An organisation set up to promote businesses in the town has a new man at the helm.

Okehampton BID’s new manager Duncan Swift has both extensive business experience and love and knowledge of the local area.

He grew up on a farm near Okehampton and went to school in the town.

His chartered accountancy and business career has taken him all over the country, but more recently has brought him back to Devon, where his voluntary roles include being a governor at Mount Kelly independent school in Tavistock.

He has a background in advising farm businesses and his career helping farming clients has given him an overview of the tough game between supermarkets, food processors and the farmers supplying them.

He says he will be ‘very visible’ at the upcoming Okehampton Show in August and he also invites anyone in business to sit down and have a coffee with him and explain what they feel is needed to promote the town, as it expands eastwards.

He wants to represent businesses on the industrial estates as well as the town centre shops and businesses. There are a total of 270 levy-paying businesses in the Okehampton BID, which spearheads initiatives to raise the town’s profile and boost the local economy.

Duncan said: “Okehampton has been an important part of my life for over 50 years. It is a town with tremendous strengths, an entrepreneurial spirit and a growing reputation as a place to live, work, visit and invest. I am delighted to have the opportunity to support local businesses and help champion the interests of the BID’s levy-paying businesses.

“My role is to help businesses thrive by promoting Okehampton, encouraging collaboration, identifying opportunities and ensuring that the BID continues to deliver tangible value for those businesses that fund it,” he said. “I look forward to listening to levy-paying businesses, understanding their priorities and working with them and other partners across the town to support sustainable economic growth.”