A HISTORIC event in Bodmin will no longer continue in its current format, according to its organisers.

Bodmin Town Council has announced that the traditional ‘Beating of the Bounds’ event will no longer take place in 2025 and going forward.

The news comes several months after Cllr Liz Ahearn, the mayor of Bodmin issued the traditional ‘call’ for the event to take place, an occurrence that usually happens every five years.

Cllr Ahearn had issued the call for the Beating of the Bounds to take place during a full meeting of Bodmin Town Council on November 28, 2024.

The event had been previously cancelled in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, meaning the last time the event took place was in 2015, an event led by then-mayor of Bodmin, Cllr Andy Coppin.

Beating of the Bounds is a historic custom that goes back hundreds of years and takes place every five years, when traditionally the mayor of Bodmin calls for the event to go ahead.

It usually takes place in Spring and involves walking approximately 13 miles around the parish boundary.

However, with the town much changed in the ten years since the last event, with the town substantially enlarged and access to the areas forming the boundary proving a challenge, it has been announced that the event will no longer take place in its current format.

The organising committee has said that in light of the changes, it was no longer possible to do so in a way that is accessible, safe or providing value for money.

However, while the event will not go ahead in its usual format, the organisers, involving the presidents of the Bodmin Rotary Club and The Lions Club of Bodmin, have said that there will be a focus on the development of ‘alternative’ traditional and heritage events that they say will ‘reflect and engage our wider community’.

Previous events have left Callywith Gate in the morning, walking on a route incorporating Fletchersbridge, Blowinghouse Bridge, Dunmere Bridge and Penbugle Farm before arriving in the evening at the Salting Pool at the conclusion of the beat where a hurling event would take place upon the mayor placing a silver ball in the pool.

Announcing the cancellation of the proposed event, a spokesperson for Bodmin Town Council said on behalf of the organisers: “We would like to inform residents that Beating the Town Bounds will not be taking place in its current format.

“After careful consideration, the mayor, Councillor Liz Ahearn, and the organising committee have concluded that the event no longer meets the needs of Bodmin’s community. Changes to the town and surrounding areas have created ongoing challenges with accessibility, safety, and value for money.

“Looking ahead, the focus will be on developing alternative traditional and heritage events that better reflect and engage our wider community.

“The mayor, along with the presidents of Bodmin Rotary and The Lions Club of Bodmin, would like to thank everyone who has supported the event over the years.”