June
3rd 2021
There are now
only 27 days left to
submit your entry into
our Short Story
Competition, so if you
have started one, don't
delay in finishing it!
Entry details are here:
www.manningspit.com/saki
It is also only 18 days
until the Summer
Solstice. Almost a year
ago, we held our first
of four walking events
to celebrate the
solstices and equinoxes.
There wasn't much else
we could do during the
pandemic and ongoing
lockdowns. By July we
hope to start holding
Coffee Mornings again in
the Hall, if all goes
well, and - weather and
lockdown measures
permitting - we may
decide to have another
walk on Sunday 20th.
Last June's walk was the
hardest obviously, with
a start at a very early
hour, but it was a great
day.
Here is a lovely photo
from then of a family
who came out in support,
preparing to do their
relay leg of the fields.
These little girls have
grown up during the
campaign, as their
parents were supporters
right from the beginning
in late 2015.
May 25th 2021
We are very
excited to have
support from Broomhill
Estate, the famous
Hotel and Sculpture
Gardens that are at
Muddiford, just over
two miles upstream of
Manning's Pit.
These prizes will be
local ones, first for
the best entry from
North Devon and
secondly for the best
entry from Pilton and
Bradiford, the two
villages where Saki
lived as a boy.
For more about the
Broomhill Estate, go
to this link: http://broomhill-estate.com/
May 15th 2021
Only six weeks
left now to write a
story and win
£500!
Sometimes it seems as if
Saki himself is haunting
us as strange events
featuring cows take
place, reminiscent of
Saki's story The Stalled
Ox. Perhaps that is only
to be expected of an
organisation led by
artists trying to save
fields that are at
present being grazed by
some attractive but
feisty cattle.
Here is a link to Saki's
story:
http://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-stories/UBooks/Stal819.shtml
May 6th 2021
Thanks to Tim
Saunders our Treasurer
for this image. The Saki
Short Story Competition
has just under two
months to run now. We
have already had a good
number of entries from
many parts of the UK as
well as several from
abroad. Full
details are here:
http://manningspit.com/saki/
April 3rd 2021
https://www.northdevongazette.co.uk/news/ivy-
walk-esme-in-manning-pit-raises-3000-7857846
March 26th 2021
Spring Equinox Walk
John at the start at 6.15. |
Zsuzsa
running at 7.15
|
Sunday
March 21st was the day we chose to
mark the Spring Equinox with
another of our Sunrise to Sunset
walks. It was yet again a very
successful and inspirational day,
starting at 6.15 am and finishing
at 6.15pm. It was damp and dull
when the first walks took place
but the weather soon brightened
up, and throughout the day a
succession of supporters were out
walking through the fields.
Many found it a great release just
to say hello (in a socially
distanced way) to other walkers
they came across, and as the sun
came out everyone felt a lifting
of spirits after what has been a
long and difficult winter for us
all.
We have put a slide show on the Blog
of photos taken throughout the
day, and posted many more photos
on our Facebook Page as well.,
including photos of a little girl
called Ivy who was the star of the
day - more to come about that!
A local couple who have supported the
campaign since 2015, out for a walk in the
Rope Swing field, early afternoon
|
Kate and Tim watch the sun setting over
Bideford Bay in the distance, from the top
of Manning's Pit. After a warm day, it was
getting very cold again.
|
March
7th 2021
Reminder
of statement posted
before Christmas:
As pointed out at the end of
November, we have decided to call a halt
to our fundraising efforts for now. We are
able to access extra funds on top of the
amount raised already. Thank you all for your
magnificent efforts, every donation large or
small has helped us on our way.
We remain in negotiations
with the seller and ask you all to be patient
as this is a long process. As soon as we have
more news it will be posted here.
These negotiations continue,
and if it is an even slower process than
expected, we ask people to remember that we
have all been in the midst of the Covid
pandemic that causes many problems as
well.
Meanwhile, we soldier on in
lock-down, with the heartening news that
vaccinations are proceeding at great pace.
More and more of our supporters have already
been vaccinated, which is very good news.
This last week or so there has been a flurry
of Press and Radio interest in our Short Story
Competition, with a report in the North Devon
Journal (not available online) a report on the
North Devon Gazette website,
plus an interview on local radio station The
Voice with our secretary Chris Bulpett,
who spoke powerfully as always.
With nearly 4 months to go, entries are coming
in steadily, so our message is - get writing!
Give yourself a chance to win the first prize of
£500! For more information, go to:
http://www.manningspit.com/saki/
February 13th 2021
We are still waiting for news, and nothing
much else is happening. Despite the
fact that most of the country has seen snow, we
have missed it yet again. That is the penalty
for being in a coastal area - you can see the
Taw Estuary, Bideford Bay and the cliffs beyond
Westward Ho! from the highest part of the
Manning's Pit and the lower parts are not far
above sea level. We have however had the
occasional frosty morning between the days of
rain and locals continue to enjoy their walks in
Manning's Pit as a break from lockdown.
Monday 4th January 2021
When our Buy Manning's Pit campaign began, we
would never have imagined that we would still be
looking for a result at the beginning of 2021.
But we didn't reckon on a pandemic, and this is
a very different world. One thing we have
learned though, before all others, is that no
place is more valued by the people of Pilton and
Bradiford and Barnstaple than Manning's
Pit. Even in the depth of a wet winter,
and despite the muddy conditions that are
exceptional at the moment, it is a fantastic
asset during lock down.
Happy New Year everyone!
Monday December 21st
As pointed out at the end of
November, we have decided to call a
halt to our fundraising efforts for now. We
are able to access extra funds on top of the
amount raised already. Thank you all for
your magnificent efforts, every donation
large or small has helped us on our way.
We remain in negotiations
with the seller and ask you all to be
patient as this is a long process. As soon
as we have more news it will be posted here.
To mark the Winter Solstice,
we did another Sunrise to Sunset event on
Sunday 20th December - taking even greater
care with social distancing following the
news about the new variant of the virus.
You
can see a full report of the day's event
on our Blog, along with photographs.
Sunday November 29th
As we near the end of
lockdown on December 2nd, we enter Tier 2,
so not very much will change. although up to
6 people will be able to meet up in gardens
again.
This week we were pleased to hear from
supporter Anne Beer, who has had a book
published recently. It is called My
Life on a Cliff Edge, and is an
autobiography. Anne is a talented artist and
writer, and her poem Manning's
Pit Fever was Highly Commended by the
Judge of the Inaugural Manning's Pit Poetry
Competition.
Sunday
November 15th
The Saki Short Story Competition
Following on from
the Inaugural
Manning's Pit Poetry Competition
(2018). the Friends of Manning's
Pit are now launching the
Saki Short Story Competition. Hector
Hugh Munro (Saki) grew up close to
Manning's Pit.
Entries can be accepted from
November 20th, and the Competition
closes on June 30th 2021.
The Judges will be Sir Richard Eyre,
James Lovelock and Peter Christie.
|
Saturday November 7th
On Thursday 5th November we
entered another lockdown. Once again, any
find raising activities have become very
difficult, and we have decided to call a
halt to our fundraising efforts for now. We
are able to access extra funds on top of the
amount raised already. Thank you all for
your magnificent efforts, every donation
large or small has helped us on our way.
We remain in negotiations
with the seller and ask you all to be
patient as this is a long process. As soon
as we have more news it will be posted here.
Saturday October 24th
Go to our Blog for full results of the
Children's Poster Competition.
One of the winning Posters: by Hope
Gleeson from Westward Ho!
Wednesday October 21st
Jack wants to keep on walking - more
reports in the North Devon Journal:
Jack's sponsored walk raised over £560 -
read a report of the walk with photos on
our Blog:
If you came from a link about the MP and
Councillor support on the main Page,
scroll down to around September 3rd, to
see Selaine Saxby, and then up for Robbie
Mack, Ian Roome, Jo Orange, Mel Lovering
and Janet Coates.
Monday October 5th
Jack has now raised £273! His mother is
also offering a hamper of sweets as a
raffle prize, everyone who sponsors Jack
gets a raffle ticket.
Friday October 2nd
Three year old Jack was going to do a
sponsored walk For Manning's Pit this
Saturday, but with an Amber weather
warning for tomorrow the walk has been
deferred until next week. One good thing
about this is that gives everyone some
more time to sponsor him - here is his
fundraiser page: https://buymanningspit.enthuse.com/pf/jacksfundraisingwalk
He's raised £173 already!
Thursday 1st October
The last couple of days fundraising have
been a little slow for some reason, but
today we had lots of action. People are
helping in so many ways, writing letters
to papers, sending money, even just
showing emotional support as we do our
best to think of ways to raise more.
There was a good article in today's North
Devon Journal and we had a number of
contacts because of it - one of the extra
pluses from our campaign has been the
opportunity to meet or talk to so many
lovely people. One lady - met in the
fields a few days ago - sent a very moving
letter to the Journal. We have published
it on our Blog, here: https://manningspit.wordpress.com/2020/10/01/a-wonderful-message-just-recieved/
Monday 28th September
We have just had a donation of £5000
which puts us on our way towards our next
target of £120,000. All our biggest donors
have been anonymous but we hope they know
how much we appreciate their donations.
There's a good report from Tony Gussin in
the North Devon Gazette online:
Call
to Keep Funding Raising as Manning's Pit
fails to sell at auction.
They used this photo of the Gomez family,
who took part in our Walking Relay on
September 20th. This shows three
generations, parents, children,
grandmother - and of course the family
dog.:
Friday 25th September
A new statement:
Following the unsuccessful sale of
Manning’s Pit at auction on Wednesday 23rd
September we have opened a dialogue with
the seller to see if we can agree terms,
and it is more important than ever that
people donate to help us reach a figure
that will get the deal over the line
Wednesday 23rd September
Manning's Pit did not sell
at auction today so we remain
hopeful a purchase may yet be agreed
and are continuing to fund raise
with that aim.
Tuesday's news
wasn't quite right - there were bids that
were higher than the amount we have raised,
but they did not reach the reserve price,
which is why there was no sale.
Tuesday 22nd
We
have had some
really bad news.
Someone has
already made a
bid for
Manning's Pit,
of £182,000 plus
VAT. Unless we
have a miracle
benefactor to
add more than
£115,000 to our
current total,
before around 11
tomorrow
morning, we have
lost our chance
to buy Manning's
Pit.
We had hoped
that no one else
would bid for
the land,
especially
because of the
planning
history, but it
hasn't worked
out. At the
moment we don't
know who the
bidder is, or
whether they are
a developer.
We won't say
stop donating
because there
might still be
someone who
could help us
out, but
obviously only a
very large
amount would
help us
now. If
such a person
exists - please
use the contact
details here.
Another
developer
supports our
campaign:
The Managing
Director of Newland Homes, says this
about Manning's
Pit:
"It
is a beautiful
and special
place that
should not be
encroached
upon by new
housing.
Manning’s Pit
should be
saved for its
outstanding
beauty, its
ecology and
its valuable
public
amenity.”
Read more
here:
https://manningspit.com/developers.html
Also, please
note, in the
last few days,
if you want to
donate and have
any queries,
please call
01271 376594 -
and leave a
message if no
answer.
Save Manning's
Pit for Victor
the rescue dog:
https://manningspit.wordpress.com/2020/09/20/save-mannings-pit-for-victor/
Messages from
support from
supporters in
locked down
Melbourne
Australia - on
Blog: https://manningspit.wordpress.com/2020/09/17/lockdown-message-from-melbourne/
News update September 13th
Saturday 12th
Town and District
Councillors Ian Roome,
Joe Orange, Mel
Lovering, Janet Coates
and Mark Fowler come to
Manning's Pit.
Report and photos on Blog.
Thursday 1Oth
Councillor Robbie Mack
comes to Manning's Pit:
Read report on our
Blog.
North Devon Gazette
online:
Last Appeal to buy
Manning's Pit before it
is too late: Tony Gussin
https://www.northdevongazette.co.uk/news/mannings-pit-pilton-last-auction-appeal-1-6825957
Selaine Saxby, North
Devon MP, comes to
Manning's Pit with a
bottle of House of
Commons wine signed by
the Prime
Minister. More to
come on this here, but
already mentioned on our
Facebook
and Twitter
pages. Front
Page of North
Devon Journal and more
on our Blog
Manning's Pit is
entered in September
23rd Auction.
The news has come at
last. After six months
delay, following its
withdrawal from the
Auction that would have
taken place on April
1st, it is now entered
in the upcoming Clive
Emson Online Auction on
Wednesday September
23rd, with a guide price
of £180,000 - £220,000.
This price does not
include the VAT that
would be charged on top.
Garfield
Weston Foundation
On Thursday
September 3rd we had the
exciting news that we
had received a £20,000
pledge towards our goal,
from the Garfield
Weston Foundation.
They say they hope this
will stimulate others to
support our aims as
well. We are
thrilled with this news,
and wish to state how
grateful we are for
their support.
We have 18 days to raise
what is a very large
amount of money from a
small community that is
not very wealthy. If it
seems impossible, that
is what some thought at
the time of Dunkirk. And
even if we don't manage
it, this time - when we
started fund raising we
had little expectation
of having to do it
through a pandemic - we
hope any prospective
buyer will realise that
they will have a battle
on their hands that will
not go away.
News from August:
Children's poster
competition: here is a link to details about this
competition/
Graciella
Sillence-Dreyfur from
Pilton wins CPRE Devon
Children's Painting
Competition Prize!
This is some exciting
news! Graciella
loves Manning's Pit and
wants to donate her
painting to raise funds
for our campaign. More
about that to follow
soon, but here are some
links:
https://www.devon247.co.uk/news/local-news/cpre-devon-inundated-competition-entries-children-lockdown-who-showed-they-care
https://youtu.be/VL52wK-AO20
- includes a photo of
Graciella with her
painting
https://www.cpredevon.org.uk/my-outdoors-painting/
August 7th
We marked the Summer
Solstice with a Dawn to
Dusk Walk, now we are
running a competition
for the best child's Buy
Manning's Pit window
poster, finishing on the
day of the Autumn
Equinox, September 22nd.
More details to come but
here is an example to
get everyone inspired:
August 3rd.
A very big thank you to
both Wendy and Helen who
have been raising money
for us at the car boot
sale and with a Facebook
Auction. Our total has
gone up again by a good
amount, which is really
something to be pleased
about during such a
difficult time. We know
that so many good and
important charities are
struggling at the
moment, so every penny
that has been donated is
extremely welcome!
And thank you to all
those who donated items
- we know someone is
especially looking
forward to a certain
number of carrot cakes!
July 26th
Well done to everyone
who helped at the Car
Boot Sale today - it
seems to have been a big
success. They went with
a car full and came back
with it mostly
empty! We haven't
counted the takings yet
but will add them to our
totals later.
Thanks to the organiser
of this and also the
Facebook Admin who is
running the Auction on
the Facebook Page for
the next few days.
Items for the auction
are being posted once a
day, two at a time, with
the last time for bids
being 6pm.
Keep an eye on our Blog
and Twitter
during this period
for quick news updates.
July 19th
Our total is increasing
again, despite this
being such a difficult
time to fund
raise. Weather
permitting, we will have
a table at the
Pottington Car Boot Sale
on Sunday July 26th, and
we will also be having
an online Auction -
watch our Facebook Page
for details about this -
https://www.facebook.com/manningspit
July 13th
We had a good report in
the North Devon Journal
about our walk.
Otherwise everything has
been a little quiet. The
main news is about what
is not
happening - Manning's
Pit was not included in
the Clive Emson Online
Catalogue for this July.
While lockdown is
easing, we are not
really back to normal
yet, and it isn't
possible to hold many
fund raising events.
Cutting from North Devon
Journal:
June 20th. From
Dawn to Dusk - or more
accurately from sunrise
to sunset - supporters
of our campaign took
turns to walk round the
Manning's Pit fields in
a relay that took just
under 17 hours.
It was a most
beautiful day and so many people
enjoyed themselves - it
was a very special day.
Photos have
been going up on Twitter,
Facebook and the Manning's
Pit Blog.
Here's a lovely photo of a local
family about to start their
walk.
June
19th We want to
give a special thank you
to Samantha Higgins who
made a large number of
face mask for us to
sell. We put them on our
Facebook Page and they
sold out before we could
add them to the
website!
Latest Update, June 11th 2020
What will happen next with Manning's
Pit?
The truth is we do not know. The
catalogue page for Manning's Pit (or
Land to the East of Windsor Road as it
is described in the catalogue) says only
Postponed, and the Auction went ahead
without it. We believe the land owners
intend to take it back to Auction at
some point. We can only wait and watch.
Statement from early April:
Since we began our campaign, we realised
it was not going to be an easy time to
fund raise. First we had political
uncertainty, then a general election,
then Brexit, then the usual problems
associated with belt-tightening after
Christmas bills, but we were hopeful
that spring would bring new confidence
to those who had been unsure about how
much to give. Then came
lockdown because of the pandemic, and
many of our supporters are either in
isolation or on the front line, either
working at nearby North Devon Hospital
or in other key work. We thank them all,
and know that many of us have to focus
first on other things for a while.
At the same time, it has been obvious
that Manning's Pit is more precious than
ever as a resource for the people of our
area, a place where they can exercise
freely in the open air while observing
the correct social distancing. It has
been notable how many new people have
been seen walking in the fields in the
last few days. We are asking all of
those who are discovering Manning's Pit
for the first time to think about
donating towards our appeal.
This article below was in the North
Devon Journal on March 19th, only seen
later because of lockdown
difficulties, so we are posting it now:
Wednesday March 25th
The Auction will now be on April Ist,
but Manning's Pit is not included in
it. For some reason - we do not
know why - the sale of Manning's Pit has
been postponed. See this
link:
https://www.cliveemson.co.uk/properties/216/119/
Tuesday March 24th
After the message of support from Sir
Richard Eyre (CH)
we have had a message of support from
James Lovelock (another CH.) He has
family connections as is well known, and
many members of his family have walked
in Manning's Pit. We used this Quote
from his first Book, Gaia,
A New Look at Life on Earth, and
he thought it would be an appropriate
quote to use now. Manning's Pit has not
changed too much from the countryside he
knew as a boy, in the 1920s, when Henry
Williamson was researching Tarka the
Otter and visiting here. And it
has inspired new generations of Poets
too, as we saw in our Poetry
Competition.
The England I knew
as a child and a young man was
breathtakingly beautiful, hedgerows and
small copses were abundant, and small
streams and rivers teemed with fish and fed
the otters. It inspired generations of poets
to make coherent the feelings we could not
ourselves express.
Here is Jim Lovelock, with his son John, a few
years ago when they both lived near the
borders of Cornwall. John now lives in Pilton,
and did a sponsored
walk for us in January, raising over
£1000.
Monday March 23rd
With only two more days to go, after
today, it is hard to know what will
happen at the Auction, but we give a big
thank you to Don't
Just Bin It North Devon who have
donated £402 to our cause.
In the midst of the Coronavirus pandemic
it is also hard for many people to focus
on anything as much as they would
normally, so we give them an extra
thanks for that.
Thursday March 19th
We recently received this message of
support from the distinguished Theatre
and Film Director, Sir Richard Eyre:
"I very much hope that it
will be possible to save this remarkable
piece of land, with all its literary
associations, for use by the local community
and visitors.
Sir Richard Eyre”
Here is an interesting
interview with him: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCzGr26TVG0
Wednesday March 18th
More news: Auction online only - online
bidding. https://www.cliveemson.co.uk/
Thanks to our MP
Selaine Saxby for writing to the
auctioneers on our behalf a few
days ago, asking whether they can
legitimately advertise Manning's
Pit as having planning potential.
She has also given us a good quote
for the Press (see below)
We have been
lucky in having support from her,
and our two previous MPs Peter
Heaton-Jones and Nick Harvey. This
is a campaign that is supported by
all political parties, and we
thank them all.
Selaine - along
with all the other General
Election candidates - visited us
in Manning's Pit during the
General Election. Here is
the quote she has sent us now:
‘It was great to meet with
the Friends of Manning’s Pit, they
have done an excellent job in
saving this vital community space
from development. I am
confident that given time they
will be able to raise the money to
purchase it for future generations
as well. We need to protect our
green spaces and I will do all I
can to support the community.’
Selaine Saxby MP, North Devon
The photo from November,
when Friends of Manning's Pit
officials met with each General
Election candidate in turn, L to R,
Chris Bulpett (Secretary) Christine
Lovelock (Chair) Selaine Saxby, and
Tim Saunders (Treasurer)
Tuesday March 17th
Sadly, in the present circumstances,
we have had to cancel the last two events
we had hoped to hold, both Ty Redif's Pet
Portrait Photography Sessions and our last
Coffee Morning. As a community
group, we have put the safety of the
community first.
At a time when many of us are very
concerned about what lies ahead, it isn't
easy to concentrate even on this campaign,
no matter how important it is to us all.
During the last four and a half years we
have made many friendships and value all
our supporters, and the health and
well-being of the vulnerable among us must
be our first concern.
This does not mean we will not be fund
raising until the very last minute - so
please please if you haven't donated yet,
do so now. It is still possible that we
might get help in other ways, or that no
one bids at the auction. So every
last penny could still count.
Back to our
main page, if you can DONATE still.
Friday March 13th
Joanna Towns from Barratt David Wilson
Homes (the developers building in the
field adjacent to Manning's Pit) presents
a cheque to the Buy Manning's Pit
Campaign.
Thanks to Richard Martin for the
photograph.
As we pointed out on our main page, the
auctioneers details imply that Manning's
Pit has potential for development
because of the houses being built -
by Barratt David Wilson Homes - taking
place in the adjacent field.
Speaking for Baratt David Wilson Homes,
Joanna said "We are delighted to
support the fund raising initiative of
the local community for their purchase
of the green space manning's Pit."
Report on The Manning's Pit
Dog Show, March 7th.
This event was organised brilliantly for
us by Christine Lewin, and everyone who
came thought it a real success.
Fifty one dogs took part, accompanied by
their owners (of all ages) and there were
ten classes, with each dog present doing
an average of two and a half classes.
Among the Class winners were Tracey
Bailey, for Dog Most Like its Owner (see
below) and Paul form the Yeo Dale Hotel,
for Best Trick. We hope to have a full
list of winners soon to add to our Dog Show Page,
which will have even more photos and
information.
There was also a magnificent Raffle with
some fabulous prizes donated by a local
businesses - the Big Thank you board below
left was produced by Lynda Payne, who also
designed the poster.
All in all, the event raised about £600
and a great time was had by everyone who
came along.
|
|
This is on the North
Devon Gazette online today.
From the article:
The campaign
has received a boost after a donation
from David Wilson Homes, part of
Barratt Homes, which is building the
new residential development adjoining
Manning's Pit.
Read
more on the link above
A
reminder about Saturday's
Dog Show:
Three weeks to go.
What we need now are some big
donations! But also we want to thank
each and everyone of you so far for all
your donations, whether big or small, they
all count.
Leaflets have been going out across Pilton
and Bradiford, and we are getting a good
response as well. Thank you to all who
have been delivering leaflets, especially
both children and OAPs who have been
demonstrating how much Manning's Pit means
to people of all ages.
|
Signs going up to make
sure anyone coming to view "Land to the
East of Windsor Road" will be aware that
they are coming to see Manning's Pit.
On the left, one of our younger
supporters delivering leaflets.
|
There will be more
leaflets still coming, if you haven't had
one already, but do let us know if for any
reason you were missed out.
A sign went up on the Manning's Pit gate
on Tuesday February 25th announcing that
the land is for sale by auction.
Details are now in their catalogue:
https://www.cliveemson.co.uk/properties/216/119/
Apparently, Manning's Pit is being
described as "Land off Windsor Road,
Barnstaple" yet again - as it was in the
Planning Application that was withdrawn
(for the obvious reason that it was about
to be refused)
That is like describing Hampstead Heath as
"Land off Millfield Lane, Highgate."
The auction will be on Friday March 26th,
so now we have a deadline to aim for!
More news to come.... meanwhile, come on
all you pirates - you had better get
digging!
As usual, we
get a mention in the
Panto, the Pirates say
they'd like to find the
Treasure so they could
Buy Manning's Pit.
Well done everyone for a
great show!
It's been a quiet week
on the fund raising
front, but we are
getting back to work
now.
Saturday
February 22nd
This is the last day of
Treasure Island, this
year's Pilton
Panto. It's been a
great show, well done
everyone! Very many of
our supporters are
involved, and as has
happened every year
since 2016, Manning's
Pit gets a mention in
the performance, so
thank you to the
organisers.
In case you haven't been
already, take this link
to find out about
tickets for today's
performances.
Thursday February 20th
Here's a great new
poster (thanks to Linda
and Martin) for the Dog
Show on March 7th. There
are some very good
Raffle Prizes as well -
more information to come
on this.
If you would like to
print your own for your
window, here's a link
to a pdf:
Saturday February 15th
This week and next week
many of our supporters
are involved with Pilton
Panto, so there will be
few other activities.
Preparations are ongoing
though for other
upcoming events, such as
our Dog Show on March
7th (posters about this
going out shortly.)
Valentine's Day
This photo of
a window in
Pilton says it
all:
The online report shown
below was also covered
in the paper version of
the North Devon Gazette,
and this week's edition
of the North Devon
Journal.
Friday February 7th
Esther Davies, proprietor
of the Reform Inn, and members of the
Friends of Manning's Pit sampling the new
brew. |
Report from Tony Gussin at the
North Devon Gazette:
https://www.northdevongazette.co.uk/news/manning-s-pit-appeal-beer-launched-1-6501939
10p
from every pint of Manning's Best Bitter
will go to the Buy Manning's Pit appeal.
Some of the proceeds from the brew on offer
at Pilton's Reform Inn will go towards bid to
raise enough money to buy the local beauty
spot Manning's Pit and preserve it from
development.
Benjamin Manning, the controversial publican
from Pilton who came to local fame (and
notoriety) in the 1850s, was surely there in
spirit when members of the Friends of
Manning's Pit met up at the Reform to sample
the new Manning's Best Bitter.
"Ten pence of every pint sold will
go towards the campaign," said publican Esther
Davies.
"The beer is made by Greys brewery, but my
wholesale company (WWC) designed the logo and
named the beer for me! It is a 3.6 per cent
smooth flow session bitter with a malty
flavour."
A 'ghostly tweet' also appeared on
twitter from the account of Original
Benjamin Manning: 'The Reform have a beer
named after me at last! 'ave been waiting
150 years. Tis time for a beer methinks'.
If you'd like to support the appeal, go to
https://manningspit.com/buy_mannings_pit
.
Sunday February 2nd
This last week has been a quiet one on
the fund raising front, but we have been
busy in various, planning new events and
making new contacts.
We were especially thrilled by one
donation which came from Clare and
Michael Morpurgo. As the writer of
War Horse, among numerous other books,
Michael is of course very well known,
and he and his wife Clare founded the
Charity known as Farms
for City Children.
This has a special resonance to our
campaign, as the Manning's Pit fields
are the place where many children living
in our town can experience a piece of
real countryside, where they can paddle
in rivers, climb trees, and see nature
at first hand.
Saturday January 25th
The Sponsored Read
raised over £560!
Parents, children and
staff at Pilton Infants’ School and
Pilton Bluecoat Academy were keen to
support our ‘Buy Manning’s Pit’
campaign, and organised a sponsored
reading event over Christmas.
It’s not the best time
of year to ask for more money, but the
children who took part were very
committed and managed to raise over
£560, and read over 100 books.
The prize draw for a
£20 book voucher was won by Arthur
Barber of Bluecoat Academy.
This is another great
result, thank you to all the parents and
children who took part:
The photo shows Alex
Meller reading to his sister Lucy.
Alex won Third
Prize in the Under 12 Category of
the Inaugural Manning's Pit Poetry
Competition last year
Thursday January 23rd
North Devon Journal report on John's walk:
John's total is now just over £1000.
Total announced Sunday
January 19th: £44,365
January 19th Report on the
walk - go to our Blog
for full report with photos.
John's
walk - more about it. He has raised
well over £900 with more still coming in.
Here is
Selaine Saxby, our new MP, holding the
finishing tape as John arrives after his
epic trek up and down the Bradiford
Valley.
January 12th
How fast time goes
by! We were barely recovered from the
excitement of the Oggle Band Ceilidh when it
was time for our Coffee Morning on Saturday
11th. This was successful too, and we had
time to chat with a number of interesting
people - including the former vicar of
Pilton, Anthony Gearing, who founded the
Green Man Festival.
The cakes as always were fantastic.
January 5th
Yesterday's event, the Ceilidh with the Oggle
Band in Pilton Church Hall, was one of the best
events we have ever held. It was a complete sell
out, there was a magnificent atmosphere, and
rarely have people enjoyed themselves more. We
are so very grateful to the Oggle Band, for
putting on this event to help us raise money.
Had the Hall been twice the size it is, we feel
we could have filled it twice over, it was so
successful. And, as they said when they were
leaving - next time, maybe we will be able
to celebrate something really exciting!
Colin
|
The photo above was
taken with a mobile when the lights were
dimmed and is very blurry, but it gives
an idea of the fun people were having.
|
More images, thanks to Phil for sending
them
|
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January 1st 2020
As expected there were not very many payments
in the last few days, so the total has not gone
up as fast as it normally does. However we have
extra amounts promised (and may not have seen
all BACS payments yet.) We also expect to raise
a good amount of money with the Oggle Band Event
this coming Saturday. It was so good of
the Oggle Band to do this event for us, and we
are all very excited about it!
We are in the process of delivering our first
campaign Newsletter, and within the next three
or four days virtually all households in Pilton
and Bradiford should have received one. Let us
know if for any reason you don't get one.
Update re John Lovelock's Walk:
For one Leafleter (John) New Year's Day meant a
lengthy visit to North Devon Hospital following
a nasty dog bite when trying to push a
newsletter through a letterbox.. The Hospital is
close to Manning's Pit, and many hospital
workers are numbered among our supporters. On
the plus side of the accident, supporters on
Facebook suggesting using a spatula to push
leaflets through letter boxes, which is a great
idea and works a treat. As part of his training
for his sponsored walk on January 17th John was
out again leafleting two days later (with
spatula.)
Message from Pilton
Schools
|
Parents at Pilton Infants’ School and
Pilton Bluecoat Academy are keen to
support the ‘Buy Manning’s Pit’
campaign, and have organised a sponsored
reading event which is taking place over
Christmas.
As you’ll appreciate
this is an expensive time of year for
parents, so if you know a child at
either school who has chosen to take
part in the event (which is
voluntary), I am sure they would be
very grateful for your sponsorship, no
matter how small!
Every child taking part in the
sponsored read gets a certificate, and
the chance to win a book token, so
it’s well worth joining in.
If we don’t get enough money to buy
Manning’s Pit, any money raised
through this event will be given to
the schools.
We are really grateful to the
children, parents and staff at both
schools for their support in helping
us to ‘Buy Manning’s Pit’.
|
Yet again we have been mentioned in the
newspapers.
This time it was in the North Devon
Gazette, on Wednesday December 18. The
article is by Tony Gussin, in connection
with our Presentation at the Museum the
week before.
You can expand the image to read the
article by clicking on your mouse.
In the photograph:
Tim Saunders (our Treasurer) Kate Shaw,
Toby and Theo Lawrence, Alison Mills
(Museum Manager) Christine Lovelock (our
Chair) Chris Bulpett (our Secretary) and
Katie Martin, who runs our Instagram for
us.
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December 22nd
John Lovelock's Sponsored walk page is now
launched. John accompanied Twinkle on part of
her walk, and Twinkle is going to join him for
some of his. You can read all about it on this
page: https://manningspit.com/john-lovelock-walk.html
Following Thursday's General
Election, Selaine Saxby will be our new
MP. We know already that she will be
supportive of our campaign, as she has already
persuaded the Prime Minister to hold up a Buy
Manning's Pit sign (scroll down for
photo.) Commiserations to all the losing
candidates, and we appreciate their support too.
Wednesday December 11th
Apologies for late update on
this – Twinkle was in the North Devon Journal
again, published December 5th but
available until the 11th.
Tuesday December 10th
This Monday a small group of us came down to the
centre of Barnstaple to present our Shrouds of the
Somme H H Munro figurine to the Museum of
Barnstaple and North Devon, where it will have a
permanent home. We purchased it last year,
and it was sent to us after the Shrouds
of the Somme Touring Exhibition completed
its journeys around the country.
The photographs show the figurine on display,
and also a group of us around it. In the
photograph, Tim Saunders, Kate Shaw, Toby
and Theo Lawrence (the boys who live in
the house where Hector
Munro lived as a boy) Alison Mills, the
Museum Manager, Christine Lovelock, Chris
Bulpett and Katie Martin.
Friday December 6th
Our final General Election candidate
photo in Manning's Pit was the only one
that didn't quite work, with camera problems
taking photos for Finola, for both helpers. So
apologies that this one isn't posed as the
others were. Also our secretary wasn't able to
come along, so Kate steeped in as the third
Committee member. As with the four other
candidates, we enjoyed meeting Finola ONeill,
the Labour candidate. As you can see by the
helmet she is holding, she was the only
candidate to arrive on a motor bike!
How nice it has been to meet them all, and know
they all support our campaign. As always, to see
larger versions use your second mouse button and
click View Image.
Thursday December 5th
Alex White, the Liberal Democrat candidate,
came to Manning's Pit to meet us, and here is a
photo of him with us. Nick Harvey, who was
the Liberal Democrat MP for North Devon, came
along with him as well. It was good to see him
but we couldn't include him in the photo because
we had decided to show each candidate with the
three of us, to be consistently fair. Alex was
unluckier with the weather than the others had
been, but he did not let it put him off.
The photograph was taken by Mark Fowler, a
professional photographer who also sent us other
photos of Manning's Pit.
Tuesday December 3rd
The Prime Minister shows his support for the
Buy Manning's Campaign.
When Boris Johnson came to North Devon recently
he met the Conservative candidate Selaine Saxby,
and she has posted this image on her Facebook
page, along with this comment:
"Buy Manning's Pit campaign endorsed by
Boris!
When I met with Boris Johnson last week
he was delighted to lend his support to the
community to enable them to buy and preserve
Manning's Pit.
@buy_manningspit "
As we always make clear, we are
non-political and we have been pleased
to welcome all the candidates when they
visited Manning's Pit (we hope to get photos
from the Lib Dem and Labour candidates very
soon) We have also asked the other
candidates if they can persuade their leaders
to do the same, and we will be very pleased if
they can achieve this.
We were especially pleased to have an
immediate email response to this news
from Robbie Mack(the Green Party candidate)
saying that it was good to have a sitting
Prime Minister's support and he appreciated
our efforts to always be even handed.
He and the other candidates are all hoping to
get similar endorsements from their leaders!
Watch this space, as they say!
And a final mention to add to add to
Sunday's news:
A very very special thank you to Twinkle and Wendy
who have raised over £1800 through
their sponsored walk. Full report on their page
now.
Saturday November 30th - new total coming
tomorrow
Twinkles Walk
-full report coming shortly on her page.
She has raised well over £1700!
Here we are at the start of her walk, in Lynbro
Road, about to go down into Manning's Pit. It
was very cold and windy.
Friday
Re the General Election : Visits to Manning's
Pit from Alex White Liberal Democrat (last
Friday, waiting for photos from them) and Finola
ONeill Labour this Thursday (our camera
malfunctioned so waiting for photos from
Finola's friend)
Thursday November 28th
Twinkle and Wendy hit the headlines - their
photo by the Manning's Pit gate makes a big
splash on the North Devon Journal front
page. Twinkle has now raised well
over £1600!
Tuesday November 26th
A new page for Twinkle goes live - see photos
and videos here, as the date for Twinkle's
walk approaches.
Sunday November 24th
The Coffee Morning in Pilton Church Hall was a
great success, confounding expectations as we
had not managed to advertise it as well as we
had hoped. So many people came and we had some
really interesting conversations, in fact we all
wished it had gone longer as it is hard to chat
to everyone. Last week we had a visit from Alex
White, the Liberal Democrat candidate at the
Christmas Market, today we had one from Robbie
Mack, the Green Party candidate. Nigel Dilkes,
the vicar was also able to come along, as there
was no Church service this morning. He was such
an important part of our Environmental
Exhibition this summer, and we apologise for not
finishing the website pages about that - it will
be done but at the moment we are flat out
working on the fund raising.
Friday November 22nd
This time we had a visit from the Liberal
Democrat Candidate, Alex White. He was unlucky
with the weather but nothing daunted posed with
us in a muddy damp field, As soon as we have the
photos, they will be added.
Thursday November 21st
With the General Election in full swing, it is
interesting to see that there seem to be more
Buy/Save Manning's pit posters around in Pilton
than anything political! Perhaps that is
because all the political parties involved agree
on the one issue of Saving Manning's Pit.
They are all demonstrating this by meeting up
with us in Manning's Pit itself, beginning with
with Selaine Saxby, the new Conservative
candidate, on Monday. You can see her
below left, with Chris Bulpett, Christine
Lovelock and Tim Saunders (thanks to David Hoare
for taking the photograph).
Robbie Mack, the Green Party candidate, came on
Wednesday, along with Ricky Knight, who took the
photograph. It was another beautiful day, if
rather windier. We really enjoyed meeting both
Robbie and Selaine, and look forward to visits
from Alex White (Liberal Democrat) on Friday and
Finola ONeill (Labour) next Thursday.
Click on View Image for larger version of
photos.
Sunday November 17th
Today, we had our garage sale - not quite so
well attended - it was cold and damp, and for
some reason there were very few people around.
Nonetheless, it was financially successful, and
we had so many items donated that they will be
for sale in various ways going forward, as well.
Twinkle was going to come along, but she
doesn't like the cold, and was feeling grumpy,
so she had the day off. That didn't stop people
signing her sponsor form - we'll need to do a
weekly total for that as well.
s
We've had a busy weekend!. On
Saturday, the Christmas Market was
extremely well supported and we made many new
contacts as well. Ian Scott came to see how it
was all going, and we also had a visit from
Alex White, the new Lib Dem candidate, who had
his photograph taken by our stall (being
non-political we will of course welcome all
candidates who support our campaign.)
Here are a couple of photos
from the Christmas Market:
Above: Ian Scott with
Christine Lovelock at our table. Right:
Alex White holding our Buy Manning's Pit
Leaflet.
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November 15th
Ian Scott's Prints are for sale at the Pilton
Christmas Market, a great event in Pilton
Church Hall. This isn't just about Manning's Pit
of course, but we have a table, and will be
selling Cards and Prints.
Here are Ian Scott and Christine Lovelock,
admiring the Print. Christine's Cards of
Manning's Pit are also going to be for sale -
all proceeds from both Prints and Cards will go
to the Buy Manning's Pit Appeal.
Ian is hoping to come along to sign his Prints
in person. Orders can also be taken if we should
run out of either Prints or Cards!
November 12th
Chris Bulpett (Friends of Manning's Pit
secretary) speaks on The Voice, Monday morning.
Message from a supporter - "Heard it on the way
to work - he did good !!"
Preview at the Museum of Barnstaple and North
Devon of an Exhibition of F R Lee's paintings -
Tim Saunders and Christine Lovelock attended.
One of the paintings was a Pilton one - F R Lee
lived across the road from Broadgate Villa while
Saki was growing up there - see below.
Remembrance Day at "Broadgate Villa."
Photo by Tim Saunders
Here are Toby and Theo Lawrence holding the Shrouds
of the Somme Figurine (owned by the Friends
of Manning's Pit) that represents H H Munro (Saki)
who was killed during the Battle of the Somme, on
November 16th 1916. On the wall of the house
you can see the blue plaque that commemorates the
fact that H H Munro lived here.
As a child, like Toby and Theo, Hector Munro lived
in this house in Bellaire, Pilton. And like the
Lawrence boys, he loved the countryside now known
as Manning's Pit.
Toby and Theo won First Prize for the 11 and Under
Category in the Inaugural Manning's Pit Poetry
Competition, with their poem "Manning's
Pit."
November 11th Total Funds raised
in our Buy Manning's Pit Appeal : approximately £13,500.
Keep going to our Calendar
Page for latest updates on events
organised. It's great news that the
Oggle Band are putting on a Ceilidh for us on
January 4th!
Former Mayor Ian Scott is having Prints made of
his Manning's Pit drawing
to raise funds for the cause. He's hoping to come
along to sign some in person at
the Pilton Christmas Market on November 16th.
Wendy
Robinson and Twinkle's Fundraiser for Manning's
Pit launched
Friends
of Manning's Pit and Green Man CIO fundraiser
launched
Ty Redif's film Manning's Pit
- Our Future - is launched at the Big Party,
and then featured on the manningspit.com website.
https://www.northdevongazette.co.uk/news/buy-manning-s-pit-campaign-launch-1-6330512
by Tony Gussin, October 18th 2019
Radio Devon come to Manning's Pit. Reporter Angela
Kalwaites arrives at 7.45 to interview us, despite
the weather - rain again.
Left to Right
Ian Roome (District Councillor) Chris Bulpett,
Christine Lovelock, Ryan Vowles, KateShaw, Ty
Redif
Ryan Vowles sends first Buy Manning's Pit Message
- from Iceland
Ryan's
poem that won a first prize in the Inaugural
Manning's Pit Poetry Competiton
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