Motorcycle legend and TV presenter Henry Cole is the face of a new publicity campaign aimed at motorcyclists in Devon and Cornwall.
Henry, who is best known for his eccentric antics on ITV’s ‘The Motorbike Show’ and ‘Find It, Fix It, Flog It’ on Channel 4, fronts the powerful new campaign from the Vision Zero South West road safety partnership.
Oyez oyez oyez, town criers set to descend on Newton Abbot
A PARADE of richly-clad participants and civic dignitaries will launch the Newton Abbot Town Criers’ Competition on the morning of Saturday September 9.
Events are due to get under way at 10.15 a.m when the representatives of 15 towns from four westcountry counties will make their way from the Royal British Legion to Courtenay Street.
The first ‘home town’ cry is to be heard at 10.45 a.m, with more following until a break at 11.45 a.m.
The second ‘sweets’ cry will begin at 12.45 p.m and last for an hour, after which the judges will announce the winners and present trophies and prizes.
Mayor Cllr David Corney-Walker and his consort, Cllr Tom Corney-Walker, will make special presentations for the best dressed crier, best dressed escort and best dressed couple.
The host will be Newton Abbot’s own town crier, Nigel Kenneison, who is prevented from taking part in the competition by Guild rules.
Flying the flag for the Manorial Borough of Newton Abbot however will be Eveline Davies.
Also featuring on the day will be free family craft activities in Courtenay Street, courtesy of Creative Newton Abbot, plus the ancient St Leonard’s Tower will be open to visitors.
Another draw will be the offer of free face painting and balloons between 10am – 2pm.
‘This is a real taste of tradition in Newton Abbot and we’re looking forward to welcoming the criers from as far afield as Penzance in West Cornwall and Calne in Wiltshire,’ said Natalie Hicks, Events Co-ordinator for Newton Abbot Town Council.
‘We’re also opening up the clocktower as it’s a popular destination with locals and visitors alike, and in addition our Outreach Worker Kate Green will be providing a great free crafting event close by.
‘And we certainly know from previous events that the free balloons and face painting will go down a storm.
‘The actual cries will be taking place outside Austins but I’m sure no one will need directions, just follow the very loud voices coming from the town centre!
‘As a matter of interest, the traditional ‘oyez oyez oyez’ used by town criers to introduce themselves comes from old French and means ‘hear ye, hear ye, hear ye.
‘Believe it or not, it’s still used in American courts but thankfully you’ll not need to travel any further than Newton Abbot to hear it said on September 9.’
For more information please email [email protected] or call 01626 201120
RESIDENTS and schoolchildren in Newton Abbot have been praised for the key role they played in transforming the town’s unwelcoming subways.
Four vandalised underpasses at Penn Inn have been given an artistic makeover with much of the creativity coming from those who use the site every day, an important pedestrian and cycle link which avoids the busy A380 road above.
Colourful ceramics, professional graffiti, fairground mirrors and photos are complemented by uplifting poems and prose, centred on the themes of air, water, fire and earth.
The Tunnels of Love project has been more than three years in the making, led by Newton Abbot Community Interest Company (CIC) and supported by The Arts Council England, Teignbridge District Council and Newton Abbot Town Council.
Project artist Kate Green told a gathering of invited guests at the unveiling on July 25 that the impressive results, already winning huge support on social media, had come about because of the community’s involvement. ‘It was more than three years ago, before Covid, that I was asked by the CIC and Cllr Jackie Hook if I could do something to brighten up the subways and I said, yes I will, but on one condition, it needs to be artwork made by local people and which is uplifting and means something. Everything here has been made by children from local schools and people from local groups. The subways also feature photographs of pedestrians, dog walkers and cyclists passing through Penn Inn’.
Two other locations in the town are set to benefit from similar makeovers later this year.
For more information or additional comment from key stakeholders please email Emily Farrell via [email protected] or call 07501889100
Below is a selection of images from the tunnels.
A PARADE of richly-clad participants and civic dignitaries will launch the Newton Abbot Town Criers’ Competition on the morning of Saturday September 9.
Events are due to get under way at 10.15am when the representatives of 15 towns from four westcountry counties will make their way from the Royal British Legion to Courtenay Street.
The first ‘home town’ cry is to be heard at 10.45am, with more following until a break at 11.45am.
The second ‘sweets’ cry will begin at 12.45pm and last for an hour, after which the judges will announce the winners and present trophies and prizes.
Mayor Cllr David Corney-Walker and his escort, Cllr Tom Corney-Walker, will make special presentations for the best dressed crier, best dressed escort and best dressed couple.
The host will be Newton Abbot’s own town crier, Nigel Kenneison, who is prevented from taking part in the competition by Guild rules.
Flying the flag for the Manorial Borough of Newton Abbot however will be Eveline Davies.
Also featuring on the day will be free family craft activities in Courtenay Street, courtesy of Creative Newton Abbot, plus the ancient St Leonard’s Tower will be open to visitors.
Another draw will be the offer of free face painting and balloons between 10am – 2pm.
‘This is a real taste of tradition in Newton Abbot and we’re looking forward to welcoming the criers from as far afield as Penzance in West Cornwall and Calne in Wiltshire,’ said Natalie Hicks, Events Co-ordinator for Newton Abbot Town Council.
‘We’re also opening up the clocktower as it’s a popular destination with locals and visitors alike, and in addition our Outreach Worker Kate Green will be providing a great free crafting event close by.
‘And we certainly know from previous events that the free balloons and face painting will go down a storm.
‘The actual cries will be taking place outside Austins but I’m sure no one will need directions, just follow the very loud voices coming from the town centre!
‘As a matter of interest, the traditional ‘oyez oyez oyez’ used by town criers to introduce themselves comes from old French and means ‘hear ye, hear ye, hear ye.
‘Believe it or not, it’s still used in American courts but thankfully you’ll not need to travel any further than Newton Abbot to hear it said on September 9.’
Newton Abbot Town Crier, Nigel Kenneison
For more information please email [email protected] or call 01626 201120.
The Museum is now closed and will re-open to the public on Tuesday 23rd January 2024
A GREAT night was had by all at the Newton Abbot Victorian Evening on Wednesday December 6, despite the rain which fell throughout.
With 25 charity stalls in Market Square, entertainment from Elfic the Jester, an appearance by Squirrel Nutkins, the antics of a stilt-walking policeman and Santa in the Clock Tower, there was something for everyone.
Taking a £50 prize for best dressed stall was Newton Abbot Community Shed whose members have recently created a ‘meet and greet’ table top in Courtenay Street using the trunk of a felled alder tree as its base.
The evening was arranged by Newton Abbot Town Council. Events Coordinator Natalie Hicks said: ‘It was a great evening with lots of people enjoying themselves despite the weather.
‘Queen Victoria might be well known for the expression “We are not amused” but that definitely didn’t apply here.
‘I’m very grateful to everyone who helped, took a stall or just turned up for some festive cheer, it was a great atmosphere.
‘And of course, each stall raised money for its charity which is brilliant.
‘We look forward to the rest of our Christmas calendar which includes the Doggy Carol Service on Saturday December 9, the Lantern Parade and late night shopping on Wednesday December 13 and the Mayor’s Christmas Carols with more late night shopping on Wednesday December 20, all subject to last-minute change depending on the weather conditions etc.
‘All the details are on the council website, www.newtonabbot-tc.gov.uk, where you can also scan a QR code to check out all our social media updates and learn about forthcoming events.
‘You don’t get anything like this with online shopping, Merry Christmas everyone.’
The below image shows Mayor Cllr David Corney-Walker presenting the £50 cheque to Community Shed members.
Below images show some of the antics and smiling faces at the event.
Science of Collections Exhibition
A CANADIAN lynx that went on a killing spree in Newton Abbot and whose stuffed remains lain forgotten in a Bristol store for more than a century is among the artefacts set to star in a new exhibition at Newton Abbot Museum.
Also going on show as part of the Science of Collections event are fossils dating from 96 million years ago when Newton Abbot would have been lying under the warm waters of a shallow tropical ocean.
Curator India Jolly is hoping the month-long expo will help people understand the scientific processes that uncover the hidden natural history stories which lie beyond the exhibits.
‘From determining the lifestyle of a lynx raised in Newton Abbot, to supporting climate change data with 17th century butterflies, scientific processes can help uncover secrets of the past beyond the stories associated with the object,’ she said.
‘Science is used to conserve the items we look after. From fighting bug infestations to analysing the chemical make-up of materials, science helps us ensure that our museum collections are still here for future generations to discover.’
Complementing the exhibition are events throughout August, including family craft activities and evening talks. All explore history’s connection to the natural world,
The Lynx shot in 1903 had reportedly killed two farm dogs and ended up forgotten in the stores at Bristol Museum.
Scientific analysis of its DNA and bones confirmed it had lived at least part of its life in Newton Abbot, was raised in captivity and was between 11-17 years old at the time of its demise.
The 96 million-year-old fossil brittle stars were buried alive under the sea floor and have been preserved in spectacular detail.
‘The collection contains new species and provides information about their evolution and the ancient environment they lived in.
‘The exhibits are fascinating in their own right but the science which helps us understand them even more so,’ said India.
The exhibition runs from August 1 – September 1, admission is free. Visit https://museum-newtonabbot.org.uk for more information about summer events.
The below image shows the unfortunate lynx and other items from the exhibition
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For more information email [email protected] or call 01626 201121.
Have your say on the Teignbridge Proposed Submission Local Plan 2020 – 2040 Addendum
For more information visit https://www.teignbridge.gov.uk/localplanaddendum
The Tunnels of Love Project is an exciting art project, led by local artist Kate Green. The project has been managed by Newton Abbot Community Interest Company and has engaged local schools, community groups and artists in creating artwork which is being installed in the subways around the town.
The focus of the project is currently on the subways at Penn Inn roundabout where the themes of water, air, earth and fire are being used as a focus for the art installations in the four subways. The tunnels have been repainted and have been resprayed by graffiti artists. Large photo panels and ceramics reflecting each of the themes have been installed in the tunnels. The water tunnel includes a number of information panels reminding visitors of the connection that Penn Inn has with water – prior to the construction of the roundabout, the site was a very popular community paddling pool. One of the subways is intended to offer interaction and playfulness. The Air tunnel has many thought-provoking questions to ponder on your day’s journey, a selfie opportunity to become a bird, a treasure hunt to find iron age bronze animals as well as some fun, fairground mirrors.
In addition to the work at Penn Inn, the subway by the River Lemon at Asda has been resprayed and further works will be taking place on this subway in the coming months.
The Project is funded by Arts Council England and Teignbridge District Council.
Newton Abbot Community Interest Company would like to acknowledge the contribution of Newton Abbot Town Council in delivering the Project, their help in installing the artworks has been invaluable.
Emily Farrell from Newton Abbot CIC commenting that “it’s been really exciting to see the transformation of the subways through our ‘tunnels of love’ project. We hope that everyone will enjoy the beautiful art installations, as well as feeling more safe and secure when walking through the subways. We’d like to thank everyone who has made the project possible”.
Kate Green artist commented that ” What we have created in these four subways is unique. We usually expect murals in these spaces and what the Tunnels of Love project has done is to also use photography and pottery workshops to not only create unusual artworks, but to involve local people in the creation of the public art around them. The local community will see artworks made by someone they know, rather than by anonymous artists. The subway artwork is made by them and belongs to them “.
