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Newton Abbot Town Council News

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Double rail heritage celebration in Newton Abbot

A DOUBLE celebration of railway heritage is set to take place in Newton Abbot on Tuesday May 6.

The first event at 11am will mark the official unveiling of the All Aboard art installation in Keyberry Road.

The project, which features a 30m-long depiction of a locomotive and railway carriages carrying items from the museum’s GWR collection, has breathed new life into a grim pedestrian underpass below the mainline railway.

The work was coordinated by Community Outreach Worker Kate Green and made possible by an £8,500 grant from the Teignbridge Arts Project.

Some elements of the installation are printed on large aluminium panels with the mural painted by local artist Caroline Brady.

The whole piece was influenced by extensive public workshops in which residents pored over museum artefacts and highlighted those which resonated most with them.

The installation also features QR codes linking to oral archives in the museum’s rail collection.

The day’s second event at 12pm will take place at the nearby British Rail Western Region signal gantry on Torquay Road.

One of Newton Abbot’s best loved landmarks, the 70-year-old structure was showing its age but has been renovated by volunteers from South Devon Railway in a project led by the museum and Newton Abbot Town Council.

It was supported by donations to the museum, in particular from the late Denis Lewis of the Railway Studies Group.

Curator Dr Charlotte Dixon said: ‘It’s wonderful to see these two projects coming to fruition, something only made possible by the many volunteers who willingly contributed their time, creativity, effort and donations, we’re very grateful indeed.

‘Newton Abbot’s rail heritage runs deep with the town once referred to as “the Swindon of the west”.

‘The gantry is one of the first things people see as they enter the town from the A380 and the underpass is used by hundreds of pedestrians every day.

‘Both sites were a bit sad and neglected, now they are treasured assets and we know from the public’s feedback that they’re delighted with the results.’

The two events will be led by Mayor Cllr Alex Hall and involve many of the volunteers who took part including pupils from local primary schools.

The below images show both the gantry and some of the All Aboard artwork

A NEW mural has received its official unveiling in Newton Abbot.

The Community Tree is the work of landscape graffiti artist Joe Webster who collaborated with fellow artist Catherine West, residents, charities and schools to draw out people’s connections with nature.

The image, which covers the entire gable end of a building in Bank Street owned by landlord Philip Ord, depicts a tree that was felled in April 1922 to allow construction of the town’s war memorial.

It is made up of more than 600 words highlighting the community’s ‘memories and feelings towards trees and nature’ that were submitted in a series of face-to-face workshops and online consultations.

On Tuesday April 15, many of those associated with the project gathered to witness its official handover with Rotarian Jeremy Newcombe leading the proceedings.

His charity, together with Newton Abbot Town Council, Teignbridge District Council and the Government’s Levelling Up Fund, had been the main sponsors of the £30,000 installation that required the wall to be re-rendered prior to painting.

He said: ‘The mural conveys a celebration of nature alongside grief for its destruction.

‘The image of the tree you see is strewn with graffiti symbolising our human presence and impact, both beautiful and ugly.

‘The graffiti in Joe’s painting is intended to represent our humanity, our language and creations, as well as our pollution and the excess in our lives.’

Describing the mural as ‘a wonderful addition to our town’, Mr Newcombe ended his speech by saying: ‘Joe, we are in awe of your talents and so appreciative of your work and creativity.’

Deputy Mayor Cllr Colin Parker echoed the sentiments and added: ‘It is my great honour to and pleasure to dedicate this and open this as The Community Tree.’

Newton Abbot MP Martin Wrigley said: ‘Thank you everyone who is involved, this is brilliant.’

Other recent artworks in the town include the Tunnels of Love installations at Penn Inn and the soon to be revealed All Aboard railway mural in Keyberry Road.

The below images show the ceremony taking place.

Artist Joe Webster is front and centre wearing a grey jacket and stood next to Newton Abbot MP Martin Wrigley.

For more information email contact@strategypr.co.uk or call 07711595023.

300 free Easter eggs to be given away in Newton Abbot

THREE hundred chocolate Easter eggs will be given away in Newton Abbot on Saturday April 19 as part of a four-hour package of free family fun.

Events get under way in the town centre at 10am and are set to feature crafts with Creative Newton Abbot, balloon modelling, face painting and friendly walkabout characters.

Live music will be provided by The Hot House Combo and Spectrum Orchestra with shoppers encouraged to dance their way through the streets.

The Easter eggs will be given away on a first come first served basis with a strict one-per-child rule.

The 10am – 2pm Easter Saturday programme has been arranged by Newton Abbot Town Council. Events Organiser Natalie Hicks said: ‘We love to offer these free family-friendly activities, not only are they good for businesses in the town with extra people coming in but great too for households looking for fun that doesn’t cost a fortune.

‘Hopefully the weather will be kind and we’ll have plenty of people enjoying a lively spring Saturday in the town centre.

‘Although we’ll have our stalls in Courtenay Street there are plenty more places to explore, be that Queen Street and Union Street, or our fantastic free museum which will be open until 1.30pm.

‘Newton Abbot Library will be holding its Story Time between 10.30am – 11am and the Lego Club between 1pm and 3pm.

‘Both of those activities are free too, although donations are welcomed, and no booking is required, just turn up and enjoy.

‘Wonderful Bakers Park and Bradley Wood with their acres of open space and the River Lemon are just a short walk away as is Courtenay Park, so why not come into town, enjoy some free fun with us and then grab something for a picnic?

‘We’ve got loads of great places to eat and drink in as well so whatever you want, Newton Abbot has it covered.

‘We’ll see you there!’

The below image shows Natalie and young friend Ruby at last year’s Easter fun.

Organisers will use their discretion when offering Easter eggs with primary school children taking priority.

The event is subject to weather conditions and could be cancelled at short notice.

For more information email natalie.hicks@newtonabbot-tc.gov.uk or call 01626 201120.

Volunteer opportunities as visitor numbers grow at Newton Abbot Museum

AS visitor numbers continue to grow at Newton Abbot Museum a call has gone out for extra volunteers.

Help is needed both at the welcome desk and nearby St Leonard’s Tower which opens for the 2025 season in May.

The opportunities come with full training and only a modest time-commitment, with perks of being a volunteer including meeting new people, CV boosting, being part of the museum community, attending Friends of the Museum talks for free and volunteer socials.

Curatorial Assistant Katie Petley-Jones said: ‘The museum’s continued success means we always need fresh faces and we’d really appreciate an extra couple of people for our front of house team.

‘Ideally that would be every week or on an ad hoc basis and it involves welcoming visitors, helping with sales in the shop and handing out activity trails.

‘They can explain how our Pastport scheme works, also the Curio app which allows people to scan QR codes for more information about objects within the museum collection.

‘Of course, we don’t expect new volunteers to come equipped with all the knowledge they’ll need so we’ll make sure they are fully trained and feel supported in the role.

‘We’re also a very friendly bunch and enjoy our work together.’

Nearby St Leonard’s Tower is due to open for the summer in May.

The historic structure is all that remains of a 13th century church and is the town’s best-known landmark.

It was built by the wealthy Abbots of Torre and stood at the heart of old Newton Abbot

‘In the Tower our volunteers welcome visitors and offer them a bit of information about its history,’ said Katie.

‘They keep a tally of how many people come in, they go through the risk assessment and have the option to show visitors the upper floor.

‘If they’re more comfortable staying on the ground floor there’s still plenty to talk about both inside and out.

‘I’m confident that our volunteering opportunities both in the tower and the museum are truly fulfilling and we look forward to making the new recruits really welcome.’

For more information call 01626 201121 or email groups@newtonabbot-tc.gov.uk.

Report those abandoned trolleys!

Newton Abbot Town Council

FOLLOWING complaints about abandoned shopping trolleys in the River Lemon and elsewhere, Newton Abbot Town Council has called on supermarket giant Asda to honour its pledge to round up the rogue items.

The matter was raised at a meeting of the Full Council in January when members heard from resident Tom Pearce.

In a letter to the Clerk Phil Rowe he wrote: ‘In light of the continuous issue of abandoned trolleys in the River Lemon and hedgerows around the town, will Newton Abbot Town Council formally request Asda Supermarkets add a coin return mechanism and connecting chains to their trolleys?

‘A similar system is used at the Lidl store in Kingsteignton and prevents this antisocial behaviour issue.’

After debating the matter it was agreed that a letter be sent to the firm, insisting that it tidy up its act.

Within days a response was received and although Asda has ruled out a coin-return scheme it has provided information about the measures it has in place, including the magnetic wheel lock that should operate when a trolley is taken off site.

A spokesman said: ‘We have a trolley retention system in place on the car park of our Newton Abbot store, as well as a service agreement with Collex who collect any abandoned trolleys free of charge.

‘While we know that the majority of our customers take care of our trolleys, if anyone spots one where it shouldn’t be, they can let us know by calling 0800 1860 600, emailing request@collextrolley.com, or by downloading the Collex App, so the trolley can be collected as soon as possible.’

Mr Rowe was not hugely impressed with the statement.

‘The firm claims it has a system in place but clearly it hasn’t been working as well as it could.

‘It’s a shame that it has to be the public that picks up the baton on this but at least we now know how to get abandoned trolleys removed.

‘So jot down that number, put the email address in your contacts list and download the app.

‘Perhaps together we can rid the town of this annoying problem, and thanks to Tom Pearce for asking the question.’

The below images show an abandoned trolleys.

Mayor: ‘lowest council tax increase since I started’

Newton Abbot Town Council

THE Mayor of Newton Abbot has said the proposed Band D increase of 16.9p per week to provide town council services such as street cleaning, public events and the museum would be the lowest since he became a councillor.

Cllr Alex Hall took his seat in the chamber in 2021 at a time when the pandemic and international affairs were sending prices sky high.

An additional burden on the Town Council had been the public’s expectation that services were maintained at a time when county and district authorities were reigning back from their traditional roles owing to cuts in government funding.

As a result, Newton Abbot Town Council’s share of the Council Tax bill had needed to increase by as much as 21 per cent in recent years.

But with some pressures easing, a meeting of Newton Abbot Town Council’s Finance and Audit Committee on Wednesday January 15 was given a report from Deputy Clerk Sam Scott.

She said that an increase of 16.9 pence per week for a Band D property, a figure calculated after scrutinising the books since July 2024, would be sufficient to cover the authority’s costs.

‘The increase is more in line with pre-Covid times which is encouraging,’ she said.

Cllr Hall, recommending that members approve the 4.83 per cent lift, said: ‘This is one of the lowest percentage increases I’ve seen since I started with the council.’

Committee Chair Cllr Colin Parker agreed and said the ‘economic crisis’ the entire country had experienced had increased costs all round.

He added that Newton Abbot Town Council had invested in new street cleaning equipment and additional maintenance staff while providing the wider area with many of its cultural services, such as the museum.

Cllr Phil Bullivant said the ‘regrettable but small’ increase was needed at a time when the chances of both the district and county councils being replaced by a larger authority were increasing.

‘I want Newton Abbot to be at the forefront of any developments that take place,’ he said.

The proposed 2025/2026 budget was discussed at Full Council on Wednesday January 22.

The Newton Abbot Town Council Band D charge in 2024/25 was £ £181.88. If the 4.83 per cent change is adopted the rate for 2025/26 will be £190.67.

For more information email sam.scott@newtonabbot-tc.gov.uk or call 01626 201120.

Multi Storey Car Park – Lift Entrance Modernisation Project

Newton Abbot Town Council

Essential modernisation work will start next week to replace the lift at the multi-storey car park on Sherborne Road, Newton Abbot. The lift will be out of use from Monday 20 January 2025 for up to 8 weeks while it is replaced. Over recent years, the lift has become unreliable and now needs to be replaced to avoid the cost of further repairs due to faults and breakdowns.

We understand this may cause inconvenience to people with mobility issues and parents with prams, and are sorry for the disruption. However, the work does need to take place to ensure we can provide a reliable lift in the longer term. Alternative disabled parking spaces are available in both the Cattle Market and Halcyon Road car parks. We will keep you updated on when the work is due to be completed. For further information please email: assets@teignbridge.gov.uk

New exhibits set to greet visitors at Newton Abbot Museum

Newton Abbot Town Council

NEWTON Abbot Museum is set to re-open on Tuesday January 21 with five ‘firsts’ for visitors.

Bound to catch peoples’ attention as they enter the popular free attraction in Wolborough Street is the collection of silver on loan from the medieval church of St Blaise in Haccombe.

‘These ecclesiastical items are incredible, the earliest is Elizabethan and they are in such good condition,’ said Curator Dr Charlotte Dixon.

‘We have flagons, chalices, alms plates and patens, all of which would have been used in church services.’

Another first is a boy’s sailor outfit with likely connections with the Curtis family of Denbury Manor.

‘Lettice Curtis was a notable Newtonian and during the Second World War she was one of the first female pilots and certainly the first female to pilot a four-engined bomber,’ said Dr Dixon.

‘The sailor outfit is new to our collection, coming in late last year from someone with links to Denbury Manor.

The costume case is now graced by a Victorian lady’s embroidered silk dress that was worn at Buckingham Palace while the object of the month is a 19th century barrister’s horse hair wig discovered in a local office that once housed a legal firm.

‘It’s an amazing find being so fragile yet still intact and with its original case,’ said Dr Dixon.

The conservation case houses a display about specialist techniques used in keeping objects in good condition while the last ‘first’ is a uniform worn by a midwife whose 1940 visit to a patient near the railway coincided with a Luftwaffe bombing raid.

‘We’re optimistic about the coming season and looking forward to welcoming people in,’ said Dr Dixon.

‘The old museum in Devon Square used to attract between 2,000 – 2,500 people each year, now we’re in Newton’s Place and we predicted perhaps 12,000.

‘Last year the actual figure rose to more than 15,000 and we’re hopeful of matching or even exceeding that.’

The new collections are being complemented by an extensive program of mostly free family activities and workshops, details of which can be found at www.museum-newtonabbot.org.uk.

Newton Abbot Town and GWR Museum is funded by Newton Abbot Town Council.

The below images show the barrister’s wig, Victorian dress and new Museum Assistant Joanna Eccles with the Haccombe silver

For more information email charlotte.dixon@newtonabbot-tc.gov.uk or call 01626 201121.

Contemporary dance set to reimagine Shakespeare at Newton Abbot Museum

Newton Abbot Town Council

CONTEMPORARY dance is coming to Newton Abbot Museum in the groundbreaking form of a feminist reimagining of Shakespeare’s Hamlet.

The two free performances of Ophelia on Saturday February 1 are being staged by the Exeter-based Chhaya Collective with Kay Crook as Ophelia and Sean Moss as Hamlet.

It will feature a community cast from the town alongside the Chhaya Youth Dance Company.

Choreographed by Kay Crook and co-directed with Aileen Gonsalves, the organisers said Ophelia ‘gives voice to a woman whose story has been overshadowed for centuries. At its heart lies the deep yet fragile love between Ophelia and Hamlet, a bond marked by tenderness, betrayal and tragedy.’

The show promises to chart Ophelia’s journey, her struggles, strength and ‘reclamation of power in a world that sought to define and diminish her’.

The action will move throughout the building, starting upstairs in the community rooms before moving into the main exhibition space.

Accompanying the performance will be Women in Waves, a visual art exhibition featuring commissioned works by Jeannie Clarke and local artists.

It aims to explore ‘the symbolic relationship between women and water, creating a rich dialogue with the themes of the production.’

Curator Dr Charlotte Dixon said: ‘This is something completely new to us and comes after the Chhaya Collective contacted us to say they’d received a grant from the Teignbridge Arts Project to stage a performance in a cultural venue.

‘Ophelia is based around Hamlet’s love letter and we have an 18th century example on display so the performance here is very appropriate.

‘It’s all very exciting and the first time we will have staged anything like this.’

Performances are due to take place at 2pm and 5pm.

On January 25 the museum will also host a performance by the Sing and Sign Jukebox Choir with a Makaton performance called Warm Hands, Full Hearts.

Tickets for both events are free and can be booked at www.museum-newtonabbot.org.uk, call 01626 201121 for more information.

A wide selection of images and videos is available at www.chhayacollective.com.

For more information please email charlotte.dixon@newtonabbot-tc.gov.uk or call 01626 201121.

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