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Jubilee Wood

Despite the restrictions we lived with last year, volunteers continued to be busy at Jubilee Wood. As we headed towards autumn, we saw the installation of a new land drain at the Stonemans Lane gateway so to accommodate more of the water coming down the hill when there is heavy rain. This should now help prevent the path and steps being washed away and reduce the amount of mud at that point. In addition, gravel was put down to help stabilise the path. Monitoring of this situation will be continued.

There were struggles cutting the grass due to inclement weather conditions which may mean that the longer grass will hinder the growth of flowering plants. The team has tried to rake out the thatch and sow seed, but we are not sure how effective it will be. We are hoping to have success at the School Lane end as we managed to strim the long grass there.

Volunteers have sowed the wildflower seed into pans and will plant out the resulting individual seedlings during this year.

The Town Council Technicians cut the grass triangle in the middle of the site and as a result the team was able to plant out approx. 80 “Bluecoats” trees. We are hoping to invite the Bluecoat School down next year to “adopt” the area – and maybe plant a few additional trees. It was lovely to have more people offer to help plant out these trees, which widens community involvement.

Ground has also been levelled for a new pathway to the first bench we hope to install in the New Year.

Alan Williams managed to secure plants from the Woodland Trust so we will see more trees and shrubs being planted in 2021.  In addition, we are looking to improve footpaths, including addition of steps to improve accessibility and have an ongoing programme of sowing and planting wild flowers to improve biodiversity and make the meadow more attractive.

During last year we estimate approximately 200 hours of volunteering took place at Jubilee Wood and the Town Council would like to say big thank you to Alan and his team of volunteers for all they have done and continue to at Jubilee Wood.

Please note that all of this work has been done in accordance with Covid19 precautions.

Recycle Devon – Re-use of electrical items

A trial to boost re-use of electrical items is taking place at five Household Waste Recycling Centres across Devon.

The project, funded by the electricals industry to encourage the re-use of electrical items, will initially focus on flat screen TVs, vacuum cleaners and lighting. 

In 2018/19, over 7,200 tonnes of electrical items were recycled through Devon’s recycling centres and the trial aims to go one step further and capture any items that are still in good working order to keep them in circulation for longer.

The participating trial sites are:

  • Pinbrook Recycling Centre, Exeter
  • Ivybridge Recycling Centre
  • Brunel Road Recycling Centre, Newton Abbot
  • Knowle Hill Recycling Centre, Exmouth
  • Bideford Recycling Centre

Residents arriving at participating recycling centres with flat screen TVs, vacuum cleaners or lighting will now be asked by site staff if the item is still working and in good condition.

Items that can be reused will be PAT and function tested by trained site staff and then made available in the site’s reuse shop for the public to buy, along with furniture, bric-a-brac and other re-useable household items. Non-working electrical items and any failing the testing procedure will be recycled.  

It is estimated that following the testing process, 33% of TVs, 50% of vacuums and 72% of lighting/lamps will be suitable to re-use, meaning an additional 48 tonnes of electrical goods will be re-used per year at participating sites.

Recycling centre re-sale shops are popular with the public as they offer a range of household items at affordable prices.  Public demand for re-sale shops to include electrical items has grown as budget savvy shoppers embrace the cost savings of buying re-usable goods, whilst also benefiting the environment.    

The grant has helped provide workshop and testing facilities as well as staff training to allow re-useable items to be function and safety tested prior to re-sale.  It is anticipated that the scheme will be self-financing going forward which will help keep it going.

Subject to the success of the initial 5 site roll-out, other sites and other electrical items could be added to the scheme in future to further boost re-use in Devon.

For more information visit www.recycledevon.org.

The Globe Hotel

Plans to rejuvenate the Globe Hotel in Great Torrington received a fresh boost at the start of October with the announcement of almost £63K in funding from the Architectural Heritage Fund. The money is for the partnership project between Great Torrington Town and Torridge District Councils, Petroc and the Plough Arts Centre with a goal of creating a working training hotel offering the South West’s first degree-level apprenticeship courses in Tourism and Hospitality and the first ever degree level course in Torridge. But the ambitions for the Grade II listed building don’t stop there with the wider masterplan highlighting shared workspaces, a café / restaurant space, and to become a community and cultural venue for activities in partnership with the Plough. The plan, which is supported by partners including Great Torrington School and RHS Rosemoor, will be underpinned by an innovative community ownership through a share issue to fund the acquisition.
The grant will be used to scope and draw up a more detailed Business Plan, explore possibilities for the building itself and to facilitate the community acquisition process. Key messages from recent consultations showed strong support from the community to bringing the Globe out from hibernation, to be owned and run for the benefit of the community and establishing it as a focal point in the Town and local economy. Initial plans are for 15 new permanent, full time local jobs to be created as the project progresses with seven of these being high skilled. The build will also generate opportunities for local firms and trades as part of the capital works to alter the interior and shape the 460 square feet of workspace, and spaces set aside for the food and drink offerings. Torridge District Council is still keen to hear from people who want to get involved in the project or have views on how it should proceed and a consultation webpage has been set up on Torridge District Councils website under “consultations” on their front page or via this link

Using Public Footpaths – Some General Guidance

In and around Great Torrington we are very fortunate to have some wonderful areas of countryside for us all to enjoy. To ensure these areas can be appreciated by everyone, we have been asked by Devon County Council to remind folk of the following points.

  • Landowners should not crop public footpaths
  • Dog owners should pick up after their animals and keep them under control at all times
  • Households with hedges alongside public footpaths need to be aware of vegetation growth reducing the width of paths, especially at this time when we are being encouraged to socially distance ourselves
  • If you believe there to be a problem with a public right of way please report the issue to your Town or Parish Council
  • Devon Funding News is a useful source of information for communities looking for funding. Find out more here:  https://www.devon.gov.uk/fundingnews/
  • Please ensure care is taken when walking or running through a field of cattle, good advice on how to behave can be found online and on platforms such as YouTube.