Tag Archive for: Exmoor

The Dulverton Artisan Food, Drink & Crafts Festival is a glorious summer event celebrating the many artisan producers located across Exmoor, the Quantocks and Devon.  To be held on Saturday 6 July from 10am to 4.30pm on the Exmoor Lawns beside the River Barle in the heart of Dulverton – a beautiful location for this popular festival, now in its third year.

Cottage Beer Project

Alongside live music and hot and cold refreshments, you’ll discover 35 stalls from local producers – a selection of gifts, clothing, homeware, artwork, leather goods and of course home-produced meat, beer, spirits, chutneys, preserves, dog treats… to name just a few!

Enjoying the stalls, the live music and the refreshments

Some of the many artisan producers to attend include Beckland Charcuterie, Border Country Belts, Cherry Tree Preserves, Combe Florey Nursery, Cottage Beer Project, Culmstock Chilli Company, The Dog House Pantry, Exmoor Distillery, Exmoor Feasting, Exmoor Fudge Kitchen, Exmoor Tea, Helena Elliott Illustration, Little Oak Farm Pork, Loaders Cider, Max and Mike’s Street Food, Lucho Bakes, The Nomadic Barista, Painswick Pets, Painted Crow Designs, Rupert Smith Wildlife Photography, The Sip Shed, Sophie Forster Design and very many more.

Many thanks to our generous event sponsor – The Best of Exmoor. Why not book to stay in one of The Best of Exmoor’s idyllic character holiday cottages and come to the Dulverton Artisan Food, Drink & Crafts Festival to discover the very best of Exmoor’s producers and artisans?

Free admission for all.  Dogs welcome on leads.  For all information and a full list of stallholders, click here.

Come to the beautiful Exmoor town of Dulverton on Sunday 23 June and discover a dozen of its secret private gardens open to the public for just one day.  The Dulverton community is extremely grateful to these green fingered residents who have generously volunteered to showcase their gardens for an excellent charitable cause.

Visitors to the ‘Secret Gardens of Dulverton’ event will be issued a map of Dulverton and details of the 12 gardens with their admission tickets, which are available to purchase in advance from Dulverton Post Office and the Tantivy shop and café in Dulverton.  All the gardens are within a comfortable walking distance of each other in the heart of Dulverton and well-behaved dogs are welcome on leads.

The tickets are £5 per person in advance and will include a map of the town with dots pinpointing the garden locations, and brief details of each garden.  Children under 16 go free.

On the day itself, tickets (at £7) will be available to purchase in  Dulverton Town Hall – where you’ll also be able to enjoy tea, coffee, beer, wine, cake, filled baguettes and ploughman’s lunches.  Many of the town’s eateries and shops will be open for this lovely summer event!

A donation from the event proceeds will be made to the local food bank by Dulverton Town Council.

It’s just ten days until the very first ‘Dulverton Sounds’ Music Festival on Saturday 25 May to be held on the Exmoor Lawns beside the River Barle throughout the day.

Anyone visiting the Dulverton Farmers Market in the morning can stay in our pretty Exmoor town and head to the festival for a fun packed Dulverton Bank Holiday Saturday!

From 12 noon folk music fans will be heading to the ‘chill out’ tent to play their own music with their own instruments – and vocals too.  Why not join them?!

Then from 3 to 10pm there’ll be a large marquee featuring music of almost every genre – a big brass band, folk music, a shanty band, songs from the pop divas, country & western tunes, acoustic guitars, jazz and retro pop.  Something to suit every taste! For the full programme and line up click HERE

To ensure the day goes with a swing, there’ll be a large refreshments area from 3pm featuring hot and cold food and locally produced beers, ciders and spirits.

Tickets for the ‘Dulverton Sounds’ Music Festival are now available HERE or from Dulverton Post Office. They will also be available to purchase on the door – but we recommend booking early to avoid disappointment!  Just £10 for the whole day and children under 14 go FREE.  All festivalgoers will be issued with a wristband.

Enormous thanks to Festival Sponsors, Oggies Music of Dulverton and Tarr Farm Inn.

The charming town of Dulverton, the Southern Gateway to Exmoor, is delighted to announce the launch of a brand new music festival.  On Saturday 25 May the Exmoor Lawns beside the River Barle will be buzzing with the sounds of live music from 3 to 10pm at the ‘Dulverton Sounds’ Music Festival.

Dulverton in summer

There’ll be a large marquee featuring music of almost every genre – a big brass band, folk music, a shanty band, acoustic guitars and more.  Sing along to a session of music from the pop divas – or one with country and western tunes.  Something to suit every taste! Visit the ‘Chill Out Area’ from 12 noon to 3pm – a separate marquee where you can bring your own instruments, make friends, join in and create your own folk music.

Hear the Edenbridge Town Band, a fabulous traditional brass band, and discover the music of Foxwillow with singer/songwriters Celia and Martin, and Hazel on the Celtic harp.  Dance and sing along to a set of country & western tunes and a set of songs by the pop divas with the sensational Elizabeth Phipps .  Jules and Rob will bring their style of rock music on acoustic guitars and vocals.  The Jurassix Shanty Band (pictured above) will be there and the fabulous Mint Juleps will bring an uplifting cocktail of retro jazz/pop well-known hits. The Festival will end at 10pm.

To ensure the day goes with a swing, there’ll be a refreshments area from 3pm featuring hot and cold food and locally produced beers, ciders and spirits.

Tickets for the ‘Dulverton Sounds’ Music Festival are now available HERE or from Dulverton Post Office.  Just £10 for the whole day and children under 14 go FREE.  All festivalgoers will be issued with a wristband.

Enormous thanks to Festival Sponsors, Oggies Music of Dulverton and Tarr Farm Inn.

The Dulverton Farmers’ Market is back for 2024 in just a couple of weeks!

Visit the charming Exmoor town of Dulverton to discover a traditional farmers’ market with a wide selection of stalls from independent producers, artisans and crafts people from across Exmoor, Somerset and Devon.  The market takes place on the last Saturday of the month from April to September – in the Lion Stables Car Park in the heart of the town – from 10 to 2.30pm.  Hot and cold refreshments and live music will be there to keep visitors refreshed and entertained!

The first market will take place on Saturday 27 April.

Go to the Dulverton Farmers’ Market website for information and links to each of the stallholders across the next six months.  Please note that not every stallholder listed is present at every market – the months they will be there are listed under each individual entry on the website.

Whilst in Dulverton, don’t miss the opportunity to spend the rest of the day exploring this picturesque town on the edge of the Exmoor National Park.  Why not stay for lunch in one of the many pubs, restaurants and tea rooms and browse the many delightful independent shops?

Fabula Youth Theatre is coming to Dulverton!

There’s something new coming to Dulverton, for all young people – and it’s FREE to join!

Are you aged between 8 and 19? Do you enjoy acting and drama?

Fabula Youth Theatre are looking for young people with an interest in drama, acting, creativity or just with an enthusiasm to have fun and be part of a collaborative group. No experience is necessary. Their aim is to use drama to provide a supportive place where young people can meet, grow in confidence and have fun.

Their Youth Theatre groups ran in Northampton from 2015 to 2021 and, having now moved to this area, they are now setting up in Dulverton.

How to get involved…

To start, they are offering four FREE workshops in Dulverton Town Hall in the first half of the summer term where you can come and try them out.

 

Junior Group (8-12 year old) 5.45 to 6.45 pm

Senior Group (13-19 years old) 7 to  8.30pm

The dates are:

Tuesday 30th April

Tuesday 7th May

Tuesday 14th May

Tuesday 21st May

The workshops will consist of drama games and activities, and will be led by co-director of Fabula Arts, James Gillam, an experienced youth theatre practitioner, former schoolteacher and former Head of Drama.

Have a look at their website or more information and to find out what former Youth Theatre members thought about the group! You can even watch a video in which some of them explain what they got out of being in the group.

Fabula Youth Theatre believe that all young people are creative, and they believe that Drama sessions are a great way for young people to explore that creativity and to develop confidence.

So, come along and try them out!

Contact James at info@fabulaarts.co.uk or on 07554 748835 to book a FREE place on the workshops or to find out more.

Many thanks to all those who attended the Dulverton Antiques Valuation Day in Dulverton Town Hall on Saturday 23 March.  A steady flow of people clutching antique items kept the expert valuers from Adam Partridge Auctioneers busy throughout the day.  Paintings, vases, watches, jewellery, military items, toys, crockery, silverware…. and much much more.

A military expert from Adam Partridge Auctioneers

“What a lovely, friendly event” commented Mrs J from Brushford, “filled with Dulverton’s unique community spirit.”

‘Guess the Antique Item’ Competition

And so to the popular free competition: ‘Guess the Antique Item’.  Many visitors had a go at guessing the original intended use of three antique items that had been brought along by Adam Partridge Auctioneers.

Item 1 – A late 18th Century yew wood wig powderer

Item 2 – An ice cream dispenser (to put between two wafers)

Item 3 – An exceptionally rare cattle horn trainer (to make the horns grow evenly)

Great fun was had by all the entrants amid lots of head scratching!

Only one person correctly guessed Item 1 – other suggestions included a hair curler, a beauty spot applicator, a device to pull lace stays and even an 18th Century ping pong game!

Nine people guessed Item 2 correctly – one interesting suggestion was that it was used for tying fish hooks!

Five people guessed that Item 3 was connected with the horns of an animal, though rams and billy goats were mentioned instead of cattle. Other suggestions included an udder teat cover, a seed spacer, a hobble and weights for a jockey!

The Winning Entries…

No-one guessed all three items correctly, but three people guessed two out of three and their names were put into a hat to draw the winner.  These were:

Jane Erith

Chris Kelly

Mr J Wilkins

And The Winner is…

Chris Kelly

Congratulations to him!  A bottle of wine is heading his way, generously donated by Town Mills B&B in Dulverton.

Thanks also to Dulverton’s Oggies Music Shop and Tim Venning’s ‘From Tim’s Workshop’ for bringing along their array of fascinating upcycled and repurposed items for the home – from musical instruments to agricultural machinery!

Finally, particular thanks to all the Visit Dulverton volunteers for baking cakes, serving refreshments and welcoming the visitors with big smiles!

Counting down the days until the next Dulverton Antiques Valuation Days to be held in the Town Hall on Saturday 23 March from 10.30 to 3.30.

The friendly and knowledgeable experts from Adam Partridge Auctioneers are returning to the beautiful Exmoor market town of Dulverton to join the volunteers from Visit Dulverton for another valuation event – and a fun competition for all to enter!

Visitors will be invited to search their attics and bring along any antiques, jewellery, fine art & collectors’ items they can find. For a small donation of £5 the specialists on hand will give a valuation and history of the items that are brought along.  A maximum of three portable items per person (that are small enough to carry!). No pre-booking required, just a first come, first served simple ticketed system on the day. For those wishing to sell items, the auctioneers will be able to accept pieces on the day for future specialist auctions.

There will also be a fun free competition at the event, when visitors will be asked to guess “What is the antique item?”  Three unique and unusual antique items will be displayed and competitors will be invited to write down what they believe the item to be and what was its original intended use.  The first person to guess all three correctly will win a bottle of wine generously donated by Town Mills B&B in Dulverton.

There will also be stalls from Dulverton’s Oggies Music Shop and Tim Venning’s ‘From Tim’s Workshop’. Both businesses create fascinating upcycled and repurposed items for the home – from musical instruments to agricultural machinery!

Refreshments will be available.

Visit the event page to learn more.

Following the success of the two 2023 Dulverton Antiques Valuation Days, Adam Partridge Auctioneers are returning to the beautiful Exmoor market town of Dulverton on Saturday 23 March to join the volunteers from Visit Dulverton for another valuation event – and a fun competition for all to enter!  Adam is well known as a regular face on television programmes such as Flog It!, Antiques Road Trip and Bargain Hunt, and is delighted to be assisting Visit Dulverton again with this friendly event.

What’s Happening?

On Saturday 23 March from 10.30am to 3.30pm, the experts from Adam Partridge Auctioneers will be found in Dulverton’s historic Town Hall for another Dulverton Antiques Valuation Day.  Visitors will be invited to bring along their antiques, jewellery, fine art & collectors’ items.  For a small donation the specialists on hand will give a valuation and history of the items that are brought along.  The donation is to be £5 for a maximum of three portable items per person (that are small enough to carry!). No pre-booking required, just a first come, first served simple ticketed system on the day. For those wishing to sell items, the auctioneers will be able to accept pieces on the day for future specialist auctions.

There will also be a fun free competition at the event, when visitors will be asked to guess “What is the antique item?”  Three unique and unusual antique items will be displayed and competitors will be invited to write down what they believe the item to be and what was its original intended use.  The first person to guess all three correctly will win a bottle of wine donated by Town Mills B&B in Dulverton.  Thinking caps on!

There will also be stalls from Dulverton’s Oggies Music Shop and Tim Venning’s ‘From Tim’s Workshop’. Both businesses create fascinating upcycled and repurposed items for the home – from musical instruments to agricultural machinery!

Refreshments will be available.

Visit the event page to learn more.

Dulverton’s favourite historical fiction writer, Kate Lord Brown, was again given the impossible task of choosing the winner and two runners up for the 2023 Dulverton Exmoor Literary Festival Children’s Writing Competition.

This year there were 26 remarkable, top level entries from children under the age of 13 from right across Devon, Somerset and Exmoor.  The theme for this year’s competition was to write a story of up to 500 words on farming, life on a farm – really anything to do with farms, to link with Michael Morpurgo’s love of farming and his charity Farms for City Children.  See below the competition entry poster designed by Rebecca Day of The Toad Hall Company.

The entries for the Dulverton Exmoor Literary Festival Children’s Writing Competition came in from far and wide – Bolham to Watchet, Bideford to Wiveliscombe – and the winner was 6 year old Fergus Brewer from Horner, near Minhead.  12 year old Amelia Toms from Bideford and 6 year old Jack Richard from Wiveliscombe were the excellent runners up.  All of them received prizes donated by Waterstones Barnstaple presented by the UK’s leading family author, Michael Morpurgo – who had just spent an hour on the festival stage chatting about his writing, farming and of course the wonderful ‘War Horse’ book, film and theatre production.

Pictured above from left to right are: Kate Lord Brown, Amelia Toms, Fergus Brewer, Jack Richards, Michael Morpurgo.

Read Fergus’ winning story here:

Bob’s Big Battle by Fergus Brewer (age 6)

Below the biggest mountain on Exmoor was a little place called Evie Farm.

It was full of wildlife and nature, but the farm was sold to a farmer who wasn’t very nice to the soil.

In the soil the microorganisms, the bacteria and fungi were having a fun time playing with each other.

The leader of the bacteria was called Bob, he was the king of the soil bacteria.

Bob is a green soil bacteria, with two small green legs and one eye with a wide smile. A friendly king who loves to play, the bacteria are invisible to humans.

While they were all playing on a sunny day, a sprayer came to the farm and the sprayer declared he would deploy his booms then travelled up and down and released the chemicals.

Luckily Bob knew just what to do.

He asked his friends the fungi to help, Bob and his fellow bacteria used the fungi to boost their strength.

Then Bob and his bacteria army headed to battle

They used their nets to capture the chemicals.

Pow, tang, whallop, urghh, kapoom

and took them deep deep deep deep underground.

And then left them there forever so they couldn’t harm the rivers, animals and soil.

The fungi and bacteria had the biggest party ever with little glow worms as their glowsticks.

The worms sang, the dung beetles played their rock and roll guitars.

People could hear them from miles around, when the party finished the microorganisms decided to take over the soil banishing the chemicals forever.

The new farmers heard their song and sent the sprayer to the scrap yard.

 

 

 

 

Tag Archive for: Exmoor

Nothing Found

Sorry, no posts matched your criteria