AFTER 17 years the curtain has finally come down on Tavistock Acoustic Café.

The popular monthly music night has raised thousands of pounds for local charities during this time, and hundreds of singers,  songwriters, guitarists, harpists — Peruvian and Celtic — bands, poets, choirs and even two Tibetan bowl players have played the café.

Andy Harding, one of the café's organisers, said: 'We've had flamenco, Mississippi blues, Tamar Delta blues, gypsy jazz, sea shanties, folk-rap, folk-rock, rock, rap and just plain folk. 

'Year after year some things never changed — the quality of the artistes, which was always amazingly high, and the fact that not one of them charged a penny for their time and talent — not even petrol expenses.

'This enabled the café to donate just over £26,000 to local charities.

'Many of those who played were dependent on their music to make their living and yet they generously played for free, partly because it was in aid of a good cause but mainly because they truly enjoyed playing the café — the atmosphere and the warm and enthusiastic audience made it a great place to perform.'

However, in recent months the audience numbers have got smaller and smaller.

Andy said it was no longer fair to expect the management at The Wharf, who had been generous and encouraging hosts, the organisers who put a huge amount of time and energy into every month's event, or the artistes who never gave anything less than their very best to put in a lot of energy into something that the people were not turning out to see each month.

Andy said: 'Maybe the admission price of £5 is too much in a recession — although it has often been said by those who have attended that they would expect to pay twice as much to watch any one of the artistes on the bill in any one month.'

Andy paid tribute to all those that had worked to put the café on over the years, the superb performances and the audiences who had turned up and helped contribute so much to so many good causes.

He said organisers were hoping to stage a couple of summer sessions to showcase local talent and raise money for charity, but the last regular monthly event had been on February 21.

Val O'Neil, co-ordinator of Tavistock Foodbank, said: 'I am completely shocked by this, I think it's a massive shame for the town.

'The café has been very supportive to the foodbank, they've often been in touch to see what we need and how we are doing and they've supported a lot of other local charities. I think it's very sad they are stopping.'

Judy Pride, West Devon fundraiser for Children's Hospice South West said Tavistock Acoustic Café had been raising money for the hospice from its inception.

'It was always a highlight for the group that went along, as it was such an enjoyable way to raise money.

'I know that they have supported so many local charities and I do hope they can arrange something on a smaller scale to fill the musical entertainment gap it will leave,' she said.