West Devon mayor's latest visits reveal more stops in ambitious parish challenge

West Devon Mayor Chris Edmonds has added five more communities to his year-long challenge to visit every town and parish in the borough.

The latest visits, made during July with Mayoress Jan Edmonds, took the mayor to Northlew, Gulworthy, Horrabridge, Monkokehampton and Bridestowe.

Cllr Edmonds launched the Mayor's Challenge after taking office in May, with a pledge to visit all 45 towns and parishes in West Devon during his civic year.

The initiative is also raising money for SPACE Youth Services.

In Northlew, the mayor and mayoress opened the village fete, visiting stalls and meeting local organisations and residents.

The village, which is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086, has strong links to the First World War.

It suffered one of the highest proportional losses of enlisted men of any community in the UK during the conflict.

Gulworthy was visited by the couple to mark the 170th anniversary celebration of St Paul's Church.

The church, known as the "Miners' Church", was built in 1856 to serve the growing population working at the nearby Devon Great Consols mines.

Edmonds said the visit included a service and refreshments, with Cllr Anne Johnson, Mayor of Tavistock, and husband Paul also attending.

At Horrabridge, Cllr Edmonds and Jan attended the village's summer fair, where they met members of Horrabridge Parish Council and local residents.

The afternoon included visits to stalls and community groups at the event, which was described by the mayor as being well supported.

Mayor Edmonds then visited Monkokehampton for an open day at All Saints Parish Church, meeting parish councillors and other members of the community.

The visit ended with a cream tea at the church.

Bridestowe was the latest stop, where Cllr Edmonds and Jan joined a village working group to help tidy the entrance road.

They later met residents at the parish hall, where refreshments included bacon baps and coffee.

Reflecting on the latest stage of the challenge, Cllr Edmonds said: "July has provided another wonderful opportunity for the Mayoress and me to visit a number of communities across West Devon, each with its own unique character, heritage and strong sense of community spirit."

He added: "We extend our sincere thanks to everyone who has welcomed us during the month and look forward to continuing our journey around the borough in the months ahead."

The five July visits follow earlier stops at communities including Bratton Clovelly, Exbourne, Drewsteignton, Sampford Courtenay, Bondleigh, Honeychurch, Jacobstowe, Kelly, Walkhampton, Burrator, Sheepstor and Meavy.

The Mayor's Challenge will continue throughout the remainder of the civic year, with further visits planned across West Devon.