Will You Be Heading To Ugbrooke On 27^th April?

If you bump into any of us in the next few weeks, you might find us a little distracted. And there’s likely to be just one thing on our minds: Ugbrooke Park. That’s the location of the Family Fun Day we’re organising in aid of Cancer Lifeline South West.

It’s all happening on Sunday 27^th April, one week after Easter. And when we say all, we’re not exaggerating.

• There’s a dog show, with ten classes, so plenty of opportunity for your pooches to shine. You can reserve your place in your chosen classes via the website. We are hugely grateful to the team from Old Rydon Inn who are sponsoring the dog show.
• There’s live music from midday onwards featuring popular local artists including Wayward Pynes and the Chudleigh Shantymen. You can find the full programme and timings on the website. All the artists are donating their time to support CLSW and our heartfelt thanks go out to them.
• For the sports-minded among you, there will be demonstrations and taster sessions from Chudleigh Petanque Club and Chudleigh Cannons Netball Team. Our patron and former Exeter Chiefs/England rugby player, Don Armand, will be running two sessions on ball skills for kids. And Andy Boland, sports coach from Bournemouth University has a whole programme of games and challenges up his sleeve.
• You may have heard that Ground Up Cookery School has recently relocated to Chudleigh. Colin and Tasha Wheeler-James are known particularly for their use of foraged and seasonal ingredients and their traditional techniques including fermentation and pickling. So we were delighted when Colin agreed to run two foraging sessions at Ugbrooke. Places on these groups will be restricted and booking, via the website, will be essential.
• For the environmentally-minded among you, there will be walks and talks on the flora and fauna in the grounds, and a special exploration of some of the mini-beasts living there.
• The grounds of Ugbrooke House are fascinating with lots of nooks and crannies, hidden treasures and surprises around every corner. There will be a scavanger hunt for the kids (although we won’t object if the grown-ups give them a hand) with a prize for every entry.
• In the coming weeks, we will be running a prize draw with some truly wonderful prizes including a 43” Smart TV, a garden bench, a Canon EOS R50 camera and more. The draw will take place towards the end of the day and we’re very excited that David ‘Fitz’ Fitzgerald will be drawing the winning tickets.
• All this activity is obviously going to mean some hungry and thirsty visitors. And for that we’ve got burgers, hot dags, pizzas and sweet treats in the Food Court, plus hot drinks and home-made cakes. And if you fancy a beer or a glass of wine, we’ve got that covered too. We’ll even be stocking the ice-cream freezer if the weather forecast is kind to us.
• Added to all this, we have traditional games, like hook-a-duck, a tombola, lucky dip and – if we can find enough volunteers – the pillory for some fun with wet sponges.
• There is plenty of parking at Ugbrooke and we are lucky enough to have secured the support of Newton Abbot Rotary Club who will be acting as car park attendents all day. But not everyone has their own transport.We are very grateful to Chudleigh Primary School for the loan of their mini-bus, and we will be running an hourly shuttle between the Town Hall and Ugbrooke. So if you don’t drive, you will still be able to come and join the fun. You don’t necessarily have to book this in advance, but it would help if you did let us know, so we can gauge the level of demand.

Entry to the event will be just £5 for adults and under-16s go free, providing they are accompanied by an adult. Some of the activities will incur additional charges, but others will be free. And you can certainly wander around the grounds, hopefully enjoying the late-spring sunshine (crossing our fingers for that).