THE Ockment Centre is to receive a £5,000 grant from Okehampton Town Council as part of its latest round of aid grants for organisations in the town.

The Ockment Centre will receive the grant of £5,000, Okehampton Remembers is to be given £500, while the Okement Rivers Improvement Group is also to receive £500.

The grants were approved at a policy and resources committee meeting, held on November 14.

It was agreed that The Ockment Centre’s grant will contribute to the continuing operations of the community centre.

Jenny Hopkins, Ockment Centre manger, said that the centre was pleased to receive funding and said that the community centre would benefit hugely from it.

The £500 given to the remembrance project Okehampton Remembers will contribute to funding to cover professional and local authority fees to progress a visible and lasting focal point of remembrance in the town.

The project, which is planned to take off in the near future, coincides with the centenary of the First World War and is seen as an opportunity for the town to acknowledge the occasion and provide a significant and lasting place of remembrance for future generations.

The aim is to establish an accessible and visible focal point for those who died in peace and conflict, which can be acknowledged every day of the year by anybody at any time.

It is envisaged that a new permanent visible place, for reflection and remembrance, will provide the town with a central focus into the next century.

Dick Jennings of Okehampton Remembers said: ’The project has been ongoing for a while and we are pleased to have received a grant from the councill, which will contribute to the seed funding. It is important we get a focal point of remembrance for the town.’

Okement Rivers Improvement Group will also receive a £500 grant to cover the cost of maintaining the public seating in the town not owned by the council.

The group aims to protect and enhance the East and West Okement rivers that flow through Okehampton and the riverside environment for the benefit and enjoyment of both the community and visitors.

Members of the rivers group give up their spare time to maintain the river, clearing river banks, removing dead trees and planting new ones, and maintaining paths and walkways so that people can enjoy the beauty of the two rivers running through Okehampton.