What a wonderful Carnival it was again. The weather was what it should be in October so the afternoon Children's event was held indoors but was none the worse for that. Why do we hold the Carnival in October? Not only ours, but the whole of the West Country it seems. The answer is simple. Once the harvest is safely in then the country can start to relax and have some fun. The fact that a lot of our residents (including me) are incomers (even townies), makes no difference to the basic fact that this is a rural area and it is nature's rhythms that are important.

The other major event at the start of October is the Sticklepath Pram Race. If you visited this website last year, you may remember that I made some comment on 'The Pram Race' or 'The Sticklepath Pram Race' as a name, because the route seems to lay largely outside Sticklepath. For the locals, it is just another example of how closely linked the various

Beacon Villages are The race/event is organised by Sticklepath and enjoyed by all of us. The competitors come from all over, not just our villages but Okehampton and other areas.

Another event, of a similar but probably even wider geographic appeal is the Fireshow - sorry The Sticklepath Fireshow. This has West Country wide fame and further. And again, its origins and its creators and performers cover a much wider area than just Sticklepath, again showing the very close ties of all our villages.

I mentioned 'incomers' before. The economic facts of life have meant that many from outside the area have chosen to come and settle here. Probably the reason they choose to stay here is because of the wonderful community spirit that they find.

pete

ps don't forget the re-opening of Church House on Saint Andrew's day!