Totnes – 10 of the best small UK towns for winter breaks
Once again, Totnes has been mentioned in the Guardian newspaper – listed as one of the ’10 of the best small UK towns for winter breaks’.
Easy to get to by mainline train, the article goes on to mention how Totnes has a glut of independent shops & cafes than any town of comparable size. You can read the article in full here.
Charity invests £1.6million in a new retreat venue at Sharpham
The Sharpham Trust is investing £1.6 million to convert a stable yard behind Sharpham House to a new centre for mindfulness courses and retreats.
The charity, which works to connect people to nature and themselves, has begun the creation of The Coach House - which will feature a new meditation space and 18 en-suite rooms.
The current, disused stableyard is a Grade II-listed building, dating back to 1760 when Sharpham House was built for the naval sea captain Philemon Pownoll.
Now work has begun to develop the single-storey quadrangle directly behind Sharpham House into a new retreat centre where participants can stay, amid historic grounds thought to have been landscaped by Capability Brown.
The Trust runs an annual programme of courses and retreats featuring mindfulness meditation and nature connection on the wider Sharpham Estate and on the adjacent River Dart.
“Prior to the pandemic we were finding that our programme was fully booked with long waiting lists,” said Trust Director Julian Carnell.
“As a charity we want to help as many people as possible and so creating more accommodation became a priority. The stable yard had become rundown and so there was a fantastic opportunity to give the building a new lease of life and restore it as part of the Sharpham Estate’s important heritage,” he said.
Retreats in The Coach House
The Coach House will join the Trust’s other retreat venues Sharpham House, The Barn Retreat and Woodland Campsite and it will offer a weekly programme for those in need of developing and deepening their mindfulness practice, compassion and their connection to nature.
Participants staying there will be able to spend a week living in community surrounded by the amazing natural environment of the Sharpham Estate.
They will spend time volunteering in the 18th century Walled Garden – helping to grow food for the retreats at Sharpham – and conserving the heritage and wildlife of the wider estate.
Helping 1,000 more people a year
Chairman of Sharpham’s Trustees Daniel Stokes said: “Our mission is to connect people to nature and foster mindfulness and wellbeing. There is now a plethora of research showing the physical and mental health benefits of spending time in nature.
“This project will enable us to help another 1,000 people a year, giving them a chance to spend time slowing down and reflecting in a beautiful natural setting,” he said.
Using local construction companies
The Trust is using South Devon firm Carpenter Oak to build the frame for an eye-catching glass structure linked to The Coach House which will be the new centre’s meditation and dining space.
Classic Builders, a local South West-based construction company, has been awarded the contract to convert the Coach House and hopes to complete the works by January 2022.
“We are delighted to be working with The Sharpham Trust on this significant local project. The Coach House is an important listed building, not only in a sensitive location but also next to Sharpham House. We’re looking forward to drawing on our years of experience delivering comparable works in similar settings to make this project a success,” said Adam Brimacombe, Director at Classic Builders.
The Trust has been busy over the last ten years developing its charitable programmes and refurbishing the heritage of its listed landscape and properties. Every year, some 2,000 people attend retreats, courses and events on the Sharpham Estate.
See our events here: www.sharphamtrust.org/Calendar
Cormack's Seafood recently launched a takeaway lunch menu from our fish shop. We sell a range of four sandwiches, featuring our handmade products. On offer at the moment is:
Classic Fish Finger Sandwich £8
shoestring fries, tartar sauce, iceberg
Nashville Hot Fish Finger Sandwich £8
fish fingers, hot chilli dust, pickles, Cajun mayo
Plaice Katsu Curry Sandwich £9
Curry mayo, pickles, cabbage
Brixham Crab & Avocado Sandwich £10
Coconut, lime and chilli mayo, smashed avocado, crispy fried onions
Our fish fingers are made using line caught pollack from Devon and are battered in panko breadcrumbs, dill and spices. Our katsu fillets are inspired by Aarik’s (owner and chef) time working in South-East Asia and are made with plaice landed in Brixham.
The takeaway is available every day from noon Tuesday to Saturday. We are located on Ticklemore Street in Totnes.
Popping up between 6pm - 9pm at Coffee Couture in the town centre, the event took place as part of fundraising efforts by a local young woman. Laura Quick, from Totnes, will be attempting her first marathon in London this April on behalf of Breast Cancer Now.
Guests were able to delve into a selection of one-off finds, participate in a lucky dip with a medley of beauty gifts and have the chance to win a variety of raffle prizes – with live music provided by local musician and Laura’s brother, Harry Quick.
All proceeds from the event, both from sales of donated clothes and the raffle prize draw, will go directly to the charity ahead of the 26.2-mile challenge, which will take place one month after the charity fundraiser on the 28th April 2019.
The local bar and coffee shop was transformed for one night only in a vintage-esque clothes emporium, with all hands-on deck to help from friends and family. A flurry of clothes were donated for the event, after local women gave wardrobes an early spring clean.
Laura said: “We want to say a huge thank you to everyone that came to the event and to everyone that took the time to go through wardrobes and make it possible in the first place. We are so grateful to local businesses for all the donations to the raffle, as the amazing line up of prizes definitely helped spur on purchases!
“Training for the marathon has been much harder than I thought, but I feel very lucky to be able to run and in turn, do something towards helping raise some money for such a brilliant charity. The work that the Breast Cancer Now team do is so important, not just for women diagnosed, but for the families that are affected and to help fund vital research to prevent it. The charity believes that if we all act now, by 2050, no one will die from breast cancer - so every pound raised is truly appreciated to help us all play a part in that. Couldn't have done it without the massive help of my family, friends and most importantly, my wonderful mum!”
Organisers where overwhelmed with the support from local businesses who kindly donated prizes to the raffle, including – Eco Laundry, Dartmouth Ice Cream, Moved to Move, Dart Marina Hotel & Spa, Bayards Cove Inn, Lovely as It Seams, local artist Becky Bettesworth, Austin’s Department Store, Boots in Newton Abbot, Vincent Trading, Hill House Nurseries, Woolston Accounts, Gem Rose Hair, The Design Sheppard, Liten Hem, Food for Thought and London based designers Fee Greening and Luke Edward Hall.
Roly's Fudge are celebrating winning the Taste of the West "Sauces and Accompaniment" Champion Award for 2021, with their Roly's Salted Caramel Fudge Sauce.
The award is the most coveted food and drinks award in the South West for foods at the top of their category.
Roly's Fudge Sauce beat many other contenders for the Champion award.
It is the fourth Champion award for Roly's Fudge, which has previously won Champion Confectionery for Salted Maple & Pecan twice, as well as Champion Confectionery for Cherry Bakewell Fudge last year.
All of the fudge flavours and sauces entered were handmade with traditional ingredients in Roly's Fudge, which continues with the same recipes that the Totnes shop has used for more than 20 years.
According to John Sheaves, Chief Executive of Taste of the West: “These awards underpin our core values and strengthen our regional brand, a brand which is attracting considerable interest from new markets – both nationally and internationally, and is now helping to attract more and more visitors to our region each year so playing a major part in our visitor economy. Our sincere congratulations to all the finalists and overall winners, and to all of our valued sponsors and partners who continue to support us.”
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