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.
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.
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 🎉👏🏻👏🏻🎉
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.