The One Ilfracombe Town Team
Background and Purpose
The One Ilfracombe Town Team was launched in March 2014 with a founding aim: to create a safer, cleaner and greener town that local people can be proud of. Originally comprising around 40 members drawn from public services already operating within the town, the Town Team brought together organisations including Devon & Cornwall Police, the Fire Service, South West Ambulance Service, North Devon Council, Ilfracombe Town Council, the Harbour Master, Ilfracombe Museum and the Tourist Information Centre.
Following a period of reduced capacity caused by local service cutbacks, a significant reduction in volunteer numbers and the sustained pressures of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Town Team experienced disruption to its regular activity. Since 2022 it has undergone a meaningful resurgence, with public services re-engaging and a shared community-led focus re-established.
Vision and Role
“The role of the Town Team is to rectify identified issues that are within the remit of the individuals or organisations involved. The primary focus being on self-help, local knowledge and partnership working that results in quick wins and fixes to get the job done. Anything requiring strategic or further approval will be passed onto the relevant group, board or Council for action.”
The Town Team sits within the broader One Ilfracombe structure, which has since February 2025 been organised around four strategic themes, each with a portfolio of projects:
- Housing
- Employment & Skills
- Ilfracombe Futures
- Town Centre Regeneration
Lead Officers are assigned to each theme, responsible for assembling task and finish groups, driving delivery and reporting to the One Ilfracombe Board.
The Town Team is integral to the Town Centre Regeneration theme, whilst also contributing to projects across Ilfracombe and the surrounding areas.
How the Town Team Operates
The Town Team meets regularly and operates on the principle of self-help and swift local response. Issues are identified, ownership is established among those present, and action is taken quickly within existing remits. Where issues cannot be resolved within the group, they are escalated to the appropriate body — the Ilfracombe Regeneration Board (IRB), North Devon Council, Devon County Council, Ilfracombe Town Council, or another strategic partner.
The approach has delivered tangible results including: managing overgrown vegetation, replacing and auditing litter bins, procuring street furniture, enforcing Public Space Protection Orders, coordinating responses to anti-social behaviour and running environmental improvement events. The Ilfracombe Report It! platform underpins this work by ensuring issues are formally logged, tracked and evidenced.
Current Membership
The Town Team currently comprises members representing partner organisations across local government, public services and the community:
One Ilfracombe
Chair – Neil Ingram – Project Officer
Ilfracombe Town Council
Laura Donovan – Proper Officer
Gavin Pennington-Ellis – Facilities manager
Rob Townsend – Town Maintenance Operative
Damian Wilson – Facilities Officer
Cllr Bert Gear – Town Councillor
Kara Stevens – Communications & Marketing
Devon County Council
Cllr Sara Wilson – Ilfracombe Member DCC
Alex Bird – Neighbourhood Highways Officer
North Devon Council
Georgina Carlo-Paat – Harbourmaster
Naomi Laurenson – Project Officer Corporate & Community Services
Cllr June Williams – Member for Ilfracombe, Ilfracombe Town Council
Nathan Ray – Supervisor, Waste & Recycling
Mark Langworthy – Environmental Officer & Dog Warden
Mark Watson – Environmental Officer & Dog Warden
Lena Iliffe – Car Parks Manager
Kate Morne – Anti Social Behaviour Lead Officer
Local Groups and Organisations
Cllr Terry Elliott – Belles’s Place, League of Friends of the Tyrrell, Ilfracombe Town Council
Steve Trebble – Ilfracombe in Bloom
Rachel Hadley – Ilfracombe in Bloom
Tom Harvey – Ilfracombe Gardening Club
Ian Madden – Resident
Gloria Satchwell – League of Friends of the Tyrrell Hospital
Eric Haynes – Resident
Sharon Blackmore – Resident
Barbara Clarke – Events 4 Ilfracombe
Alison Saunders – Ilfracombe and District Business and Tourism Association
Mel Turnbull – Ilfracombe High Street Traders, Local Business Owner
Devon & Cornwall Police
Insp Joey Lester – Section Inspector North Devon
Sgt Malcolm Kirk – North & West Devon Neighbourhood Team Leader
PCSO Ade Drury – PSCO Ilfracombe
PCSO Lindsey McDonnell – PCSO Ilfracombe
Sgt Lucy Robinson – Community Safety
Street Marshalls
Simon Cannon-Smith
Molly Rutty