Would you be interested in having an allotment plot at our site at Weare Trees🌻?
If you would like to join our waiting list for available plots please get in touch, priority goes to residents of Great Torrington.
We can be contacted via Facebook, by email on [email protected] or by telephone on 01805 626135.
The Plough Arts Centre:
Great Torrington Town Council endeavours to support organisations and projects which it feels are essential to the community and will allow the town to grow and thrive.
One such organisation is The Plough Arts Centre. The Plough is now under new management with a new Chief Executive and Chair of Trustee’s and a new direction with a strong focus on working smarter to ensure that it remains open as a thriving base for arts, culture, film, comedy, craft, food and entertainment for many years to come.
Emma Marston, the new Chief Executive, has an impressive background in radio broadcasting, including the BBC Radio, Heart, and The Voice. She also has an excellent track record in working with local charities and turning them around. The new management has a clear strategy going forward, with a reduced programme focusing on live acts that will sell out. This strategy is already working and showing positive results.
The Plough hosts events which appeal to all ages and abilities both within Great Torrington and across surrounding areas, as such it is one of the town’s main attractions encouraging visitors throughout the year.
You will have seen that the organisation has been awarded large grants from the Arts Council, however this funding has to be spent on specific projects and cannot be used to fund every day running costs.
Therefore, The Plough are in a funding crisis while they wait for the new business strategy to kick in and support their long-term sustainability. Reserves have been significantly depleted, and they have asked for a total of £60,000 to ensure that this valuable community asset and regional hub for arts and culture is able to keep its doors open and continue to deliver entertainment from local and national artists on our doorsteps.
At a recent meeting of Great Torrington Town Council members voted unanimously to support The Plough with an emergency grant of £15,000. This will give the new management a chance to build on current progress and allow the new strategy to take effect. Members of Great Torrington Town Council see The Plough as an essential organisation within the community, which is at the heart of the regeneration of the town.
The Globe Project:
The Globe Project Community Share offer is gathering pace as we speak, and signs are good that the target will be successfully achieved, with the deadline for purchasing shares extended to August 2025.
Earlier this year Great Torrington Town Council supported the project with a grant of £5,000 towards the administration costs of the project.
The council is committed to initiatives that encourage the regeneration of the town, and this project has a central role to play in encouraging visitors back into Great Torrington to eat, relax and stay. The project will also offer valuable opportunities for training and employment which will benefit local people
Community Grants awarded to local organisations from the Commons Allotment Charity & the Precept 2025/26:
| Men’s Shed | Torrington in Bloom |
| Commons Conservators | Torridgeside AFC |
| The Museum | Little Frogs Pre-School |
| Cavaliers | Friends of Torrington Library |
| CDT | Building Preservations Trust |
| The Plough Arts Centre | The Crier |
| Torrington Silver Band | Grosvener – Grow Baby |
| Army Cadets | Elska Yoga |
| Torridge Elite Majorettes | The Globe Hotel |
| Tarka Valley Railway | Torri Youth |
| Bickford Centre | North Devon Record Office |
| Girlguiding |
Emergency Grant Funding
Each year the Town Council allocate a sum of money for grant applications that come in outside of the grant application period. This year there is £3,000 in this fund, so if you represent a local community group who need a small amount of funding, which is required in the current financial year, do get in touch.
Call: 01805 626135 or email: [email protected] for further information.
Management of Weeds:
We have continued to try and minimise the use of harmful chemicals to control weeds heading into this summer, whilst balancing this with maintaining a tidy town and not allowing self-seeding plants to damage pavements and walls.
There are things that we can all can do to reduce the need for the use of harmful chemicals to keep the town looking tidy and welcoming, and minimise damage to buildings and structures:
· Outside Your Own Home:
1. If you are able, keep the area outside your own home free of self-seeding plants & grasses by pulling up visible weeds by hand, and sweeping away debris which provides the ideal environment for seeds to grow.
2. If you are able clear weeds from the area between the house and the pavement; local councils will not pull up weeds here, as this is a homeowner responsibility.
3. If you frequently park on the road, pull the weeds between the road and the pavement, near your property/car, and sweep away any debris, as local authority vehicles are unable to use their equipment to sweep and clear these areas due to the prevalence of on-street parking during the day.
4. If you have a neighbour or family member who can’t manage these activities themselves, consider doing points 1-3 for them too.
If self-seeding plants or trees are affecting the visibility on a road, please contact Devon County Council.
These relatively small individual actions can create one big community action that will contribute towards keeping our whole town looking tidy and welcoming for locals and visitors.
Great Torrington Town Council currently have four vacancies and would welcome applications from members of the community who are interested in local issues.
Our newest member Councillor Jason Isaac has now been on the council for just over a year and has made many positive contributions to meeting and committees. Jason has been working on the Regeneration Strategy for Great Torrington since September 2023 and has been a key local representative bringing some excellent ideas and a can-do attitude.
Councillor Isaac said “As someone who both lives and works in Great Torrington, I am deeply invested in our town’s success. I’m driven by a strong desire to ensure Torrington doesn’t lag behind neighbouring towns, but prospers equally.
My focus includes fostering economic growth, attracting businesses, promoting tourism, and safeguarding our unique natural environment and historic character. Together with fellow councillors and the Mayor, I am dedicated to advancing Great Torrington’s interests and ensuring our town flourishes alongside our neighbours.”
If you think you may be interested in becoming a councillor, please contact us on 01805 626135 or [email protected]. Or come along to the Annual Parish Meeting on March 19th 7pm at Great Torrington Town & Community Hall to find out more.
Howe Plate Award
Each year the Town Council gives an award to the person or persons whom it feels has provided a local public service that has benefitted local people. This could be something that they have done over a number of years, or something that has made a big difference in a short space of time.
The criteria states that the time given is voluntary and the people benefiting are within the parish of Great Torrington.
Young People’s Award
The Town Council is keen to recognise the contribution young people in Great Torrington make towards our community. A new Great Torrington Town Council Young People’s Award has therefore been established, and we are looking forward to receiving your nominations for this award.
This award is looking to recognise an inspirational young person or group of young people up to age 25 who have volunteered their time for the benefit of others and have made an outstanding contribution to make our community and our world a better place.
Nominations
If you would like to nominate someone for consideration for either the Howe Plate Award or the Young People’s Award, please get in touch. Nominations should be accompanied by a written explanation as to why you believe the person or persons should be considered, what they have done, how long for and who has benefited. Please limit explanations to no more than one side of A4 paper.
Please send or drop-in your nominations to Great Torrington Town Council, Castle Hill, Torrington, EX38 8AA or email to [email protected], all nominations to be received by midday on Tuesday 25th March 2025.
Commons Allotment Charity Grants and Precept Grants
As administrator for the Commons Allotments Charity, Great Torrington Town Council has allocated a total of £4,369.99 Grant Funding to local community groups for the 2025 – 2026 financial year. Members also allocated grant funding totalling £29,900.00 from the precept (due to an increase in the number of grant applicants, £4,400 of this total will be transferred from GTTC reserves) for 2025/26. A full list of grant recipients can be viewed on the Town Council’s website.
As per last year, Members decided to keep a pot of reserve grant funding to be made available during the period 1st April 2025 – 31st March 2026 for adhoc or urgent requests for funding throughout the year.
Great Torrington Town Council – 2025/2026 Budget
At the January Town Council meeting Members agreed the budget for the 2025/26 financial year. The requested precept reflects an increase of 4.58% on the Town Council element of council tax bills for the period 1st April 2025 – 31st March 2026.
The increase of 4.58% equates to an increase of £4.11 per year for a Band A property, £4.80 per year for a Band B, £5.48 per year for Band C, and £6.17 per year for a Band D property compared to last year. These figures relate to the Great Torrington Town Council element of your overall council tax bill only. Full details of increases for all Bands will be available on the Council’s website in due course.
Are you concerned about speeding in your neighbourhood? Did you know you can work with Devon & Cornwall Police to set up a Community Speedwatch? Volunteers from the community use detection devices to monitor local vehicle speeds. They receive training, equipment and support from the local neighbourhood policing team.
To get started you need to have a team of 4 people, one of which will need to be the Group Co-ordinator. If you are concerned about driving speeds in a particular area in Torrington and you have a small group of volunteers, then please sign up using the following link to the appropriate website.
Yesterday, the Mayor, Cllr Phil Cloke, officially unveiled a Scots pine tree planted on Millenium Path on the Commons in memory of His Late Royal Highness, Prince Philip. We’d like to thank the Commons Conservators for allowing the Town Council to plant this memorial tree on the Commons and to Al Mitchell, their Head Ranger for planting and watering it (which isn’t an easy job!) while it establishes.
For Information:
The introduction ceremony for the Mayor of Great Torrington Town Council will be held on Wednesday 22nd May 2024 at 7pm at Great Torrington Town & Community Hall.
Members of the public are very welcome to attend but we do need to know numbers for refreshments, so if you are planning to come along, please let the Town Council know by 5pm Tuesday 15th May 2024. Contact us on 01805 626135 or e-mail [email protected]