Amendments will be carried out on our website about three times a year. If anything needs updating please Contact us and use Feedback.

Our next update will be in March 2008

Please do have a look at our Programme of Events and Activities Page ~ Winter may be a time of reflection but we have many events to keep you active and interested, so do join us. Our winter talks at the Manor Pavilion are worth a note on 12 November, 21 January, 18 February and 25 March.

The Keith Owen Fund (SVA) is now up and running so do look at the page for information of the terms of his legacy and for an application form to download if you feel you have a project that would benefit from funding. Keith was particularly keen to encourage people to give of their time for free, as a gift to society.

Keith found that his own life was to be cut short in April 2007. He had all this money invested which he could no longer use for his world travels. He therefore wished to give his money to the people of the Sid Valley to use for projects that enable people to give of their time as he himself no longer had TIME. This is the key to his gift ~ not many people accumulate a vast sum of money in a lifetime as he did ~ but he had no TIME to use it ~ so he thought outside the box and gave his money to the SVA in order to allow people to have access to it in exchange for their voluntary time where the project fitted the scope of the terms of his wishes. A Gift he hoped would last many decades and go beyond the lives of those of us today.

Sadly is it now a year ago that he died ~ 3 December 2007. But in the sadness of his death, he lives on in the generosity and vision of his gift. The Grants Committee is established, the Chairman is Mr. Frank Eul and the Secretary is Mrs. Karen Allen. Think big and creatively of how your organization or project or charity could use a said sum of money that involves a purpose that encourages the promotion of generosity of spirit and the encouragement of people giving of their time for the betterment of nature and the community of the Sid Valley. Use the address on the application form for communication to the Grants committee secretary for further information or help.

His Will is still going through probate so further sums are still to be added to the fund, but he did give us over a million before he died from which interest has now been earned. We are now awarding sums to appropriate projects. The first is to the ANOB for a Bats Project. See the article reprinted for you under Newsletter. This article is in our current Members’ November newsletter number 69. In the March 2009 update of this website we will have a page in which we will record the Grants awarded and their projects.

2009 will be the first year of experiencing the results of Keith Owen’s generosity.

One area that was of particular interest to Keith was YOUTH. He was keen to make this money work for Youth by encouraging them to know more about nature and their natural environment. If you have dealings with YOUTH in the Sid Valley with ideas that fit his terms of the Keith Owen Fund (SVA) ~ get in touch.  You may like to read the Newsletter article of the current issue 69 on Forest School at Escot Park this September 2008.

Talking about YOUTH ~ make a note of Saturday 4th April 2009, meet at the Byes in Salcombe Road (by the Tollgate, Waterloo Bridge) at 2pm with a bucket, scrubbing brush and rubber gloves for cleaning of the benches in the Byes. This has been arranged with various youth groups but all are welcome whatever your age, though if under 9, please bring a responsible adult.

Countryside walks through the Sid Valley and East Devon for members of the SVA continue on Tuesdays ~ see our page for Walking.

The Museum is now closed until next update ~ but on Friday 5th December 2008, the museum will be open for the late night shopping event in Sidmouth.  The Museum will be open from 2pm until 8pm for a wide array of gifts in the shop that will be ideal stocking fillers and an excellent selection of local history and geology books at good prices and beautifully illustrated. As an added attraction a beautiful costume display will be set up in the exhibition area of items of fashion from the past that are not normally on show due to lack of space. Plus, as an added bonus for supporting this wonderful museum of ours between 6pm and 8pm, mulled wine and mince pies will be available to enjoy. Join in the Christmas cheer and make the opening all the more worth while for the hard working volunteers who will be there to greet you.

The Sid Vale Association wishes all visitors to the website a Good Christmas and New Year.  If you are local and would enjoy being a part of us ~ JOIN US!

Thank you for visiting and we hope you come again.