Volunteer Road Warden Scheme - a Parish Perspective.
As many will know our endlessly enthusiastic county councillor, Louise Wainwright has developed a county wide initiative to fix some of the many potholes we all endure daily.
I like many will believe potholes should be fixed by DCC Highways but due to the sheer scale of the problem and lack of funding, the minor roads and smaller potholes are being neglected entirely.
This is where the idea of a local volunteer force, reminding me of Dads Army, was born. The intention is for groups of 3 or 4 volunteers who can identify then fix these non-defective potholes, as they are called, and let DCC concentrate on fixing the major ones, yes, you guessed it called defective ones. With training given the volunteer force should be able to differentiate between the two.
So, what for Loddiswell ?
Last weekend we had a pothole demo day at Station Road with the seasoned volunteer pothole team from Modbury, led by hero Bill Cole showing us how it is done. All materials, training, and insurance is given by DCC except for essential tools, like tamping poles, which must be purchased which seems a bit mean.
I didn’t believe a Sunday sunny afternoon was the best time to stage the event but the German film crew that was there had a tight schedule. It appears Germany has many pothole issues as well and were keen to learn and create a documentary on this local initiative.
Going forward there will be an opportunity to learn more of what this whole project entails as part of a social event at the pavilion, date to be confirmed.
In the meantime, more information about becoming involved can be obtained from the parish clerk, Fiona Stace.
Email clerk@loddiswell-pc.gov.uk
It may take off or may not it’s entirely up to us.
Regards,
Paul Harvey
Chair LPC
Loddiswell Blueprint Open Day Report 2026
The feedback from your post it note comments and suggestions made at our event in April 2026 have been analysed and summarised in this excellent report by Mat Prowse.
All comments have been transcribed and are listed in full at the end of the report.
You can read it by clicking on the link below
The new Twenty is Plenty signs have now been installed around the village
Loddiswell Parish Council - Answering Concerns Voiced by Residents about Vehicles Speeding through the Village
Better Together - The Loddiswell Community Forum
Representatives of the various community groups and organisations in Loddiswell first came together in early 2025. Our aim was to share information, support each other and to work alongside the Parish Council to develop key priorities and plans for the village.
As part of this we have been working with the Parish Council to help them to complete the Neighbourhood Plan, which they started a few years ago.
In April 2025 we, alongside the Parish Council, held a “Blue-Print for Loddiswell” open day.
The various groups within the village show-cased what they were about, the Parish Council displayed the draft neighbourhood plan and comments were invited.
It was a very informal and social occasion - The Pop-Up Cafe provided refreshments and people could drop in throughout the day. Residents were also invited to share their views on life in the village and where they thought improvements could be made. They did this by writing on post it notes and sticking them on the walls.
It was an incredibly well supported day and we received a huge amount of post-it note feed back, the results of which can be found below.
You asked - we listened:
We and the Parish Council have taken notice of the feedback from the open day and have already taken action on some of your suggestions:
Community Website - there were several requests for a community website, and here it is! It is being set up and administered by volunteers from the forum, with the Parish Council funding the hosting fees.
Road Safety - this has been a cause of concern to residents for many years, particularly the speed at which traffic travels at past the Beechwood Estate, where children frequently cross the road. The Parish Council have tried hard to persuade Devon County Council to install a pedestrian crossing there to no avail. Since the open day, further pressure has been brought to bear on DCC - watch this space. The Parish Council also applied for a 20mph speed limit through the village and are still on the waiting list for this, but it could take sometime. In the meantime we are looking at mounting a “20 is Plenty” campaign, which quite a few other villages have done locally. Although not a mandatory speed limit, it is hoped that the signage would encourage drivers to slow down.
We will also be working through the other feedback from the day and hopefully you will see more changes/improvements being implemented in the future.
Congratulations to the Pupils of Loddiswell Primary School whose designs were chosen for the village “20 is Plenty” campaign
Barney Thompson
Billy Couch
Arla Smaridge
Romy Stephenson
We had over 30 wonderful designs submitted by the children and had a a very hard job choosing. They were all so good that we would like to exhibit them at the Blueprint for Loddiswell Open Day on 25th April 2026. The “20 is Plenty” campaign has been initiated by Loddiswell Parish Council, with input from Loddiswell Community Forum.
The Winning Logo Design!
As part of the “Blue Print for Loddiswell” open day, the pupils of Loddiswell Primary school were invited to design a logo for us. This is the fantastic winning design by Jessie Hack - congratulations Jessie! Also to all those who took part.
Feedback from the Open Day
You can see a summary of the feedback from the open day, by clicking the link below,