A WEST DEVON town is set to hold its first ever awards evening in recognition of people who have made a difference in the area.

The Hatherleigh Community Awards Evening will see seven awards presented to individuals and groups who have made a significant contribution to the community.

Mayor of Hatherleigh Malcolm Jacobs said: 'During my year as mayor I've been to several civic lunches and during the course of their lunches they pay tribute to things people have done.

'It occurred to me that in Hatherleigh there are a lot of people that do an awful lot and we wanted to say thanks to them.

'We came up with the idea for Hatherleigh to have a community awards evening, so that everybody would come along.'

Cllr Jacobs said awards would be presented to a mixture of individuals and groups.

'It will be the first of such awards, but we hope it will become an annual event,' he said.

The event will be held on Friday, April 16 at 7.30pm in the community centre in Hatherleigh.