Category Archives: News

General News Post

Hamish Patrick

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Pilton has just lost a leading light.  Hamish Patrick, a founding member of the Pilton Green Man Festival and a staunch supporter of local charities, died suddenly on 7th December.  With a background in the theatre, he moved to North Devon 30 years ago and was a huge influence in the Pilton community.  His dream was to turn the tide of communities becoming fractured when children grew up and went away to find work.  He believed that if we created a strong bond within a community, the children would come back at least to visit and to keep those ties.  25 years later our children have grown up but few can stay away on Green Man Day in July; some are even on the committee and making it happen today.

Hamish worked tirelessly to get over 20 pantomimes onto the stage, and on creating and developing the Festival – in particular directing the Green Man Pageant.  In recent years he laboured long and hard with his team of supporters to organize the lovely family friendly haven that just seemed to magically spring up in Rotary Gardens on Green Man Day.  The photograph below shows him as the Prior in the Pageant.

Hamish Patrick was the Prior in the 2010 Pilton Green Man Pageant as well as Director

On 22nd December, a crowd of over 500 people lined Pilton Street to say ‘Goodbye’ to Hamish in a spontaneous gesture, demonstrating the warm regard in which he was held.  He will be sorely missed.

Thanks to Bev Neighbour for her contribution to this memory.

 

Old Oak Tree in Rotary Gardens

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Many Piltonians will know well the enormous old oak tree at the top of Rotary Gardens.  Unfortunately it has contracted a serious fungal disease, Meripilus giganteus, which has resulted in large clumps of the fungus at its base.  Sadly, this will eat at the roots and gradually kill it.

Pilton House Grounds sometime in 19th Century

This photograph of Pilton House from the east, taken sometime in the mid-nineteenth century, shows a large tree which we believe is that same oak tree on the left.  An assessment of the age of the tree today by considering the girth suggests it could be well in excess of 200 years old.  That could even take its date of planting back to the time when Pilton House was completed in 1746.

In a process designed to manage its decline, the tree is to be pruned in October 2014 to reduce its height and spread.  This will be repeated over the next 10-15 years to reduce the risk of falling branches.