My Council

The Great Torrington Town Council helps to keep the traditions of the town alive. One of the traditions is to have a Beadle, Town Crier and Mace Bearers to support the Council at various functions. The position of Beadle has recently become available.

Duties include accompanying the Mayor to various functions as well as taking part in events within the town.

A Beadle must have a car and be willing to drive the Mayor & Mayoress/Consort to functions etc. The Beadle is provided with a mileage allowance, a small honorarium plus a uniform.

Some duties will involve evening and weekend work. This vacancy is open to both men and women.

Please can you provide a written application to include why you think you would be suitable for the role you. Applications for this post should be no more than one side of A4 paper.

For further information or to discuss further please contact the Town Clerk on 01805 626135 or by email: [email protected]

Please forward applications to Great Torrington Town Council, Castle Hill, Great Torrington, EX38 8AA or by email to [email protected]  to be received no later than Friday 28th October 2022.

Karen Chapman, Town Clerk

Devon County Council have launched a new grant which maybe of interest/use to community groups and organisations.

Grants ranging from £500 to £3,000 are available. The County Council has established the new fund to assist projects which directly benefit communities, either by helping to build self-reliance and resilience, tackle hardship such as food and fuel inequality, improve mental health and wellbeing, address loneliness and isolation, or respond to the climate emergency.

Schemes that are eligible for funding can be new initiatives responding to an identified need, as well as those that link to established work but use innovation to improve efficiency and provision or reach a wider audience.

More information can be found online here – https://www.devon.gov.uk/communi…/growing-communities-fund

It is with great sadness that the town has learned of the passing of John Kelly, ex-councillor and Mayor of Great Torrington.

John gave many years of service to Great Torrington.  He worked as a local policeman and he was a long-standing town councillor, during which he held the position of Mayor in 1988, 1989, 1996 and 1997.  John was also a keen bingo caller in his spare time and offered his services to other Mayors on several occasions to assist with their fundraising activities. 

On behalf of the Town Council and the community of Great Torrington I offer my sincere condolences to his family and friends in their time of grief.

Councillor Doug Smith, Mayor of Great Torrington

On the 11th June a Conservation Community Project led by Devon Wildlife Trust (DWT) in conjunction with Devon Biodiversity Records Centre (DBRC) took place at Jubilee Meadow. The aim was to record as much as possible about the local environment as well as develop people’s skills in wildlife identification in a meadow setting.

The project has been running for just over a year and has have achieved a great deal to date, with volunteers across local parishes carrying out hedgerow surveys so that the condition of the hedges in the region can be assessed.  Last year over 50 engagement events took place, attracting 1700 attendees and Jubilee Wood was included as part of the suite of 2022 events.

By the end of the project, December 2022, the hope is to have gathered enough wildlife data so that DBRC can update each Parish Biodiversity Audit (last written around 2013). 

Activity on the 11th June was very successful with 146 records made including some “unknowns” and has been described by the DWT as a “very good haul” and “probably the best found yet!”

It’s great to have this indication of the richness of wildlife on our doorsteps and hope this will only continue to grow. We would like to thank all those members of the public who took part on this project along with the DWT and DBRC.

Calling all local photographers! 

The Town Council in conjunction with the Futures Group is looking to publish a town calendar for 2023.  We are looking for photographs of the town, whether that be beautiful landscapes, nature and/or events.  If you have a favourite photograph… or two which you have taken and are happy for it to be used, please send it through. We will ensure all photographs are credited to the photographer.