The Candlelit Dartmouth festival is next week. Come on Friday night for the magical procession, a food market, carol singing, late night shopping and the arrival of Santa by boat. The Park and Ride will be operating from 3.30pm until 9.30pm so there are no parking worries.
On Saturday you can park for free all day and the park and ride is also free so do your Christmas shopping, see the Santa grotto bus with pantomime characters, watch a samba band amongst other great entertainment and visit the markets. There's a Farmers Market too so something for everyone. Finish the day with the Rotary Club Carol Concert at St Saviour's at 5.30pm and then a special Candlelit dinner.
click here for more details


On Saturday night you can boogie to Sax Appeal at the Guildhall for £15 including your supper! This event is to raise funds for the Candlelit event so please support it by coming along. Phone Sarah at Baxters on 01803 839000 as soon as you read this and buy your tickets straight away.
See click here for more details

Children's Hospice South West's Christmas Market is taking place at The Old Market, Dartmouth on Saturday 6th December from 9am to 3pm. This is a really good family fun day with mince pies, a BBQ (with some luscious Dittisham Sausages!), a soup stall and other home made food, entertainment, tombola, Splat the Rat, and lots of lovely things to buy at the stalls - just in time for Christmas! Volunteers to help are most welcome, even for an hour! Contact Liz Roe on 01803 833232 for details.

This popular event has raised over £1,600 in some previous years. Even more money is needed this year because a second hospice opened last year. Children's Hospice South West are now providing specialist care for 400 terminally ill children and their families from the South West, but many more are needing care.

The Hospice's Friends' Groups are now fundraising for the Precious Lives Appeal to raise the money to build a third hospice in Cornwall to meet the needs of families in the Plymouth, South Devon and Cornwall areas. They hope that as many people as possible will visit this market and spend well to raise lots of money for Children's Hospice South West and help to make the most of short and precious lives.

Officer cadets from Britannia Royal Naval College launched a surprise land attack on Stoke Gabriel Creek on Friday, emerging muddy but victorious. The team of 11 men and one woman from Hawke Division, led by Sub-Lieutenant Matt Simmonds, descended on the slipway near the treasured wreck of the 1906 Brixham trawler ‘The Glory’, armed with axes, crow-bars and sledge hammers. They soon overpowered the ancient softwood planking and its metal fixings, stacked the remains well above the high water mark and retreated to the Stoke Gabriel Boating Association’s clubhouse for a hose-down and well-earned lunch.

In a brief speech of thanks Neil Millward, SGBA Commodore, complimented the team on their generous and well-planned efforts, part of the College’s Outreach Programme. The removal of the old planking was the first and most onerous phase of a project to restore the slipway after years of neglect. The SGBA had bought the slipway for a nominal sum from Dart Harbour in July and then successfully applied for funds from the National Lottery ‘Awards for All’ scheme. The grant would enable the club to resurface the slipway with a better, non-slip material and install a new winch for the launching and recovery of dinghies stored on land above the foreshore. It was hoped that the slipway would be available for use by next spring.

• There will be no news next week as the boffins at Dartmouth dot TV are attending a conference in Miami, poor them!!
   
• It's the Fatstock Show this coming Tuesday morning in the Old Market.  This is a really great show to go to.
   
• The Floating Bridge reports: We still have a couple of dates available in December for Christmas Parties which on a Friday and Saturday will include a disco.  We also have some places available for New Year's Eve, this includes a disco and the very popular 59Ford Rock n Roll Band. Click here for more details.
   
• Dartmouth Players are calling for all members, past and present, to help them celebrate
  their 80th birthday next year. And to mark the occasion there is to be a social celebration dinner for members and guests at the Wildfire Bistro, Dart Marina Hotel on Wednesday 18 February 2009.
  
  The society was founded in October 1929 by actor manager Cyril Maude, who moved from London to Redlap House, near Dartmouth, in 1924. He was best known as a light comedy actor in both Britain and America and was also an associate manager of the Haymarket Theatre.
  
  So if there is anyone out there who would like to be part of the celebrations, please contact Christine Booker on 01803 833106 to reserve your place.