Local News

The weather was still and dry for the biggest event in South Molton’s busy calendar on Friday night, (6 December), when the town hosted its Winter Wonderland celebration, as part of the Big Christmas Festival weekend.

The evening started in style with the infectious rhythms of Samba Sol, who led the Children’s Lantern Parade as it wended itsway from the Infants School, down the Lime Walk, onto The Square.

Enroute they met up with Father Christmas, who had given his reindeers a night off, arriving instead via Cedric the donkey and his smart carriage! Father Christmas was...

The Equalities minister Maria Miller has announced that same-sex marriages can take place from March 29.

The date comes far sooner than expected as it was believed that marriages would not be available until the summer.

It is thought that the date has been brought forward as the Government made the necessary arrangements before schedule.

Same sex couples wishing to marry on March 29 must submit a formal notice of this intention by March 19 Maria Miller said: “Marriage is one of our most important institutions, and from 29 March 2014 it will be open to everyone,...

South Molton’s fifth Christmas Fatstock Show was held on Sunday 8 December, as part of the town’s Big Christmas Festival weekend. The Christmas Fatstock Show is firmly rooted in agriculture and any visitor to it experiences a real taste of the area’s farming tradition. This is the one day of the year that sees the Pannier Market returning to its roots, with pens of sheep (and carcasses) beingshown and subsequently auctioned on the day. Mr Ron Tapp and his son Andrew took the Championship once again, as they did in 2011. As sheep are such an important part of agriculture on Exmoor (with...

As the South West housing market continues to show signs of economic recovery commentators have warned of the danger of the market may “overheat”.

A new report by the National Housing Federation (NHF) argues that “whilst economic growth has returned to many areas, this has caused the already over-stretched housing market there to overheat.”

In their “Home Truths” report they argue that rising rent and house prices are forcing working people onto housing benefits at the rate of 310 people every day.

The NHF also claim that if house prices continue to rise there is...