It has been another hectic week of local meetings and visits across Central Devon, which included speaking to pupils at three local primary schools – Bow Community Primary School in Mid Devon, Hatherleigh Community Primary School in West Devon and Ilsington Church of England Primary School in Teignbridge.
I joined Year 5 and 6 pupils in Bow and Hatherleigh to talk about Parliament, democratic values and important issues such as climate change, and addressed a whole school assembly in Ilsington. I was very impressed with the behaviour and engagement of pupils at all three schools and also took the opportunity to award three of them with special prizes. Joseph Charlesworth (Bow) won the annual competition to design my Christmas card with a fantastic picture of Larry the Cat outside No. 10. Ben Ruff (Hatherleigh) and Daria Viushynska (Ilsington Primary School) were runners-up with their wonderful drawings of Santa’s sleigh being pulled by a tractor and a beautiful robin. I awarded each with an art set and book token, generously provided by competition sponsor Ashburton Post Office.
Between school visits I met with local councillors in Okehampton to discuss the fantastic news that the Government has committed £13.5 million for a second rail station on the eastern edge of the town. It is one of 111 projects to benefit from £2.1 billion as part of the second round of allocations from the government’s flagship Levelling Up Fund. Until November 2021, Okehampton had not had a regular rail service for 50 years and I was proud to help lead the successful campaign to bring just such a service to the town. My involvement began in 2011 and included holding around 50 meetings with Government ministers, local councillors, campaigners and representatives from Great Western Railway and Network Rail. I pressed the economic and environmental arguments in meetings with successive Chancellors of the Exchequer and brought the then Secretary of State for Transport to Okehampton in 2014 to meet campaigners and walk part of the existing rail track to discuss how the project was entirely deliverable. Many more meetings followed, but they were all worth it when the service launched (on time and under budget) just over a year ago.
The Dartmoor Line has lived up to every expectation. It has boosted the local economy, improved access to jobs and training opportunities and has reduced carbon emissions by taking cars off the A30. But with this success it quickly became clear that a second station in the town was needed to improve accessibility for residents in neighbouring communities, reduce traffic congestion in the town and maximise the economic benefits. In the long run the economic boost to the town and wider region will far exceed this extra investment. The second station will serve as a West Devon transport hub with high-quality cycle facilities and electric vehicle charging points on the site to promote active travel and connect communities better.
Photo: Mel answering questions from pupils at Hatherleigh Primary School.
