THE travelling exhibition run by Hatherleigh Market and Coastal Towns Initiative during the end of March has been hailed as a tremendous success by organisers.

The exhibition travelled to six parishes in the Hatherleigh area during the last week of March, giving people living in these communities the chance to highlight their concerns for the future.

Around 180 people attended the exhibition, giving views on a wide variety of issues ranging from concern over maintenance of village halls to a community bus for the elderly.

Other ideas included creation of village greens, improved training provision for young people and tourism initiatives to improve the local economy.

Charles Coffin, Hatherleigh area project development worker, said: 'May I thank everyone for making our recent village events such a great success.

'In speaking to those who attended, it soon became apparent how pleased they were that we had made the effort to visit their community to seek out their views.

'Many of the villages are already doing lots of tremendous things themselves. I believe we are now in a better position to help these communities in future.'

The issues raised at the travelling exhibition will be reviewed at a special MCTI workshop day in Hatherleigh later this month.

Mr Coffin said: 'This will be a fun event with lots of interactive participation, with the aim of creating a shared vision for Hatherleigh and the MCTI area.'

And Mr Coffin urged as many people as possible to attend the workshop, to take the process of creating a bright new future for the Hatherleigh area forward.

The Hatherleigh MCTI area includes the parishes as far north as Meeth, west towards Beaworthy, south towards Bratton Clovelly and eastwards to Exbourne.

The Hatherleigh area project was launched in April last year, aimed at addressing the social consequences of the foot and mouth crisis which devastated the area. It seeks to build foundations to regenerate the communities worst affected by the crisis.

The MCTI workshop day will be held on Saturday April 20 between 10am and 3pm in the Methodist Hall. Anyone wishing to attend should contact the Hatherleigh area project office on 01837 810239.