Greetings from your Chairman.
We have just held our first meeting since lock-down and it was good that so many of you could join me at the shed in Pixon Lane while the weather was kind to us. I tried to make sure that this was a safe environment to meet and hope it turned out to be an informal get together where we could openly discuss a sensible way forward.
I think we were all shocked when the Pandemic hit us but more shocking to me was finding that everything had to be closed down – even our village Halls and Churches – just at the time they would be most needed.
During lock-down, I have been reflecting on our little shed and how we can make it serve those who feel lonely or isolated during times like these. John Higgins and I have had a couple of sessions removing the plant debris from the roof and taking it to the tip. I have had to learn how to produce video and digital communication in order to keep the two churches running while shops and pubs were closed. We also set up a local community support team. When we were told that the Open Gardens scheme to raise funds for St Luke’s Hospice was cancelled for this year we opened up our bluebell wood, and after raising £1500 for them, we started raising funds for our church project which includes a toilet which can be open to everyone. £400 so far!
My thoughts about our shed were concentrated when I started work on the model. What is clear is that it shows how big we could make it but it remains an enclosed space which will put off people who are self-isolating or otherwise vulnerable to infection. It plainly needs to be able to provide covered spaces which are open to the fresh air. It will also need to be secure from vandals and thieves.
The existing shed can be used to contain secure space which can be locked up. The rest of the accommodation could be open sided and extended using pop-up marquees or gazebos which could be stored inside the shed.
Three people could safely work on benches inside the shed, provided that the main door is open and another door is created to allow cross ventilation.
Our meeting concluded that the creation of a garden would be essential to our project but that we need to first find out if there were any other buildings in the Tavistock area which we could be available for us to occupy.
We agreed to meet again in two weeks time on the 14th August at 11.00am at the shed in Pixon Lane to make a decision to proceed.
Christopher Pancheri 31st July 2020