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.