Following the local elections at the beginning of this month (May 4), a new Okehampton town councillor is introducing herself to the community.

Cllr Laura Bird is one of three new members who will join returning councillors Allenton Fisher, Julie Yelland, Bob Tolley, Tony Leech, Michael Ireland, Christine Marsh, Carole Holt and Ann Wood on the council.

Together with new councillors Richard Colman and Simon Weekes, she attended the first meeting of the new council on Monday (May 22).

Originally from Scotland, Cllr Bird moved to Devon after hearing about Gilead Foundations, a Christian-based charity located in Jacobstowe that supports vulnerable women suffering with a wide range of difficulties from addiction, domestic violence and mental health problems.

She worked at Gilead Foundations for 22 years, during which time she also completed a degree in social work. She is now self-employed and has decided, with the new freedom to set her own working hours, to give back to the community as a councillor.

Cllr Bird already supports the Okehampton community through her work in the street pastors — she is both a trustee of the charity’s Okehampton branch and an active street pastor — a national group made up of church volunteers who offer support to vulnerable people, mostly out at night and sometimes during the day.

She is also works closely with Get Changed Theatre Company, an amateur dramatics company for adults with learning disabilities in West Devon and Mid Devon.

Furthermore, she is a trustee of Inspiration Church which is currently working to renovate the gospel hall in Okehampton.

She said: ‘It has been really really rewarding being involved in the local community and now being self-employed has given me time to do other things for the community. I look forward to serving the community for at least the next four years.’

There are still three empty seats left on the town council which the council will fill shortly through a process known as co-option, which occurs when the electorate fails to call an election within a specific timeframe after the council has announced an empty seat.

Under co-option, council members can select a new member from a list of applicants without recourse to the public.

So far, there have been four applicants to the town council and the council will select the new members at the next full council meeting. For more information visit the town council’s website at www.okehampton.gov.uk.