Ilfracombe deputy mayor, Councillor Peter Rawle hands over the tea room keys to members of the Bicclescombe Playground Improvement Group, flanked by town and district councillors Mike Edmunds and Phillip Webb.

Council secures lease for community group to run Bicclescombe Old Mill

ILFRACOMBE Town Council has handed the keys of Bicclescombe Park tea rooms to a community group ready.

The council has taken on a six month license and sub let the premises to volunteers of the Bicclescombe Playground Improvement Group.

The group is now running the tea room seven days a week, from 10 am until 5pm.

District and town councillors Mike Edmunds, Phillip Webb and Geoff Fowler have been working with North Devon Council to make the arrangement possible.

“I think it is a good thing to hand the mill and tea rooms over to the voluntary group, because in previous years people have struggled to make a decent living from it and as a result it’s never been reliably open,” said Mr Webb.

“The volunteers are a very enthusiastic bunch of people and an hour after they had the keys the stock was there ready to open on Sunday.”

The town council has made a £2,000 grant to the group to enable it to buy stock and any profits will be invested back into the park area.

The Old Mill will provide tea, coffees and cold drinks as well as snacks such as ice creams crisps, sweets and biscuits.