ARTISTIC talent is amazingly thick on the ground in North Hill village, set in attractive isolation on the fringe of Bodmin Moor, just off the Liskeard to Launceston road.

From drama to landscape painting, and from woodcarving to story making - the expertise can be found within this welcoming, enthusiastic community. North Hill's village hall recently hosted an impressive exhibition by the Cliff Top art club, run by Cliff Reynolds and his wife Jean.

Among works displayed was a woodcarving, entitled 'Celebration', by Tony Frith of nearby Berriow Bridge. Tony has produced this for North Hill's St Torney's parish church for the Millennium, and when in situ will be one of many of Tony's skilled items of woodwork on display, others including the communion rail and a Madonna.

Tony and his wife, Myra, have created a wonderful garden from what was farmland, this often open to the public, with other local gardens, under the Open Gardens scheme.

The Friths initially lived next door, forming a house from three farmers' cottages, and then moved into their current home, which was an old barn - now restored with expertise.

The garden, through which the River Lynher flows, also includes Tony's own plantation. His career was in forestry, through the old colonial and overseas service, and then with the UN.

He worked in countries such as Sierra Leone, Gambia where he undertook plantation work and preserving forest areas, and Belize where he helped control the cutting of mahogany plantations.

Tony's workshop, part he thinks of a Second World War army barracks, is full of examples of his sculpture, relief work, and 'whittlings', and at present part of a tree trunk which will eventually become a work of art.

His father and grandfather were both sculptors, while son David is a photography expert and his other son, Richard, an expert in computer graphics. Myra also plays her part in the creation of Tony's carvings. She said she loves handling wood, and is on hand to sand and polish.

Panto

The village hall, apart from being used for exhibitions, is home to a number of local organisations, such as North Hill/Coads Green playgroup, the Good Companions club, North Hill parish council, and The Leading Lights, a group who perform an annual panto.

Their last production was 'Sinder Reller Goes West', with another planned for this year.

Currently helping out at the playgroup is Marina Pridham, who has lived in North Hill for 33 years, since marrying husband Dennis, a farmer and agricultural contractor.

They live in one of the oldest houses in the village, dating back to Elizabethan times, where they have brought up Neil now 32, Ian, 22, Lisa, 19, and Steven, 17.

Neil attended Upton Cross primary, but the other three were Lewannick school pupils.

Marina retired three years ago from running the local and Lewannick playgroups but has emerged from retirement to help out for a while at North Hill. She is also a parish councillor, council chairman being Richard Bartlett, and a member of the busy village hall committee, the secretary of which is Jenny Bowhay.

This arranges fundraising events such as a Halloween sausage sizzle, an autumn fayre, and the soon-to-be held Christmas fayre.

Marina highlighted the friendliness of North Hill, and the enthusiasm of locals.

The village is complete with a shop, run by Val Game, and a pub - The Race Horse Inn - which was an old school until renovated by Bill Budge. Offering good food, good company and a warm welcome, it is managed by Liz Worsfold and her husband who have been 'mine hosts' for seven years.

Last Saturday staff and customers raised £275 for Children in Need through a draw and auction.

Those wanting car MoTs and repairs need look no further than Rubys Garage, run by Brian Ruby, and started 30 years ago by himself and his father, Leslie.

The garage offers repairs, MoTs, servicing and a new diagnostic system capable of dealing with almost all makes and models.

Fantastic

It is one of the largest independent repairers in a very large area, and employs 13 staff, all City and Guilds trained. Brian was born at Okehampton, but has lived all his life but for six months in the village which he describes as an 'absolutely fantastic community'.

The garage deals with both cars and light commercials, and are Land Rover specialists. Customers are offered a friendly service, and Brian stressed that advice is always available.

They also sold around 300 secondhand cars last year, and specialise in finding customers the vehicle of their choice.

With such expertise and hi-tech equipment on hand, the aim is to provide one-stop-shopping. Another company arm is Ruby Property Developments Ltd, also very much North Hill based.

The village is home to North Hill football club, who play in the Duchy League.

Their ground, at Way Cross, was once a farmer's field which has been transformed into a football pitch. Among those involved in their fortunes are Bill and Mary Budge of Kingsbeare.

The parish council has bought a 3.2 acre piece of land near the village hall, where it is hoped to relocate the pitch eventually. The council is currently fundraising for a children's play area on the playing field, and aims to put up a rough terrain track for youngsters, tennis facilities and a wall for children to kick a ball against.

One up-and-coming village hall event will be 'Party Pieces', during which an array of local people take the stage to display their talent.

Taking part will be members of the About Face Theatre Group, an improvisation group involving around 20 people from the locality from children to pensioners, which formulates its own ideas rather than working from scripts. Now in its second year, the group sprang from an idea put forward by Olwyn Foot, formerly of the Girls Own Theatre Company and a North Hill resident.

One member is Gerry Hillman, a professional artist, who said apart from taking a small part in Party Pieces, the group's next proper production in April, will probably centre on the theme of 'Magic'.

Painting

Gerry settled with his wife, Tessa, in North Hill after working in numerous places, both elsewhere in the UK, such as Nottingham, and abroad in Africa and Peru.

He was employed at Launceston College for a while, but has been painting professionally since l981.

He said when he was aged around five his father taught him the basics of drawing in perspective, this leading to an enjoyment in drawing which enabled him to sell a painting later on in life whenever faced with a bank overdraft as a student at the University of Nottingham.

His working life has encompassed a job in planning consultancy, and he also taught science before embracing art full time. Living in such a rural area has inspired many of Gerry's landscapes, but he also works on portraits and is aiming to diversify further.

He does work to commission, but mainly concentrates on staging an exhibition every other year in the Barbican Gallery in Plymouth, the next one to be held in autumn 2001.

Another member of About Face - which travels and gives at least six performances per production of its shows - is Alan Nisbet, currently converting a barn sited near the church, where the priest-in-charge is the Rev Brian Stamford.

Alan, village hall committee treasurer, has a community arts background.

He runs the registered charity Tall Stories, and goes into primary schools encouraging children to make up, and then perform, their own stories. This has taken him throughout Cornwall, as far west as Penzance, and builds upon his work in London as community art group co-ordinator for the under-fives.

Alan, who is also on hand to draw quick portraits at local events such as garden and church fetes, underlined the inter-generational aspect of About Face brought about by its mix of the young and more mature.

The more mature are to be found at Springfield House Residential Home, run by Eugene and Jenifer Huntley.

Springfield, apart from offering residential care, provides day care, and care in the community which takes in personal care visits to people living in their own homes.

Eugene is a social worker by profession, while his wife is a nurse, and future plans for Springfield include a new extension. Among residents enjoying the home's friendly ambience are Winnie Harvey, 90, and her fiance Alfred Benney, 86.

They became engaged after meeting at Springfield - although they knew each other by sight before. Winnie, the oldest of seven children, keeps up family ties while at the home.

Among the other residents are her sisters Hilda Doney and Susie Sampson, and sister-in-law May Doney.

Winnie said of the home: 'It's clean and comfortable, and ideal.'

Eugene said the house, started in l790 and first occupied in l800, was the former vicarage.

Whisky

The building has also prompted stories galore. Apparently after one vicar moved out hundreds of empty whisky bottles were discovered, while another planted a large number of pines when the Methodist chapel (now a private home) was built nearby, so he didn't have to catch sight of it.