A huge thank you to all who took part!

Hundreds of people from all across Exmoor and beyond took part in an activities fair held in Dulverton on Monday, April 5, to officially launch the three-year Active Exmoor programme.

West Somerset District Council chairman, Councillor Mike Gammon, and Sport England development manager Jonathan Calderbank were among the guest speakers at the launch.

Mr Calderbank said Active Exmoor had in a short time already become recognised as an example of good practice, and he praised the work of project co-ordinator Mike Bishop, who only took up his post last autumn.

He said one of the strengths of Active Exmoor was the number of partners which had come together to support the project.
(left to right) district council chairman Councillor Mike Gammon, Sport England’s Jonathan Calderbank, Active Exmoor committee chairman Mij Lambert, Active Exmoor project co-ordinator Mike Bishop, and Active Exmoor committee member and Somerset County Council Adult Learning and Leisure manager Jan Ross.

Mr Calderbank said: “Sport England recognises that Active Exmoor will help to bring together the small, isolated rural communities and will address issues of rural deprivation by helping residents to access facilities and participate in sports and other activities.”

Visitors to the activities fair found information available from a range of stalls highlighting dozens of different sports and leisure activities which could already be enjoyed on Exmoor.

Dulverton Town Hall
There were also displays about activities which organisers would like to introduce to the area, as well as guidance on how activity providers could find funding, and transport information for people who needed to travel to take part in activities.

Active Exmoor’s official website went live to coincide with the launch event, and Dulverton’s public library stayed open until 8 pm to allow people to use its computers to access the internet and search the new website.

The website, which contains detailed information about hundreds of sports and leisure activities on Exmoor, has a searchable online version of an Exmoor Sports and Activity Directory which Mr Bishop is compiling and plans to make widely available.

Copies of the project’s official newsletter, Moor Active, were also distributed for the first time at the fair. In the free prize draw the winners of a brand new Barracuda XC200 Mountain bike were the Takel family from Brushford.

The project was set up to encourage local people to become healthier by taking part in sports and activities on Exmoor.

Mr Bishop said Active Exmoor had been given an excellent start with over 300 people attending the fair.

He said one of the principal aims was to create a network of providers and users of activities who could talk to each other and share information and best practice advice, a process which was kick-started by those who attended the fair.
Dulverton Town Hall

Anybody who wants to know more about Active Exmoor can telephone Mike Bishop on 07919 540 575, or email him at

Active Exmoor is supported by a partnership including Somerset County Council’s Adult Learning and Leisure, Dulverton Town Council, West Somerset District Council, Avon and Somerset Constabulary, South West Lakes Trust, and Somerset Young Farmers’ Clubs.
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