On this day in Wembury, 14 August 1999
The Western Evening Herald carried a full community page for Wembury, reporting a lively mix of village news at the height of the summer.
The Heybrook Players were preparing for their autumn production, Four Plays for Autumn, to be performed at Down Thomas Silver Jubilee Hall on 9, 10 and 11 September. After the success of earlier shows such as A Tomb with a View and Quiet Weekend, expectations were high. The programme included four contrasting short pieces, from a wry marital exchange in Silver Wedding to a comic train journey in A Man’s Best Friend, together with Dream Jobs and Little Grimley. Tickets were on sale locally at Wembury and Down Thomas post offices.
Wembury’s Short Mat Bowls Club was celebrating an impressive sporting achievement. The A team had won the Teignbridge Fours tournament, triumphing over forty two South Hams teams. They would hold the trophy for the year and were already hoping to repeat the feat. Dates and times for regular sessions in the village hall were listed for late August.
The Wembury Surgery Equipment Fund announced that a new defibrillator would be presented to Dr S Bennet on 15 September. The money had been raised by villagers and friends, together with support from the British Heart Foundation, in memory of the late Barry Price. A presentation evening with refreshments was planned in the village hall, with all residents welcome.
The report also captured the local experience of the 1999 total solar eclipse, the first since 1945. Wembury lay under total cloud at the crucial moment, leaving residents unable to see the sun or moon, but they still witnessed the eerie darkness as it crept in over the Mewstone and briefly hushed the village. The correspondent remarked that they would be keeping their solar viewers safe until the year 2990, hoping for clearer skies next time.
Source, Western Evening Herald, 14 August 1999.
Entries are summaries and interpretations of historical newspaper reports.