A former firefighter and a health worker-cum-open space campaigner are the latest two recruits at Totnes Town Council.

Ex-Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue area manager, Darren Peters, and pharmacy technician, Lisa Smallridge, were both unanimously co-opted onto the authority at the recent full town council meeting.

Mum and grandmother Lisa also initiated the Why This Field? (WTF?) campaign in May 2022 in a bid to save King Edward VI Community College’s Lower Field from being sold to a housing developer.

The pair replace Victoria Trow who has moved to Plymouth, and Niall Stopp who was elected in October 2021.

Totnes mayor Cllr Emily Price hailed them both “very good candidates,” with Cllr Sarah Collinson adding: “I have had the privilege of working with both of you and highly commend both candidates.”

Cllr Ben Piper welcomed the pair to the council, saying: “I would like to thank both for stepping up and I really look forward to working with you.”

Before moving to Totnes from London 31 years ago, Cllr Smallridge, who works for South Hams Primary Care Network, spent every summer staying with her grandparents in the town.

The former KEVICC’s student, whose two children also attended the school, said she wanted to be a “voice for the people” of the town.

Cllr Smallridge who lives in Swallowfields with husband Pete, said: “Totnes is a very diverse and alternative town and I see it as important for it to maintain this status.

“I feel it is very important that the community has a say in what they wish for their town and environment, and would like to be a voice for people and feel that by becoming a town councillor I would be able to do this for them.”

Cllr Smallridge is the founding member of the WTF? Campaign group which is fighting to stop KEVICC’s from selling the Elmhirst site to a housing developer. The site is just one of the parcels of land the school is hope to sell to raise £7 million to pay for upgrading some of its facilities.

The WTF? group also supports the town council’s bid to buy the site in an effort to save it from developers clutches, and instead develop as a resource for the community.

It was campaigning for the school field and comments on social media about the council that inspired Cllr Smallridge to consider joining the town council.

“I’m not politically inclined in any way so it wasn’t something that was on the radar before getting involved in KEVICCs,” she said.

“It was also comments on Facebook; people moaning about what the town council could do or shouldn’t do that spurred me on. Rather than sit there and moan about it I thought I should do something.

“You can’t make a difference if you just sit there and expect someone else to do it - you have to take some action yourself.”

Cllr Peters joined Plymouth’s Greenbank Fire Station 27 years ago, ending up as area manager based at the service HQ in Exeter.

During his firefighting career Cllr Peters spent around a year stationed in Totnes in the late 1990s.

Cllr Peters who lives in Kingsbridge Hill with his wife Helen and whose three children also attended KEVICCs, said: “I retired from Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue service at the end of 2021 having served for just under 27 years, and believe that the knowledge and experience gained during this time would be useful to the town council.

“I have a passion for public service and would like to give some time back to Totnes and people having benefited from living here for almost 28 years.

“I believe that Totnes has great potential for many reasons, including its culture, history, location, local environment and transport links. However, I currently see the town missing this potential due in part to local district politics, but also to the lack of a clear, medium to long term vision and joined up plan.

“I know that the town council has limited powers and responsibilities in many areas but if it could bring together many of the wide and varied groups, residents and businesses throughout the town behind a vision for the future of Totnes, its influence for change could be significant.

“I believe my history of integrated planning and change management using design thinking and appreciate inquiry would be helpful in achieving this.”

At their meeting, councillors voted to wait until the May elections rather than fill the vacancy left by Amy Oliver who resigned earlier this month.