The fields of Manning’s Pit in Pilton have been walked and played on by local people for hundreds of years.  The area is beautiful, a magical piece of North Devon countryside within easy walking reach of town.  The people of Pilton hold these fields very close to their hearts. Many tell tales of their parents, grandparents and even great grandparents playing there.  It offers a safe and natural playground to a new generation of children.  Until recently Manning’s Pit was owned by a local farmer – who allowed free access – and the local population respected his need to graze animals on the land.

Sunrise over Manning’s Pit April 2013

But now Manning’s Pit has been sold to London-based speculators who are interested only in forcing through planning permission for a housing estate so that they can sell the land on to a developer for a huge profit.  A petition has been started by the Friends of Manning’s Pit to demonstrate to the speculators just how strongly local people feel about their land.  A short film “The Magic of Manning’s Pit” can be watched at: www.vimeo.com/togetherland/MagicPit.  It has been made to record the wonder of Manning’s Pit.

In 1985 Howard Bluett, a Lay Reader at St Mary’s Church, filmed the Pilton Playgroup in Pilton Church Hall.  We have now successfully transferred the 30 minute video to a digital medium and, with the help of one of the mothers involved, Anne Chapman, we have managed to identify over 70 of the leaders, parents and children who are shown.

Playgroup Leader Dorothy Forward with two of the children

It was too big a task to go through and identify them on the film but they are all listed on The Pilton Story archive (search for ‘Pilton Playgroup’).  We hope this means that anyone searching the internet for themselves or members of their family may find The Pilton Story and open up links back to their time in Pilton.

The Leaders were Dorothy Forward (shown in this image from the film with two of her charges) and Brenda Bryan, and they were helped by Elizabeth Stevens, Ruth Dennis, Jean Ford, Sheena Ferguson and Nancy Bluett (Howard’s wife) and a lot of the children’s parents.  If anyone would like to add to what we know about this group and tell us what they are doing today, please contact The Pilton Story.