Use the

A Community Website
Despite the name, our home community is the Beacon Villages - South Tawton, South Zeal, Sticklepath & Belstone. Our aim is two fold. To advertise our area worldwide, to attract tourism and investment. for the benefit of the community. Secondly, to act as a community resource - an information point for the exchange of ideas & an access point for local historical and cultural resources and an enhancer of community links and pride.
We now require more input and subject expertise from all the various interest groups in the community. Contributors can have free direct access to their own page on the web site to change and update it at will. The Photo Album can include any artwork (a showcase for local artists?) and can become a joint community resource bank. Any local group can add its own page(s) to this site (e.g. South Zeal United, The Sticklepath Fireshow, Belstone Players, etc. Give us the material, we will put it up! The potential is endless!

Now continue browsing, using the drop down menu selections above. Don’t forget to click on the grey button when you have selected what you want to look at. I have forgotten many times and sat like a lemon waiting for something to happen, because I forgot to click the button!

South Zeal becomes the centre of world wide interest next month when the Folk Festival is put on the Internet by local entrepreneur John Harding of Peard’s Acre.

Working at the cutting edge of technology, John is working with the B.B.C. and the local Beacon Village area web site www.south-zeal.co.uk to bring the the highlights of the annual Dartmoor International Folk Festival to the rest of the world. Using solar panel powered web cams and using the international GSM mobile phone network, John intends to do with South Zeal’s Folk Festival what he has already done with Blackpool and the Skomer Island puffins. In fact, he intends to do better. For while these B.B.C. web cam sites are providing updated images every 30 minutes, the Folk Festival images will be beamed to the world every 30 seconds.

In the lead up to the Festival, John will be fine tuning his equipment in full view of the world and viewers who log on to www.south-zeal.co.uk will be treated to fine views of the village’s recreation ground, where the Festival takes place.

Festival organiser Jane White is delighted with the innovation. The Festival has been going now since 1978 when local musician Bob Cann decided to revive and preserve the traditional Dartmoor music, dance, song and crafts. Since then it has grown to include top international folk artists, while still maintaining it’s reputation as a friendly, traditional Festival. This new twist will allow those, all over the world, unfortunate enough not to make the venue, to get an idea of what they are missing.

Don’t forget to tune in on 8th - 10th August. For more details of the Festival and booking forms log onto www.dartmoorfolkfestival.co.uk.

Watch out, in the next few days for the new drop down menu entrance to the Web Cam page!

JANE’S MAKING SAUSAGES AT 4 A.M.
When you run a successful farm, producing meat products from your herds of Dexter cows and your Gloucester Old Spot pigs and, at the same time, run a thriving Bed & Breakfast business, there’s not a lot of time left in the day for the marketing side of things.

Jane Barber, of Lovaton Farm, just north of the A30, approached us a couple of weeks ago about getting a mention on her local web site. As we had not heard any more from her, after our reply, a phone call revealed that Jane had not forgotten but was, just at that moment, up to her eyes in it.

While we are waiting for Jane to finish making her sausages and the hundred and one other things she needs to do to keep up with her orders, we thought you might like a look at the place where the traditionally reared (Countryside Stewardship Scheme) succulent meats come from. It is pure coincidence that Lovaton was covered when we were out filming for the Jubilee Video last year.

If you want some real tasty traditional treats, ring Jane Barber on 01647 231649 or mobile 07976 522276 or e-mail her at janey.barber1@btopenworld.com . If you have relatives looking for somewhere to stay for the Folk Festival or any other time go to Jane’s web site http://www.lovatonfarm.co.uk