THE manager of Tavistock’s BID has called on residents to make one of the town’s biggest days of the year an event to remember – but to take care while they are doing it.

Tavistock’s Dickensian evening, cancelled last year due to Covid-19 restrictions, makes its comeback tonight and is expected to attract large crowds.

Organisers Tavistock BID (Business Investment District) announced in October the event would return, saying they believed it would be safe to stage it. That came after another of the town’s iconic events, Goose Fair, due to be held in October, was shelved by Tavistock Town Council because of the uncertainties surrounding the pandemic and concerns around the safety of potentially thousands of fair goers.

BID manager Janna Sanders urged people to enjoy the evening – but also asked them to be aware of continuing Covid-19 issues.

From Tuesday, UK residents were told to resume wearing face masks in shops and on public transport in response to the emergence of a new variant of the virus, Omicron, which is said to be more transmissable than previous variants.

Mrs Sanders, earlier this year, called on customers using Tavistock shops to respect the wishes of retailers who wanted people to continue wearing their masks in small premises.

She said: ‘Dickensian evening is the last big event of the year for the people of Tavistock and a hugely significant one for the businesses themselves so we, as a town, want to make it something they will remember for all the right reasons.

‘It will be the opportunity for people to enjoy a night out under the Christmas lights, supporting our local shops and ending another difficult year on a high note. We hope it will give us something positive we can take into next year.

‘The event may feel a little different this year as additional measures have been put in place to reduce the risks of Covid-19 and to create as safe an environment as possible for those visiting and working at the event. We ask for understanding and consideration so that everyone can have a good time.’

She added: ‘People will be required to observe the latest government restriction of wearing face masks in shops and we would urge people to also consider doing so in busy spaces outside. Stewards will be on hand to help as needed and to disperse areas that may become too congested.

‘We have asked the public before to take care so that staff in our shops do not have to self-isolate, causing the shops to either close or go on reduced opening hours and the response was great.

‘The days leading up to Christmas are important to traders, because that gives them the chance to recover some of the financial losses they endured during the worst of the pandemic, so we would ask the public help us stay safe again in the interests of keeping the town open so everyone can enjoy a good Christmas.’