SQUALLS of rain blown by a gusting wind across the Playing Field at Morchard Bishop did not stop lots of people from going up there and having fun at the annual Morchard Bishop Vintage Rally and Family Fun Day on Saturday, August 5. 

There was welly wanging, Terry Moule from North Devon with ferret racing that brought much laughter, music, an excellent barbecue run by Morchard’s Emmanuel Church, who used up more than 200 burgers and hot dogs and their two big pans of onions were empty by 1.30pm.  

In the kitchen members of the Playing Field Association and friends were keeping the teas and coffee flowing and lots of lovely home made cakes.

Two rows of tractors dating from the 1950s and all the cars going back to at least 1950’s with an Austin A30 from Exmouth or a 1949 Land Rover from Morchard as well as vehicles from this century saw lots of visitors.

Added to this were the motor bikes, stationary engines and John Moore’s 1952 steam launch from Crediton which won the Ian Robinson memorial cup for the Best in Show, sponsored by Phil and Mary Bourne. 

John said he was more surprised than anyone to receive the trophy.  “Bowled over,” was his comment.

Playing Field Association chairman, Bob Robinson, said everything had gone ahead as planned but the number of people attending was down a bit, not unexpectedly because of the weather.  But it did not finish early, the afternoon cheered up a bit.

One particularly vicious squall had people hanging on to gazebos, later taken down, holding on to display tables in the open and plants in pots from Lydcott Nursery that were blown right off their stands. 

Children especially were fascinated by the animals from Lindfield Care Farm on Morchard Road.  They included alpacas, a two-week old Aberdeen Angus calf and a pair of very patient donkeys. 

Michael Coleman from near Coleford displayed some examples from a collection of farm tools, equipment and household items showing how things were done before today’s mechanisation, a time when mains water was still far from universal, when life was tuned to the seasons and women usually worked hard on the farms as well as the men. 

Mother and daughter Sally and Rebecca Hurst from near Morchard and friend Emily Scoines were doing lovely face painting.

Bob Robinson thanked everyone who had helped with the event in any way, the sponsors, stewards and marshals, those who helped get ready and clear up afterwards and all those who went along.