Arlington WI: At the September 1 meeting Claire and Steve Flint gave an interesting talk and slide show of their epic trek up Mount Kilimanjaro.

It took up to nine-months' training to make the attempt. Kilimanjaro consists of three dormant volcanoes ranging from 16,000 to 19,000 feet high.

On the way up they went from tropical conditions to arctic ones at the top. At times they were at a level between low flying aircraft and higher jets, and could see for miles and miles. Colubus monkeys were seen, but the higher up they went the sparser the animal life. The main obstacle was the high altitude problem of thin air, so progress was slow. At high altitudes they started out very early in the morning while the snow was still frozen to avoid the possibility of avalanches.

We saw wildlife and plant shots of giant groundsel and tree ferns. The temperature near the top was -10ºc which froze up the camera. This type of expedition was clearly only for the most physically and mentally fit people.

After refreshments it was time for the business of the evening. Annual subscriptions are going up to £30.

On August 18 some members went to see David Kennard, his sheepdogs, and Jonathan Marshall and his birds, with a meal afterwards at Mortehoe.

Competition for a holiday photo: 1 Nancy Fry; 2 Gwen Wooldridge; 3 Angela Legg.

Raffle: Angela Legg, Yvonne Squires, Nancy Fry, Gwen Wooldridge, Jean Peddle, Linda Dovell, Rosemary Baxter, Claire Flint, Steve Flint, Penny Shaw.

Next monthly meeting: Wednesday, October 6, when Liz Goodenough talks on plants. Competition is a pot plant.

The autumn group meeting is at Combe Martin Baptist Church Hall on October 11.

Devon Birdwatching and Preservation Society, Taw and Torridge branch: The Taw and Torridge branch of the Devon Birdwatching and Preservation Society will welcome back Kelvin Boot as their guest speaker this month.

Kelvin will present an illustrated talk entitled 'Life on the dark side - nature when the lights go out'.

'As night closes in and we prepare for bed, Nature's Night Shift makes ready for action. Few birds, except the owls and nightjar, make the night their domain as they rely too much on their eyesight to get around and find food; but most of our animals, from the tiny acrobatic bats to the lumbering badger, use the cover of darkness to earn a living. With the dark comes a damp atmosphere, so allowing much loved earthworms and highly loathed slugs to venture into the open, followed by energetic shrews and snuffling hedgehogs. While their beauty is lost to all but a few keen entomologists, the moths fly overhead; every bit as colourful and patterned as their daytime cousins, the butterflies. Armed with only a torch, a bit of patience and a lot of curiosity, a sortie into the dark, even in your own back garden, can reveal the hidden world of Nature's Night Shift.'

Kelvin is an experienced lecturer. His talks are well known for being both informative and entertaining. He has had a distinguished career working for the environment, first with Exeter Museums before moving to the BBC Natural History Unit as a presenter of the Radio 4 Natural History Programme. Latterly he has been director of the National Marine Aquarium.

The talk will take place on Tuesday, September 14, at the Park School in Barnstaple at 7.30pm. Admission £2.50 includes tea or coffee. Members of the public are all very welcome to join us. Further information from Margaret on 01271 883161.

Fremington Evening WI: Susan Teague, president of Fremington Evening WI, welcomed members to our September 1 meeting at Fremington Church Hall. We were all pleased to see each other after the summer break.

Many of the members were able to attend the August Evening out which they all enjoyed.

Roundswell WI informed us that they will be running a coach to Cribbs Causeway on Thursday, September 30, and have invited members to join them.

Our speaker this month was Janet Lewis. She gave a really interesting talk entitled 'Safe Driving for Ladies'. This was not a lecture on actual driving but more on how to keep safe while travelling, parking safely, car checks before a long journey, what to do if you have to park on the hard shoulder of a motorway for any emergency, also items we should keep in the car, all this would apply equally to men. Janet gave us plenty of detailed information in a friendly light-hearted way and members were able to ask questions, which of course they did. Our president thanked Janet for a most enjoyable evening.

Janet was asked to judge the competition: Margaret Glass was the winner, she had made a beautiful 'Vegetable Rabbit' using carrots and potatoes. FOM was won by Lesley Wray; 2 Susan Teague; 3 Margaret Glass.

Next meeting will be at St Peter's Church Hall on Wednesday, October 6, at 7.30pm. The following morning, Thursday, October 7, we shall be holding a coffee morning in the Parish Hall from 9.30am until 11am. Why not come along, have a coffee and meet some of our members? We would be pleased to see you.

Highampton Local History Group: The Steward to the ancient Manor and Borough of Hatherleigh, Mr Geoffrey Cleverdon CBE, gave a most interesting talk on its history and on the history of Hatherleigh Moor at the August meeting of Highampton Local History Group. Mr Cleverdon was well versed to give this talk as he is also secretary of the Hatherleigh Moor Management Committee, a position he has had the honour of holding for more than 50 years.

The members were interested to learn that the Manor once belonged to Tavistock Abbey and in 1220 a charter was granted by Henry III for a weekly market that is still in existence today. In the 14th century, householders of the borough were given the right to graze stock and to gather furze for their cooking fires hence the name 'Potboilers'. The moor is said to measure one acre for every day of the year but, in reality, it has been calculated to span well in excess of 400 acres. These rights of usage continue to the present day. Today they receive an annual payment of their share of rents paid by farmers who use the Moor living from outside the borough.

The moor has been used twice in wartime; the first occasion was in 1664 on September 14 when there was a clash in Bloody Pot Lane between the Royalists and Parliamentarians who were fighting over political and religious issues during the English Civil War; the second occasion was during the Second World War when the land was requisitioned by the Government to grow crops to assist the war effort. Since then the moor has had a reasonably peaceful existence, apart from the time a group of travellers camped illegally and became bogged down so deep that they had to be winched out by Highampton timber merchant Gerald Sanders, who levied a charge of £5 for each vehicle.

For more information please contact Maurice Thomas on 01409 231460 or 07980 922374.

Ilfracombe Pensioners' Social Club: Twenty-seven stalwarts of the club braved the atrocious weather on Wednesday, August 25, to meet up for a fun game of UNO. We welcomed a prospective new member and hope that Bernard will join us again.

As we don't play UNO that often, members needed reminding of the rules, but were soon well into the game with much bantering and laughter.

Get well wishes were sent to Vera Smale and Joan Prescott Smith, also we had heard that former member Norma Wilmot now living near Nottingham had had an operation and best wishes are sent to her for a speedy recovery.

For details of the next meeting call Shirley Jones on 01271 863630.

Ilfracombe Rotary: Youth Committee Report: Our first meeting was at Laurie Harvey's house on July 12 when we discussed plans for the year in relation to Rotary competitions. Meetings have already been held with Ilfracombe College and Ilfracombe Junior School regarding these. I have also been asked to talk in September to Berrynarbor Junior School about the writer and photographer competitions. Other Junior schools such as Kentisbury, Lynton, West Down, Combe Martin and Woolacombe, plus youth groups eg Scouts, will be contacted in due course.

There will be cost implications to the Club during the year for prizes and certificates, and possibly travel expenses if the final rounds are reached. An estimated budget of £200 for this is requested from Club. There could be other expenses, if we have an entry in Rotary Young Leader 2011 the fee is approximately £395.

Competitions the Club will be involved in are: District Digital Arts competition. As this is the first time we have been involved in this, Richard Lumsden from Paignton, the lead club, is willing to visit us and the college to show examples of work from previous entries.

District Under-13 Cricket. This is open to all schools, but in recent years there would appear to have only been entries from the private schools. The new headmistress has said that Ilfracombe Arts College will be entering.

RIBI Young Photographer: Ilfracombe is the first club in the district to have schools interested in entering: Ilfracombe College, and Berrynarbor and Ilfracombe Junior Schools. At local level Keith Powell and college teacher Chris Swales will be judges. Theme is Community Spirit.

RIBI Young Writer: Again we are the first club locally to show interest. It is hoped we will have entries in all three age categories. We will be organising judges at club level. Theme is Community Spirit.

RIBI Young Citizen launched in association with the BBC News in 2007: Discussions and research are ongoing regarding this. Committee have a community project idea which will be talked about with the college in September.

RIBI Young Chef: The College entered two students in 2009 and have some experience of what is involved at district level.

Formula One in Schools: Involvement in this project was initiated by John Saffin in 2008. It is an exciting project designed to combine educational and practical skills in engineering, design, public relations, project management etc. Six students work as a team to design and build a model gas car to race. There will be a meeting to discuss this further with the college in September with the possibility of joining forces with Petroc to use their equipment.

RIBI Purple Campaign 2010/2011: International Committee has set up this joint project between Ilfracombe Junior school and the college to plant crocus bulbs. Youth will be involved when necessary.

Newton St Petrock WI: Our July meeting was an outing to Caroline Fricker's home in Braunton. It proved to be a thoroughly interesting and enjoyable meeting for 12 members. Caroline told us how she is inspired by the beautiful fabrics before designing a wedding gown. Some of the fabrics she uses, such as taffeta, embroidered organza and silk, can cost £100 or more for a metre.

She was sponsored by Laura Ashley after having first obtained a degree. During her time with Laura Ashley she designed and made gowns for Liberties in London. She how has a website, www.carolinefricker.com, where the lovely gowns can be viewed. It was delightful to see someone so passionate about their work.

Red Hat Rebels, Bideford: The Red Hat Rebels hold their 2010 convention in Bideford on October 8, 9 and 10. They are having a red hat parade along Bideford quay on October 9. The ladies will be piped along the quay by the Bideford Youth Pipe Band.

To find out more about the Red Hat Society check out www.redhatters-uk.com

Wrafton Guides: Two young leaders from Wrafton Guides have recently taken part in Girlguiding UK Centenary Tall ship Voyage around the UK. Amy Tuson said "The scariest part of the voyage was climbing the rigging, which all the crew had to do". During the voyage she helped a Guide who was a wheelchair user and was surprised how well adapted the ship is for disabled sailors.

Katherine Pugsley sailed on a later section from Portsmouth to Falmouth via Saint Malo in France. She said "Life on board Nellie was amazing despite the hard work. We were accompanied by dolphins swimming alongside metres from the ship. We all worked together as a team, spirits were high, we were always singing".

This has definitely been an ultimate adventure for both girls and was only made possible by the generosity of grants from Rotary International; Round Table; Devon Girlguiding; Braunton, Barnstaple and Ilfracombe Trefoil Guild; The Bridge Trust; and North Devon Youth Network, as well as fundraising by Wrafton Guide Unit.