TONY ALLEN’S COLUMN “COMMUNITY MATTERS” BOVEY THANKS VOLUNTEERS & “LIFELINE” SHOPS

Do you recognise any of these names? Gary Naisbett-Jones, Kevin Bastow, Mike Stone, John Steer and Jared Wray? What about Leah Cowell and Jonathan and Johanna White? Well, quite a few residents of our parish do, and appreciate what they have been doing for our community by nominating them for this year’s Community Champion Award.

Because of the pandemic and lockdowns, it had not been possible for the Town Council to hold a normal Community Awards programme this year. Certificates for the winners and runners-up (21 in all) from last year were only sent out a few weeks ago, as the council had been holding back hoping for an opportunity to have a presentation ceremony in the new Riverside Community Centre or a local hall, but this did not prove possible. So, this year it was decided to have a single award for a Community Champion, to show recognition of the extraordinary efforts some in our community have been making during this problem period. True to form five excellent nominations came in.

Three were for voluntary work for local organisations: Gary Naisbett-Jones and Kevin Bastow for setting up remote sessions for the Bovey Tracey Cubs to enable the youngsters to have weekly activities and keep in touch with children their own age which would otherwise not have happened; Mike Stone for raising money for the Bovey Primary School and the swimming pool through holding remote quizzes from home as the usual fund-raising events organised by the Parent Teachers Association were unable to take place; John Steer and Jared Wray for preparing the Bovey Swimming Pool for re-opening last summer in accordance with all the rules and regulations, and again more recently, providing an excellent outdoor recreational and wellbeing facility so well used by all age groups.

The other two nominations were for local shops (Spar and White’s Quality Greengrocers) that

their nominators felt had gone out of their way to ensure the elderly, vulnerable and socially isolated could receive food and groceries during the pandemic. Leah Cowell and her team at Spar, and Jonathan and Johanna White and their family at White’s, set up voluntary delivery systems as long ago as during the first lockdown in March last year. It was felt that both shops had gone the extra mile and had provided a lifeline for many. They demonstrated the true spirit of Bovey Tracey, which makes it such a great place to live in.

With any award system, there has to be a winner, and while the panel found it difficult to choose between these five excellent nominations, the decision in the end went to Gary and Kevin for their voluntary work with the Bovey Cubs. The winners and all the runners-up will  receive an appropriate certificate from the Town Council to recognise their valued contributions to the parish over the past year. I’m sure this will reflect all of our thanks too.

FLYING FLAGS........................

Do you think that flying country flags signifies patriotism or nationalism? There is surely a big difference between the two. Personally, I can’t stand masses of flag waving. It always reminds me of films of the Third Reich parading in the 1930s and 1940s.

I regard myself as Devonian and English with Irish and Danish ancestry. I also feel very European, having resided in Sweden and what is now the Czech Republic, and travelled extensively in many others: Greece, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, and Denmark in particular. Many families similarly have histories and relatives that link them to various regions and other countries, which they are proud to be closely associated with.

So how do you feel about the present government wanting to fly the union flag on all government buildings? In the past, we have done without this in the main, only raising the flag on special occasions of national relevance. The Queen’s birthday is an obvious one. The union flag is not a country flag of course, as it represents two countries: England and Scotland, plus a province (Northern Ireland). Wales, a principality, is nowhere to be seen!

In the current political scene, Scotland may well leave the union, while the Irish Peace Agreement gives scope for Northern Ireland (which may be in the United Kingdom, but not in Great Britain) to join up with the Irish Republic. In these circumstances there is great scope for disagreement and conflict. The United Kingdom is far from united, and unnecessary flag waving in Downing Street or on public buildings isn’t going to change that. So please just leave things as they are, as it’s not a big deal and isn’t really upsetting anyone.

JOKE TIME………

How times have changed. We used to be told to “steer clear of negative people”, now it’s “steer clear of positive people”.

I never felt that the phrase “I wouldn’t touch him or her with a barge pole” would become a national policy.

Youth is the time when you know that all the problems you face are your mum and dad’s fault. Maturity is the time when you realise that all your problems are your kid’s fault.

The world has certainly turned upside down. Now old folk are sneaking out of the house, and their kids are yelling at them to stay indoors.

Fred’s neighbour Tom is going down to the shops, so Fred asks him to look in at the post office to see if there’s a parcel waiting for him there. Tom agrees, and half an hour later Fred sees him walking past his house with his shopping. Fred calls out to him. “Did you get a chance to look for my parcel?” Tom calls back. “Yes, it’s there.”.

Bert’s doctor told him, “I don’t want to offend you by saying you’re overweight, but if I had to choose five of my most obese patients, you would be three of them.”

Ken is watching TV when he hears his wife call sweetly from the kitchen: “What would you fancy for your dinner tonight, my darling? Succulent chicken, tasty beef or lamb in a rich sauce?” “I’ll have the lamb ,” calls Ken. “I was talking to the cat!” says his wife. “You’re having chips.”

My brother just bought a pair of second-hand binoculars for £500. I reckon the bloke saw him coming a mile off.

Teacher: “Who were the first people to write with fountain pens?” Little Jonny: “The Incas.”

I could never remember my computer’s password, so I changed it to “incorrect”. Now, if ever I forget, it reminds me: “Your password is incorrect”.

Naturists beware! Your end is in sight!

Tony Allen is a Bovey Tracey Town Councillor. This column is written in a personal capacity and not on behalf of any group or organisation. The jokes are all in the public domain, so you may have seen some or all before! If you’d like to contact me about my column, please do so via the Cottage Magazine website: www.cottagemagazine.co.uk.

Other columns by Tony Allen