Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall will visit Tavistock on Tuesday, July 16 to celebrate the town’s recent restoration to its historic buildings and attend the community festival of food and craft.
The royal couple’s last visit to the town was in May 2007 when they attended a reception at the Tavistock Times office in Brook Street to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the newspaper and its sister papers the Cornish Times and Cornish and Devon Post.
The festival is a collaboration between the town and borough councils and Tavistock Lions Club and is set to highlight not only the great range of markets in the town but also the spirit of community.
Excitement is building as the town prepares for its royal visitors and with schools and community group all taking part in the day, it is set to be an all-encompassing event to remember.
The Duke and Duchess of Cornwall will arrive around lunchtime.
Councillors Tony Leech, mayor of West Devon Borough Council and Anne Johnson, mayor of Tavistock said: ‘We are absolutely delighted that The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall are coming to Tavistock and we are going to put on a fantastic display of everything that Tavistock and West Devon have to offer.’
Cllr Tony Leech added: ‘As a borough councillor this is an honour for me because it was actually The Prince of Wales, back in 1983, who granted us a Royal charter and created the Royal Borough of West Devon.’
Anne Johnson also said: ‘Tavistock has actually had the pleasure of hosting royal visitors as long ago as 1936, when King Edward VIII visited the town, and the most recent visit was from the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall themselves in May 2007 to mark the 150th anniversary of the Tavistock Times and its sister papers the Cornish Times and Cornish and Devon Post.’
The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall will arrive in Bedford Square once the festival is in full swing. Tavistock College will greet the visitors and will perform excerpts from their acclaimed production of Matilda. They will then be introduced to local dignitaries and community groups.
The festival of food and craft is being put on in partnership with the Tavistock Lions’ Club as part of Tavistock Carnival Week.
Alan Wroath, from the Tavistock Lions’ Club, said: ‘Celebrating all the things that make Tavistock such a wonderful place to live, especially the vibrant sense of community and commitment from voluntary organisations, is what our carnival is all about!
‘We have been very pleased to support the town council in their planning for the festival — we all admire the work that has been done to enhance the market and the refurbished Butchers’ Hall.’
Anne Johnson continued: ‘It is wonderful to see royal visitors in Tavistock, everyone who lives and works in the town is incredibly proud of it and it gives us all an opportunity to shine. Do come out if you can and let’s give them a really warm Tavistock welcome.’
The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall will then be taken on a tour of the food, drinks and craft stalls, before entering the newly refurbished Butchers’ Hall.
The royal couple will also experience the joys of Tavistock Pannier Market and will hear all about the work of the Tavistock Heritage Trust.
Alan Wroath, said: ‘Lions will join other groups in Butchers’ Hall to talk about the work they do. Two of our members will have 90 years of experience in Lions between them so they should know what it means to be a Lion!
‘The Robey Trust will be represented through one of our members and the coach for the carnival princess will be there for those who might want to have a few moments of feeling like a princess and have their photograph taken!
‘And, oh yes, inevitably there will be the Lions BBQ…’
Follow the announcements on social media @WestDevon_BC on Twitter and @westdevonboroughcouncil on Facebook to see who is going to be exhibiting and which performers are taking part.