Exmoor Magazine

Exmoor Magazine Locally owned & run quality magazine for Exmoor, the Quantocks & North Devon. Posts by the Editor. This is a positive page, designed to inform & bring happiness.
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Thank you to everyone who has followed our page. Will number 13,000 be you? 🙂 Please make our soggy day and like and fol...
01/12/2025

Thank you to everyone who has followed our page. Will number 13,000 be you? 🙂 Please make our soggy day and like and follow if you enjoy our content x thank you 🐾🐾

Wishing everyone a wonderful December! This beautiful painting, from a previous issue of the magazine, is by Caroline Mc...
01/12/2025

Wishing everyone a wonderful December! This beautiful painting, from a previous issue of the magazine, is by Caroline McMillan Davey . If you’re in the mood for browsing Christmas art you can find her work, along with many other treasures, on the website. Churchgate’s Winter Exhibition is now open in Porlock too. Don’t miss it. Have a good week everyone. 🙂

Down a bit, up a bit, yep! May your Sunday hit the spot. Photo by Sarah Hailstone - have a lovely day. 🙂
30/11/2025

Down a bit, up a bit, yep! May your Sunday hit the spot. Photo by Sarah Hailstone - have a lovely day. 🙂

Here’s our Sunday Girl. This week her Reflection is called The Jesse Tree.“There shall come forth a shoot from the stump...
30/11/2025

Here’s our Sunday Girl. This week her Reflection is called The Jesse Tree.
“There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit” (Isaiah 11:1)

Today is Advent Sunday and the first day of the new Church Year. It is also the day when we start to look forward to Christmas, preparing ourselves for the coming of Christ. Tomorrow there will be the opening of the first door or box of the Advent calendar and the eating of chocolate or the discovery of one of the many other things that are contained in Advent calendars these days; I still stick to the traditional version with small pictures behind each door.

But this is not the only way in which we can prepare for Christmas and count down the passing days. Another Advent tradition, perhaps less known, is the Jesse Tree which we will be celebrating at our Benefice service today.

At its core, the Jesse Tree is a way of exploring a long, unfolding story that begins with the creation story in Genesis and takes us through stories of floods, journeys, struggles, and prophecies – leading to the birth of Jesus. A series of ornaments or pictures is added to a bare tree, each one representing a character or moment from these stories which we find in the Old Testament. Together, they form a kind of tapestry showing how different lives and events connect across generations and form the background and roots of the coming of Jesus.The people who are featured all have their role to play in the generations before Christ but all lead to him; it is, if you like to think of it this way, his family tree. Jesse was the father of King David, who was Jesus’ ancestor and from him and his descendants the ‘shoot’ (Jesus) appeared.

During Advent, the Jesse Tree highlights the experience of waiting and preparing. Advent is traditionally a season of expectation, and the daily practice of adding symbols to the tree encourages us to adopt a slower pace and reflect on the stories behind the story as we consider and contemplate each character. The use of the Jesse tree gives us the opportunity to step aside from the rush of December. It is a reminder that meaningful things often grow gradually, day by day.

The Jesse Tree is also a tradition that brings people together. Today in our service we will be using it to tell the story that culminates in Jesus’ birth starting with Adam and Eve and continuing with Noah, Abraham, Moses, David and all the rest. Each symbol placed on the tree becomes a starting point for conversations about values, relationships, challenges, and hopes. Above all, the Jesse Tree is about connection – past to present, story to story, people to one another.

It highlights how every person’s life is part of something bigger, and how themes such as resilience, promise, and renewal are timeless. Even for those who do not personally share the religious beliefs behind it, the Jesse Tree can serve as a reminder that our stories matter, and that we are linked to long traditions of seeking meaning and looking toward the future with hope.

In this way, the Jesse Tree becomes a seasonal ritual that invites reflection, curiosity, and a sense of belonging—something anyone can appreciate during the reflective weeks leading up to Christmas.

Hail to the Lord's anointed, great David's greater Son!
Hail in the time appointed, His reign on earth begun!
He comes to break oppression, to set the captive free,
To take away transgression, and rule in equity.

.g.davey has been going through his archive. Which is your favourite here? He writes: “Today’s Exmoor images from my arc...
29/11/2025

.g.davey has been going through his archive. Which is your favourite here? He writes: “Today’s Exmoor images from my archives. Please ask if you want to know about the subject of any of these. With apologies for Instagram’s image cropping. ”
Have a great Saturday everyone 😊

Wiveliscombe is blessed with some of the area’s finest independent retailers, meaning that when you visit, you can find ...
28/11/2025

Wiveliscombe is blessed with some of the area’s finest independent retailers, meaning that when you visit, you can find pretty much everything you’re after - including a plug for your kitchen sink! Our Sales Manager Jo has been out and about visiting advertisers and here are just a few of them. She has even managed to get behind a beer pump. Again.

Pictured:
Chocolate Books - Wiveliscombe - who are busy making their beautiful and sustainable Christmas decorations
Wivey Larder - full of delicious treats for your store cupboard
Wivey Hardware – does exactly what is says on the tin!
Thorne's Butchers - a great family-run traditional butcher’s shop
The Bear Inn, Wiveliscombe / Black Bear Brewery - where you’re sure of a warm welcome, beer brewed on site by master brewer Tom.
Wiveliscombe Country Feeds - a traditional countryside and agricultural merchant
WCI Group Ltd - the area’s water and waste water engineering specialists
Homefront Design UK Limited - designers of exquisite kitchens, bathrooms and bedrooms.
Our very own Jo.
WCG Sporting LTD

Thank Crunchie it’s Friday! Hurley and I currently have seven reindeer living with us (mentioning no names Porlock Infor...
28/11/2025

Thank Crunchie it’s Friday! Hurley and I currently have seven reindeer living with us (mentioning no names Porlock Information Centre Porlock Weir Gig Club), so it’s a bit crowded. But they are certainly making it feel Christmassy early.

If you have a community Christmas event this weekend - a Christmas fair etc - then please add it in the comments if you’d like to. You’ll find our printed diary of winter events in the Winter Issue as well, but I’ll post every Friday from now on reminding you to add your events below. Have a wonderful weekend, and an enjoyable first Sunday of Advent.

We love this Advent wreath wreath made by at Sandymere beach on 25 November from natural materials. New Calendars 2026 available on Etsy shop: https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/Beach4Art

And some stunning scenery to feast your eyes and soul upon, captured by .g.davey… Some pictures from a walk up Dunkery [...
27/11/2025

And some stunning scenery to feast your eyes and soul upon, captured by .g.davey…

Some pictures from a walk up Dunkery [yesterdsy] morning. A couple of misty/frosty views down the Exe Valley, Wheddon X sat in its own patch of frost, and a pony. Please click to see full view - these are 2:1.

Yesterday, I was listening to the budget and at exactly the same time I was editing and designing an article for our Spr...
27/11/2025

Yesterday, I was listening to the budget and at exactly the same time I was editing and designing an article for our Spring Issue about the exciting plans for the Exmoor Rural Health Hub at Cutcombe, written by . We have three articles about farming, including two about farmers’ physical and mental health, in the next magazine. We have always been very much behind our farmers. The fact that food security has had to become a highly politicised issue is, in my perhaps-naive view, bonkers. Whatever your politics, farmers are feeding all of us. Whatever your politics and diet, we all love our countryside. If a post can be a non-divisive virtual ‘thank you and we’re behind you’ then I’d like to say just those two simple things. Thank you. We’re behind you. Thank you for feeding us and for creating and managing the stunning landscape we call home. These arresting images of yesterday’s peaceful protest (every pun intended) are from a post by

As a good friend of the magazine always says in his posts, ‘look after one another’. 💚

Good morning all. Sorry I’m late. I think that what we all need today mentioning no red suitcases is some deep breaths o...
26/11/2025

Good morning all. Sorry I’m late. I think that what we all need today mentioning no red suitcases is some deep breaths of clear sea air. This is Broadsands, North Devon by .wheatley2 to drink in with your eyes if you are not by the sea. It’s a beautiful but slippery morning out there today. Take care.

25/11/2025

🎇 STOP PRESS! 🎆
Dulverton Town Council has just announced that it will pay for FREE PARKING in Dulverton’s car parks on the three Saturdays running up to Christmas 🎄- that’s 6 December, 13 December and 20 December! PLUS will pay for FREE PARKING on Starlight Sunday 7 December!
Enjoy fabulous, festive shopping and dining in our beautiful town with no parking costs! 🎄🎅🎁

🎅

Devon Hospice is spreading festive cheer this December with a wonderful Christmas Concert, on Thursday 18 December in B...
25/11/2025

Devon Hospice is spreading festive cheer this December with a wonderful Christmas Concert, on Thursday 18 December in Barnstaple Pannier Market. Entry is free and the whole community is invited to come along to get into the Christmas spirit.

Held to coincide with the last late-night shopping evening in Barnstaple before Christmas, the concert will feature some fantastic local talent on stage, Holy Trinity Choir, Carry on Choir, Scuttlebutt Shanty and Gabby Young and a beautiful light show to make the evening even more special.

“We hope the whole community will come along to enjoy our Christmas Concert. We have a great line-up of performers, from talented soloists to rousing choirs, who will each be putting their own unique spin on some festive favourites.” said Georgia Bedgood, Events Manager at North Devon Hospice. “But the evening will be made even more special thanks to a beautiful light show created by local lighting effects specialists, Blackbeam Cinematic. Part of this will involve creating a stunning ‘sky of stars’ on the ceiling of the Pannier Market, adding a touch of wonder to the festivities. So come along to our free Christmas Concert and enjoy the spectacle together.”

No festive gathering would be complete without some delicious treats, so there will also be plenty of seasonal food and drink available throughout the evening, to keep everyone warm and merry.

The concert also marks the culmination of North Devon Hospice’s annual Light Up a Life Appeal, which invites local people to dedicate a star to a loved one they miss at Christmas time. Georgia added, “The stars, each carrying the name of someone special, will be hung on two huge Christmas trees inside the Pannier Market. It will be a beautiful sight, as we light the trees on the evening and see all those stars sparkling in memory of people we miss. You can even add your own star, with a message to a loved one, when you come along on the night.”

This Christmas Concert is free and open to everyone in the community. Whether you're finishing your Christmas shopping, looking for a wholesome time out with family and friends, or wanting to remember someone special - North Devon Hospice warmly invites you to join them for what promises to be a beautiful and uplifting evening.

“Barnstaple will be full of festive cheer that night, as people enjoy the last late-night shopping evening before Christmas, so this will be a perfect way to make your evening even more special.” added Georgia. “We’ll be holding a collection for North Devon Hospice, but entry to the concert is completely free, because we want to give the community a night to come together. We’ll celebrate the season, and the memories of those we love. Join us at 6pm on Thursday 18th December at Barnstaple Pannier Market.”

For more information about the concert, or the Light Up a Life event, visit https://www.northdevonhospice.org.uk/events/.

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Exmoor Magazine

A quarterly, high-end publication for Greater Exmoor, including North Devon and the Quantocks, our approximate coverage area is a ‘rough diamond’, extending from Taunton in the east to Hartland in the west and Cullompton in the south. We are sold in local shops, along with Waitrose and M&S. If you missed out on summer issue we have a small number left and they are available to order through this page on on our website.

The magazine is also available, anywhere in the world, by subscription. Established in 1996, the publication remains proudly independent, being locally owned by Naomi Cudmore (MD) in West Somerset, and Elaine Pearce and Heather Holt in North Devon. It is edited, designed and run by Naomi (pictured). The magazine’s growing team of knowledgeable writers and photographers from Devon and Somerset share a common love of the area and a passion for the magazine.

The magazine’s office manager is Bryan Cath. You can call him about subscriptions and general enquiries on 0345 224 1203 or email him via [email protected]. You can email Naomi direct on [email protected].

www.exmoormagazine.co.uk