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Sea Ilfracombe is a success
Following a successful showcase
day in September, preparations
are now well underway for the first
Sea Ilfracombe Festival in 2010.
The showcase day was funded by grants from
North Devon Council, the AONB and Devon County
Council, with help from the North Devon Theatres’
Trust, Umber Music, members of the Rotary Club,
local councillors and the Harbour Master.
The programme included a sea food trail, which consisted
of a series of sell-out conducted walks, taking in a seafood
lunch at five different stop offs, namely 11 The Quay, S&P Fish,
Capstone Restaurant, Maddy’s Fish & Chips, and Tony Holland
providing ice cream at the Landmark Theatre. This proved
particularly attractive to visitors who arrived from Swansea
on the Balmoral steamboat. The public were also able to
look around the boat whilst she was in port, with a group of
musicians providing entertainment on deck.
The Ilfracombe Aquarium and Coastwise held Rotary Rock
Pool Rambles, which again were oversubscribed, with the
accompanying adults learning as much as the children for
whom it was originally intended!
The weather made it unsafe for the intended Try-a-Gig
event, so the boat ‘Rapparee’ was placed in the foyer of the
Landmark Theatre instead, with members of the gig club on
hand to talk about their sport.
The Prince of Wales pub and the Yacht Club hosted live
shanty and sea song performances from a number of
different groups, encouraging the public to join in. ‘Pirate Pat’,
the storyteller and poet, also performed around the harbour.
The Pavilion hosted a number of diverse exhibitions by the
AONB, the local diving club, Exeter University Geography
Department, North Devon+, Airscape Devon and the
town’s museum.
Following the showcase day, 63 organisations, businesses and
individuals have now expressed an interest in being involved
in the 2010 festival. This will take place on the weekend of
10 to 12 September, with the potential of other community
events being held in advance.
• Pirate Pat entertained
the crowds
A website is planned for the near future so that
locals and visitors can find out what is happening.
If you would like to be involved, please contact
the Co-ordinator at Sea Ilfracombe, PO Box 11,
Ilfracombe, N. Devon EX34 0WS or call 01271 882366.
The intention is to expand on the sea food trail, the rock pool
rambles and the maritime music performances, by adding
more events at a variety of venues to the programme.
A not-for-profit limited company has been set up to plan
the festival, with business people from the town being
appointed as directors and additional help from others. They
have already applied for funding from local partnership
group ‘Leader 4 Torridge and North Devon’, with additional
sponsorship, in cash and in kind, also being sought.
WINTER 2009 NORTH DEVON DIRECT 15