Re-branding Rural Devon

Caterham Geographers at Dartington

Transition Town Totnes hit the headlines with its battle against corporate takeover when it defeated plans by Costa Coffee to open a branch in the town. The High Street is well known for its independent shops and businesses and locals wanted to keep it that way so they campaigned to keep Costa out. In the end, the company decided to withdraw its plans and get some positive publicity by listening to the people. It remains to be seen if this is the end of the story.

The town has branded itself as a destination for people interested in good food, with monthly food markets and competitions.

 

Transition Towns is an international network of communities which "have started up projects in areas of food, transport, energy, education, housing, waste, arts etc. as small-scale local responses to the global challenges of climate change, economic hardship and shrinking supplies of cheap energy." (transition network.org). Totnes is part of this network and a good idea of what this involves can be found at their website, http://www.transitiontowntotnes.org/. All around town there are signs of raising the profile of ideas such as "incredible edibles", planters where herbs and soft fruits can be picked at will by passers-by. This is linked to the idea of community gardens. It would be easy for conservatives to sneer at these attempts as woolly-minded gestures, however that would be foolish given the news being filled with the failures of big business and the gloomy projections of the future after Peak Oil. Knowing the provenance of food is becoming increasingly important for many people, especially when considering the horse-meat fiasco!

An incredible edibles planter on Steamer Quay, Totnes.

Converted warehouses on the Dart at Totnes

Totnes upper town, home to the concentration of independent businesses.

Another aspect of rural re-branding is the diversification of farming into other areas. A good example of this was seen at Riverford Organics, suppliers of veg boxes around the country. 

The Riverford Organics farm shop at Staverton, to the north of Totnes.

An alternative vision is the Dartington Cider Press, which started as a venue for local artists but has since developed into a complex of shops selling tourist goods such as aromatics, food, crystal and ceramics. It is claimed profits go to support the trust's charitable activities. Both fit in with the ethos of keeping wealth within the local area. This is true of transition Towns as well. The Totnes Pound is designed to help participating businesses keep the wealth they generate within the local economy. 

The ideas seen certainly give food for thought.