Turning Heads receive a ‘tidy’ sum from police to continue their good work

A bunch of dedicated community volunteers who tidy up the streets of South Devon have received police funding to continue their fantastic work and improve unloved spaces.

The litter picking people from Turning Heads, who can be seen out and about wearing their high-vis tabards, will use the £3,950 donation from Devon & Cornwall Police to progress their latest street cleaning project around Castle Circus and other parts of Torquay.  

They applied for the money from the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) fund which redistributes cash or assets seized from criminals and gives it to good causes. The Turning Heads group will use the money to buy tools and clothing.      

Torquay Inspector Rob Harvey said: “Turning Heads is a great example of a community group taking pride in the place they live. Their new project around street cleanliness is a fantastic way of supporting the wider work that the Community Safety Partnership does in bringing visual change as well as the elements that can’t always be so easily seen.

“We work alongside partners such as Torbay Council and know that SWISCo staff work very hard to deal with waste and recycling, highways, street cleaning and grounds maintenance. But Turning Heads provide extra pairs of hands to keep the area looking good.   

“POCA funding is a great source of these initiatives, and we welcome similar applications from other community groups who can make a difference locally.”

Alongside its clients and group of volunteers, Turning Heads has been renovating and improving unloved community spaces for more than four years. This has taken place in Hele, Ilsham and, most recently, around Torre.

Alan Tilley from Turning Heads explained: “Our project for this year is to tackle the problem of street litter and weeds. We want to set up a weekly group that goes out and spends time clearing up the litter on the streets of Torquay and tackling the untidiness of weeds.

“We tackle roadsides that are unloved, untidy and unsightly and will throw ourselves into any projects that come our way. The more we do, the more we are asked to do. Our commitment to changing the community and making an impact is infectious.

“We want to have a visible presence and use this project to give our clients and volunteers a meaningful project to get involved in but we also want to use it to empower and engage local communities, helping to create positive change. Plus, it gives people taking part a real purpose.”

Turning Heads believe that clean streets matter because they have a significant positive impact on public health, safety, environmental quality, community wellbeing, and local economies; they serve as a barometer for how well an area is managed and cared for.

Community groups who wish to bid for POCA funds can contact their local neighbourhood policing team by popping into their nearest police station Public Enquiry office - these are located at Torquay, Newton Abbot, Ivybridge and Kingsbridge and are usually open Monday to Saturday. They are closed on Sundays and Bank Holidays.

You can also speak to local neighbourhood officers face to face at local community events such as the one in Torquay from 1pm to 3pm on Tuesday 24 March at The Medway Centre, Medway Road, TQ2 8SA.

If you prefer to leave a message for an officer please go to our website Contact your local policing team | Devon & Cornwall Police

You can also get regular updates by following Torquay Police on Facebook.

Photo caption: Insp Harvey (centre) meets the Turning Heads group. Alan Tilley is third from the left wearing a grey hooded top