Thank you to everyone who sent in their entries to the ‘Portrait of the King’ competition for the Coronation, we were very impressed with the overall standard. After much deliberation the Mayor, Cllr Doug Smith selected sisters Ana and Alexandra Sararu -(Cllr Smith was unaware that they were sisters!)- as winners in their respective age groups, with Tilly Coates and Rita Coysh being awarded second place in their age category.
We would like to say a big thank-you and recognise the valuable contribution of all those Town Councillors who stood down this year. Di Davey has been a long-standing councillor and former Mayor, and has worked tirelessly particularly to represent issues around health and well-being. Gill Clayton has chaired the Environment Committee with great passion and given a new direction to considerations included during these meetings. Cheryl Cottle-Hunkin has been a passionate advocate for local issues for many years, but is now out of area. Jonathan Rose, Harry Cox, and Laura Ward have all made valuable contributions to Great Torrington Town Council over the past five years – we would like to thank all of you for your time spent representing the Town Council.
As we say goodbye, we also say Hello! We are welcoming Cllr Lauren Bright & Cllr Penelope Hewitt as new Town Councillors; we look forward to working with you.
Full list of Great Torrington Town Council Members:
Notice is hereby given that:
The inauguration of the Mayor of Great Torrington Town Council will be held at Great Torrington Community Hall on Tuesday 6th June 2023 at 7.00pm
The meeting is open to members of the public who are most welcome. If you are planning to attend, please let the Town Council know by Tuesday 30th May 2023 so that we can make suitable arrangements for refreshments. Contact details are as follows; phone 01805 626135 or e-mail [email protected]
On Sunday May 7th we were delighted to host approximately ninety invited guests at Great Torrington Town & Community Hall for a Coronation Cream Tea.
The afternoon began with musical entertainment for all in the Town Square, provided by Torrington Silver Band; the sun shone and several members of the community came along to enjoy the brilliant music. We would like to thank those members of the band who gave up their precious time to entertain us on a Bank Holiday Weekend.
The cream tea followed; guests enjoyed a scone with jam & cream (whichever went first was fine by us!) and further musical entertainment from Kathy Ellis. The hall was decorated with bunting, floral displays, paperchains, and flags all in patriotic red, white & blue. The Town Hall Titans volunteered to serve teas and coffees throughout the afternoon and we would like to say a massive ‘thank you’ to them for their support, as the event could not have happened if they had not volunteered their time.
A big thank you goes to the Year 6 members of the Mayfair Entourage and their parents, who attended the event in their amazing Mayfair costumes. We know that you had a very busy weekend, and a very busy day on Sunday when you visited local care homes, did some doorstep deliveries of cream teas for people who could not attend, and then came along to the cream tea itself. It was lovely for our guests to see your costumes close-up, especially those who were unable to see the Mayfair procession. Congratulations on performing your duties at Mayfair so well, and thank you for your support with our cream tea – you all looked fabulous.
In organising this event council officers and staff worked closely with Great Torrington Bluecoat Primary School, social prescribers, and Great Torrington Town & Lands Charity who all helped with reaching members of the community to invite to the cream tea. We also worked with Torrington Rotary Club who provided the transport for many guests; these people would not have been able to attend without this valuable support and we sincerely thank you all for giving up your time to allow these people to access this event.
Community events take a lot of time and organisation behind the scenes, and this one involved working with different groups within the community to enable others to access a social celebration of this historic event. This kind of community coordination is something that Great Torrington excels at and we thank everyone who played their part in making it happen.
On Friday May 7th the Mayor attended Great Torrington Bluecoat Primary School to present the Pupil Council representatives with badges to commemorate the Coronation of King Charles III during a celebration assembly. Badges were distributed to all other children at Bluecoats from reception to year 6 later in the day.
Coronation themed books were donated to the Bluecoat Nursery and to Little Frogs Pre-School for the children to share and enjoy.
In a ceremony held today at the Great Torrington Town & Community Hall, Cllr Margaret Brown was awarded the title of Honorary Freewoman of the Town and Parish of Great Torrington.
During the ceremony, speeches were made to honour Cllr Brown’s long and eminent service as both a Town and District Councillor and she was presented a framed certificate by the Mayor. Following which, our Town Crier “Big Al” gave a talk about the Battle of Torrington and sang the “Torrington Song” which was enjoyed by the many invited guests.
Councillor Brown has dedicated herself to representing many causes in the interest of Great Torrington and its’ residents for many years. She became a Town Councillor in 1997, a District Councillor in 1999 and during her time serving on both the town and district councils, Councillor Brown has been Mayor of Great Torrington four times and Chair of Torridge District Council four times.
