle Club who worked tirelessly over a three-week period to clear the vegetation from the path.
“The path is now much wider and has improved safety for cyclists, walkers and people using mobility scooters. The quality and life of the path has been extended because plants growing through the hard surface of the path have been removed, preventing it from deteriorating.”