This morning, the Mayor of Great Torrington, Cllr Doug Smith, laid a wreath at Great Torrington’s war memorial on behalf of the town to commemorate Armistice Day. A small ceremony took place, led by the Mayor’s Chaplain, Rev Rob Blackhall. The Mayor was accompanied by his Beadle, Andy Griffiths, and was joined by The Chairman and President of the local Royal British Legion branch, Mr Sidney Adams and Miss Sue Mills, respectively.
This morning the Mayor of Great Torrington, Cllr Doug Smith, assisted Kim Insull of Really Wild Learning in selecting the winner of the Great Torrington Bug Hunt competition which ran throughout October. Kim brought Elsa the Milk Snake along too to help the Mayor choose the winner! The lucky winner was Allannah McConnachie and she will be awarded with a certificate and her prize later this week. Well done to everyone who entered the competition – we hope you enjoyed taking part in this fun activity.
Great Torrington Town Council’s Dementia Friendly Community working group has been working with the national Silent Space project (https://silentspace.org.uk/) and the Great Torrington and District Community Development Trust to create a Silent Space in Great Torrington. This is a national project to create areas where people can find peace and tranquillity in natural settings, to switch off from technology, avoid talking loudly or be silent and enjoy nature.
The new Silent Space is located in the Secret Memorial Garden behind the Castle Hill building in Sydney House car park. The Secret Memorial Garden is a magical space in Great Torrington tucked away behind the town centre shops and main car park. It was created in 2002 from an original design by Jo Winterburn as a memorial to five young boys, evacuees of the Second World War, who tragically lost their lives in a fire close by at Sydney House. In the centre of the garden is a bronze statue of a boy reading a book; a touching tribute to the boys who lost their lives. There is a central knot garden containing herbs such as marjoram, cotton lavender, sage and thyme, all planted in compartments between low box hedging. Benches are scattered through the garden so that visitors can relax and appreciate this special oasis in the middle of the town centre.
The garden will be designated a Silent Space on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons between the hours of 1:30 and 3:30pm each week. The Dementia Friendly Community working group hopes that by designating the Secret Memorial Garden as a Silent Space on these days, people living with dementia and their carers will find respite from the busy world we live in.
Great Torrington’s Dementia Friendly Community working group were delighted to be able to launch Great Torrington’s Silent Space on Tuesday 26th October 2021 in the Secret Memorial Garden behind the Castle Hill building in Sydney House Car Park.
The Silent Space Project is a national initiative to create areas where people can find peace and tranquillity in natural settings, to switch off from technology, avoid talking loudly or be silent and enjoy nature: https://silentspace.org.uk/ . The idea for a Dementia Friendly Silent Space was put forward by Chris Porter, one of the founding members of the Dementia Friendly Community working group following a similar project her daughter worked on as part of her PhD. Chris and the working group thought having a Silent Space specifically for people living with dementia would be a great asset to the town as it works towards becoming dementia friendly. Very sadly Chris passed away suddenly last year so the work she did initially with this this project was put on hold temporarily and was recently completed by the Dementia Friendly Community working group.
At the launch the Chair of the working group, Cllr Di Davey, welcomed Liz Ware, Founder of the Silent Space Project, Cllr Doug Smith, Mayor of Great Torrington and Colin Porter, Chris’s husband who helped the Mayor unveil the new signage for the space. The garden will be designated a Silent Space on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons between the hours of 1:30 and 3:30pm each week.
The working group would like to thank everyone involved with making this launch possible, including the Torrington and District Community Development Trust who have kindly allowed us to use the Secret Memorial Garden for the Silent Space, their volunteers who maintain the garden so beautifully and Roger Davies for creating the new sign. The Dementia Friendly Community working group hopes that by designating the Secret Memorial Garden as a Silent Space on specific days, people living with dementia and their carers will find respite from the busy world we live in.
The Helpful Everyday Products Guide is packed with products that can make day-to-day life easier for people with dementia, including clocks, clothes and signs. Click here to download it from the Alzheimer’s Society website: https://shop.alzheimers.org.uk/21021-DLA_Catalogue_DIGITAL_FA.pdf
We want everyone affected by dementia in our community to get the support they need. Dementia Connect is a free personalised service that connects you to a range of support, so you’re only one call or click away from help: www.alzheimers.org.uk/dementiaconnect. Alternatively, you can speak to a dementia advisor at the Alzheimer’s Society on 0333 150 3456.
Leaflets about Great Torrington and it’s history – have you got yours? If not pick them up now from the Tourist Information Centre or the Library and many shops around the town centre.
Great Torrington Museum is a friendly, free museum run entirely by volunteers in the centre of Great Torrington, next to the Pannier Market entrance in the centre of the town. The museum has a remarkable collection of fascinating objects and reflects the diverse history of this ancient market town including exhibits about Glove Making, the Rolle Canal, Pottery and local inventor Thomas Fowler’s early computer.
Most exhibits have been donated by local people over the years, resulting a wonderfully eclectic collection of objects and documents which really bring Torrington’s people and stories to life.
The Museum is open on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays between 11am and 4pm (last admission at 3.30pm) until the end of October.
Further information can be found on their website http://www.torringtonmuseum.org.uk/
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