A YEAR of fantastic celebrations was this week forecast by Tavistock Charter Group, which is organising a packed programme to commemorate the 900th anniversary of the town?s market charter.
It is also the 750th anniversary of the granting of stannary status ? so a sense of history will be evident in every event organised.
Iain Anderson, group chairman, said: ?We are looking at a full list of events which will take place from Easter until October. It will include all community groups ? we are doing something with adult learners, we are including the schools ? we hope we can deliver something for everyone, the main thing is that it is accessible.?
Events and activities include a two-day weekend medieval fayre, ?have-a-go? sessions at historical pastimes and sports, storytelling, plays and dance events, a photographic competition, education projects, pageant workshops and performances and letter boxing events.
On one weekend, the Meadows will be transformed into a medieval village ? where anyone can try their hand at living the life of hundreds of years ago.
Iain said: ?It?s about making the celebrations as interactive as possible, as accessible as possible, fun and at the same time, educational too.
?Tavistock has a great history and we want to make it a living history.?
There will also be musical concerts throughout the summer, produced in conjunction with Tavistock Music Live.
Workshops are being planned, in conjunction with the schools, to design and produce lanterns to be used in a night-time procession, similar to the Festival of Light event which takes place in Truro.
Iain said: ?It might even tie in with Dickension Evening, a bit like a retrospective, being the last event of the celebrations.
?We are hoping to produce a video and a book of the year ? there?s going to be a lot going on and we hope it?s going to be one big summer of celebration.?
The Charter Group are applying for a Heritage Lottery Fund grant to finance the celebrations ? they are also receiving valuable support from Tavistock Town Council.
?The council has helped us with cash and more importantly, they have set up a system where they will supply admin support, which is really super,? said Iain.
A exhibition in the town?s museum will run in tandem with the events throughout the year, similar to the ?banners? which were used for the bi-centenary celebrations of Tavistock Canal. It is hoped the exhibition will be taken out to schools, churches and the market itself during the year.
And the Charter Group now has a logo, to be used on all official correspondence. The group ran a competition in which Tavistock resident Graham Kirkpatrick?s design was chosen by the panel of judges.
Iain said: ?It sums it up really well and has a stamp-type look, which seems to fit a stannary town.
?We are getting an identity, which is important, and we want our logo to appear on loads of different things, to get people prepared for the events next year.?
Iain said the standard of entries was ?absolutely astounding? and it had been very difficult to choose a winner.
However, those that didn?t win the competition have not lost out ? the best runners up will be announced once the school holidays are over. These will be used on complementary items produced in connection with the celebrations, like paperweights, bookmarks, ashtrays etc.