Exclusive by Alan Quick

WHEN Crediton Town Team holds its Annual General Meeting on Monday, November 20, it will be celebrating four years of hard work to make the town a more vibrant place to live.

The Town Team is a group of local volunteers who first came together to organise the 2013 Crediton Festival.

This proved so successful that, with the help of some funds from Mid Devon District Council, it was asked to extend its work to lead a range of regeneration projects.

CREDFEST

Not only did the Team organise CredFest 2015 and last summer’s CredFest 2017, when the town’s many cultural and sports groups came together to put on weeks of events and activities, but Rosemary Stephenson, chair of Crediton Town Team, says that it has also been busy working on a range of other schemes.

Perhaps the most visible of these, she explained, is the High Street Flags, which for the fifth year decorated the town centre last summer.

She explained: “There are now 75 flags, all hand-made, in brightly coloured ripstop nylon, and individually designed by shopkeepers or community groups with the help of local artist Charlotte Turner.

“The flags not only liven up the High Street for local residents, but impress and intrigue visitors encouraging them to spend a little longer exploring our town.

ST BONIFACE

Another way the Town Team hopes to bring more visitors to Crediton, is by promoting its significance as the birthplace of St Boniface.

Rosemary said that many people make a special journey to Crediton from Germany and the Netherlands, where Boniface is greatly revered as a Christian missionary but few of these visitors venture beyond the Roman Catholic Church, which houses the National Shrine to St Boniface.

In 2015 the Town Team commissioned flag artist, Charlotte Turner, to make a series of translucent fabric banners set in metal frames, based on the stained glass windows in the Parish Church, which tell the story of St Boniface’s life.

These provided the backdrop to a re-enactment of St Boniface’s life staged in the town square and then again, the following summer, in Newcombes Meadow.

REINFORCED STAINED GLASS PANELS

Rosemary added that the Town Team is currently fundraising to install eight permanent panels, using the same "stained glass" images set in reinforced glass, which will be positioned at key locations around the town and provide a trail for visitors to follow.

As well as running its own projects, she said that the Town Team supports initiatives by other people and groups.

For example, last year it helped secure funding for “Get Out”, a monthly listings magazine of cultural events in the EX17 area.

Most recently, the Team has been supporting the Active Mums Cycling Project, which organises regular bike trips for young mums and their babies, enabling them to socialise and get fit at the same time.

The Town Team’s most ambitious project, on which it has been working since early 2015, is the creation of a New Community Hub for the town.

AUDITORIUM

Rosemary explained that this would include an auditorium for theatre, film and music events, meeting rooms, a gallery, a cafe and even units for small businesses.

She continued: “After 18 months of research and visits to other venues across Devon, an in-house feasibility study was completed in June this year.

“Work has now started on securing funds to pay for a professional business case, architectural designs and planning fees.”

To find out more about what Crediton Town Team is up to, go along to the AGM on Monday, November 20, in the Council Chamber, Market Street, Crediton, which starts at 7.30pm.

There will be a free drink to welcome those who go along and a chance to tell the team what you think. Everyone is welcome. For more details about the various projects visit: www.creditontownteam.org.uk .