CLLR MHB BLOG

BLOG 25 – Party in the Park at Swimbridge – Chat with our MP – Council work – Gaza Vigil 83 – Counting Wading Birds on the Taw

Jun 15, 2025

Saturday 14 June started with grim weather but later the sun came out and so did masses of people. Ian Roome MP opened the Party alongside our inspiring parish council chair Darren Knill. I played a very minor role on the organising committee and can appreciate the skills and hard work of those who did the heavy lifting in terms of meticulously planning the event. So many people helped in countless ways, large and small. It was so heartening.

I had a stall as usual for the Friends of St James Church, Swimbridge. It was great to talk to Ian and hear that he has got the Health Minister coming down to look at our hospital – we were promised a new one by the Tory government and an enormous amount of preparatory work has been done on new buildings. We think the case for our hospital is overwhelming – and hope the Minister will agree. I also talked to lots of other people, including newcomers to the area, not only about the Friends but other local issues. Our vicar had an Eco-aware ‘Wild Church’ stall which was a hit with young visitors.

This is the splendid wildflower patch in front of the North Devon Council offices. Funding is now in place for photo-voltaic panels on the roofs plus heat pumps. I attended a lot of meetings during the week – some in person, like Licensing & Community Safety and Governance, some online like Local Authority Finance Training. I really admire colleagues who manage their cllr workload as well holding down jobs.

83rd weekly Vigil for Gaza in Barnstaple High Street (on Wednesdays at 5pm) – photo by Brian Garman. I had prepared a text to share – a report from Haaretz, the Israeli opposition newspaper I read daily – but in the end said nothing. The horror and the failure of the world’s governments to end it leave me speechless – but bearing witness alongside my valiant friends remains essential.

Sunday morning walking by the Taw at Bishop’s Tawton counting for the Wading Birds Survey of the British Trust for Ornithology. I met a friend, walking her dog, who recently saw a Shelduck with 11 ducklings. She also saw an Otter with a kit. Soon the Shelduck and her young had disappeared. My highlights were a Kingfisher which zipped past me thrillingly and a Red Kite soaring majestically above the river, sunshine lighting up its plumage. Thank you for reading.