► A VISIT by the first engine to arrive on the line in its preservation era were among the highlights of the South Devon Railway’s 150th anniversary celebrations over the weekend.

The railway was first opened as the Buckfastleigh, Totnes and South Devon Railway on May 1, 1872, running nine miles from Totnes station to Ashburton.

South Devon Railway historic celebrations.
South Devon Railway historic celebrations. (South Devon Railway)

► A FARM on Dartmoor that helps disadvantaged children received a royal seal of approval.

The Earl of Wessex, Prince Edward, and his wife, the Countess Sophie, made an official visit to East Shallowford Farm just outside Widecombe-in-the-Moor to mark the official opening of the Farm Development Project.

The couple were shown around the farm, which is run by the Shallowford Trust, a charity that organises visits for disadvantaged children from London to experience life and work on a farm.

► THREE May queens and their attendants were all crowned on the same day following the first Ram Roast Fair in Kingsteignton in three years.

Due to Covid-19, the event had to be cancelled but the latest event on May Bank Holiday made up for the disappointments of previous years.

Mayor of Kingsteignton Cllr Ron Peart and his wife June crowned all the May Queens and attend- ants from the last three years.

► BOVEY Tracey was ringing to the sound of bells, squeeze boxes and the clacking of staves for the return of the Green Man Festival, a celebration of the rites of springtime.

Bovey Tracey’s Green Man Festival.
Bovey Tracey’s Green Man Festival. (Steve Pope / MDA)

► IN glorious sunshine after a two-year break, 2,491 teenagers took part in the nation’s largest youth outdoor challenge – tackling Dartmoor’s The Ten Tors.

2022 marked the 60th staging of this activity and remains the nation’s largest outdoor event for young people in the UK, who are tested to their limits by trekking unaided over different 35, 45 or 55 mile routes.

► A 74-year-old farmer on Sunday completed his epic 874-mile ride from John O’Groats to Land’s End in his restored tractor - which has a top speed of 13mph.

Vic Brook was raising funds for the Devon Air Ambulance after experiencing first hand incidents when the helicopter has landed in his fields at his home in Doddiscombsleigh, near Exeter, Devon.

He set off from John O’Groats 11 days ago on his blue 1961 Fordson Super Major and clocked up around 80 miles a day.

The tractor, which Vic has owned for around 12 years, has a top speed of 13mph and over the winter he made sure it was in top condition for the trip.

► THOUSANDS of complaints have been made as patients were left waiting in a backlog of at least 25 ambulances and vehicles, log-jammed at our major general hospital at Torbay this week.

Only last November the Mid-Devon Advertiser reported the words of a paramedic who said he feared people could be ‘dying’ as ambulances waited to get their patients into A&E.

Hospital chiefs have said they are facing the highest demands seen at the hospital this year.