‘Share in the Square’ picnic benches are providing a safe space for residents to take a break, meet a friend and catch up in Crediton Town Square

In the summer of 2020, Crediton Town Team approached Crediton Town Council regarding the siting of 12 picnic benches on Crediton Town Square.  To celebrate the first easing of restrictions, they were a welcome addition to the town, providing a safe space for people to take a break, meet friends and catch up. The ‘Share in the Square’ initiative was aimed at reducing loneliness and revitalising the town centre.

Building on this, collaborative working between the Town Team, Crediton Arts Centre and the Town Council enabled a schedule of live music on Fridays and Saturdays through the summer.

The impact of such a simple idea surpassed all expectations, lifting the spirits of local residents and visitors, as well as increasing footfall in Crediton’s shops and cafes.

When Christmas 2020 arrived, the Town Council knew that the usual large-scale event could not take place so it was a relief that restrictions allowed for two performances of an adapted Russian folk tale ‘Baba Yaga’ to go ahead.

When speaking about the Christmas 2020 event, Cllr Liz Brookes-Hocking, Chair of the Christmas in Crediton Sub-Committee said, ‘We know how popular the picnic tables and benches have been this summer.  They were a Town Team initiative which the Town Council has been keen to support.  Now, we are keen to see them back for the winter and spring.  We can’t have our usual Christmas lights Switch-on parade but the Arts Centre has come up with an exciting new Christmas in Crediton event for the square.  The tables will provide seating for socially distanced audiences at the outdoor performances of Baba Yaga, a new family show for Crediton.’

Families watching the production of Baba Yaga in Crediton Town Square at Christmas

A second lockdown saw the tables put into storage from January to April, but ‘Share in the Square’ has taken place throughout summer 2021. Coinciding with the Town Council taking ownership of the tables, it contracted The Turning Tides Project to undertake maintenance work within public areas in Crediton, but most importantly Crediton Town Square.

The Turning Tides Project is a non-profit making Community Interest Company that aims to make equal access a reality for people with ‘learning disability’ or ‘autism’ labels, and the partnership demonstrates the valuable contribution that people who are part of The Turning Tides Project can make in the community, when given an equal opportunity.

The Share in the Square initiative has been an opportunity for town organisations and groups to work collaboratively for the good of the Crediton community during a period like no other. Huge thanks must go the volunteers who has made it a success, particularly Rod Brookes-Hocking of Crediton Town Team for initially leading the project, the Rotary Club for providing social distancing stewarding and sanitising in the early weeks and to Jack Robson, Crediton Arts Centre manager for coordinating the event and providing technical support to acts.

We always love to hear stories about what our members are up to. If you have a story to share then please contact us. 

Braunton is buzzing! The Parish Council and volunteer groups in Braunton have been working hard to develop wildflower verges on roads to benefit wildlife.

Braunton Parish Council are encouraging community groups to plant up wildflower verges on their highways.  In 2020 Life on the Verge gifted equipment to the Parish Council which is now loaned out to community groups to help them prepare the ground ready for wildflowers to be planted.   The Council is also increasing the amount of native flora and fauna by leaving some verges to grow naturally. This is a pilot scheme being trialled in areas of Braunton with advice from the Bumblebee Conservation Trust; who particularly want to encourage the now rare Brown Banded Carder Bee and Moss Carder Bee. Both were once common throughout Devon but are now only found in a few of our Coastal Areas. These verges have also been seeded with additional indigenous wildflowers such as red clover, vipers bugloss, greater knapweed, chicory, evening primrose and comfrey all huge favourites with Bees.

Where grass is left to grow longer it provides both shelter and hunting grounds for many beneficial insects, mammals and slow worms (a protected species) who along with the poor hedgehogs unfortunately, all too often, fall victim to the mechanical mower and strimmer. Councils can become a hedgehog hero through the British Hedgehog Preservation Society.

Did you know that many solitary bees as well as bumblebees build their nest on the ground in long grass? Hedgehogs, badgers and birds mop up slugs, snails, worms and insects. Foxes and hawks hunt the small mammals such as mice, voles and shrews which also make their homes in the long grass.  So thank you to long grass and wild flowers, the start of a very important food chain.

To help educate the public and increase our volunteers, the council has put up signage and ran an article in a local monthly magazine explaining what they are trying to achieve by leaving areas uncut and have received an overwhelming positive response from residents and visitors. The grounds maintenance team have found that by only mowing a strip running along pavements and roads to avoid long wet grass flopping into the path of pedestrians and road users, frees up enough time to create and seed, wildflower planting islands at intervals along the unmown verges, as a little extra to what is already there. And it is surprising what is popping up after only two months!

The council would also like to thank Knowle Community Group and Love Braunton for their help in planting up other areas in Braunton.

Saunton Park Residents have planted a fantastic garden along the wide verge on the Saunton Road. This verge is not only pleasing to the eye of all who pass and pause a while, it also feeds the soul and eases the mind with its array of beautiful flowers and gentle hum of attending insects. The wide variety of flowers provides an easily accessible nectar rich banquet for pollinating insects as well as a habitat and refuge for many other beneficial insects. These insects in turn provide birds, bats, small mammals and slow worms with a much needed food source.

All plants on this verge have been grown and donated by local residents and Braunton Parish Council thanks them and the volunteers who have given their time, energy and love to plant and maintain the verge for the enjoyment of the wider community.

Wild About Devon

Devon’s town and parish councils are being invited to join the Wild About Devon initiative including the Devon Parish and Town Council Wildlife Network. This is an excellent way for councils with a focus on the environment to share their experiences and expertise with other councils in Devon. Read more here. 

Brixham Town Council opens a Telebug Hotel in an adopted K6 telephone kiosk and supports the recycling of plastic crab lines.

Brixham Town Council has transformed three K6 red telephone kiosks into Telebug Hotels, creating mini wildlife havens in residential areas across the town.

The kiosks were adopted by the Town Council as part of BT’s Adopt a Kiosk scheme, costing just £1 each. The council resolved to transform them in line with its environmental ethos.

Each kiosk was given a fresh coat of red paint and the crowns were restored to their former glory. Telephone signage has been replaced, to proudly display Brixham Town Council and Telebug Hotel. The bug hotels have been created by the town’s Lengthsmen team using natural materials such as pine cones, bark and canes. The Telebug Hotel is being trialled in one kiosk over summer, and will be rolled out to the other two locations. Planters full of pollinator friendly plants have been attached to the outside of the kiosks; residents can already watch the bees busily collecting pollen.

One kiosk is located in a busy school catchment area, so artwork has been commissioned and professional graffiti artist Urban Gypset brought the kiosk to life.

Deputy Town Clerk, Linda McGuirk, said: “The community response to this project has been amazing and it’s not just land based wildlife that we are keen to protect! Brixham Town Council jumped at the chance to support a new initiative launched by The 365 Sea Swim Challenge CIC to protect local marine life too”.

The Crab Line Recycling Scheme was launched this summer by the community conservation and education group and quickly gather support. The Town Council and local businesses sponsored five Crab Line Recycling Bins. The bins are located around the harbour, which is a crabbing hotspot for tourists and locals. Local businesses have also pledged to reduce the amount of plastic crab lines they sell and now stock plastic free alternatives. During May half-term break, over 200 crab lines were deposited into the Crab Line Recycling Bins and will by collected by Odyssey Innovations to make ocean kayaks.

You can find other examples of what councils have done with K6 telephone boxes here.

Wild About Devon Initiative

Devon’s town and parish councils are being invited to join the Wild About Devon initiative including the Devon Parish and Town Council Wildlife Network. This is an excellent way for councils with a focus on the environment to share their experiences and expertise with other councils in Devon. Read more here. 

More photos showcasing the brilliant artwork by Urban Gypset and the planters filled with pollinator-friendly plants. 

Many councils in Devon have taken advantage of BT’s offer to ‘Adopt a Kiosk’ and adopted red phone boxes to use as a community asset. Here we share some ideas from Devon’s councils.

BT’s Adopt a Kiosk scheme enables communities to retain their iconic red kiosks, preserving their heritage. Kiosks that are not heavily used and not required by BT can be adopted by registered charities and local councils. Since the scheme was launched, more than 5000 communities across the UK have taken the opportunity to adopt a kiosk and turn them into a community asset.

This includes a number of councils in Devon, who have used telephone kiosks for a wide range of activities. Red phone boxes are often centrally located; combined with their small footprint, this makes them ideal for a huge range of small projects to benefit the community.

Hennock and Chudleigh Knighton

Hennock Parish Council includes both Hennock and Chudleigh Knighton so the council aimed to restore phone boxes in both.

In Hennock, the council decided to use the phone box as a mini library. The phone box was refurbished to prevent water ingress and is now fitted with bespoke water resistant shelving. Both projects were funded from the support of County Councillor Jerry Brook through his locality budget and Investing in Devon funding.

Cllr Maura Curran (pictured above) said: “The need for the library had been identified by the existing use by a wide selection of the community and this project will ensure this community facility is improved and can continue to be provided, it will be looked after by community volunteers.” 

In Chudleigh Knighton, the council has created a Phone Box Museum (pictured below), containing old photographs with descriptions of village scenes including the village pubs, village hall, school, church, local businesses and significant houses. The council has plans to produce a village history leaflet, and a leaflet about the Ant Trail (a sign-posted walk around Chudleigh Knighton Heath).

Steven Chown (local historian) said: “There is a mention of Chudleigh Knighton in the Domesday Book. But since then, there are few written records. The Phone Box Museum aims to give residents and visitors and insight into how the village has changed over the years, to provide a sense of identity, preserve stories, inspire residents to protect the village “treasures” and ensure people have a better understanding of how the village was shaped into how it is today.”

Moretonhampstead

Following a community consultation by Moretonhampstead Parish Council on what to do with the phone box, one suggestion that came from Wellmoor was a one-year trial to run the phone box as an accessible space for all to demonstrate their skills, share their interests, provide public services and engage people. Wellmoor would act as administrator, booking out slots throughout the year to various local individuals, groups and organisations.

The first exhibition of the phone box was held on Saturday 9th December, with a one day only exhibition ‘Out of the Box’ hosted by a local artist Lucy Patrick in aid of St Petrocs, a homeless charity in Exeter. Moretonhampstead residents were invited to donate a piece of art that expressed what they like about home. All visitors to the exhibition (covid-secure) were invited to take away a piece of artwork and leave their own notion of what home means to them. The exhibition was featured on Spotlight and BBC Radio Devon.

South Tawton

Defibrillators are medical devices which can shock the heart back into a normal rhythm following sudden cardiac arrest; rapid response with a community public access defibrillator (cPAD) can save lives and improve quality of life for a survivor. South Tawton Parish Council is one of a number of councils that have used their K6 phoneboxes for cPADs, using them to house four of their five defibrillators.

Brixham

To stay in line with the council’s environmental ethos, Brixham Town Council has transformed their adopted phone kiosks into Telebug Hotels.

What are you doing with yours?

Have you got another suggestion for what to do with an adopted phone box? Perhaps you’re using a phone box as a toy library, or a mini greenhouse, or a community food bank? Don’t forget to tell us about it! We love to hear about the different uses that our councils have found for phone boxes so please email us on enquiries@devonalc.org.uk with your ideas!

Chudleigh Knighton’s Phone Box Museum

Dittisham Parish Council has been working with Sustainable Dittisham to create a Habitat Plan for the land owned and managed by the council.

Dittisham Parish Council has been working hard to create a Habitat Plan so they can manage their land to improve biodiversity and support wildlife in the area. The council has worked with the Sustainable Dittisham (SusDit) group to achieve this.

This involved a review of the land so the council could see what it already had, what should be kept as-is, what could be enhanced and how. Following the review, the council was able to adjust the maintenance contract which has meant a lower yearly spend on maintenance, saving the council money!

In some areas of the land the council has allowed areas to grow wilder at the back, but maintaining a neat short border to clearly mark the edge. This makes it clearer that the land management is deliberate. The photo above is an example of this ‘mullet management’; the crocuses are planted in the neat front of this triangle of land, with the back being allowed to grow more wild. The crocuses were donated by Dartmouth Rotary to mark the near-elimination of polio.

The first phase of enhancements saw around 50 trees being planted; the second phase will see a wildflower margin allowed to grow around the Ham recreational grass area, with additional shrubs being planted. The minimal cost of the plants is being shared between the Parish Council and the Parish of Dittisham Charity, with work being done by councillors (see a picture below of one of Dittisham’s councillors on planting day!) and members of SusDit.

Dittisham Parish Council is part of the wider Sustainable South Hams network of groups, where councils and groups share information, collaborate on projects and mentor each other. The council has also joined the Devon Parish and Town Council Wildlife Network and was very proud to be featured at the Wild About Devon launch meeting.

Lessons Learned

Reflecting on the project, the council feels that all working groups should have been involved at an earlier stage. Once communication between the groups had improved, with the council inviting everyone to a meeting, progress went very well. The parish council has stressed the importance of partnership working, with every member of organisations being invited to engage with these sorts of projects.

Next Steps

The council plans to take the South Hams District Council climate and biodiversity plan, and the Devon Carbon Plan (once finalised), to pull out the elements relevant to Dittisham. These will then form part of Dittisham’s own wider Climate and Environmen Plan, helping the council to deliver some of the aims of the district and county councils.

Thanks to Cllr Sune Nightingale, Dittisham Parish Council, for providing this story. 

Councillor Ros Neale, wet but happy, on a planting day!

Great Torrington Town Council have been working hard with their community on a number of schemes to promote the independent shopping experience alongside the environment, culture and heritage of the town.

Great Torrington is a historic town set in a beautiful natural environment. The town council has been working with many groups in the community on a number of projects to highlight the town’s rich heritage and to promote the independent shopping experience available in the town.

History Alive

History Alive is an event aiming to recreate some of the events that shaped the town, due to be part of a national heritage weekend on 10-11 September 2022. It may portray Great Torrington’s role in making the nation’s favourite tinned rice pudding, through to the transport innovations of the canal and railway. The council is hoping to involve as many local people and community groups as possible in an event to include talks, demonstrations, guides, re-enactments and more.

Heritage Maps

Great Torrington Town Council has published and distributed three maps which all promote the town and some of its advantages:

• Great Torrington | At the heart of Torridge, North Devon – features a map of the town with areas of interest (such as the Tarka Trail and some historical figures) with a separate close up map of the town centre listing shops and businesses.
• Great Torrington | Civil war trail – a walking tour around Great Torrington focusing on the town’s civil war history (the Battle of Torrington was the last major battle of the civil war).
• Great Torrington | The town that burned twice – a heritage walking guide around Great Torrington with directions to the town’s history boards, loaded with information and kids’ activities.

The council is hoping to arrange for the maps to be available in an electronic, interactive format.

Working with local businesses to promote tourism

The council has been boosting the local ‘One Torrington’ website by encouraging the community to populate the site with their business or local groups. They have also been liaising with the local RHS Rosemoor, so that the council and venue can work together to promote the area. The Visit Devon guide is circulated nationally, so the council arranged to take out an advert in the guide to help boost tourism to the town. Alongside Torridge District Council, the town is hoping to introduce town gift cards.

Promoting the environment

Bulbs have been planted at the entrances to the town to create a beautiful spring display for anyone entering the town. The town technicians, employed by the town council, have been carrying out maintenance around the town including hand weeding, grass cutting, moss clearing, hedge-cutting and stone-walling.

Specific areas of grassland have been left to grow as part of a long-term meadow approach. Yellow rattle seed has been sowed to help break down the grass so that wild flowers can be sown to start a wild flower meadow.

After a local 5 year old wrote to the town council if a new litter bin could be provided near the school, the town council worked with Torridge District Council to install the bin.

Volunteers in Jubilee Wood are looking after the wood, and have secured some plants from the Woodland Trust which can be planted to help develop the area. Over the last year, an amazing 200 hours of volunteering took place at Jubilee Wood and the Town Council would like to thank all volunteers for their work.

Do you need help? Mental health initiative launched by Dawlish Town Council, publishing self help posters and leaflets.

Dawlish Town Council’s mental health and suicide prevention working group rolled out its second mental health initiative of 2020, a poster version of its ‘Do you need help’ leaflet. The poster will be going on the back of toilet doors in public places, with the agreement of local owners.

Life the leaflet, the poster is intended to be a self help tool or for anyone concerned about someone else’s mental wellbeing. You can easily see helplines to call. Both the poster and the leaflet can be downloaded on the Dawlish Town Council website.

Dawlish Town Council formed the mental health and suicide prevention working group in January 2020. Their first mental health initiative was the ‘Do you need help’ leaflet which included details of mental wellbeing and suicide prevention resources to be delivered to every household in the community. It was published to coincide with World Mental Health Day on the 10th October 2020 and is available online. The leaflet is intended to help anyone find out how to obtain help from professional and support organisations, and aims to create awareness of mental health and suicide prevention. It makes clear that asking for help is the first step to staying safe. The leaflet was delivered to over 6500 households with the help of Assist Teignbridge volunteers in October and early November.

Cllr Alison Foden, Mayor of Dawlish at the time, said: ”The leaflet is very timely as it has been a difficult period for all ages during the pandemic, with redundancies, unemployment, loneliness, grief, isolation, stress, anxiety and feelings of depression and suicidal thoughts about the future. The leaflet is part of the Town Council working towards making Dawlish a caring and safer town.”

Many of our councils have worked on mental health initiatives to help those struggling in their area, including Great Torrington and Fremington who have both been involved with ‘Let’s Talk’ groups.

Great Torrington Town Council has funded a new project to provide mental health support for its residents

Clarity Counselling approached Great Torrington Town Council in 2018 to discuss a Great Torrington support group for people struggling with their mental health. A similar group, called ‘Let’s Talk’ was run in Barnstaple.

‘Let’s Talk’ creates a safe and welcoming place where people with mental health issues work with counsellors and other members of the group to improve their individual wellbeing. They also gain positive outcomes through working as part of the group, supporting each other and building friendships. The group, which meets for 2 hours each week, provides benefits not only for the clients, but also for their families, friends and society at large. It’s a positive way of helping some of the most vulnerable and isolated in the community.

Work on the project had to stop in March 2020 due to Covid-19 measures but relaunched on 4th November with 4 clients and one counsellor. The sessions take place in a Covid-19 compliant venue, large enough for participants to feel relaxed.

One client has expressed that they were grateful the group was back on. They’d had a particularly challenging time during lockdown and knew that if they’d had the platform available to them then they would have received the support needed to navigate some of those challenges. They’re over the moon to have it available again.

The Clarity team have distributed posters locally and promoted the session through social media; they are expecting the number of clients attending to increase as covid-19 starts to subside and remain open to support those clients attending.

Great Torrington Town Council has currently agreed to fund the costs of the service until 31st March 2022, including the costs of counsellors.

Cara Stobart, County Officer for the Devon Association of Local Council said ‘This is a fantastic example of one of the ways parish councils are supporting the health and well being of their communities.  Mental health services have been under pressure for a number of years, so its wonderful to see community based activities coming on board to bridge the gap.  This project will no doubt help these individuals and their families to thrive.

Have you done something you are proud of?

We love to hear our members stories.  Share your story with us at enquiries@devonalc.org.uk.

You can read more of our members stories in our news feed.

Okehampton Town Council worked with local organisations to provide safe festive activities for all