Great Torrington Town Council
Allotments waiting list
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.
Grant Application 2026/27
Could your organisation or voluntary group benefit from a grant from the Commons Allotment Charity or Great Torrington Town Council?
Great Torrington Town Council administers the Commons Allotment Charity, and each year a small amount of funds are allocated to locally based community groups. In addition, grants are awarded from the council precept (money received by Great Torrington Town Council from Council Tax payments).
To be eligible for either grant there are set criteria which are detailed on the application form.
Applications for these grants for the 2026/2027 financial year will open on August 1st 2025 and the application form can be DOWNLOADED HERE collected from the library or from the Council offices, which are upstairs in the Castle Hill Community Centre (above the library). The offices are open between 9am & 1pm on Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday; for further information call Charlotte or Jennie on 01805 626135 during these times, or email [email protected].
Applications should be completed and received by us no later than 12 noon on Thursday 25th September 2025.
Great Torrington Town Council Grant Funding
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
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.
Mayor’s Charities 2024/25 – Cheque presentation
At the Mayoral Introduction Ceremony, Mayor Phil Cloke was delighted to present cheques from his Mayor’s Appeal to representatives of his three chosen charities for 24/25 – Children’s Hospice South West, Torrington Amateur Athletic Club & Torri Youth.
Mayor’s Cadet 2025
Congratulations to retiring Mayor’s Cadet Cpl George Batten and new Mayors Cadet LCpl Imogen Pascoe.
George has been a credit to the Great Torrington Detachment of the Devon Army Cadet Force and performed his duties perfectly throughout the past year.
We congratulate Imogen on her appointment and look forward to the coming year.
They were accompanied at the Mayor’s Introduction Ceremony by 2Lt Lauren O’Halloran, Lt Trev or Cook and their families.
Howe Plate Award 2025
This year the winners of the Great Torrington Town Council ‘Howe Plate Award’ for an outstanding contribution to the Great Torrington Community was awarded to Torrington Police Amateur Boxing Club.
This award recognises the hard work and dedication of the volunteers in all the work they have done over the years, both in setting up the club at Torridge Vale Social Club, and supporting young boxers with training – and travelling up and down the country to provide opportunities to put skills into practice.
The volunteers offer regular training for boxing skills and fitness and host regular boxing shows in the community to showcase local talent.
Thank you all – Heathcliffe Pettifer, Shaun Kenneally, Steve Jones, Roly Pitts, & Wayne Hill for all the hard work that has made such a massive difference to the lives of many young people in Great Torrington.
Good Citizen Award 2025
Mayor Phil Cloke was honoured to present the Mayor’s Good Citizen Award for 2025 to a very special recipient.
He is the Town Crier, the Town Marshall, the Flag Raiser, Head Ranger for the Commons Conservators as well as a well known and loved local performer.
Mr. Al Mitchell received a standing ovation as he was presented with this special award for everything he does for the community, and consistently going above and beyond the expectations of the roles he holds.
A very deserving recipient. Congratulations Big Al 🎉👏🏻👏🏻🎉
