INCREASING public access in and around the college area of Tavistock has prompted a partnership project to help keep the neighbourhood clean and tidy for everyone.

Many pedestrians use the area for a variety of reasons accessing the cycling and walking paths, reaching local facilities and residential areas, or attending school. 

Additional and improved litter bins, dog waste bins and inclusion in the new street cleansing contract will ensure users have every opportunity of keeping their town and its facilities litter-free.

Dotty Allan, part of West Devon Borough Councils community delivery team, and local borough councillor Isla McPhie, initiated the improvements, which saw Tavistock College providing two new litter bins and conducting pupil awareness.

Sustrans/Devon County Council contributed two dog waste bins, and the borough council including the cycle route and towpath into its street cleansing contract as well as providing two further litter bins and replacing a damaged one.

All the organisations involved in the project are confident the new provision will help prevent litter and dog waste accumulating in this well-used part of the town, and keeping it clean for everyone to enjoy. 

l The water feature, commonly known as the moat, situated in the Meadows and adjacent to Meadowlands Leisure Pool, has recently been given a new lease of life by the Tavistock Task Force.

West Devon Borough Council sought help from the local environmental group for help in removing a build up of silt, mud and general detritus that had accumulated in the moat over a number of years.

The work was co-ordinated by Peter O Dell, who said: Thanks to our workforce and a number of enthusiastic volunteers, including some from Tavistock College, we were able to remove all the rubbish and the silt and give the moat a real clean up. It should be a lot easier to maintain now.

Terry Beckett, West Devon Borough Councils leisure officer, said We are very grateful for all the hard work the volunteers have put in, and are really pleased with the results; the councillors also wish to pass on their thanks to the task force for doing such a good job.