A local volunteer in Ilfracombe has received a BEM for her work in the community. Ann Doody works tirelessly for the community and has been and is involved with so many aspects of the town.She will probably be best known for being seen on her hands and knees around the town weeding pavements and planting up flower tubs on the streets of Ilfracombe.She helped with the Ilfracombe In Bloom volunteers for years doing this work alongside other projects and good works. Ann was involved with the Hotelier Association many years ago when she ran a hotel in the town.She is always willing to help when something needs doing and this is evident in her work for Ilfracombe Rotary Club which she has been a member of since 2005. In 2011 she became the first female President of that club and is the current President having been recycled to do it all again. She continues to organise the running of St Nicholas Chapel for Ilfracombe Rotary as well as being involved with all other aspects of the club and its own community work.Other involvement has included Chair of the Tourism Association, organising the annual Ilfracombe catering exhibition, helping individuals when needed and getting involved in countless other volunteering activities around the town.Ann never asks for praise and is always keeping herself out of the limelight but has now been recognised in a well deserved Honour Award.Local News – The Ilfracombe Magazine…

An Ilfracombe hotel has been purchased by a Southeast Asian hotel chain. The 99-bedroom Dilkhusa Hotel, which was also briefly used as a centre to house refugees, is now part…

After phenomenally critically acclaimed Edinburgh Fringe runs, the hugely popular ‘The Importance of Being… Earnest?’ is coming to the Queens Theatre, Barnstaple from Friday, 2 February to Sunday, 4 February 2024.The play’s debut UK tour has a cast that includes the cream of the crop of UK improv including Lucy Trodd (a founding member of Olivier Award-winning Showstopper! The Improvised Musical), Amy Cooke-Hodgeson, (a founding member of award-winning comedy hit Austentatious, who has starred in multiple UK tours, Edinburgh Fringe runs and on BBC Radio 4’s recording of the show) and Tom Bulpett (who starred in The Play That Goes Wrong at the Duchess Theatre in the West End).In this riotous twist on a much-loved classic the show opens to looming disaster; the actor playing Ernest in Oscar Wilde’s famed farce fails to arrive on cue. In a monumental effort to ‘save the show’, a real audience member is quickly cast in the lead role.But this impetuous recasting sets off a hilarious chain of events that, one-by-one, renders the rest of the cast unable to continue their performances.As more audience members are encouraged to step into the spotlight, led backstage for costume and make-up, impromptu auditions, the painting of portraits, the chanting of mantras; doing whatever’s needed to help the show go on, an absurd controlled madness ensues – until it feels as if there are almost as many audience members in the cast as there are in the … audience.This is a comedic masterpiece of meticulous logistics, meritoriously involved audiences and masterful stage management. The Importance of Being… Earnest? Is an exciting and hilarious experience both to watch and be part of. For more information visit queenstheatre-barnstaple.com.Local News – The Ilfracombe Magazine…

One of the town’s best loved private Christmas light displays is back with a bang for 2023.Aaron Lane of 16 Furze Hill Road has long been known for his extravagent festive illuminations – but promises that his latest display will be the biggest and best yet. The display is raising money for the Ilfracombe and District Lions Club and will even be turned on by town mayor Daniel Turton at their very own Christmas Switch-On event, which takes place at 6pm on Friday, December 1st.Aaron said: “This year’s display will feature more lights, more fun and possibly the best countdown of all time with a secret added surprise for you all.”Aaron also added a plea for any disused lights. He said: “If you have any disused lights, rope lights, festive figures or blow moulds, please let me know. I’d like to say a massive thank you to the Mayor Daniel Turton for agreeing to switch the lights on again this year and also to everyone who has said they are coming.It’s you lovely lot that makes me want to do the lights every year. Let’s WOW our town and amaze people by showing them what we’ve got. Happy holidays!”Local News – The Ilfracombe Magazine…

Residents at a local nursing home have partnered with Ilfracombe library to provide residents with a bespoke book delivery service.Residents at Edenmore can access the new Home Library Service which sees books delivered straight to their doors.Volunteer led, books are picked based on the reader’s interests and hand delivered every four weeks, giving those who receive them enough time to read through what they have chosen and then exchange them for new ones.As the weeks pass, volunteers can befriend family members and bond over the joy of reading. The service offers audiobooks and also makes tablets available to borrow, making the service accessible for those with sight loss and granting access to a wide range of books, newspapers, and magazines online.A spokesman for the home said: “It is widely known that reading can be a great brain exercise, as well as a relaxing outlet to relieve stress levels. Stimulating stories with captivating illustrations can ignite feelings of joy, curiosity, and nostalgia, especially if a person has been an avid reader in the past.The service exemplifies the importance of such communal gatherings in promoting a sense of belonging and shared experiences. The team remain dedicated to crafting more heartwarming experiences that enrich the lives of residents & brings the community closer.”Local News – The Ilfracombe Magazine…