Fitz in the Community - Ep.23 - Classic cars & The South Devon ...

15 days ago

Torbay Weekly

Fitz in the Community is a podcast attached to this paper and basically does what it ‘says on the tin’. I wander around the county talking to anyone about anything which encapsulates the community in which we live. Launched every Monday on the website of this paper, we have already taken in rugby and football, birdwatching, bangers and beer plus cooking, the countryside and creativity. You can listen back to all the podcasts at your leisure and thank you for listening as we know so many of you do.

As you may know, I have a great love for classic cars. By chance last week I ran into a small collection in a field in South Devon and met the usual fanatical collectors and drivers. But on this occasion, even I was a little surprised by a gentleman called Aubone Braddon, who has a collection of Ford Anglia cars.

‘I’ve actually got 10 of them,’ he said standing beside his lagoon blue 105E. ‘There are four on the driveway at the moment at home and the rest are stored in a barn close by. I just love a Ford Anglia. Being visually impaired and never holding of driving license has never held me back from being a classic car collector!’

Aubone has a quite remarkable story to tell, tune into the podcast to find out more and look out for the feature we have produced on his remarkable life.

A couple of weeks ago I was watching the TV detective series ‘Beyond Paradise’ when a very familiar steam train came interview. One of the grand old workhorses from the South Devon railway was sliding through the Devon countryside, becoming a star in its own right as one of the series episodes was filmed on the line. We catch up with a dedicated member of the crew behind this preserved railway just as packed carriages rolled out of the Buckfastleigh station with a specialist dining car attached. The smiles from the passengers said it all as they were about to enjoy some wonderful food sliding through the Dart valley greenery tinged with a haze bluebells.

Dartmoor Zoo has been in the news recently as a new Carpathian Lynx has arrived. Emily came from a zoo in Germany and was introduced to the resident Lynx ‘Flaviu’, an introduction where nobody quite knew what the outcome would be.

‘I’m very glad to report, these two Lynx have been getting on brilliantly in fact, mating was observed more or less within hours of their introduction!’ said David Gibson CEO of the zoo. ‘It would be lovely to see and hear the patter of tiny paws very soon.’

You will be the first to know via this paper and the podcast. Devon rugby is going to look slightly different next season as Devonport Services will no longer be playing clubs such as Okehampton or Exmouth or Brixham! They are promoted to get another level.

‘It will be a sad moment to leave our friendly rivals,’ said Fraser Pearson, the honorary secretary of the club. Our rivals have been mostly within the Southwest but with promotion comes a greater emphasis on travel and this will obviously put a greater challenge to the team, but it is the reward of our success.’

Fitz in the Community, a podcast coming to your community … why not get in touch?

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