A PLEA for Tavistock?s annual folk dance festival to return to the pannier market for fear of its demise was this week made to Tavistock Town Council. Jill Stevens, a teacher from Whitchurch Primary School whose school participates in the festival, has made the request through a letter to the Times. The festival, which attracts dancers from schools from all over West Devon, joined by members of Tavistock Folk Dance Club and the Lions Club of Tavistock, was last month held at Tavistock College. But Mrs Stevens said: ?For many years this took place in the market and was therefore open to shoppers and tourists alike to pop in and pay a nominal entrance fee to watch and also join in! It was brilliant and an important way of celebrating our local community. For the last three years the event has been staged at the college, after the town council withdrew the arrangement to allow the market to be available four times a year for community events. Mrs Stevens said parents now have to make a deliberate journey by car to watch the event and it no longer includes visitors or those from outside the school. Also the space alloted to it was smaller and dancing in a large group was cramped. Mrs Stevens said: ?It is beginning to feel like the beginning of the end for the festival. This is an important local event ?taking it away from the centre of town and the heart of the community, has lowered its profile and unless we do something, it will fold.? Mrs Stevens urged the council to make a commitment by either offering the town hall free of charge or ?allow the spirit of Tavistock to transcend the profit motive and return us to the Pannier Market?. Cllr Ted Sherrell said: ?I have considerable sympathy with the points raised by Jill Stevens. The change in policy by the council, leading to stopping the use of the market for community events where there is a fifth Saturday in the month, was opposed by several members, although a minority. ?With many new councillors now in office, it is probably a good time for this issue to be brought before the council again.? Roger Howard, town clerk, told the Times: ?The point about the council ceasing the four ?fifth saturday? community event days is true. The council by a large majority voted that since the market had changed its character so much over the last decades that type of use was no longer viable. ?We had long meetings with the committees of the users and they all agreed and moved on to alternative venues or different ways of doing the same task. ?The market is no longer a large empty hall only open on three days a week, but a busy trading venue open five days a week, and longer on bank holidays, Christmas etc with more than 100 traders making their living from it.? Col Howard said members also felt that there were plenty of alternative and more accessible venues. ?The town hall is bookable, and though council policy is always to charge for its use, they can be asked to consider making a grant equal to that cost. ?Cllr Sherrell voted against the decision of the last council, and has the ability to raise the matter again with the new one,? said Col Howard.
