IT?S signed, sealed and sold! After a long wait and mounting speculation over its future the Wharf in Tavistock has been delivered safely into a new set of hands. New owners Stephen and Angela Court received the keys to the popular arts venue last Friday. ?We had been looking for a venue for some time. It was pure fluke we were coming through Tavistock, picked up a copy of the Times and saw the Wharf was for sale. We made enquiries and liked very much what we saw,? said Angela. Both Angela, 49, and Stephen, 61, have a combined professional profile ideally suited to running such a place. Angela?s professional background is sales marketing, staff training and management consultancy while Stephen has carved a successful career in sound systems, being managing director of his own company. Much in demand with top flight performers ? he was dubbed ?sound doctor? by Billboard magazine for his work with Slade ? he has worked with everyone from Pavarotti to Pink Floyd. Stephen said: ?The Wharf is everything I have done in my career in one building. For forty years I have been picking up hints and tips so now I can put that all to good effect. ?This is a dream that has become a reality.? He said they were going to do a Battle of the Bands which is a good thing for the Tavistock community and were looking for a local blues band for a regular slot at the Wharf. There would also be open mike nights so that musicians could get a chance to perform. Stephen said he also has plans for a 24-track recording facility, and also high definition DVD recording. ?No one is going to be hired or fired. Nothing will be taken away and nothing added at the moment,? he said. ?It was a sealed bid for the Wharf and they are beyond your control. You are in the lap of the gods ? which fortunately smiled upon us!? The Wharf works extremely well the way it is and we will be working on the basis of if it ain?t broke don?t fix it,? said Angela who comes from St Mellion. She said they would be delighted to have more volunteers helping out at the Wharf. Angela said they were ?positively fizzing? with excitement over their new venture. ?Some of it is scary ? but we have a good team and we know we can rely on them. It is a good scary. You should always do something that frightens you to death at least once in your life ? and this is it. We just cannot wait to get started!? Former managing director Margaret Hurdwell said she and her fellow directors ? who are retiring ? had passed on a ?very vibrant? business. She said some people had wondered if there was something wrong because the Wharf was being sold. ?Absolutely not ? it is a jewel. How can you sell a business that isn?t? ?It has been our lives for ten years. We have built it up and didn?t want it to disappear. ?We want it to go from strength to strength ? and it will. Now we will be customers and not clear up the glasses as we walk by!?