Valuable community work has been boosted by Tavistock Town Council with the handing out of grants.

Each year the council sets aside relatively small sums, up to £500, to support charities and community groups that serve residents. The groups are assessed for their eligibility to receive the money and the amount they receive also varies between recipients.

This year all the applicants were judged worthy recipients, so some of the 14 groups might have received less than they expected because more than normal were sharing the total.

A presentation ceremony was staged in the town hall with outgoing town mayor Cllr Paul Ward handing out the funds in the form of large cheques, as his last major duty before he stepped down in favour of the new mayor.

Cllr Ward said: “Town councillors carefully assess applications against a set of criteria and strive to be as objective as possible in deciding which groups to support.

“The council is particularly keen to support small community groups for whom a modest grant, less than £500, can make a big difference.

“This year we were satisfied that every group that had applied for a grant merited support. Consequently not all applicants received the full amount they had asked for but no group went away empty-handed.”

He said the presentation was a ‘very enjoyable’ occasion’ when groups told him how the grants will be used: “It was an opportunity for the council to provide financial support and for the groups to network. It was a fitting end to my year as town mayor.”

A total of £18, 274 was distributed to the groups/charities: Tavistock Area Support Services (TASS), West Devon Arts Workshops CIC, Cattle Market Goose Fair Open Day, Tavistock Musical Theatre Company, The Printworks, Tavi Fringe, Tavistock Museum, Stannary Brass Band, The Robey Trust, Tavistock Rugby Club, Transition Tavistock, Tavistock Cricket Club, Citizens Advice and Junior Life Skills.