Ho Ho Ho Barnstaple Craft Market finishes its 1st year with a Christmas Special!

Barnstaple Craft Market will be celebrating its first year in business with a Christmas special on Sunday 13 December – perfect timing for shoppers looking for a unique and handmade gift. 

The monthly craft market has now been running since June to compliment the Real Food Market in the Pannier Market. As usual all the crafts on show will be handmade in North Devon, it’s a showcase for the best of local makers in a truly unique setting. 

Established by Barnstaple Town Council, local craft event organiser Jo Isaac now runs the show, “I’ve really enjoyed managing the monthly Craft Markets in the Guildhall, it’s is a fantastic space right above the pannier market that few people get the chance to visit.  The craft community has been very supportive of the markets in their first year, each month brings new sellers and customers.  The Christmas Market will be a fantastic end to our first year.”

Crafts on sale will range from prints and pictures, textiles and jewellery, illustration, glass and natural bath products.  There will be a free raffle for visitors to the market with a wonderful hamper of handmade gifts to win, just visit the main chamber of the Guildhall to collect your free ticket.  The winning ticket will be drawn at 3pm by Father Christmas!

The next market is on Sunday 13 December 10.30am – 3.30pm in Barnstaple Guildhall which can be accessed from Butcher Row or the door inside the Pannier Market.

 Photos above feature goods made by Silver Springs, CherOcean Skyes Designs, Martha and Hepsie and Hogwash Soap

• Barnstaple Craft Market Facebook 
• Barnstaple Town Council - Events  
• St. Anne's Arts & Community Centre - What's On

All Around North Devon with Liz Shakespeare

Those in search of an unusual present will have the opportunity to buy a personally signed book during the run-up to Christmas. Local author Liz Shakespeare, who has become well-known in the South-West as an author who brings to life the people, history and landscapes of Devon, will be signing copies of her books at several different venues. 

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. 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. 

She is currently working on a novel based on the life of the Bideford Postman-Poet Edward Capern. Liz will be signing copies of her four books at the following venues:

• Bude Castle Christmas Fair on Sunday 29th November
• Ruby Country Market at Hatherleigh on Saturday December 5th
• South Molton Fatstock Show on Sunday December 6th
• Big Sheep Craft Market on December 12th, 19th and 23rd
• Hartland Farmers' Market on Sunday December 20th

Liz Shakespeare at Clovelly

Liz Shakespear Books

Devon Wildlife Trust wins top award for green education work

News has just been announced that Devon Wildlife Trust is the 2015 recipient of the Devon Environmental Business Initiative (DEBI) Environmental Education Award.  

This award category is aimed at those who 'promote environmental education across Devon recognising schools, colleges, universities, as well as community groups and the business sector who has made a significant contribution to improving environmental education'. The award was made on Thursday night at a ceremony at the Met Office's Exeter headquarters. Devon Wildlife Trust was chosen for its Wildlife Champions programme which has inspired hundreds of children to do good works for local wildlife and wild places. 

Wildlife Champions works with local schools where it has striven not only to get young people to appreciate the beauty and importance of the natural world , but also to take practical action to help it. In the past this has meant the Trust has worked with pupils to improve their school grounds through planting wildflower meadows, creating ponds and planting trees. Each autumn Devon Wildlife Trust also organises a conference in which hundreds of Wildlife Champions gather to discuss their achievements and plans

The Trust's Paul Martin leads the Wildlife Champion initiative. He said:

"We were told that the award was given to us due to the scale of our project, the length of time that it has been running and the vision for empowering a generation of children to be able to change the world around them. We are immensely proud to have won this award! All the staff and students involved work so hard to make this project successful, so it is fantastic for them to receive this accolade." 

Devon Wildlife Trust's Paul Martin with the DEBI Award  Photo copyright DWT (All rights reserved)