THE villages of Linkinhorne and Plusha Bridge are two of South East Cornwall's best-kept secrets.

Hidden away in the twisty lanes, so familiar throughout the county, and situated in the parish of Linkinhorne itself, they manage to sustain a thriving community and welcoming atmosphere.

The village of Linkinhorne itself is dominated by two features: the ancient church of St Melors and the pub, The Church House Inn.

The pub has seen many changes throughout its life, and its current occupants, Nigel and Jackie Payne, know that they are part of a friendly community.

Jackie said: 'When we came here four-and-a-half years ago everyone we met in the village was really welcoming to us, which is something you don't find in many places today.

'There is a very large community spirit here and when something goes wrong, someone needs help or there is a large job to do, there will be always someone you can call on to lend a hand.

'We love living in Linkinhorne for that reason. There is always someone there to help you when you need it.'

The pub has undergone many changes since Valerie Ham came to the village. She first arrived 44 years ago and has lived there there for much her life.

Her husband, Graham, works their 140-acre family farm and her mother-in-law, son and daughter and grandchildren all live in the village.

'I have tried to take an active role in village and church life for as long as I have been here' said Val.

'I have been a member of The Friends Of St Melors group, which raised money and supported the church when it needed it most, I joined the parochial church council in 1983 and have been treasurer and also secretary. I was a churchwarden for two years and I am also a member of the church singing group the Psalmers.

' I love living in the village as it is so beautiful and really I can't think about living anywhere else. We only hear major traffic when the wind blows in a certain direction and apart for that, it is really quiet. My family are happy here and I think it is pretty unique to still have so many members of the same family living in one place.'

A church has been situated on the current site since land was set aside for it in 981 for Tavistock Abbey. The village also has its own holy well. Hidden away at the bottom of a field, water from the well was once used by a former vicar to baptise local children in.

Community

The current vicar of the parish is the Rev Roger Medley. With his wife, Sandra, he moved to the parish 14 years ago from Sidbury in Devon. He had worked at Bicton Agricultural College and had been curate at Ottery St Mary church.

Originally brought in to stay for two years and to shut one church, either at Linkinhorne or at neighbouring parish village Upton Cross, Mr Medley managed to keep both churches open for the parish and also enabled people to have an option of what sort of service they could attend.

'It became obvious that due to the liveliness of the parish, that the churches needed to be reconnected to the community, which they had not been for some time,' he said.

'We managed to retain Book of Common Prayer services for St Melors and at Upton Cross we put in a modern approach.

'This allowed the people of the community to have a choice of what sort of service they wanted, and this has given the churches a new life.'

'The village and the parish also have such a strong youth element and that is down to the committed work people do in the parish. We love living in the village and the parish as a whole,' said Sandra, who also plays the keyboard in the church and assists in prayer ministry. 'We have beautiful views of the surrounding areas, like Sharptor and there are lovely people everywhere.

'The main change we have seen has been in local businesses, and especially farming in this area. When we arrived, it was in a great situation but now the focus has changed for the farming industry itself. The community really needs to get behind the farmers.'

Joe and Hedwige West are some of the newest residents of the village.

They came to the community three years ago, after looking all over Cornwall for somewhere perfect to live.

'We were looking for somewhere small and we found this place, and it is really the best of both worlds,' said Joe, a freelance software consultant.

Tomatoes

'We have the moorland only a stone's throw away and we also have the people of the village who make the place feel like a family.

'We really love the Tamar Valley as there is something for everyone.

'On the first day that we arrived,' said Hedwige, 'we found a small bag of tomatoes on the doorstep, which was from a friend nearby, which we felt was really kind and welcoming.'

Their children Clemént, aged four-and-a-half, and Félix, aged two-and-a-half, are educated at home, but do not miss out on interaction with other children.

'The children go to pre-school each week, and there are around eight children of their age in the locality. This allows them to have a lot of fun and living in the countryside, the children can play outdoors.'

Plusha Bridge is situated around a mile away from Linkinhorne and at one stage had its own chapel that was run by the Plymouth Brethren.

The site of the chapel now is occupied by a house and to the side a motorcycle workshop, owned by Rob Blake.

Rob moved to the house and started his business in 1973, after previously working at a local shooting grounds.

In his time in the village he has managed to combine his work with motorcycle riding itself.

'I was British Four Stroke Champion from 1975 to 1977, British Pre 65 Champion in 1996 and motorcross champion for the South West centre in 1973,' said Rob.

'I have also ridden for my country in the "Motorcross Des Nations" competition, which was a great privilege for me.

'I will never forget that day as when the teams from all over Europe came out, they were all smartly dressed with their flags raised, but when the British team came out, we were just in our riding gear with one bloke carrying our flag!'

Changes

Despite stopping his pre 65 racing, Rob has still carried on with his trial riding which has included winning a tournament in France in July of this year.

'I have seen so many changes in this area,' he said.

'When I first came here, it was a very small hamlet with not many houses. Now it is becoming more like a small village which is good but there is a change away from working the land and farming, which I think is a shame.'

The bridge itself crosses the River Lynher and was originally built to allow miners from the nearby works to get to Linkinhorne church.

Gladys Hicks, one of the oldest inhabitants of Plusha Bridge, has witnessed many changes.

'I have lived in my current house for 65 years and my family have always lived in the area,' she said.

'I really couldn't think of living anywhere else because its quiet and very peaceful here.'

Gladys can remember when Plusha Bridge supported a carpenter and a blacksmith and when the chapel was in full attendance.

'The carpenters and blacksmiths used to be very busy and would get a lot of work, making trailers, shoeing horses and all sorts of things,' she said.

'When the chapel was open, people used to come all the way from Plymouth to attend and it brought the community together.'

She added: 'A lot of people have come into the area since I have been here. When I first arrived, there were very few people around.

'I had to walk to Rilla Mill, which is a couple of miles, for my job, walk back to have my dinner and back to Rilla Mill for the afternoon.'

The people in Plusha Bridge and Linkinhorne make the village what it is today: peaceful and friendly.