PROMOTING Devon to help the economy and bring in more visitors is top of the 'to-do list' for the new Okehampton-based chairman of Devon County Council.

West Devon Borough and county councillor Christine Marsh — the first-ever Okehampton resident to take on the position — says growing up in the town helped her appreciate Devon's natural assets.

'I love Devon and all its fantastic beauty so I will be out and about welcoming people here — I will represent Devon.

Becoming county chairman is a role that Cllr Marsh never dreamed she would ever take on.

She said: 'I thought long and hard about accepting it, but then I realised I may never get a chance like this again.

'People are important to me, I will be meeting so many different types from all walks of life and all ages.

'When I first became a councillor and walked into county hall and saw the size of the building and all the seats, I never dreamt that I'd be looking down at the councillors.

'You have to remain impartial — the thought of chairing the council meetings with all those long standing councillors there is very daunting.'

Cllr Marsh said as chairman, she would act as an ambassador for Devon.

She said: 'Devon is unique, it's got such a varied landscape — we have two national parks, Exmoor and Dartmoor and it's got farmland, rolling hills — it's just a stunning green space.

'I aim to encourage as many visitors as possible to Devon.'

Cllr Marsh said she was also keen to encourage more cycling by residents and would be attending different events to support the activity.

Born in Plymouth in 1947, Cllr Marsh has lived in Okehampton nearly all her life, after moving from Plymouth when she was just a few months old.

She attended Okehampton Secondary Modern and went on to work in Eric Greys Chemist where she learned dispensing, before getting a job as a receptionist at The White Hart.

She then worked as a secretary to the doctors at Okehampton Medical Centre for ten and a half years.

Cllr Marsh said she was fortunate to have a supportive family around her — something she felt was of great importance in people's lives.

'My father was a local businessman and I learned a lot from him — you don't appreciate these things when you are growing up and you take it all for granted— I was very lucky in my childhood to have a loving family.

'Family values are very important in everybody's life, but I rebelled then — like I do now sometimes!'

Cllr Marsh, who has been married for 27 years, also has two grown-up children, a daughter, Caroline and a son, Perry, who both still live in the area.

She was mayor of Okehampton for five years from 1997 and stills plays a big part in the community.

Her roles include being a member of the Okement Rivers Group and Okehampton Community Archive Group, and of Okehampton Town Council, in addition to her county and borough memberships.

She also sits on Dartmoor National Park as a county councillor.

Cllr Marsh said Devon had a beautiful setting for a balanced environment that everyone could enjoy.

'This is one of the reasons I like doing the river work — we've got two natural rivers that run through our town, which are just not made enough of and not valued enough either.

'Our heritage is important, but we also have to look to our future.'

Cllr Marsh said she had learned a lot from living on Dartmoor.

'Even when it's raining, Devon still holds it's own beauty and I wouldn't want to live anywhere else.

'It somehow gets under your skin and I'm looking forward to flying the flag for Devon.'

Cllr Marsh takes up her new role today (Thursday), following the county council's annual meeting at Exeter.