A NEW team has taken over the running of The Friends of the Teignmouth Jazz Festival, after the shock resignation of the old committee.

Six of the former organisers did not want to stand for re-election at the recent annual meeting, but the new chairman, Colin Trigger, has pledged: 'We are on a steep learning curve, but I have a very good team and we will ensure the jazz festival goes ahead and becomes even better.'

Mr Trigger, who masterminded the funding and construction of the new Teignmouth Museum building, said he did not know why the previous committee – bar hairdresser Jim Stevens – had quit.

'But it came as a big surprise. The majority of them lived outside Teignmouth, but now we have a management committee of all local people.

'We have boxes of documents and files and CDs to look through, which will take some time, and there is a lot of work ahead.

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