Community, What's On

Brentor Mistletoe Fair

Brentor’s Mistletoe Fair returned again this year on Saturday 7th December.  The Fair has been an annual event  since 2012 and has built up quite a reputation for its good food and excellent and  interesting selection of craft-based Christmas presents.

Thanks must go to all those who came to support the Mistletoe Fair.  Because of their generosity (and their Christmas shopping needs) the Fair raised over £1,400 that, as usual, goes towards supporting our Village Hall and Playing Field.  Without these big fundraising events, which take a great deal of effort to organise, these village facilities would not continue to survive.

Thanks also to the army of helpers on the day: those who toiled away in the kitchen and decorated the hall; the Gluhwein vendors, those who generously donated raffle prizes and of course the raffle ticket sellers. You all helped to make the day a success.
Mary Tavy & Brentor Community School Singing Group entertained visitors with some lovely Christmas songs and Santa visited with gifts for the children.

We all had a great day! Hope to see you in 2020…..
The Mistletoe Fair Group is Sue, Margaret, Helen,Glenys and Roz,  ably assisted by Clare, Anne & Mary.

News, Ongoing Community Issues

Where next for Brentor broadband? Will the Conservative government’s election pledge help?

NEWS

In 2018 the Government introduced a Universal Service Obligation (USO) for broadband provision, aiming for this to be in place by 2020 at the latest.  This has clearly not been achieved although it should have applied to Brentor residents who cannot receive an Airband signal and who currently have less than 10mbs broadband download speed. 

In their 2019 election pledges the Conservative party made a further pledge.  Their manifesto states:
‘We are Europe’s technology capital, producing start-ups and success stories at a dazzling pace. But not everyone can share the benefits. We intend to bring full fibre and gigabit-capable broadband to every home and business across the UK by 2025.’

In his election leaflet in December 2019 our local MP, Geoffrey Cox, states that he will be ‘Turbocharging Digital Connectivity’.  To do this there will be ‘gigabit broadband for all parts of Torridge and West Devon by 2025 with a new £5bn commitment to rural areas.’  He also restates elsewhere in his leafle that  ‘A pledge of superfast digital connectivity for rural areas will be backed by a £5bn commitment.’

All we can do is wait…… It might well be worth contacting Geoffrey Cox MP to ensure that both of these Government commitments are actually implemented as promised!  Even 10mbs would be better than the 5mbs and below for those of us in the parish who are unable to access the Airband system.  Superfast broadband would be a game changer for those Brentor residents currently trying to manage with less than 5mbs!

For information, below is the House of Commons Library Briefing that details the Government’s plans to introduce a Universal Service Obligation (USO) for broadband.  It was published on June 5, 2018.

What is the broadband USO?

The UK Government is introducing a Universal Service Obligation (USO) for broadband. The new USO is a UK-wide measure to deliver broadband connections to the hardest to reach premises in the UK. It is intended to fill the gap left by the UK Government’s existing broadband roll-out programs.
The USO will provide a legal right to request a broadband connection of at least 10 megabits per second (Mbps) download speed. Eligible consumers and businesses will be able to request a connection under the USO and a Universal Service Provider(s) will be required to fulfil all requests up to a cost threshold of £3,400. The USO will be funded by industry through a cost-sharing fund.
The USO is underpinned by secondary legislation made under the Digital Economy Act 2017, and will be implemented by Ofcom. The Digital Economy Act allows for the Government to review the USO and to increase the minimum speed. There was broad cross-party and consumer support for the introduction of a statutory USO for broadband in general, but there were mixed views from industry stakeholders as to how universal access to broadband should be delivered.

Technical specifications
The minimum technical standards for connections made under the USO will be:

  • Minimum download speed of 10 Mbps.
  • Minimum upload speed of 1 Mbps.
  • Additional quality parameters: medium response times, a minimum data cap of 100 GBs and a contention rate of 50:1 (which means a maximum of 50 users to share one bandwidth).

A mix of technologies that meet the minimum specifications will be used to deliver the service.  In 2016 Ofcom advised that satellite connections will probably be the only option for some consumers (approx. 0.2%) but may not be able to fulfil the additional quality parameters.

When will the USO be implemented?

The Government is aiming for the USO to be in place by 2020 at the latest. Secondary legislation was laid in Parliament in March 2018, and came into force on 23 April 2018. Ofcom has responsibility to implement the USO and that process is expected to take up to two years. Several factors need to be finalised, such as the designation of a universal service provider, and the design of an industry cost-sharing fund. Ofcom’s first document on the USO implementation is expected in summer 2018.

How many premises will be eligible?

Ofcom reported that as of January 2018, 925,000 premises in the UK (3%) would qualify for the USO based on the proposed technical specifications.
The USO will be available only to those consumers that do not have access to broadband connections that fulfil the minimum standards, not those who have such a connection available but choose not to subscribe to it. The number of premises covered by the USO will ultimately depend on the number of consumers that register.

Click here to see the full Government report as a PDF

So that is where those of us without Airband access are at the moment.  If anyone in Brentor has further information please do contact the website Editor, Colin Dawes, at colinvdawes@btinternet.com. 

For more information about how this issue has evolved click here

You can still check your broadband speed by clicking here. (Just click the button marked ‘Start Speed Test’ below the two dials).

 

Colin Dawes, Editor

Community

Brentor in 1939

Len and Sheila Prouse’s wedding. From left: Vida G Prouse (née Bray), William R O Prouse, Joan Carpenter, Anthony Prouse, Leonard Prouse, Sheila Prouse (née Carpenter), Mr. Carpenter, Muriel Carpenter and Mrs. Carpenter.

Irene Cradick, a member of the Brentor Living Archive Group, has done even more painstaking and detailed work by compiling a record of the residents of Brentor from  a register of the residents taken in 1939.

The declaration of war on 3 September 1939 was quickly followed by The 1939 Registration Act, which created a 40 million entry record of the population of Great Britain, in preparation for war. Taken on 29 September 1939, the register, which includes the addresses, names, dates of birth, marital status and occupations of most people, was used to produce identity cards, for the issue of ration books, conscription into the armed forces and to monitor and control the movement of the population caused by military mobilisation and mass evacuation.  After the war it was used as the foundation for the Central Register of the NHS and was updated, including name changes, until 1991.

This record gives us a snapshot of who was living where and with whom and doing what in Brentor on that night 80 years ago, though records of some individuals are closed, until they are known to be deceased.  Irene has been researching village residents for Brentor 1939, a companion project to Brentor People in 1911, which is also available in the Brentor Village website’s ‘About Brentor’ history section.

Click here to go to the Brentor: September 1939 page

Irene has now also updated her 1911 researchto incorporate additional material contributed by a number of Brentor people, for which she is very grateful.

Click here to see the updated 1911 page

Please do not hesitate to contact Irene if you have more information, corrections or if you think she can help you in any way – email irene.cradick@btinternet.com .

 

Community, News

Community Housing latest

Brentor Parish Council released the following statement on 18th July 2019:

PROPOSED HOUSING

Figures have now been collated from the Housing Needs Survey conducted in July 2018 and the 2 public presentation days.  

The presentations were very well attended and figures show that the development is oversubscribed by local people who will be eligible to live there.

The latest data indicates a need for 11 affordable homes and 6 open market homes, which meet the criteria for an affordable development as required by WDBC and DNPA.  The planned development remains fixed at 12 properties.

Further progress has been slightly delayed due to the recent elections, but it is understood that the plans will be submitted to DNPA shortly with a planning decision expected in September.  Construction should then commence late Autumn or early next year.

 Further information will be published as and when it is received.
News

Traffic speeding in Brentor

The Parish Council is trying to organise a meeting with the County Council Highways department about local concerns regarding the speeding of traffic through our village.

The current speed limit throughout the village is 60mph, which is clearly too fast for many of our roads.  If you have witnessed traffic obviously travelling too fast through Brentor please contact Caroline Oxenham, Parish Clerk, by emailing her at brentorpc@yahoo.co.uk .

Community

Do you have memories of the Brentor Inn?

Harvest Festival at the Brentor Inn, 1970

There are many people in Brentor who remember happy times in the Brentor Inn when it was open – a real meeting place for the community.  Do you have any photographs that could be made into a gallery about the pub on this website?  Here’s a good one as a starter…….

The Brentor Inn (named Brentor Hotel) in its heyday
Sale poster of the Herrings Inn, 1838

Did you know that the Brentor Inn used to be called The Herrings Arms – no doubt because for many years the Herring family owned Langstone and local land, including some alongside Burn Lane.

What a shame that Brentor no longer has a pub that is open.  Back in May 2005 Brentor News carried the following article:-

‘ Brentor Inn Update
The new owners of the Brentor Inn – Cynthia and Dudley Smith, daughter Emma Harcourt- Smith and partner Andy Stone – are hoping to open by Christmas.  Since buying The Brentor Inn last June, they have needed several re-thinks on structure, design and layout but now feel they have an achievable scheme and “will be applying for planning permission for the changes within the next two weeks”.
Changes will include a new kitchen, toilets and a cellar. The intention is to open initially as a pub with a range of beers and simple but goodbar food. The function room will open later – hopefully with restaurant facilities.
Sharp-eyed passers-by will have noticed the recent appearance in the car park of a JCB, which has been purchased for the construction. The family has engineering experience in varying forms – which should help.
We are happy to report that they all categorically deny any rumours about applying for change of use! ‘

News

A Brentor Inn memory

At the Brentor Inn, about 1968

In response to this website’s request for memories of the Brentor Inn during  its heyday, (scroll down the page to see this), Francesca Bell has sent this photo.

She writes:  “Just having a lovely read of your Brentor Village page and thought you may like this photo. It’s at the then Brentor Inn the day of my younger brother’s christening about 1968. My dad in the background, Eric Doidge, farmer at Cross Trees Farm South Brentor, my Mum Celia (a Brentorian, I’ve memorabilia from then – original programmes and photographs), then there is my sister Beverley, my brother Ashley, myself Francesca and my grandmother Ethel May Scott (formerly of the Fox and Hounds).
Many a cherryade had on that day by the look of it!
Regards Francesca Bell (nee Doidge) “

If you also have any memories of the Brentor Inn we would be pleased to hear from you.

Community

We need your contributions!

Painted Lady butterfly in West Blackdown, August 2019

Do you have an interesting photo, an informative item about the village or an event that you need to promote?
We want to keep this website topical, local and up-to-date, so please send your potential contributions to the Editor at brentorvillage@btinternet.com .

Ongoing Community Issues

Ongoing community issues

This section of the website sets out to provide a source of information about issues which are of ongoing concern to our village.  Often these issues first appear on this home page, but require additional space to do them justice.

Click here for information about Broadband provision for Brentor

Click here for information about Local Needs Housing provision in Brentor

Click here for information about the possible new railway line through Brentor (part of the Dawlish alternative route)

Community

We want your recipes!

This website now has a recipes page, but there’s only a few recipes on it! 
As we all know, lot of Brentor’s social life revolves around cooking and eating with family and friends.  The recipes on the new page have been provided by Brentor residents past and present.  No doubt some have been adapted and improved as the years pass – and they are reminders of residents past and present and of many good times around the table, as well as being household favourites.
WE NEED LOTS MORE RECIPES!  So please email your contributions – a recipe with a small introductory text – to the editor, Colin Dawes, at brentorvillage@btinternet.com . 

Click here to go to the Recipe Book page

What's On

Sign up to receive Brentor event reminders by email!

How often do you think ‘I wish I had remembered to go to that!’?
If you sign up for the free village event reminder service that won’t happen again.
For many special village events or activities you will receive an email reminder during the week before the event. Occasionally events are put on at short notice and may only be advertised by this service.
So why not join over 80 households who have already signed up!
To take advantage of this free service just send your email to brentorinfo@btinternet.com.
Colin Dawes