The organisers try to accommodate popular current ideas.
Further details of Parish GroupsThe first of these was the Downderry Boat Owners Association formed, initially, to oppose the construction of the gabion basket wall which, it was considered, would displace the boats from the cove which had developed on the beach below the memorial gardens. The anxiety proved to have been misplaced but the organisation remained to perform other useful functions perhaps the most important of which was the successful opposition to the 200 plus houses planned for the land on the hillside from Broads Yard to Far Horizon.
Over the years the Association changed its focus from boatowners to Residents & Boat Owners to Residents to Downderry & Seaton Residents in which form it provided vocal and effective opposition to some of the more radical plans to transform the Seaton Valley into a large residential village. On the positive side it called for and then strongly supported the building of phase one of the seven expected phases to provide Downderry with coastal protection. The escape ladders and the protected seat are all resultant upon D&S RA action.
It was this Association which eventually persuaded the Boundary Commission to review the St.Germans Parish and thereby allow the formation of the New Deviock Parish in 1996. At this time there was a call for the Associations to be disbanded but it was realised that the new Parish may well perform more effectively if it were monitored and provided with help when needed. The Association encouraged and supported Caradon District Council and its Downderry Ward Councillor in the proposals to buy and develop the Seaton Valley as a Countryside Park incorporating a Local Nature Reserve. Part of this plan involved the building of a wall along Seaton seafront to delimit the road from the beach, to provide more organised parking and to provide a more tidy boundary than had been formerly in place. The wall would have the added advantage of keeping the road largely clear of sand which was frequently a problem. The Association’s committee voted 7 to 5 to support the wall but such was the strength of opposition 5 of the 6 Seaton members resigned from the committee to form a Seaton Residents Association. Over the years this has commented on various community and planning issues and like the D&SRA considered disbanding when the new parish was formed.
As with the Associations just mentioned the Hessenford Residents Association was formed in adversity to introduce and support measures to alleviate the flooding which frequently occurred in the village. That mission having been largely accomplished the Association became quiescent but has recently been revived by newer inhabitants.
SCOUTS ,CUBS, GUIDES, RANGERS, BROWNIES & RAINBOWS
