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Bideford and River Torridge Heritage Harbour get more things done by partnering with others. At national level that’s by being part of the Maritime Heritage Trust. Locally, other heritage organisations are obvious collaborators, and the River Torridge Heritage Group brings together twelve local organisations from along the estuary with a common interest in heritage. For…
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Today at midnight the Government’s consultation on Local Government Reorganisation will close. The Government is seeking views on proposals that will see the end of district councils like Torridge and North Devon, as well as Devon County Council. Instead of two tiers of local government, with a different council responsible for collecting the rubbish from the one that…
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‘I switched them on’, said the little boy in the blue anorak proudly to his class mates from the Muddy Paws preschool group. Standing against the harbour wall, just tall enough to see over, they were all watching the newly recommissioned fountains on Bideford Quay sending jets of water high into the blue sky on…
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In December last year the Navantia shipyard at Appledore held the ceremony for the commencement of ‘cutting steel’ as they started work on the construction of the bow section of the first Fleet Solid Support Ship. At 216 metres long – the length of two Premier League football pitches – these new ships will provide munitions,…
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It is usually assumed that young people in their early 20s have full and varied social lives and that it is the elderly who suffer most from the loneliness that is especially acute at Christmas time. That some older people in our community do suffer loneliness is sadly true. Reduced mobility, rural living, poor public…
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When you were young was there always a satsuma or clementine at the bottom of your Christmas stocking? Did you ever wonder why or just put it down to some strange whim of Father Christmas? When Devon ports became seriously involved in the cod fishery off Newfoundland in the 1600s there was no permanent European…
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Heritage organisations like ours are vitally dependent on the voluntary sector but, like everyone else, they are finding the current economic environment very tough. The heritage voluntary sector is a diverse ecosystem dominated by large charities like National Trust and an enormous number of smaller community groups where volunteers contribute to a wide range of activities. In…
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The number of ships using Bideford as a port has much reduced over the years. Ships queuing up to cross the bar and double moored on the quays to discharge cargoes are just memories. Of course, it didn’t just stop overnight there were a series of changes which impacted port operations. Improvements to roads and…
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We hear that Navantia, Appledore will shortly start cutting steel for the bow sections of the first new Fleet Solid Support Ships. A massive 100 x 30-metre barge will transport them to Belfast. It should be something to watch as it comes in and going out of the estuary fully laden. When we hear about…
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Last Saturday the Mayor of Bideford, Peter Lawrence, unveiled a plaque on the old Bideford Railway Station dedicated to the memory of Elisabeth Deneys, a young Belgian refugee who was killed on the tracks there in 1917. Over a quarter of a million Belgians came to find sanctuary the UK at the start of the…
Bideford and River Torridge Heritage Harbour 