A JUNIOR town crier competition, a cob shelter and an artistic parish record book are three local initiatives which have received funding from the Tarka Country Millennium Awards.

In this latest round of awards, which are led by the Tarka Country Trust and partially funded by the Millennium Commission to benefit communities in the Tarka Country area, money goes to Hatherleigh, Belstone and a project at Roadford Lake.

Hatherleigh Town Crier Ros Chard will use the funds to arrange a junior town crier competition to renew young people's pride in their town whilst Stella Hudson uses her calligraphy skills to create a properly scripted illuminated record book of all 260 residents of Belstone parish.

Miss Hudson aims to illustrate the book with paintings and drawings by local people to bring it alive and on completion hold an exhibition and teach the art of calligraphy.

Meanwhile Chagford residents Jackie Abey and Jill Smallcombe want to build a sculptural cob shelter and seat from where people can look out onto Roadford Lake and also provide a free workshop for children where they would learn about cob and its history.

The women, who make cob shelters, sculptures and small houses, are keen to re-ignite the interest in this material for building homes, which is the basis of many houses in Devon still standing after 500 years.

'We hope to contact all the local schools and organise one or two workshops — cob is extremely low impact, environmentally friendly and recyclable,' said Mrs Abey. 'There are more dwellings made from earth in the world than any other material so that tells how effective it is.'

In Hatherleigh a junior crier competition is being pioneered by Ros Chard who will use the money on administration, advertising and promoting the event which she hopes will take place in the summer.

'It is a way of getting the youngsters involved so we can keep the history and pageantry going,' she said. 'A perpetual cup will be presented to the winner and hopefully it will become an annual event. I feel very honoured to receive this grant as there were only 20 given out.'

The Tarka Country Millennium Awards provide on average £3,500 to cover the costs of carrying out a project that will benefit the individual in a not-for-profit way and a community in the area.

For more information and leaflet about the award scheme contact 01237 472960.