Former and current Lawsons staff celebrated the Tavistock branch’s 30th anniversary in style last Friday when they gathered at the store for an event with prize draws and a visit from celebrity chefs.

Over the weekend, Lawsons celebrated three decades of trading in the town with cooking demonstatrations from Michelin-star restauranteur Jacques Marchal and Tavistock’s very own celebrity chef, Peter Gorton.

The celebrations at their store on Parkwood Road also included a prize draw with 30 items up for grabs and a 10 per cent discount on all items during the weekend.

Liz Lawson, whose parents John and Jennifer opened the Tavistock store in the old corn mill building in 1992, said: ‘It’s great. We couldn’t have done it without everyone.’

Lawsons is a family-run business. Liz’s great-grandfather opened the first Lawsons store in Plymouth in 1904 to supply tools to the dockyard workers and craftsmen. Since then the business has expanded and there are now branches across Devon. Lawsons opened the Totnes branch in 1979, the Ivybride store in 2006 and launched its online store in 2000. However the original Plymouth store was closed in 2020 during the pandemic due to poor sales figures.

Liz’s dad John, who was at the event, said: ‘We have always felt welcomed in Tavistock. When we first opened I received letters from customers thanking me for bringing Lawsons to the town, we have felt a strong connection with the community ever since!’