Torbay Geopark champion Nick is new president of Devonshire Association

Well-known Torbay Geopark champion and businessman Nick Powe has been invested as the new president of one of Devon's oldest institutions.

Nick, UNESCO Geopark boss and previous proprietor of Kents Cavern, is the next President of the Devonshire Association.

At the end of the organisation’s annual meeting at Two Bridges Hotel on Dartmoor, Dr Sue Andrew Chair of the Association, invested the 164th President with the silver-and-enamel President’s Jewel. 

Nick takes over from Simon Timms whose Presidency last year was marked by a highly successful National Lottery Heritage Fund project celebrating Devon’s world-class heritage to raise awareness of the natural and cultural heritage of the six outstanding assets in Devon designated by UNESCO, including the UNESCO Global Geopark in Torbay. 

Nick, a trained Chartered Accountant, is the former custodian of the prehistoric caves at Kents Cavern in Torquay which he ran for 23 years.

Following an international career in finance, in 2000 he became the fifth generation of the Powe family to manage the cavern since the Victorian excavations, when, under the pioneering leadership of William Pengelly, founder of the DA, scientific proof was provided for the antiquity of humankind. 

At Kents Cavern, balancing curatorial responsibilities with innovative commercial enterprises, Nick encouraged a renewed interest in scientific research and obtained a number of Gold tourism awards including the Winner of Winners at the 2023 Devon Awards for Excellence.

He was instrumental in securing UNESCO status for the Torbay area and chairs the management of the English Riviera UNESCO Global Geopark, a designation covering the three towns, and marine areas, of Torquay, Paignton and Brixham.

He sits on the European Geoparks Network Coordination Committee and undertakes Geopark evaluation missions around the World for UNESCO. 

He also chairs the board of trustees at Torquay Museum overseeing a change management programme to secure a sustainable future for one of the oldest institutions in Devon.

He is a board director of VisitDevon, an advisor to Exeter Cathedral’s Enterprise Board and a Deputy Lieutenant for Devon.

Dr Andrew, chair of the Association's Executive Committee, said: "We are delighted to welcome Nick as our new President. We have had a busy year with our 'Celebrating Devon's World-Class Heritage' project, supported by UNESCO UK and The National Lottery Heritage Fund, in which Nick has played a significant part. 

“We very much look forward to building on our successes over the next year with Nick at the helm. We are indeed privileged that he has agreed to share his energy, enthusiasm and expertise with us in promoting Devon's distinctive natural and cultural identity.”

Nick said: “Delivering my address as the incoming President was a real privilege and made even more special given that Kents Cavern’s international standing is the result of the extraordinary vision and endeavours of William Pengelly, founder of the DA in 1862 and President in 1867. 

"Of course, he was also a founding member of Torquay Museum, another institution I care deeply about.  These are connections I intend to use to raise the profile of the DA. 

“I am somewhat daunted by the achievements of my predecessors, and none more so than by what Simon Timms has delivered for the DA. The National Lottery Heritage Funded project he has championed has been a step-change for the DA and will have a lasting legacy. 

“The Devonshire Association has a remarkable longevity, exemplified by the annual Transactions, probably the greatest single source of information on the county of Devon to be found anywhere. Producing this publication requires a huge effort by the editor and its contributors.   Prof Malcolm Hart is stepping down after 12 years and Prof William Hamilton takes over when the 157th edition is published this year.  

“What impresses me about the DA is the way it is managed, its resilience and the extensive programme of events throughout the county, put on by the Executive Committee, the regional branches and special interest sections.  If you’re not a member, take a look at the website, I’m sure you’ll find there something you didn’t know about Devon.”  

 The Devonshire Association is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation dedicated to the study and exchange of information and ideas on all matters concerning the county of Devon – in particular, the cultural identity of the county and its distinctiveness – through research, recording and publication.

The organisation consists of an annually elected President; an Executive Committee; six regional Branches (Bideford & North Devon, East Devon, Exeter, Plymouth & District, South Devon, and Tavistock & West Devon); and seven specialist Sections (Botany, Buildings, Entomology, Geology, History, Industrial Archaeology and Literature & Art).

Each Branch and Section has its own committee and organises its own annual programme of events. Branch programmes are more broadly-based than their specialist counterparts. Over 100 activities are run each year in all parts of the county – talks, exhibitions, excursions, walks, field trips, symposia, concerts and courses. Major annual events include the Annual Conference, held in a different Devon town each year, and the President’s Symposium.

The most significant record of the Association’s activities is contained in its annual volumes of Transactions which have documented a wide range of research on Devon since 1863.