Tiverton seniors donate £3,568 to restore historic town leat tradition

-Credit: (Image: Reach Publishing Services Limited)
-Credit: (Image: Reach Publishing Services Limited)


Tiverton's water woes are getting a boost thanks to a generous splash of cash from the town's senior citizens.

Following the Perambulation of the Tiverton Leat on September 14, the Tiverton Senior Citizens presented £3,568 to support the ongoing costs of the "Friends of Tiverton Town Leat," an independent charity set up to oversee the maintenance and future of this historical tradition.

Jean Hunt, chair of Tiverton Senior Citizens said: "I am delighted as chair of the Tiverton Senior Citizens and encouraged by our members to make this donation to cover the setup costs of Friends of Tiverton Town Leat, to be chaired by Mr. Philip Hill.

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"I'm sure many of you have beaten the bounds as I have several times. Indeed one of my welly boots is stuck in the mud up there somewhere. We need to keep this going for the future residents of the town. We have lost too much over the years."

Phil Hill, chair of Friends of Tiverton Town Leat, explained the long journey leading up to the establishment of the group.

"We only got incorporated in June of this year, but it's been a long time coming," he said.

Phil, who was the Bailiff of the Hundred during this year’s event, shared his personal connection to the cause, recalling how the closure of the Leat began soon after he participated in the last perambulation.

"I did the last perambulation, and then soon after that, they turned the water off because it was leaking into various gardens and onto Bampton Street."

The closure of the Leat due to safety and maintenance issues was a blow to the town, but efforts to restore it were reignited when Phil and his wife Irene, both serving as councillors, became aware of the deteriorating state of Chettiscombe Green's weir.

"If that had happened, we would have lost all of the water forever," Phil explained. The duo successfully lobbied for town council funding to fix the weir, but they soon realised the scope of the problem extended much further.

Phil spoke candidly about the challenges they faced, particularly in securing external funding saying: "We discovered that fundraising bodies are very reluctant to share their funds with local authorities," Hill said, underscoring the need for an independent trust to manage the restoration process. Despite delays caused by the pandemic, the trust was finally established earlier this year, marking a pivotal moment in the revival of the Leat and its perambulation.

"The first two big tasks are to conduct a survey of the Leat and its problems and then set about breaking up the project into subtasks," Phil explained.

The Tiverton Senior Citizens' donation will help cover administrative costs, allowing the newly formed trust to get off the ground and begin raising the estimated £100,000 needed to restore the Leat.

Phil also mentioned a surprising international donor — a woman from America with ties to the Tiverton area, who contributed the first £1,000 towards the cause.

The Tiverton Leat, a man-made watercourse dating back centuries, has long played a crucial role in the town's history, providing water to residents and sustaining local agriculture.

The tradition of "beating the bounds," or the Perambulation, is a time-honoured event where townspeople walk the length of the Leat, tracing its boundaries and celebrating the community’s connection to this vital piece of infrastructure.

The perambulation, usually held every seven years and next due to take place in September 2031 and the Friends of Tiverton Town Leat are determined to ensure this tradition continues, not only as a celebration of Tiverton’s past but as an active effort to protect a part of its heritage.