Review of the Year - July to December

Your local news team has scoured every square mile of West Devon and the Tamar Valley to bring you the stories that matter – and some just to make you smile.

Here are just a few of the photos, headlines and stories we brought you in print and on our websites in 2023 – in Part Two of our look back at the year.

The month got off to a colourful start with Tavistock’s Pride event, in celebration of the LGBTQ+ community, which was brought back for the second year running following the success of the inaugural event last year.

Meanwhile, Okehampton marked 400 years since the town was granted its Royal Charter, 150 years since the foundation of Okehampton United Charities and 125 years of the Okehampton Hamlets Parish Council with a huge party in Simmons Park.

Over one hundred people from across the country gathered outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London as Dartmoor National Park took its appeal for the right to wild camp on the moor to court. The appeal followed a legal battle between the national park authority and Dartmoor landowner Alexander Darwall, who successfully convinced the court that the right to camp on the moor had never legally existed.

Closer to home, North Tawton Town Council launched a fundraising appeal, asking residents to donate to cover the costs of fixing the clock tower’s roof skirt which collapsed in September 2022.

News broke that the Dartmoor National Park Authority had won its appeal case to overturn the ban on wild camping on the moor. The national park authority successfully argued that wild camping was an ancient tradition and popular pastime that constituted open air recreation. Campaigners called the Court of Appeals’ decision a “historic” ruling.

Government plans to close railway ticket offices were slammed by West Devon residents who argued that such a move would negatively impact passengers using the Exeter-Okehampton train. Local rail forum OkeRail issued a letter of opposition which stated that it was an “unsound business case for well-used ticket offices” and would adversely affect those unable to use ticket machines such as the eldeerly and disabled.

August also saw the return of the ever-popular Okehampton Show with the weather brightening just in time after weeks of rain. The highlight was the grand parade of livestock. 

Okehampton wheelchair dog, Hope, reached the summit of Mount Snowdon, raising thousands of pounds for Amanda’s Spanish Rescue Dogs, the charity that saved Hope from an abusive home when she was a puppy. She made it to the top with her mum, dad, two human brothers and two canine sisters and is believed to be the first wheelchair dog to complete the climb. 

Okehampton Railway Station was named Small Station of the Year 2023 at the commonly dubbed “Railways Oscars.” The station beat hundreds of others across the country to the title and Great Western Railway representatives received the award at the ceremony which was held at Grosvenor House Hotel in London.

Fears over a lack of affordable housing arose in Tavistock after Mount Kelly College Foundation governors submitted plans to refurbish a former prep school building and demolish several former classrooms to build ten new open market homes. Opponents said the plans did not address the shortage of smaller homes in the area.

Tavistock beekeepers issued a warning about Asian hornets after a rise in reported sightings across the UK. To raise awareness, they erected a stand in Bedford Square in Tavistock.

Carnival season began in towns and villages across West Devon with Okehampton Carnival returning to its full glory after a smaller affair last year in 2022. Meanwhile, Hatherleigh Carnival Committee released the names of the carnival royalty and president.

Mary Tavy-based coach company CJ Down wound down after 100 years of driving children to school. The company was thanked for its services which began with a char-a-banc with seats for up to 14 passengers. It was Devon’s first school transport route and ran from Mary Tavy to Peter Tavy. During the company’s lifetime, it transported over 15,000 children to school and college on over 1,000 transport routes funded by Devon County Council.

It was also announced that the railway line between Tavistock and Bere Alston would be reinstated which was welcomed by West Devon leaders and residents. The news came as the Prime Minister announced that he was scrapping the construction of HS2 and would be redistributing the money to improve rail connections across the country. The completion on the Tavistock-Bere Alston link will mean that Tavistock is connected directly to Plymouth by rail.

Okehampton Hospital’s gardens got a make-over thanks to the NHS Property Services, Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Trust and the RSPB. Volunteers spent three days upgrading the hospital flowerbeds by the entrance of the building and giving the staff garden a much-needed facelift.

Okehampton Station celebrated two years since the reinstatement of the rail link with Exeter. Representatives from Network Rail, Great Western Railway, local rail groups and councillors from across the West Devon and Cornwall region gathered at the station to mark the positive impact the renewed service has had on Okehampton with 550,000 journeys made in the first two years.

Residents in Lewdown battled with “snail mail” after Royal Mail workers discovered that the molluscs were eating the mail in the postbox. The postal service warned villagers that their mail might not arrive at its destination “without some nibble marks around the edges” as the resident snails had taken a liking to the glue which holds envelopes together.

Hatherleigh Carnival got underway to the delight of crowds. Along with the evening parade, the event included the famous flaming tar barrel run and live music.

The Tavistock Peace Action Group held a public vigil in Bedford Square calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. The most recent outbreak of violence between Israel and Palestine began on October 7 when Hamas, a group desugnated as terrorists by the UK, entered Israel, killing 1,200 people and kidnapping 240 others.

Christmas joy came to Tavistock starting with the ever-popular Dickensian Evening at which the town’s Christmas lights were turned on to mark the beginning of the festive season. Okehampton’s Edwardian Evening took place on the last day of November this year.

NHS Devon announced that it was surrendering the empty wards in Okehampton Hospital to the NHS Property Services in order to save £200,000 a year in rent and other property charges. Okehampton town councillors remained committed to the fight to reopen the hospital wards and resolved to send council representatives to any steering group set up to find ways of persuading the NHS to reopen the beds.

Community groups in Tavistock and Okehampton worked to ensure that residents struggling financially would be able to enjoy a Christmas dinner and a warm space to spend Christmas Day. The Tavistock Food Hub and Okehampton Community Kitchen began fundraising to ensure everyone could enjoy a meal.