A CRISIS meeting has been called to discuss the future of the ‘struggling’ Okehampton and District Chamber of Trade.

Chairman Linda Harper has issued a plea to the community to attend an open meeting at the Ockment Centre next Thursday, November 1.

‘With membership dwindling we are really struggling to manage and so we need to make a decision about how we move forward,’ said Ms Harper.

‘We would really value the community’s input and so we urge people to come along to this meeting.’

She said that in recent years, membership of the organisation had been in decline and the chamber was struggling to pay for everything it usually did to brighten up the town.

This includes paying for the town’s hanging baskets and putting on Christmas lights, first organised by the Chamber of Trade back in 1969.

It also stages the Edwardian Evening, the town’s late night shopping event, each year.

‘The hanging baskets, traditionally watered by Donald of Donald’s Menswear, have been a tremendous financial burden this year as were unable to find a volunteer to undertake the task of daily watering,’ said Ms Harper.

‘We have spent in excess of £3,000 purchasing the baskets and paying for them to be watered. The Christmas lights have been updated and the area covered extended in recent years.

‘This year we have plans to add lights to the area around Fairplace Church and the post office. 

‘We have been fortunate that Waitrose continues to support us with their green token scheme, Okehampton United Charity made a substantial donation last year as did the town council and hamlets council along with other local businesses and as always we have our Christmas raffle. 

‘The total cost of maintaining, replacing and installing the Christmas lights in 2017 was in excess of £10,000, with the annual cost of getting the lights up each year at around £3,000. 

‘The insurance cost annually is over £1,000.

‘We also run the food and music festival in June and the Edwardian Evening and without volunteers we will not be able to organise a food and music festival next year.’

Chamber member Christine Marsh urged people to come along and make their views known.

‘We’ve called this meeting to ask people “what do you want from your chamber?”,’ she said.

‘It is about discussing what direction we are going in, because if it stays as it is it will collapse.

‘Like all things, it needs to change and move forward or it stagnates. We have got to involve new businesses and new people.’

The meeting – open to all – will take place in the Ockment Centre on North Street at 7pm on Thursday, November 1.