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Locals push for change in poverty-hit town

Angela Kalwaites,Devonand
Jonathan Morris,Devon
News imageBBC The pictures is a street‑level shot of the front of a building that has been boarded up. The entire doorway area is covered with sheets of brown wooden board, and there is a simple wooden frame built in front of it, with horizontal and vertical beams holding everything in place. BBC
About 30% of people in Ilfracombe town centre face income hardship said a report

Ilfracombe's dramatic cliffs and sea views hide a reality that many locals say has shaped everyday life for years.

Almost four in 10 children live in poverty, and healthy life expectancy sits at 59 -the lowest of any rural town in England.

Public Health Devon reported in 2024 that 30% of people in the town centre face income hardship.

A group of residents and local leaders is now trying to change that through the Ilfracombe Poverty Truth Commission.

News imageThe picture is an aerial photo of a coastal town, showing a mix of buildings, green spaces and cliffs beside the sea. In the foreground there is a cluster of tightly packed houses and shops with pale and pastel‑coloured walls. A tall church with a pointed spire and a roof marked with green and brown patches sits near the centre of the image, surrounded by narrow streets and parked cars.
Seaside town Ilfracombe looks idyllic from the air

The Poverty Truth Commission brings together organisations like the NHS, Devon County Council and local schools with "community commissioners".

James Lander of the commission said: "Commissioners are people with lived experience of poverty, who are going through poverty".

Then there are senior civic leaders, called "civic commissioners".

"There are about 30 poverty commissions across the UK and we are the first in Devon," said Lander.

For lifelong residents like Charmaine Lovett, the determination to look out for each other remains Ilfracombe's strongest asset. "We always come together and we fight those challenges together," she said.

Lovett, of wellbeing group One Ilfracombe which is working with the commission, said the town was an "extraordinary community" and "one that's faced a huge amount of challenges".

She said: "The fact that we live on a hill makes transport a massive thing and we also miss out on a lot just because of how far we are from places like Barnstaple and Exeter."

News imageThe image shows a hand‑drawn artwork illustrating a scene of people being forced to leave a damaged home. In the picture, a large yellow house stands in the background with boarded‑up windows, cracks across the walls and dark storm clouds above it. Lightning bolts appear in the sky, adding to the sense of trouble around the building.
Art has helped Tom's mental health issues

The commission has also helped bring adult education back to Ilfracombe.

Steve Rogers, head teacher at the Ilfracombe Academy, said: "We have done an art class or art classes and we have also done some carpentry classes and we are moving into food groups.

"In the future we would really like to bring in things like functional maths and English and also hopefully even GCSE maths and English."

Local resident Tom said using artwork to express his experiences had a "big impact on my mental health".

"I've just gone in kind of vicious circles from living in house shares to getting my own flat, working towards it anyway and then just ending up back in a house share because of affordability you know," he said.

"I think a lot of people in Ilfracombe will understand what I'm saying."

News imageThe image shows a person sitting indoors near a large window with a coastal view behind them. The person is wearing dark clothing, including a hoodie, and has short, curly hair.
Tom said art had helped with his mental health

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