News

The Mayor, Cllr Phil Cloke was delighted to attend Doreen Turner’s 100th birthday celebrations at Woodland Vale on Friday 19th December during which he presented her with flowers and enjoyed spending some time talking with her – he honestly couldn’t believe that she was 100 years old!

He would like to thank the staff at Woodland Vale and Doreen’s family and friends for making him feel so welcome.

A map of the proposed CCTV locations can be found here: https://great-torringtontowncouncil.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/CCTV-Map-for-website.pdf

Following their successful application to our 2025/26 annual grant scheme, Torrington Girlguiding sent this lovely photo taken at last Sunday’s Remembrance Service which shows the Rainbows, Brownies and Guides wearing the waterproof coats that they were able to buy with their grant funding.

We are sure you will agree they all look very smart.

Mayor Phil Cloke is kicking off his fundraising for the Mayors charities for 2025/26 with the “Great Torrington Bake Off”. His chosen charities for this year are Torrington Rugby Club & The Bickford Centre.

This event will be held in the Undercroft at the Town Hall on Saturday 20th September between 10:30am and 12:30pm.

This event is open to all ages, and we would love to see a wide variety of cakes, whether it’s a showstopper, a traditional sponge, a gluten free cake, a vegetable-based offering or a cupcake: we will leave it up to you to decide what to bake!

There will be prizes for ‘Best in Show’, ‘Tastiest Treat’ and ‘Best Bake by an Under 16’. We will be selecting a panel of local expert judges, and there will be rosettes and certificates for commended entries.

The fee will be £5 per entry for adults and £2 per entry for U16s (cash only on the day please) and with the permission of entrants we would like to auction the cakes at the end of the event. All proceeds will be for the Mayors charities.

If you don’t fancy submitting an entry into the competition, we will be asking for donated cakes and treats to sell throughout the event and there will be tea, coffee and some soft drinks available to buy for a small sum with all proceeds going to the same charities.

Entry forms can be downloaded here: DOWNLOADABLE ENTRY FORM or they can be collected from the Town Council offices at Castle Hill or from Torrington Library.

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:

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.