Walk the Coast Path for charity!

Children’s Hospice South West are organising an Incredible Hike in May, a fully guided 3-day challenge event where hikers take on 60 miles of the South West Coast Path. Every year, we tackle another 60 miles, walking to complete the South West Coast Path while raising money for babies, children and young people living with life-limiting conditions. For further information on participating or donating, go to Incredible Hike 2025 | Childrens Hospice South West.

News from Chillington Health Centre Patient Participation Group

The Patient Participation Group has some great ideas to help you keep fit and healthy into the New Year, and you can read all about them in their latest newsletter PPG News January 2025.

January Full Council minutes published

The draft minutes of January’s Parish Council meeting are now published and available on the website.

A message from Devon & Somerset Fire & Rescue Service

October minutes published

The approved minutes of October’s Parish Council meeting are now published and available on the website.

News from the Patient Participation Group

The majority of Stokenham Parish residents are registered at Chillington Health Centre, but not all will be aware of our excellent Patient Participation Group, which is there to represent them and ensure they get the best from our local medical facility. The PPG’s latest newsletter is packed with useful information and makes essential reading. Get it here: https://stokenham-pc.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/PPG-November-24.pdf

21 November Full Council Meeting Postponed

Tonight’s meeting of Stokenham Parish Council has regretfully been postponed due to illness. The meeting will be reconvened for Thursday 28 November at 7.30.

New Banking Hub opens in Dartmouth

A new Banking Hub has opened at 5-9 Victoria Street, Dartmouth. The Hub offers a counter service operated by the Post Office, where customers of all major banks can carry out regular cash transactions, Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm. It also offers a Community Banker service where customers can talk to their own bank about more complicated issues on the day their bank is in the Hub. Community Bankers are available in Dartmouth on the following days:

Monday: HSBC

Tuesday: NatWest

Wednesday: Lloyds

Thursday: Barclays

Friday: Santander

Reform to bathing water regulations – make your views known!

In a consultation launched on 12 November, Defra are inviting the public, community groups, environmental groups, farmers, businesses and local authorities to share their views on modernising bathing water regulations to ensure a more flexible approach to designation and monitoring.

The proposed changes, which will benefit cold water swimmers and other water sports enthusiasts, include:

  • Removal of fixed bathing water season dates (which currently runs from May to September) from the regulations to allow for a more flexible approach to monitoring, extending the dates of the bathing season to better reflect when people use bathing waters.
  • Expanding the legal definition of ‘bathers’ to include participants in water sports other than swimming, including paddle boarders and surfers.
  • Further considering water quality and public safety when applications for new bathing waters are assessed.
  • Introducing multiple testing points at bathing water sites.
  • Ending the automatic de-designation of bathing water status after 5 consecutive years of a site being rated ‘poor’, which can damage local tourism and businesses. Instead, underperforming sites will be individually reviewed by regulators, taking into account their unique circumstances.

Click on the link above to go direct to the .gov.uk site and have your say on this important topic!

Have your say on future plans for transport in Devon and Torbay

The Devon & Torbay Local Transport Plan 4 is now out for consultation. This is an opportunity for everyone to make their views known on the Councils’ plans for investment in local transport infrastructure that will affect all our lives for years to come. Don’t miss your chance to comment – click here to have your say!