Join the Mayor of Barnstaple, Cllr Janet Coates at this years Country Music Hoedown. Enjoy an afternoon of line dancing, live music, tin can shootout and lots more.
Hello from Barnstaple Town Council
A warm welcome to our June Newsletter. Thank you once again for the positive feedback to our last edition.
There’s a slightly different feel to our Newsletter for June. Since publishing our last edition a general election has been called, scheduled for Thursday 4th July. This has a considerable impact on what we can report on publicly, in essence, avoiding anything which could be construed as ‘politically sensitive.’
So, this month we are going to run a special edition marking the recent D-Day 80th anniversary, focussing on this remarkable event, it’s significance to our region and most saliently in election times, its legacy.
Community
Regular activities such as Wellbeing Wednesdays and our Community Cafes have continued as normal, still taking place at the library whilst the Guildhall works are ongoing.
Barnstaple in Bloom have been busy helping our Rangers, notably in Rock Park where work has been carried out along the flower beds and the rockery. It was looking splendid when we hosted Picnic in The Park on Sunday 9th, organised by The Lions Club. The weather was kind, encouraging a bumper turn-out. There was a wide array of entertainment on display and a live music stage, with everyone reported to have had a marvellous time. We are always pleased to see Rock Park playing host to such popular events. We are aware that a considerable amount of refuse was generated, more than our regular litter bins could cope with. This is something we will address with the organisers for next year.
It is also wonderful to see the regular Sunday morning Yoga sessions back in full swing – or should that be full ‘Warrior’! The free classes are proving popular, and feedback has been very positive.
This weekend sees the return of the Repair Café, with a different slant. They are hosting Carnival Workshops. Our local streets will see the return of the Carnival this September and preparations are well underway. It’s not an event we organise but it is one many of our residents participate in and enjoy. This coming Saturday, 15th June, a number of local groups are teaming up to support and encourage community involvement. The event will take place in the Pannier Market from 10am.
Plastic Free North Devon will be there to offer and assist with creative activities to help anyone who wants to be involved on carnival day. There will also be a drumming workshop with Black Wall Street London from 11 until 12 noon. Please do support the return of Barnstaple Carnival. The event is free to attend.
D-DAY
The 80th anniversary of D-Day included our memorial event held in Rock Park on 6th June. Please see the picture gallery below, depicting the event at the memorial as well as the reflection on The Square, where a team of dedicated re-enactors showcased uniforms and equipment from the 1940’s. They also delved into the nostalgia of the times, with excerpts of radio broadcasts, giving a feel of what it was like to listen to news, events and entertainment through the wireless.
Barnstaple, and indeed the wider North Devon area, played a significant role in the Normandy invasion. The coast along Bideford Bay, taking in Northam Burrows and Instow as well as stretches from Saunton Sands around to Woolacombe all played a vital role in preparing troops for the Allied invasion. The area served as a training ground for many thousands of soldiers, who practised amphibious assaults, navigation, and logistics in the challenging terrain that closely resembled that particular part of the north French coastline they were destined for. Much of the activity was conducted in a clandestine manner as the Allies were keen to keep the location of the landings secret right up until strike day.
For Barnstaple and North Devon, D-Day holds a far higher significance than many are aware of. Many from the area took part in the 6th June and subsequent landings, but thousands more rehearsed here, preparing in minute detail for what would be the most significant operation of the war. It’s one reason why North Devon continues to honour the bravery and sacrifice of those who fought on those fateful days, ensuring that the legacy of D-Day remains an integral part of our history and identity. The excellent Heritage Trail booklet highlights some of the most important military and cultural sites of World War II in North Devon. On a beautiful crystal-clear June day 80 years later, it is hard to imagine that our peaceful shores and beautiful beaches saw such explosive activity.
Many of the American troops spent time in Barnstaple. The Iceland store, towards the top of the High Street, was once Forrester’s Hall, holding weekly music and dance evenings which many of the GI’s attended. That’s one of a number of facts you could pick up from the Barnstaple Museum’s D-Day exhibition, which also featured a collection of period artifacts. There are countless other examples of how buildings all over our region were put to use in preparation for this extraordinary event. And let us not forget, it was an extra-ordinary event. One, which all these years later, still takes your breath away at its magnitude. When we held our memorial service at Rock Park, and when many other such services were taking place locally, regionally, nationally and internationally, everybody was acutely aware of the significance of the sacrifice made. It is not without irony that this special D-Day edition of our Newsletter comes at a time when the pre-election period affords us space to do so.
