I’ve been an Exmouth resident for 24 years. Without question the town has changed greatly in that time.

Some changes, such as the recently developed Queens Drive Space and the pedestrianisation of The Strand, have definitely improved the town. Others, such as the closure of Rolle College, less so.

Admittedly as a Rolle graduate I’m a bit biased on that one, but the loss of the college certainly made a dent in the vibrancy and viability of many businesses in the town.

But things change everywhere, we all have to adapt to progress and move on, making the best of things as we can - and we’ve ended up with a world-class Deaf Academy in our town which is surely our silver lining to losing Rolle.

As I write today, there’s an ongoing situation with some of our local businesses negotiating with EDDC over the use of outdoor space in The Strand.

This is a perfect example of something that arose out of making the best of a situation during the pandemic.

The Strand is such a big open space in the heart of the town which let’s be honest, until it began to be used as an extension of our cafes and bars, was underused.

I know we don’t exactly have a Mediterranean climate for most of the year, but echoing the café culture that we see on the streets of all European towns and cities does seem to work really well in Exmouth.

It’s to be hoped that the traders strike a compromise with the council to allow this to continue.

However, not all pubs and cafes have the luxury of being located next to an appropriate space in which to spill outside. And with competition from many other outlets, it’s a wonder they all survive.

There is however, one little gem that has remained unchanged in my 24 years in this town. They don’t have outdoor space, it’s not the biggest pub in the area, but they have ridden the storms of recent years proving that some approaches work without reinventing themselves.

The Bicton Inn has been serving customers since the late 1870s and while the décor has changed in that time, the ethos – a community hub for sharing a few drinks with friends - hasn’t.

I had the good fortune to visit recently on one of their frequent music nights and was pleasantly surprised to see it full of people chatting and enjoying the music.

With their commitment to local musicians and to things like darts teams etc it made me think about how a little place like this can be a success.

You can buy a beer at any number of places - indeed you can have a drink much cheaper at home - but sense of community and belonging is priceless, and that’s where establishments like The Bicton Inn have it nailed.

If you build it they will come, so the motivational business quote says; building Exmouth for the future isn’t about the physical things, it’s about our community and our belonging to the place.

With that in mind, here’s to a summer of café culture in The Strand, live music in venues like The Bicton, games of darts with friends and anything else that brings us together.

Cheers!