AN exciting programme of music, art and dance is being planned to celebrate a huge milestone date in Tavistock?s history next year.

The celebrations are being held to commemorate the 900th anniversary of the town?s market charter, granted to Tavistock in 1105 by King Henry I.

Town councillor Iain Andrews is chairman of the group which is organising the celebrations.

He said the project, initially suggested by town resident Graham Kirkpatrick last year, would be ?wonderful? for the people of the town ? and could prove a big draw for tourists.

Cllr Andrews said: ?Tavistock is ideally placed for the north and south coast, it?s ideal for Plymouth and it?s also a gateway to Cornwall.

?As an historic town it has a great background, but even more important, it has a great future.?

Cllr Andrews said events celebrating the anniversary would start on January 1 but would focus on Easter and culminate on Tavistock?s

patron saint day, St Rumon, on August 30.

There will be a music festival, artistic displays, a photographic competition, medieval dancing ? even the suggestion of a jousting tournament!

The planning group has already investigated how other towns and cities have celebrated this type of anniversary and it will be applying for grant funding to commemorate the event in style.

?We want to make it a lasting commemoration for the town as well, so we are looking at the possibility of a statue or a bas relief on the town hall ? something that reflects the market charter,? said Cllr Andrews.

He added that the group wants to involve as many people as possible in the planning and running of the events,

including the schools and the business community.

?There are so many Tavistocks around the world ? we?d even like to involve other countries as well,? he said.

There should be plenty of inspiration for the celebrations ? the 900 years of history cover many different types of market in Tavistock.

?Everyone thinks of the pannier market, but there were a whole load of different markets, like the barley market, the livestock market and some obviously still exist today,? said Cllr Andrews.

There has already been considerable interest in the anniversary celebrations ? but the group wants to make sure as many ideas as possible are investigated, to make the year one to

remember.

Another planning meeting is being held at Tavistock Library next week.

Cllr Andrews said: ?We are open to any ideas ? we?re saying to people please come along to the meeting ? everyone is going to be a winner here and the more people we can get contributing, the more winners there will be.?

Cllr Norma Woodcock, mayor of Tavistock, said: ?It?s going to be a very important and very exciting celebration and it will be a great opportunity for the people that live here, and visitors, to have some wonderful events going on in the town.?

She said the council had been very encouraged by the interest shown in the celebrations so far ? she also hoped the Lions might consider the anniversary when choosing a theme for next year?s carnival.

Cllr Woodcock added that next year was also the 700th anniversaray of Tavistock being named a stannary town and this would probably feature in the commemoration events.

?We have a wonderful history of markets and they have been a living and thriving part of Tavistock for 900 years ? I am certainly looking forward to the celebrations,? said Cllr Woodcock.

The market charter planning meeting will be held at 6.30pm on Monday January 19 ? anyone interested in getting involved or putting forward ideas is welcome to attend.