By Sue Read
Called by Crediton Town Council, this was not a council meeting. It was a chance for several of the town’s organisations to explain what they do and for townspeople to share their views. The town council said it was strongly backing the town’s retail sector, especially the independent shops.
Town Mayor and chairman of the town council, Cllr Frank Letch, took the meeting, saying it had been a year of successes and challenges for the town council.
The Christmas in Crediton had showed community co-operating at its best, the Floral Crediton competition saw more than 30 entries. Entry forms are now available for this year’s competition.
In his report, Cllr Bob Wright, one of the town’s four Mid Devon District Councillors, said there had been a reluctant agreement by district councillors to raise the parking fee for five hours from £1 to £1.50. He had voted against this.
However, he said the council’s Cabinet had decided to put it up to £2 - a decision made by seven people which did not go to the full council.
County Council member for Crediton, Cllr Nick Way (also a district councillor), was pleased that the county council had thought again about getting rid of school crossing patrols.
Crediton Library was well-used. It had now transferred from the county council to a mutual co-operative venture which, he understood, was going ahead well.
He hoped there would be good news about a pedestrian crossing for the leisure centre at Lords Meadow.
He added: “Most of us who are councillors are really trying to mitigate the financial cuts as much as we can but, across the board, these cuts are going to continue.”
Town council member, Cllr Mike Szabo, chairman of the Floral Crediton group, said its activities included the Floral Crediton competition which has been running for 28 years, plus the hanging baskets and flower towers created with contributions from businesses and Crediton Chamber of Commerce.
For several years the town had been entered in the Britain in Bloom competition, it would do so again this year in the It’s Your Neighbourhood category. He asked if any group interested in taking part or helping to, please, contact him through the town council office.
He had seen two people on Lords Meadow who said they were Cleaning for the Queen and had collected at least 13 black bin bags of rubbish.
Town council member Cllr Liz Brookes-Hocking spoke about the Crediton Neighbourhood Plan, saying it had a legal status and towards which the town council had done several surveys.
“We want to know what people feel about the town, what makes us different to the others. People have said it is creative and sociable, that they want the town to work and to enjoy living in it.
“If you do not have a vision for the future, you do not plan well. Our mission is to make Crediton even better.
“We want to keep our community spirit going. The town council is strongly behind the independent retail sector and to keep retail in the main shopping area. People who shop here do not want to see offices creeping into that area.
“We want to see good transport options, making the High Street better for pedestrians,” she said.
Cllr Brookes-Hocking added that the Plan wanted to see empty employment sites used, to keep the town’s heritage which included looking at new development, to promote Crediton railway station and protect it from negative impact of development.
Presenting the report for the Town Team, Mike Summerton explained they were a group of volunteers who started by organising and running the CredFests.
Two years ago the district council asked the team if it would like to extend its activities to help with town re-generation, which was what it was now doing with seven projects on the go.
Plans for CredFest 2017 are being laid, last year this biennial festival had 84 events.
The flags project was in its fourth year, now having about 60 flags, all different, made using translucent hot-air balloon fabric, each co-designed with shop keepers or community groups.
The group had taken over the former Gee’s shop on the High Street for March, where flags were repaired and eight new ones made plus two panels to fit in the windows of empty shops.
For first two weeks of April, Devon Guild of Craftsmen from Bovey Tracey were renting the shop to exhibit work made during the Devon Arts Wave projects with Haywards and Landscore Primary School and Upstream.
Then there were the new town signs being designed which will be on show with the ideas from four town architects for weather protection for the town square during the Food Festival, June 18 and 19.
This year, on June 5 there will be a procession for St Boniface, his feast day, with a re-enactment.
The Town Team was also in the final stages of a feasibility study report looking into the possibility of creating a new cultural hub for the town.
John Musty chairman of the Trustees for Age Concern Crediton said this was a small, independent charity for the people of the town, part of its work is to collect people from their homes to take them to the Centre then back home again. For many this was their only outing of the week.
Mr Musty said it has grown to now dealing with more than 2,000 people over a wide area, providing day care, leisure opportunities and information.
It is supported by its High Street shop which raises between £4,000 and £5,000 a year, relying on volunteers.
“Even so, costs are pretty big with a turn over of about £80,000. Luckily we have about £23,000 from the district council. If we do not get it again this year, we shall have to close our doors,” he said. “Fundraising is one of the hardest things I have to do.”
There are collecting boxes in 36 shops in the town and a concert is to be held in the parish church on April 16 for funds.
For the police, Sgt Dave MacFadden said that although the police station had been advertised as closed since 2011, they were still here.
A planning application had gone to Mid Devon District Council (the planning authority) for the police station site to be levelled, four houses built there with one for a new police station.
Presenting her report for the 1st Crediton Scout Group, Debbie Richards Group Scout Leader, thanked her team of Leaders and helpers “who give their time to ensure Scouting remains strong within the town.”
It also meant that as many children as possible were provided with the chance to be part of “a great movement”. She added: “Without adult volunteers this would not be possible.”
This year was looking busy with lots of camps, activities and community events. Last year 10 Crediton Scouts were among 90 others from around Devon who had gained their Chief Scout Gold Award. Bronze and Silver awards had been gained by several Beavers and Cubs.
Among community events in which they took part was Christmas in Crediton and delivering their Christmas Scout Post around the town.
Presenting the Crediton Trefoil Guild report the chairman, Stella Still, said the organisation was probably one of the smallest groups in the town with an active year of a variety of fun and friendship. She added it was often described as Guiding for adults.
U3A report by Ron Cuthbertson, treasurer, said U3A existed to help people past the age of 50 live life as fully as possible. There were now more than 2,000 members across Devon.
He said the Crediton and Area branch meets on the second Wednesday of each month at the Meadow Suite beside Lords Meadow Leisure Centre.
Peter Hamilton presented the report for Crediton Arts Centre, giving glimpses of events through the year, as listed in its brochure available in shops and other outlets in the town.
Peter said the flags were and still are an Arts Centre inspired project. It was hoped to repeat Busk It this year, and the Centre had done its ninth Shakespeare In the Square.
He said how the Switch-On parade had grown, this year’s should be even bigger. “If you have an idea and think the Arts Centre may help, give us a ring,” he said.
“This year is the 400th since Shakespeare’s death and we shall have two history plays back-to-back in the square,” he added.
Presenting the report for CHAT (Churches Housing Action Team), the co-ordinator Sharon said this was its 21st year. “We are really pleased to still be here supporting local people,” she said.
CHAT provides free, independent and impartial housing advice, tenancy support and advocacy to people living in Mid Devon to help those who are homeless or insecure in their housing.
“Work has developed in Crediton over the last couple of years, supporting people of all ages and from all walks of life.
“Tenancy support has worked with 30 households in the Crediton area since last April, having had 61 people come to us at our Friday visits to Crediton.
“Housing advice has seen 45 clients at its outreach over the year, offering advice on rent arrears, homelessness, relocating, liaising with landlords and setting up deposit guarantee tenancies.
“We are hugely grateful for the support we receive from Crediton Town Council and the wider community of churches, individuals and organisations without whom this work would be much more difficult,” added Sharon.
Sustainable Crediton, vice chairman Charles Mossman, said that this year they would come up with a vision for Crediton for 2050 and what was needed was to get our carbon emissions reduced by 80 per cent, working with individuals and organisations.
“We have been working for 18 months, half of that with Queen Elizabeth’s School, and we shall continue to look at community energy projects to try to wean ourselves away from fossil fuels,” he said.
Bob Lunnon for the Boniface Trail Association spoke about a combined use path between Exeter and Crediton. He said there had been more than 800 responses to its survey with the vast majority being in favour. This is still on line, Google Boniface Trail.
He added that they had applied to become a charity and were investigating ways to raise funds.
He said the group had talked with an engineer who had worked on another trail. The focus would be on getting planning permission for the central route around Newton St Cyres and landowners’ permission.
Crediton Children’s Centre and Action for Children covers a big rural area of Mid Devon, about 100 square miles. A rough outline was of the work of the Centre which is held in various local places, based at the Old Haywards School.
It runs things such as a breast feeding group, a nine-week course for parents, an ante-natal course, toddler group, also a lot of one-to-one work with families, plus baby massage course.
Although it knows 93 per cent of the families in its area, it would like to contact every family.
Boniface Link which was set up to answer random queries about Boniface with no intention to plan specific events, now has a closer relationship with Fulda and Dokkum.
Anyone interested in a four-week summer school should, please, contact either Bob Edwards or Judy Tucker.
In the questions session that followed, it was asked if there could be an annual event in the town square where organisations such as the Boniface Link could show what they do?
Cllr Letch agreed it was a good idea, preferably in good weather, but someone would be needed to run it. Watch this space, it seems the idea could be running.
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