CELEBRATING a successful year last week were members of the West Devon Food and Drink Network at a special event at the Two Bridges Hotel, near Princetown.
The network, set up by Food and Drink Devon to offer local food and drink businesses support and training opportunities, celebrated with a lunch for members and the West Devon mayor, Cllr Terry Pearce.
Funded by Devon Renaissance, West Devon Borough Council and the Learning and Skills Council, the network was created to promote collaboration between food and drink businesses and to increase productivity and competitiveness in the food and drink sector in West Devon.
Robin Deitch, the network co-ordinator, said: 'The network has been a great success over the last year with businesses benefiting from increased opportunities to sell their produce through new outlets, others gaining new skills and all taking advantage of being in a wider network of like minded businesses that have helped the food and drink sector as a whole to grow.'
Cllr Pearce said: 'This project aimed to complement existing business support services and draw on the strength and commercial expertise of Food and Drink Devon.
'I would urge all food and drink producers in West Devon to take advantage of this excellent networking opportunity.'
The celebration event was deemed a huge success by its organisers with around 60 producers attending.