Running two businesses is pretty full on, but massively rewarding - I do
it because I love it. For me creating beautiful spaces and experiences
for people to have a lovely time is what it’s all about. We’re lucky that
we’re successful which is down to support from the local community -
they’re the reason we survive and can now open all year round. I think
it is really important that places do this during the horrible winter
months as it is so depressing when everything shuts down off-season.
We opened Bumble and Sea a year ago on April 1st and it’s created a
real hub and a place to meet down that end of the beach. To me it is
also important to be environmentally friendly - I couldn’t be there all
day selling plastic stuff like straws whilst looking at the sea.
Award-winning tea room owners, Debs and Toby Quine are a major part of
Exmouth life with their Bumble and Bee Tea Rooms in Manor Garden.
Recently they’ve opened Bumble and Sea providing people with a
welcome break after walking down the seafront to Orcombe Point. Debs
managed to fit in time to tell us why she’s totally smitten by Exmouth…
“I’ve lived here all my life and had an idyllic childhood growing up
beside the estuary. In my mid-twenties I joined the Forces and went
away for 7 years, but I had to come back so I dragged my husband
here kicking and screaming! I wanted to give my children a similar
childhood to the one I’d had and even bought a house on the same
road that I grew up in, (I dread to think what my dad would’ve thought
about how much I paid for it though!). Luckily Toby fell for the town
too and loves living here.
When it comes to Exmouth I can only see the good side – I admit it, I’m
really blinkered. We’ve got the beach, the common, so many amazing
surrounding areas and living on the estuary brings its own beauty as
well. I love that we can walk out of our door and be on the beach. It’s
also a really earthy place to bring kids up - I can throw them out in the
morning to play on the beach, and they entertain themselves.
If you, like Debs want to support the Exmouth Neighbourhood Plan, then
remember to vote at the referendum for the Neighbourhood Plan in March.
I also think there’s a great sense of community here which
we wanted to be part of with Bumble and Bee. When we
opened, we felt we could provide somewhere for
vulnerable people to come; single mums, new parents,
people with dementia and people who are carers. We also
run community events - we ran Schools Out for Summer
for a few years which was essentially a free festival for
children. We also ran a carol singing night as a thank-you
to our customers (I’m already planning this year’s!) and
The Food Festival was fun despite the challenging weather.
In fact any community event is a no-brainer for me -
because we’re in a prominent position with Manor Park
and Orcombe Point we have to give back to our customers
- they support us, so we should support them.
Exmouth community and business owners need to be able to voice their opinions - it is vital that the council listen to people who will
be affected most. I’d say that we could do with more eateries in the evening and places to gather. Above all I don’t want Exmouth to
become a generic seaside town, so it’s important that local businesses are supported, and rates aren’t so high that only chains can
afford them. We should also be mindful of how things look and what materials are used. That’s why I’ll be supporting the Exmouth
Neighbourhood Plan in March, giving the community a say in how their town is developed.”
Bumble and Bee's newest team
member - Bertie Sausage!
My youngest son is massively into fishing mackerel off the pier - so I’ll give him £1 and he’ll
buy bait and be out fishing all day with his jam sandwiches. To me that’s my idea of
heaven, being out in the elements. We’re into lots of water sports and we’re also big fans of
cockling although I’m sure the cockles are smaller than when I was a child. Did you know
that you can only cockle when there isn’t an ‘r’ in the month?!
© Exmouth Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group website: Rob Masding