The Town Council is very pleased to announce that Michael Callaghan-Martin was voted onto the town council as the newest councillor at the September Council meeting. Cllr Callaghan-Martin has lived in Great Torrington for several years and is the co-owner of a small local business as well as working as a Senior Biomedical Scientist in the NHS.
Cllr Callaghan-Martin said, “I feel privileged to have been accepted onto Great Torrington Town Council.
I have a strong interest in seeing Great Torrington prosper and evolve in a way that benefits our local community, while at the same time protecting our towns unique natural environment and historic character.
I look forward to working with my fellow councillors and the Mayor to act in the best interests of Great Torrington and its residents.’’
We get several calls at Great Torrington Town Council office on a regular basis asking about the management of hedges, particularly those that border pavements and or public footpaths or lanes.
It is a common misconception that these hedgerows will be managed by one of the local authorities, however it is in fact the homeowner’s responsibility to maintain these hedges, and if they become overgrown resulting in obstruction, the homeowner may receive a letter from Devon County Council in accordance with The Highways Act 1980.
If you would like to know more and are unable to access the website, do pop into our offices, upstairs at Castle Hill and we will access the information for you. Or give us a call on 01805 626135.
This year Remembrance Sunday falls on the 12th November 2023. Great Torrington Town Council and The Royal British Legion will hold a Remembrance Ceremony at the War Memorial in the Cemetery, commencing at 10.50am.
There is a change of location for the forming up of the Parade this year, details below:
The Parade Route: The Parade will assemble in the driveway at Woodland Vale Care Home and parade “UP” New Street to the Cemetery. Please note: There will be NO VEHICULAR ACCESS (no exceptions) to Woodland Vale Care Home. LIMITED PARKING will be available at the Old Bowling Green; however, we encourage all participants to walk to the event if they are able to do so.
Dismissal at the end of the Service: Following the National Anthem at the end of the service, the Mayor will thank the Parade, who will then be dismissed in the cemetery as last year. The order for dismissal will allow for those at the back to be the first to leave.
Standard Practice: Will take place at the Town’s Band room in Castle Street. Further information will be sent to individual organisations nearer the time.
Ordering of wreaths will be the same as last year and should be ordered direct from the Royal British Legion in plenty of time. A wreath can be ordered by contacting the Royal British Legion on 0345 845 1945. The wreath will be posted out to you.
The Town Council is hoping that shop keepers in the town will help us celebrate Christmas by entering our Christmas Window Dressing Competition. We invite all businesses to create a beautiful window display with a Christmas theme, the Mayor will judge them and give out certificates in time for the Christmas light switch on event on December 2nd.
For further information or to confirm your entry please contact us at the Council offices on 01805 626135 or email [email protected] you can also contact Cllr Bruce Callaghan-Martin, [email protected] who is helping us organise this.
All window displays should be complete by Tuesday 28th November, judging will take place on Wednesday 29th November. All shop windows that have been decorated will be judged, but if your shop is in a location that isn’t in the main trading area of the town do let us know you are taking part, as we don’t want to miss any displays.
We look forward to seeing the town decorated for Christmas.
Great Torrington Town Council is currently part of the Snow Warden scheme with Devon County Council. Our technician Andy is our trained Snow Warden and receives relevant updates from Devon County Council (DCC). Further information about the scheme is available on their website: www.devon.gov.uk/communities/opportunities/snow-warden-scheme
During the spell of snow in December 2022 Great Torrington Town Council officers received several phone calls, social media messages and emails about grit bin locations and problems with ice, which was making it difficult for people to safely leave their homes in various housing estates. The main roads through Torrington are gritted by DCC, and our technicians clear the Square as a priority to allow people to access food and medicines etc. Great Torrington Town Council is in the early stages of considering extending the Snow Warden Scheme to include a small team of volunteers. These volunteers would be given some training and would receive updates from the Snow Warden and could potentially grit areas of the town which would not be included in DCCs route, or be gritted as a priority by the Snow Warden. This could help more people to continue to access employment, appointments, and shops more safely.
If you would be interested in volunteering for Great Torrington Town Council as part of the Snow Warden Scheme, please get in touch 01805 626135 or email [email protected]
This year Remembrance Sunday falls on the 12th November 2023. Great Torrington Town Council and The Royal British Legion will hold a Remembrance Ceremony at the War Memorial in the Cemetery, commencing at 10.50am.
There is a change of location for the forming up of the Parade this year, details below:
The Parade Route: The Parade will assemble in the driveway at Woodland Vale Care Home and parade “UP” New Street to the Cemetery. Please note: There will be NO VEHICULAR ACCESS to Woodland Vale Care Home. LIMITED PARKING will be available at the Old Bowling Green; however, we encourage all participants to walk to the event if they are able to do so.
Dismissal at the end of the Service: Following the National Anthem at the end of the service, the Mayor will thank the Parade, who will then be dismissed in the cemetery as last year. The order for dismissal will allow for those at the back to be the first to leave.
Standard Practice: Will take place at the Town’s Band room in Castle Street. Further information will be sent to individual organisations nearer the time.
Ordering of wreaths will be the same as last year and should be ordered directfrom the Royal British Legion in plenty of time. A wreath can be ordered by contacting the Royal British Legion on 0345 845 1945. The wreath will be posted out to you.
An early reminder that this year Remembrance Sunday falls on the 12th November 2023. The Royal British Legion will once again hold a Remembrance Ceremony at the War Memorial in the Cemetery, commencing at 10.50am.
Further details will be included in the October edition of the Crier (and shared on our website and social media pages).
Ordering of wreaths will be the same as last year and should be ordered direct from the Royal British Legion in plenty of time. A wreath can be ordered by contacting the Royal British Legion on 0345 845 1945, and will be posted out to you.
Sadly, there have been some disappointing incidents over the past couple of months, which have caused damaged to council property, and cost a considerable amount of money in work hours for your council.
Firstly, there was an incident of criminal damage in the skate park, where obscene drawings and writing were drawn all over the ramps in permanent pen. This incident required our technicians to spend several hours attempting to clean off the most offensive words and images, which included having to sand down the boards to remove the damage. Although some people may feel this is part & parcel of a skate park environment, it should be made clear that this was reported to the police as a criminal offence; this wasn’t artwork by any stretch of the imagination. This incident occurred in an area designed to be accessed by children, it involved obscene images and offensive language where individuals within the community were named. The estimated cost of dealing with the incident so far is approximately £400. If anyone has any information about this incident do contact us or Great Torrington School and we can pass it on to the police.
Secondly, over the past few months we have found several small pieces of the Grade II Listed fountain in the town square broken off and scattered in various places. This historic fountain is very fragile; it isn’t suitable for climbing on, or for standing or sitting in the flower beds. Any damage caused is expensive given the specialist skills required for the repair work. As well as the damage caused to the fountain, there is potential for injury if any attempt is made to climb/sit or stand on any parts of the fountain.
As ever, it is the few creating problems for the many, as we are very aware that the majority of people in Great Torrington of all ages behave in a respectful way towards each other and towards their environment. We should all have pride in the lovely town we live in and be glad that these incidents are the exception and not the norm.
N.B. Photos taken prior to the incidents taking place.
We have received reports of a number of ticks being picked up by people over the last few weeks. Please ensure that you are aware of the risks that they can pose and learn how to remove them safely. Here is some useful information to help:-
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