Budleigh Past and Present

The old Fairlynch site hosted by Devon Museums has vanished, just as I was getting the hang of it I last mentioned my involvement with Budleigh Salterton's Fairlynch Museum at http://budleighbrewsterunited.blogspot.com/2011/06/another-brochure-for-budleigh-salterton.html referring to the work I'd done on the website at http://www.devonmuseums.net/fairlynch Well, the website is back online after what was for me a mysterious blip. But it took me some time to recognise it. The helpful explanation from Devon Museums, which runs the site, was that the changes had proved necessary because there were a number of problems with the old site that they just could not rectify in the Joomla system that underpinned it. "In addition," I was told, "we now have no funding for Devon Museums Group or for the website, hosting or technical support, so we needed to make it more sustainable and also generate income if possible." It seemed to me initially that much of my work to

Chris Orr RA, 'Black Dog looking West' Budleigh Salterton's Brook Gallery is delighted to announce its new summer launches - The Permanent Collection and The Contemporary Collection, from 19 June to 2 September 2011. "These collections promise to fill the Gallery with colour, interest, history and delight in every sense over the summer months, and will celebrate the enduring relationships that it enjoys with its artists," says The Brook's owner Angela Yarwood. "A ‘cause c é l è bre’ of influential artists and print makers, the extraordinary Summer show combines the Permanent and the Contemporary Collections with a list of artists that runs like a roll call of the nation’s most acclaimed. The Permanent Collection includes artists such as those from the RA stable: Chris Orr, Eileen Cooper, Tom Phillips, Norman Ackroyd, and Bill Jacklin, and Brad Faine whose work was amongst those that lifted the lid on a new school of vibrant art in

The spirit of Budstock is alive and well Someone emailed me the other day to ask "How come you didn't know about Budfest last Saturday??" Well, I can't be expected to cover all the Budleigh news. The local press do a great job anyway, and my efforts are getting more and more spasmodic, especially during the summer months. I think what my friend was enquiring about was a one-off event on 19 June which I'll mention now just because it's one of those quirky Budleigh things that deserves a place in the cyberarchives. This was the event's intriguing description according to organiser Joe Holroyd: "A rainbow, a kingfisher, three great bands, 120 people, and a good deal of cider and ale convene to celebrate a secret outlaw Budstock on the 40th birthday of its founder Toby Holroyd." I won't say any more than that, except to refer people who don't know anything about Budstock to my post at http://budleighbrewsterunited.blogspot.c

I mentioned at http://budleighbrewsterunited.blogspot.com/2011/05/budleighs-2011-gala-week-28-may-5-june.html that I'd be posting photos of Budleigh Salterton's Gala Week 2011 and here they are. Well, some from the opening day's celebrations anyway. Here's the coach taking the Gala royal family to The Green. Local journalist Becca Gliddon presents a floral tribute to the Gala Queen . Becca Gliddon's speech praised Budleigh Salterton Lions for their role in organising this big community event. As usual the twirlers and cheerleaders put on a polished performance. Budleigh Salterton charity Inaheartbeat were raising money for their Goody Boxes. The local Inner Wheel team ran a popular plant stall. Budleigh Salterton Lions run the Gala Week. The event raised £15,000 for charity. The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) has a Gala Week Stall, as you'd expect in a coastal town like Budleigh Salterton. St Peter's C of E primary school fund-raising tea

I'm pleased with this photo of Fairlynch Museum, if only because that Mediterranean-blue sky offers a more cheerful alternative to the rained-soaked view that I currently have from my window. Well, it was a publicity shot after all. It now appears on the latest material that I found myself producing in my role as publicity officer for the Museum. This is a smart little folded leaflet which will do a good job of promoting our current exhibition based on the life and achievements of former Budleigh resident George Murray Levick, one of the group of six survivors of the Northern Party which made up Scott of the Antarctic's ill-fated polar expedition of 1910-13. It will shortly be finding its way to hundreds of outlets in Devon and beyond. Many thanks to the United Kingdom Antarctic Heritage Trust http://www.ukaht.org/ for their sponsorship of the leaflet. And thanks to Dave at Copyrite in Exmouth for his efficiency and helpfulness in tying up a few loose ends o

I was gently chided recently by Budleigh Festival supremo Roger Bowen for failing to mention on my blog the Reception for Friends of the Festival which took place in the town's Public Hall on 28 April. So to make amends here's a photo of the Tourist Information Centre banner showing the splendid line-up of performers for the 2011 Festival. And here's the Festival website link at http://www.budleigh-festival.org.uk/ One of the beauties of blogging is that it can be a spasmodic business, ideal for amateurs and eccentrics, with no obligation to meet the deadlines that rule the world of the professional media. I do try to keep this little Budleigh archive in cyberspace up to date, and I'm usually keen to promote music events in the area and I see that I totally failed to mention last Wednesday's Emma Johnson concert, part of the St Peter's Music concert series. Talking of archives, I've been very busy with work for Fairlynch Museum - more about that in my next

Potato head: one of last year's scarecrows greeting visitors to the village of East Budleigh I see that one of Devon's best known historians is giving a talk next week at East Budleigh's All Saints Church. Dr Todd Gray's subject will be the county's old customs and traditions. I always feel that his researches into Devon history might be of interest to my American readers because he was brought up in Massachusetts, as I've mentioned at http://budleighbrewsterunited.blogspot.com/2009/08/new-englanders-view-of-old-england.html It's so appropriate that his talk should be in the church where the young Walter Raleigh worshipped with his family almost 500 years ago. This is the opening event in East Budleigh's Scarecrow Festival next weekend and I wonder whether Dr Gray will be telling us about the age-old origins of scarecrows, a countryside tradition which of course goes back way beyond Raleigh's time. Lots more activities will be taking place over the w