GREAT TORRINGTON Your Council, Working for YOU

From Your Mayor…

The town has recently said farewell to another wellloved character, Alan Stacey, Cavalier and Greengrocer, whose dancing on May Fair days over the years will be remembered fondly for many years to come. The number of friends and well-wishers who turned up at the crematorium was testament to the impact Alan had in the town, and we all offer our condolences to his family.

This year’s Civic Service was held in St Michaels & All Angels Church, where Fr Steve Turner, (still our ‘new’ Vicar) led the service. I would like to thank everyone who attended the service, including representatives from local community groups and visiting Mayors, and special thanks to Fr Steve, who I look forward to working with over the next few months.

Torrington Together is an opportunity for local organisations and clubs to share information, and that’s exactly what happened at our meeting this June. Numerous people mentioned to me afterwards that they had learnt about various groups and events of which they had been previously unaware. July was an extremely busy month for local community groups, with open days, coffee mornings, live music events, dog shows, fetes, open gardens, and,of course, the long-awaited History Alive. It was fabulous to see the hard work of town council officers and representatives from various local groups finally paying off after this event, originally planned for last September, was cancelled following the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. This was a fine example of collaborative working across the community; we hope you all learned some interesting history about Great Torrington and enjoyed the day.

In 2019 I was privileged to unveil the first statue outside of India of Sister Nivedita. It was my pleasure this July to be asked to represent Great Torrington and Torridge at the unveiling of a second statue, this time in Wimbledon.

Born Margaret Elizabeth Noble, Sister

Nivedita was born in 1867, in the town of Dungannon in County Tyrone Ireland. When Margaret was four years old, the family came to live here in Great Torrington where her father was a pastor. In 1895 Margaret met Swami Vivekananda, and in 1898 travelled to Calcutta where the Swami gave her the name Nivedita, meaning ‘Dedicated to God’, and she founded her Girls School which is active to this day. After a life of service to Women’s rights in India, she died in Darjeeling in 1911 aged only 43.

Holsworthy’s Pretty Maid festival is always colourful, and this year was no exception. The rain made its presence felt before the proclamation, but the skies cleared for the vital moment. Lunch in the hall was a busy event, and the funfair in the car park afterwards was even more so, with everyone enjoying the rides.

It’s hard to believe we have reached the summer months already; I hope you all have an enjoyable couple of months and get the opportunity to take a break.

Cllr Doug Smith, Mayor of Great Torrington