Devon-based music charity Wren Music has welcomed a national survey which shows that more young people than ever before are learning to play an instrument, but says more can be done to keep them involved in music into adulthood.
Projects like Wren’s ‘Rough Music’ orchestras, ‘Voices in Common’ choirs and Roots Music School - its community orchestras and choirs across Devon - are aiming to do just that.
Wren’s orchestras and choirs are for anyone to join irrespective of ability, with the aim of encouraging a life-long involvement in music.
Record crowds enjoyed three days of music, song, dance and crafts at the 37th Dartmoor Folk Festival held from August 8 to 10.
Local and national artists entertained audiences at the event held at South Zeal, near Okehampton.
The festival included concerts, dances, a Dartmoor Fayre, a ceilidh, folk service, craft displays, music hall, pub sessions, a ramble on Dartmoor and music, song and dance workshops.
The packed programme of events also included a dedicated children’s festival.
Hotly-contested competitions included the Dartmoor Broom Dance championships...
Local folk heroes Kathryn Roberts and Sean Lakeman are among the highlights of this year’s annual celebration of traditional music in the Dartmoor town of Okehampton, the Baring-Gould Folk Weekend.
The husband-and-wife duo, who live within the Dartmoor National Park in West Devon, will be performing a selection of favourites plus some brand new songs from their forthcoming album when they headline the festival’s Saturday afternoon concert at Fairplace Church.
The line-up of a jam-packed weekend also includes Phil Beer from East Devon folk legends Show of Hands, award-...
Firefighters helped the ambulance service rescue two people from a river in West Street, Okehampton in the early hours of this morning.
At 3.21am fire crew were asked by the ambulance service to attend the incident, which saw two people in two foot of water.
One female had sustained injuries and crews in dry suits used a spinal board and a 105 ladder to rescue her. One male was assisted from the water by crews also.
The female was conveyed to hospital by ambulance crews. Her medical status is currently unknown.
It is currently unknown how the pair came to be...
As part of its 200 year anniversary celebrations, Finch Foundry in Sticklepath, near Okehampton, is hosting a local produce fair in the garden on Saturday 21 June.
The Foundry is looking for talented local producers to come along and display their wares at the fair which, if it proves successful, will become an annual event in the calendar.
Ben Shapcott, Foundry Manager said: "The produce fair is an opportunity for local producers to showcase their crafts and produce against the backdrop of the Foundry which was once one of the biggest producers of edge tools in the south...
A charity worker from Devon has tragically died in South America while raising money with a round the world cycling challenge. Sharon Bridgman, 38, is reported to have been killed instantly after being hit by a motorist in Bolivia on Saturday afternoon. The Evening Standard reports that Mrs Bridgman was about 100m to 200m behind her husband, riding in a remote desert region 270 miles of the Bolivian capital La Paz, when she was hit by the 4X4 Toyota Land Cruiser on Saturday afternoon. Sharon and her husband, Tim, from Zeal Monachorum, near Okehampton had been cycling in an attempt to raise...
Two appliances from Okehampton and Hatherleigh were called to a tractor fire which occured yesterday ( Saturday 19th April ) afternoon.
Crews were called to the incident, in Loveland, Northlew, Okehampton, by a farmer reporting that his tractor was on fire.
On firefighters confirmed that the tractor, towing a spinner full of fertiliser, was well alight but the spinner was not involved/affected.
The incident, which took place at 4.40 pm, resulted in two breathing apparatus and two hose reel jets being used to extinguish the fire, which started accidentally.
Fire crews have worked through the night to tackle a fire hitting a farm building in Okehampton. Crews were first called to the scene shortly after 4am and work to douse the flames continued until nearly 10am this morning. The fire, thought to be accidental, started in a single story farm building filled with large amounts of hay, straw, corn and animal feeds as well as some light farm machinery, half of which was consumed by the flames. The fire was extinguished by fire crews using three hose reel jets, one compressed air foam systems jet and two breathing apparatus wearers. Devon and...
An Okehampton farmer has been convicted in Exeter Magistrates Court of breaching the ban that was imposed on him by Exeter Crown Court in November 2012.
He was fined £500 and ordered to pay costs of £500 plus a £30 victim surcharge. So a total of £1030. The prosecution was brought by Devon and Somerset Trading Standards Service.
The court heard that Leon Smith kept a collie dog in a livestock trailer on his land at Meldon, near Okehampton for at least six days. The court was told that a local resident heard the dog in the trailer on 24th March 2013, took photos, and...
Top local and national artists will headline at the 37th Dartmoor Folk Festival, which will be held at South Zeal, near Okehampton, on 8, 9 and 10 August.
Artists announced, to date, include: New Rope String Band (Friday), Lady Maisery, Greg Russell and Ciaran Algar (winners of the BBC Young Folk Awards 2013), Vicki Swan and Jonny Dyer, The Old Fashioned, Bill Whaley and Dave Fletcher, Chalktown and Pete White's Suitcase Circus.
Other artists attending include Trevor Organ's Cracking Crockery, The Dartmoor Pixie Band, Tony Beard, Entertainingly Different, Dave Wills,...
