Mayor’s August/September Crier article
I hope by the time this article reaches you all, you are all keeping well and enjoying the eased restrictions whilst continuing to adhere to updated government guidelines. I for one am enjoying seeing our local shops back open and trading and look forward to continuing my ‘Mayors Challenge’.
Whilst official duties for me remain quiet, I am now back to work and enjoying that little sense of normality again. I have however taken this opportunity to use Zoom to speak to two Rotary clubs (Winchester and Taunton Vale) about my journey to becoming Mayor and how proud I am of my great town. It was great to talk about my journey and met lots of new people, that, without virtual technology, would have been a lot harder to organise. Whilst I am missing face to face meetings, there does seem to be a sense of convenience to online meetings!
Saturday 4th July saw the biggest change in restrictions so far and it was good to see the town busy and people shopping local while adhering to social distancing. I have been mindful not to push the Mayor’s Challenge so much during lock down, but I feel now is the time to pick this up again and encourage all residents of Great Torrington to venture into town at least once a week and support our local traders. They have all worked extremely hard to make shopping safe and welcoming and I know they will all appreciate your support. Please feel free to share your purchases with me, it’s great to see what you are all able to find in Great Torrington.
I would like to give a shout out to Maya and Megan’s World of Sweetness – two young entrepreneurs who have recently set up their own business selling candy floss and other sweet treats! They set up outside our town hall on the 4th of July and had a very successful day. I really do wish them both all the success for their future and their candy floss is just delicious!
At the Town Council we are getting used to holding our meetings online, although it was very strange to chair a Full Council meeting whilst sitting on my sofa! As you can see from the Town Council news, we have remained very busy and are working closely with Torridge District and Devon County Councils.
By the time this reaches you all, weather permitting I’ll have finally completed my charity tandem skydive. Writing this, and with two weeks left to go, feeling very apprehensive is a bit of an understatement” However, I am also excited and, like I have heard many others say, that once I’m out of the plane, I’m sure I will love it!
Please do not hesitate to get in contact if you need anything at all and I hope you all enjoy August and September and I’ll be back to update you all in the October edition.
Keeley Allin – Mayor of Great Torrington