Great Torrington Town Hall

- under threat

MYSTERY DONORS (The Viper and others)

AND APPEAL FOR HELP

Trying to acquire funding for the Town Hall Project has been a roller-coaster exercise with many disappointments. However, since October 2007 we have been buoyed up and intrigued by an anonymous donor who has sent us £1 coins. These have come mainly from the northern hemisphere but two have been sent from South Africa and Australia. All are in identical handwriting and envelopes. Originally they carried short messages such as:- “hope this helps”, “for the cause” and so on but gradually became more lyrical. No less than 104 have been received so far from places as diverse as Portugal, Rhodes, Dubrovnic and Poland. One sent from Lyon in May 2009 read:-  

“Came down to Lyon in France

To find out about fund-raising grants

Alas – none could be found

So I send you this pound

Your lovely Town Hall to enhance. The Viper” 

 The mystery donor began using this pseudonym in March 2008. 

Recent local and national publicity has encouraged others to respond in a similar way. We have received small donations from The Leopard, The Grass Snake, Mondeoman and The Jackal. The Jackal, it seems, lives in the south of France and has invoked the aid of his friend Sir Roger Moore to help track down The Viper. A 5 euro note came with his intriguing card. Mondeoman has sent several coins. The first came in February 2009 from Windsor, not the Castle so far as we are aware though how nice that would be! The latest in July 2009 came from Mumbai.   

Now if all Torritonians scattered throughout the world were to follow these examples the project would receive a significant financial boost as well as an exciting geography lesson. What about giving it a try? 

There are a number of other towns and cities called Torrington worldwide which have derived their name from tiny Great Torrington in north Devon. Torrington Connecticut and Torrington Wyoming spring to mind and some help from our flourishing ‘offspring’ would be wonderful, gratefully received and add a whole new dimension to our project. 

If you want to send a gift our ‘lovely Town Hall to enhance’ the address is:- 

Great Torrington Buildings Preservation Trust

The Town Hall Office

High Street

Torrington

Devon EX38 8HN

UK

We would be most grateful.

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