Tavistock has enjoyed another great year. We can look forward to more accolades having been recently runner-up to the best farmers' market of the year award. This comes on top of best market town and best food town last year with our recent significant World Heritage status as the entry point to the Mining Heritage site for West Devon and Cornwall. Meanwhile, as your mayor I intend to do all I can to take the opportunity in regard to climate change, to ensure the new public toilets are as environmentally and ecologically sustainable as possible. I plan to encourage the town council to create an environmentally sustainable demonstration permaculture and sensory garden in place of the now defunct bowling green (Geoffrey Cox MP, Angela Rippon and Joanna Abecassis from St Eustachius Church have all kindly offered their support for this project). I intend to do all I can to lobby the town council, in partnership with West Devon Borough Council, to find ways, possibly drawing on the River Tavy, the second fastest running river in the country, as alternative resources for our energy and power supplies. I believe we owe it to our children and children's children to take responsible action now to address the issues of climate change for our area in every way possible. I wish the residents in Tavistock a very Happy Christmas and Peaceful New Year and may we go from strength to strength to make 2007 a year of excellence for our town and surrounding villages.
