DEEP in the heart of the Lynher valley, lies Rilla Mill. Situated between the towns of Liskeard and Callington, the village is dominated by the river Lynher itself, which runs straight through the community.

At first glance, this picturesque rural village is a quiet haven from town life. However, look further and you will see that it is a hive of activity that brings together the whole community.

At the centre of the community lies the village hall. The old hall was put up in 1963 and was originally used as a chicken hut.

Erected by entirely voluntary manual labour from the local community for a grand total of £2,000, the hall was recently rebuilt as an entirely new building.

Former chairman of Caradon District Council and Trustee of the Hall, George Wilson said 'When the original hall was being put up I had a Malawian student staying with me, and he was amazed at all the members of the village coming together to help each other out without being paid.

'He had never seen anything like that before'.

Village Hall Trustee Ian Jones was instrumental in getting the funding for the new hall. 'There came a stage where it would have been financially disastrous to repair the old hall, so it was decided to build a new one', he said. 'It took one week to take down the old hall and only four months for the new hall to be built. '

It cost £130,000 to be built all in all, with £16,000 raised by the committee and the community. Everyone seems pleased with the final result. Its bigger, warmer, with a larger stage and a much better kitchen'. There is something on every day of the week in the hall, with a variety of activities ranging from youth theatre and keep fit, to line dancing and short mat bowling. Ian's mother,Zena Jones and her mother Constence Stephens are also active members of the community in Rilla Mill.

Zena is involved with many different organisations in the village ranging from the Tuesday club for the elderly members of the community to the Tuesday Trekkers.

'The Trekkers is a group of fifteen people that undertake many different walks, from coastal to moorland, every week', she said.' I founded the group and lead them on the walks, trying each week not to take the wrong turning and get everybody lost! I am also secretary of the village hall and help in the production side of the local parish newsletter, "The Link". Community life for me is very important'.

Local residents Ron and Marg Bath have been involved in community life since they joined the village 42 years ago. Ron, who moved from nearby Stoke Climsland, has been involved in many different parts of community life. For 13 years, he was a proud member of 'The Rilla Mill Players', a performance company that went around local villages and put on various plays, sang a mixture of songs and had a group of talented performers. From his involvement in the group Ron started up the local Children in Need Concert, which has been running for around six years.

Rosie and Barry Puttock live in the village and have very important roles in the community. Rosie is the warden on the old peoples estate and has been so for 20 years. 'I really enjoy the job that I do, because its a lovely community to be in. Looking after 21 houses can be hard work, but it is worth it' she said.

Fundraising

Barry does a lot of fundraising and activities in the village and is also the village hall's fire officer. 'The village has still got a friendly element and the people coming in do add something different to the surroundings and the atmosphere'.

Masons Garage lies at the bottom of the village. Its owner Dave Mason bought the business 36 years ago, when it was part of the Truscott chain of businesses. It runs MOT tests, sells petrol and does general repairs to customers cars. His son, Chris, has worked with him for ten years and the company employs five full and part time staff.' We employ local people from the community and this is where our main trade comes from, local people', he said.

Opposite the garage lies Rilla Mill post office, owned by Vernon and Beryl Cann. They came into this village community 15 years ago from Buckinghamshire. 'The village is a very pleasant place to live and is surrounded by glorious countryside' said Vernon. 'There is a real community spirit here and everybody is very friendly to each other and willing to help at the drop of a hat'. Mrs Cann added: 'There are always things going on in the village and the only major change has been the arrival of new people in the area, which has been good for local businesses, as they too are very supportive'.

The village also includes three other businesses. Firstly, the local pub the Manor House Inn offers good food and drink and is also available for accommodation in luxury chalets. Secondly, the Lynher Valley Dairy is the producer of the world famous Yarg cheese and operates a tour around its farm. Finally, local electrician Andrew Davy lives and works in the area he was brought up in, employing local people for his type of electrical work.

The Methodist chapel in the village was originally built to serve some of the mining community who lived around the area. The chapel is included in the North Hill section of the Launceston circuit, which is served by Rev Chris Tomlinson OBE, and its organist Hazel Moyse, who has played in the building for over 40 years.

Resident Jack Davy has lived in the village all his life and has been witness to the many different things that have gone on in the community. He is currently a trustee on the hall council and can remember before the village had electricity. 'The village only got mains electric after the war, and before that we used to get the little power we had from Truscotts garage down the road, who used to run a generator for our power supply', he said. 'I have lived here all my life, and despite the changes, it is still a beautiful place'.

The community of Rilla Mill has also got a strong youth element to its make up. The parish pre-school meets five mornings a week in the Methodist chapel and has done from the last five years. Play leader, Norma Draper joined the playschool when it moved to the village and she helps the very young to be ready for their entry into full time education.

The village also has a regular meetings of its toddler group which joins in with the pre-school two days a week, and two youth groups (8 to 11 and 11 to 16), which are attended by over twenty young people.

For a small village, Rilla Mill has a lot of big things happening at its heart.