HAVING read (Times, October 14) of the ?Market Booking Snag? for the 2005 Food Festival, run by Tavistock Business Association ? I am prompted to disclose how disappointed we were to learn we were unable to book the pannier market for our 2004 ?Charity Bonanza?.

This booking has always proved to be our major fundraiser and furthermore, enabled us to include other local charities in the event. We all suffered!

Folk have come always from far and wide, spending the whole day in our town, to the benefit of local traders and restaurants, etc. As a charity every penny earned is ploughed back into the community to benefit the wide range of services offered to our elderly. All our transport and recreational activities are heavily subsidised.

We are greatly indebted to all our long serving volunteers who give freely of their time, and for their unfettered support over the year.

Our services provide drop-ins in all our surrounding villages, tea-dances, music afternoon, alongside recreational activities ? whist, line dancing, music and movement, caring for the housebound, home visits, shopping, transport and swimming for the over 55s organised by TASS at Kelly College. An advisory service is available as and when required.

I am concerned that certain present-day councillors do not appear to be aware of our input in the area ? not only in Tavistock ? but also in our surrounding villages ? and not only one day a week ? but every day throughout the year.

I am sorry we were unable to have the pannier market this year for our Charity Bonanza, but we are looking forward to ?Business as Usual? in the pannier market 2005.

Peta Humphries

Co-ordinator

Vera E Jones

Vice-chair and trustee

Tavistock Area

Support Services

I AM writing to put forward some important points concerning the story ?Market booking snag for food festival? .

The ?fifth? Saturday of a month has been traditionally allocated to community charities, and TASS have traditionally taken the July Saturday, which is of course one of the busiest of the holiday season. They were for some reason displaced by the food festival.

These events are at concessionary rates, and as successful as the festival was, it surely is a commercial operation and well able to afford to accommodate its operation using the alternative sites offered by the town council.

The excellent facilities of Tavistock, that have led to the accolade of ?Best Market Town?, surely mean that the town benefits any events as much as the reverse. The festival?s plan to secure bookings far into the future would displace the traditional charity events.

Phil Burgess

Treasurer

Tavistock branch

National Market Traders? Federation