The Neighbour Nominations scheme in Horrabridge has embraced an autumnal theme this month, with deliveries of 100 pumpkin spiced cupcakes to residents across the village.

Taking place once a month, typically in the last week, the Horrabridge Neighbour Nominations (run under the Methodist Church’s Love Your Neighbour initiative) see residents throughout the village nominate people to receive a gift or treat to thank them for something they have done.

With the help of methodist pioneer and community worker Ali Mansfield, Flynn Burke, Sandra Parris, Naomi Tweedale and Julie Northam, the gifts are bagged up with personalised messages and then delievered to those who have been nominated.

Ali said: ‘The Neighbour Nominations have been running for three years now and I’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone involved because their nominations really matter.

‘This month, our gifts were 100 beautifully decorated pumpkin spiced cupcakes which were baked by the wonderful Deborah Parris who gave hours of her time, as did our volunteers Flynn, Sandra and Naomi who were out all afternoon delivering them across the village.’

Gifts in the Neighbour Nomination scheme typically centre around a theme for the current time of year. In spring, the team celebrated new life and at Christmas last year, they made festive themed bags and delivered gifts of winter spiced apple cake with clotted cream.

Ali said: ‘We’re always encouraging people to look out for one another in the village. People can nominate someone for any reason. People email in their nominations to Flynn and then we get to work preparing the bags with a personalised message for everyone receiving one.

‘This month, after we gave the cupcakes to those who were nominated, we had plenty left over so we then went round offering them to people in the village at random and they were so grateful.

‘The nominations scheme is a really good way of keeping in close contact with people in the village we’ve built great relationships with and helped in the recent past. Even this month, we made sure to give cupcakes to those we know who had a really difficult time during the covid lockdowns.’

Neighbour Nominations will be taking a break for the month of November, but they will return for a festive edition in December.

In similar fashion to last year, Ali and her team are planning to create gift bags with christmas treats which will be given to children at ‘Santas’s Grotto’, where they will be invited to meet Father Christmas one festive evening.