Fitz in the Community: 'Freelance Embalmers, Exmoor Rugby Club & Wooden Spoons'

"Fitz in the Community" is a podcast attached to this paper and basically does what it ‘says on the tin’. I wander around the county talking to anyone about anything which encapsulates the community in which we live. I usually get wet, as well. Launched every Monday on the website of this paper, we have already taken in celebrities and sausages, birdwatching, and beer. You can listen back to all the podcasts at your leisure and thank you for listening as we know so many of you do.

This week we meet a Devon-based mobile, freelance embalmer. Hannah Pearce lost her grandmother at a very early age, and this deeply affected her. Hannah felt she lost out on the grieving process when she realised that she could not say goodbye properly. In a blunt but touching conversation, twenty-nine-year-old Hannah explains what she does to help those who have been left behind. She touches on what others think of her and admits that occasionally things have gone wrong.
‘The deceased are incredibly precious to the families and to me,’ said Hannah. I treat everyone with the same respect and love.’

Ian Harris is the chairman of Exmouth Rugby Club which, like several other clubs in Devon, are marking 150 years of existence. Along with Brixham and Teignmouth, there are big celebrations going on in 2024. He explains a little about the history including why the Exmouth ground is so flat. ‘The pitch was built on the rubble of the Exeter blitz. It placed here after the war as the city started to be rebuilt. Some of our fellow clubs have slightly sloped fields to play on, ours is flat and it is basically reclaimed from a very sad situation.’

We also touch base with Wooden Spoon committee member David Fowler. He explains why this charity was set up and what they are doing in the local schools through their fundraising. David Gibson is the new CEO of Dartmoor Zoo, he arrived only a few weeks ago and he took time to introduce me to another new arrival. Emily was watching us from a nearby hedge as David explained who she was and where she came from.

‘She is a Carpathian Lynx and is a subspecies of the Eurasian Lynx. She has just arrived from Germany where she was captive bred and we hope to introduce her to Flaviu, our male who became quite famous nearly eight years ago after his escape. If you remember the search took three months to get him back and involved a professional animal tracker, thermal imaging equipment and a police helicopter. He is not too happy at the moment with her being here but then again, he has always been a bit grumpy.’ Flaviu and Emily are separated by a single link fence but hopefully that will be lifted soon to see if a little lynx love can be ignited.

Fitz in the Community, a podcast coming to your community … why not get in touch?