Local Christmas Markets for local gift ideas, a good time to meet local author, Liz Shakespeare

Anyone in search of an original Christmas present should go along to the Ruby Country Market on Saturday 6^th or South Molton Christmas Show on Sunday 7^th where they will have the opportunity to buy signed copies of books with local settings. The name of Liz Shakespeare has become well-known in the South-West as an author who brings to life the people and landscapes of Devon. Liz was born and brought up in Bideford and has a long Devon ancestry which she feels has given her a good understanding of Devon and its people. Her most recent book, All Around The Year, is a collection of twelve poignant stories, deeply rooted in the Devon countryside, and each linked to a month of the year from January through to December. For each story, she has created a character whose life is influenced by the landscape around them. She relied on historical research for inspiration for her previous books, The Turning of the Tide, a true story of a young Clovelly mother confined in Bideford Workhouse, Fever: A Story from a Devon Churchyard, and The Memory Be Green: An Oral History of a Devon Village.

Saturday Dec 6th from 9am-2pm

Saturday Dec 6th from 9am-2pm

Liz will be signing copies of all four books at the Ruby Country Market at Hatherleigh and at South Molton.Pannier Market

Charity invites everyone to a festive day of family activities

Christmas is just around the corner but as the shops start to get busier, Devon Wildlife Trust is offering a day away from the crowds. The annual Christmas celebration at the historic Cricklepit Mill may only be a few minutes' walk from the High Street, but to the tired Christmas shopper it will feel like a world away. Christmas at Cricklepit is being held on Saturday 6 December from 10.30am to 3.30pm and is a day of free family activities. Visitors can have a go at willow weaving and make Christmas decorations ready to hang up on their tree at home. There will be seasonal storytelling and the chance to meet Father Christmas! Our garden birds may also need a little extra help at this time of year as the weather gets colder so Devon Wildlife Trust will also be encouraging everyone to make a pine cone bird feeder to take home. Mince pies and hot drinks will be available, while visitors can also buy from the charity's wonderful range of Christmas cards, calendars and other wildlife-related gifts. Devon Wildlife Trust's Jasmine Atkinson said: "Christmas at Cricklepit is the perfect escape from the hurly-burly of Christmas shops. The day will be full of Christmas magic and excitement, and it's free!" She added: "Cricklepit is a historic mill and one of the best places to see wildlife in the heart of the city. Make sure you explore the garden with the Christmas nature trail. We were treated to great views of otters in the mill stream only a couple of weeks ago so you never know what you might see!" 

Devon Wildlife Trust's Cricklepit Mill can be found on Commercial Road, Exeter, EX2 4AB and is just a two minute walk from Exeter's historic quayside. The mill is easy to access by public transport. Only a 15 minute walk from Exeter Central train station and a 2 minute amble from the Quay bus stop. There is no parking at the Mill, but on street parking and car parks can be found close by. For more information about this event and the work of Devon Wildlife Trust visit www.devonwildlifetrust.org. Cricklepit Mill's visitor area and gardens are normally open to the public 9am-5pm weekdays, throughout the year. Entrance is free. Children must be accompanied by an adult at all times.

Sixty Second Snapshots Capture Local Characters for Short Film Collection

A short film competition has produced a series of sixty second films featuring some of north Devon's most interesting characters. North Devon Moving Image (NDMI) ran the Short Shorts competition to encourage local people to submit their own contributions to the community film making organisation's collection. The first prize went to Jason Parker for his film Why Paint? featuring local artist Derek Spencer. BBC Radio Devon presenter Judi Spiers was one of the judges. She chose Jason's film for her shortlist saying "Great use of music complimenting the elemental shots ... that and such a personal story really created a mood - not always easy in such a short amount of time." Second prize, a night out at The George Hotel in South Molton, went to Alice Bollen for her one minute film about Stephen Perham, Clovelly Harbour Master and fisherman. Alice says she chose Stephen as her subject "because he has such an interesting life. Stephen represents many generations; past, present and future, whose work is part of the fabric of rural North Devon tradition. I wanted to convey the feeling that for Stephen, bringing in the catch was as normal and everyday as driving to and from the office is for others." In third place was Oscar Adams's Short Short about Torrington's town crier and erstwhile Amsterdam drag queen Big Al, winning tickets to Bideford Cinema. Judge Joel Cooper, Head of Content at the North Devon Journal said of Oscar's film " talk about a colourful character! I loved the little snippets in to this man’s fascinating life and would be eager to hear more." Coming fourth was a group of talented young film makers from Goodleigh Primary School who produced a charming profile of their school's postman Chris. The children said: "We chose Chris as our colourful character because he delivers our post everyday, and always says "good morning" with a smile. We thought it was really cool that he is a volunteering DJ on the voice. It was really kind of him to let us come and see what he does. He also makes curries to help raise money for charities; he has cooked curry for our school to raise money which helped us to go on more school trips. When we went to his house it was filled with the scent of spices! Something else we found interesting about Chris was his Lotus because not many postmen, DJs have a flashy car in Barnstaple! He is an all round soulful person!" Thanks to North Devon Theatres the children and their teacher, Miss Grant, will be going to see this year's panto Jack and the Beanstalk for their prize. The Short Shorts collection is available to view on the Films page of the North Devon Moving Image website. Keep an eye out for our next competition coming early next year!

 Amanda McCormack and Peter Jewell present first prize to Derek Spencer who collected on behalf of Jason Parker

 Still image from Why Paint? by Jason Parker showing artist Derek Spencer

The Winners:

• First Prize - Sony Handycam from J&A Cameras - Why Paint? by Jason Parker
• Second Prize - a night out at The George in South Molton - Stephen Perham by Alice Bollen
• Third Prize - Bideford Cinema tickets - Big Al by Oscar Adams
• Fourth Prize - tickets to North Devon Theatres Panto - Chris the Postie by Goodleigh Primary School

The Judges:

• Judi Spiers - BBC Radio Devon
• Jo Stewart-Smith - Independent Film Producer
• Joel Cooper - Head of Content, North Devon Journal
• Peter Jewell - Co-Founder, Bill Douglas Cinema Collection 

Photos copyright NDMI (All rights reserved)