News

We Found Alf Resco! (pictures to follow!) June 9, 2008: There was a hive of activity in and around Exbourne Village Hall on Saturday morning when we held our summer community market and Big Breakfast. Several local businesses from Exbourne, Jacobstowe, Monkokehampton and the surrounding area were there to sell their locally produced goods. The delicious smell of cooking bacon produced hearty appetites and there was a brisk trade in breakfasts. The Community Market was followed in the evening by a Jazz and Barbeque held at The Glebe House, by kind permission of Marie Winckler. The Exbourne and Jacobstowe Association raised just under £780 towards the underground shop project. The Association would like to thank everybody who came and supported both events and in particular those who helped run and organise the market and the Jazz Evening.

Get Alf Resco! May 20, 2008: On Saturday 7 June between 10am and 12:30pm Exbourne & Jacobstowe Community Association will be holding another of its hugely successful Community Markets in and around Exbourne Village Hall. In an excellent showcase of local produce from the surrounding area, there will be stalls selling cheeses, rare breed pork sausages, meat, vegetables and speciality breads to name but a few. Throughout the morning the café will be serving the “Exbourne Big Breakfast” a perfect opportunity to sample some of the produce before making your purchases! The day will be rounded off with a BBQ and “Jazz Al Fresco”. A perfect way to enjoy a fine Devon evening! Tickets for the evening BBQ are available from the First Class Café, in the Village Hall on Monday and Friday mornings. Tickets can also be bought from Rant and Rage, Okehampton; Copper Beeches, Exbourne (01837 851646) and 2, Butterpits, Jacobstowe (01837 851518). For further information on any of the events, please call in at the Village Hall on Monday and Friday mornings. Proceeds in aid of the Exbourne Community Shop Project.

Who is Alf Resco? May 4, 2008: We all are, if the weather is good! So keep your fingers crossed that Saturday 7th June is a glorious sunny day, because that's the date of the next Big Breakfast, Community Market and Jazz Evening. The big breakfast and community market will be held in the village hall, as usual. The jazz evening and barbeque will again be at Glebe House, by kind permission of Marie Winckler. Tickets are on sale soon, so bag a place or you won't be Alf Resco!

Now we are six! May 4, 2008: Members of the EJCAL Committee recently celebrated the sixth anniversary of the temporary shop, cafe and Post Office in the Village Hall. Although there was cause to celebrate six successfull years of trading, there was also disappointment that the project was still in its temporary surroundings. The Committee are keeping everything crossed that by their seventh birthday, the project will at last be in its own home, just like the Wombles.... underground!

Borough Council brings community outreach to the cafe! April 7, 2008: West Devon Borough Council is bringing its community outreach service to Exbourne, in a series of events to be held at the cafe in the Village Hall. EJCAL are hosting a special launch event on Thursday 17th April, between 10am and 2pm. The cafe will provide refreshments and a convivial atmosphere for residents to meet and discuss issues with a range of agencies and service providers. Following on from the launch, Customer Service Advisors and representatives from other agencies will be available during regular Friday cafe sessions on 2nd May, 6th June, 4th July. 1st August, 5th September and 3rd October. The cafe and shop will be serving their usual ranges of delicious local produce, so come and have a coffee and a slice of cake or a bacon buttie and talk to your Council. See you there!

Keri hits the ground running! February 11, 2008: Exbourne and Jacobstowe Community Association Ltd. (EJCAL), is thrilled to announce that Keri Quertier has joined them as the new Community Shop and Café Manager. Keri’s post is supported by a Reaching Communities Grant, from a branch of the Big Lottery Fund, and is an important milestone for EJCAL. Keri will be responsible for developing all aspects of the day to day running of the shop and will continue to develop and strengthen links with the many local producers in the area. After a successful career in the world of accountancy Keri relocated to Devon and has latterly worked in food retail developing a keen interest in West Country produce. ‘I’m delighted to be working with EJCAL and look forward to developing links with local producers, ensuring that the shop and café provide a great service for the whole community’. Keri began her employment with EJCAL on 14 January 2008 and will be employed for a period of 15 months. EJCAL is now awaiting a decision from the Big Lottery on their application for the bulk of the capital build cost for the new shop, café and Post Office. Unfortunately, due to internal staff changes at the Big Lottery, submission to the Review Board has been postponed and a decision is now expected in May.

Christmas at the cafe January 5, 2008: On Friday, 21st December, customers at the Post Office, shop and café in Exbourne Village Hall, were surprised to be served by characters from Hansel and Gretel. The Post Office was taken over by the Wicked Witch and Hansel and Gretel served customers in the shop and café, assisted by a Wicked Stepmother. The children of the Pre-School paid a surprise visit to sing Christmas songs and Father Christmas dropped in to hand out presents. Mulled wine, mince pies and bacon butties added to the festive victuals and ensured good cheer. The shop committee would like to thank everybody who helped make the morning such a fun event. The Exbourne & Jacobstowe Community Association would also like to thank all of the volunteers and customers who have supported the shop project during the past year. We wish you a very Happy New Year.

PRESS RELEASE - BIG LOTTERY FUNDING BOOST November 19, 2007: Exbourne and Jacobstowe Community Association Ltd are thrilled to announce that they have been awarded £13,976 by the Big Lottery Fund through its highly competitive Reaching Communities grant scheme. The money will enable the Association to employ a local person to manage the current twice-weekly shop, café and local produce initiative. Claire Hariades, community project worker for local environmental charity Westden, said, ‘I was delighted to hear of Exbourne’s success with their grant application. It’s a reflection of Big Lottery’s enthusiasm for the project and will also give the hard working project team a real boost.’ The Association are now advertising to recruit a motivated and competent individual who will help to take the project forward to the next exciting level.

Another successful community produce market October 15, 2007: Exbourne Village Hall was buzzing last Saturday with shoppers at the community market snapping up delicious local produce and diners enjoying a hearty and locally sourced big breakfast. Local producers ranged from meat by Snout and Trotter to pottery by Monkokehampton Pottery, via vegetables from Moon Farm and fruit preserves and purees by Yearnswell. The local apple harvest was celebrated with apple games and an apple pudding competition and many local producers, including Westlake Apple Juice, also kindly donated raffle prizes. The day was rounded off with a celebratory harvest supper, led by Rev’d Phillip Wagstaff and we toasted the success of ‘our rugby boys in France’ with a hearty tot of Winkleigh Cider. Funds were raised for the Exbourne and Jacobstowe Community Shop with money raised by the Harvest Supper, split three ways between the Chapel, St. Mary's Church and the shop project. All in all, a fantastic day! The organisers would like to thank the many sponsors, local producers and volunteers who contributed to making the event such a great success. Many thanks to you all.

A very Successful Trio of Treats! July 19, 2007: Exbourne enjoyed a successful trio of treats on an almost dry day last Saturday. During the morning, a broad range of produce was snapped up at the community market, including local bread, sausages, cheeses, jams, chutneys and fresh vegetables. In the afternoon, more than 50 visitors enjoyed a selection of local gardens and cream teas in the village hall provided a welcome refreshment stop. The day was rounded off with a superb evening of laid back jazz along with a delicious barbecue in the elegant surroundings of the Glebe Gardens. A total of just over £1,000 was raised for the Exbourne and Jacobstowe Community Association Ltd, so a very big thanks to all who supported these events.

Business Plan Revised June 6, 2007: The latest business plan for The Burrow - that's the official name for the shop now - is available. Download it here, or from the link at the top of our home page.

Say Cheese! May 17, 2007: A new range of delicious local cheeses are available in the shop now: Sharpham - A brie style soft cheese with an unrivalled creamy buttery texture and scrumptious taste. Rustic - A semi-hard cheese with a delicate open texture made with Jersey milk on Sharpham Estate - South Devon. Trehill - A smooth cheese with fresh garlic and chives. Meldon - Chiltern ale mustard is added to this cheese which makes it very savoury and mouth watering. Belstone - A deliciously smooth cheese made at Stockbeare Farm, Okehampton Devon Blue - An Ayrshire cows milk cheese. Firm but creamy and very savoury. Vulscombe - Goats Cheese in assorted flavours. Stocks are limited, so get in there quick before it's all gone!

Snouts in the Trough! May 13, 2007: We are pleased to announce the imminent arrival of a first class treat for all you porcine fans. From Friday 18th May, Snout and Trotter will be supplying their delicious organic bangers to the shop, so go on, make a pig of yourself! Even better news, on Friday 25th May, we will be holding a Snout and Trotter tasting session, so not only will you be able to wake up and smell the coffee, you'll be able to taste the bacon too. This fresh produce comes from one whole food mile away in Jacobstowe - you can't get more local than that!

WE VISIT BROCKWEIR COMMUNITY SHOP! November 25, 2006: 7 members and supporters of EJCAL enjoyed a visit to Brockweir and Hewelsfield Community Shop in West Gloucestershire at the end of September. The trip was funded by the Swap Shop Fund (South West Regional Development Agency). Brockweir and Hewelsfield shop is housed in a beautiful building framed in local oak and incorporates many green features such as photovoltaic roof slates and a geothermal heat pump. The build cost was around £400,000. As well as selling many delicious local products including bread baked on the premises, the shop offers the following services: basic post office services - a franking system for mailing items; book and video library; cash point; conference and IT suite with a small commercial office space; a local information point; a wonderful cafe; exhibition space; The shop is superbly run by a full-time manager Alison Macklin, the management committee and a band of volunteers. It’s been operating for 2 years and annual turnover has so far well exceeded their expectations. Project manager Fred Simpson says the project has delivered everything they wanted and more. We all found the visit very informative and inspiring, as well as great fun.

Report on Big Breakfast November 3, 2006: Exbourne’s 2nd big breakfast & community market proved highly popular; a slick team served up over 70 breakfasts from the village hall kitchen using mainly delicious local ingredients sourced from within a 20 mile radius. These included Coxwell Farm eggs, Bacon from Hatherleigh-based Peter’s Porkers, Lovaton Farm sausages and Bread from Stevie B’s traditional bakery in Crediton. Alongside the breakfast event was a community market with stalls selling a range of fine local foods, plants and crafts. Our new market stall (pictured), purchased with a grant from the UK Villages Community Kitty debuted. Sue and Gaye manned (womanned?) it, selling produce from the Exbourne Growers. Much of this is also available at Exbourne’s weekly shop and cafe on Monday and Friday mornings which is run at present from the village hall. Proceeds from this event go towards the village’s bigger community project - to establish a purpose-built community shop specialising in local produce, post office, cafe and IT facilty - in other words, The Underground Shop! We’re now thinking of a pre-Christmas market so watch this website for details. Would anyone like to help organise?

Planning Permission Granted August 16, 2006: In April 2006, West Devon Borough Council granted full planning permission for the building and so the project is now set to enter a very exciting phase. More ...