Rural Reach Magazine Jan 2026

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A New Year Message from RURAL REACH

As we step into a new year, I’d like to take a moment to say a genuine thank you to everyone who has supported Rural Reach so far.

Whether you’re a reader, an advertiser, or someone who has shared a story, passed the magazine on, or simply mentioned it to a neighbour, your support has helped this new publication find its feet. Rural Reach was created to help connect our villages and outlying communities across North Devon and Torridgeside, and it’s been really encouraging to see the magazine starting to feel like part of local life.

The new year always brings a fresh sense of possibility, and I’m looking forward to seeing how Rural Reach can continue to grow with your help. If you’ve got something you’d like to share, a village event, a local fundraiser, a club update, a community notice, or a story that deserves a wider audience, please do get in touch. The magazine is here for the whole community, and every contribution helps keep it relevant, useful, and truly local.

We are also still looking for reliable, community minded people to help with regular delivery of Rural Reach in the

following areas: Beaford, Bratton Fleming, Brayford, Filleigh, Georgeham, High Bickington, Knowle, Muddiford and West Down. If you, or someone you know, might be interested, please do reach out. It is a simple way to earn a bit locally and help keep your community connected.I’d also like to thank our advertisers, the local businesses, tradespeople and services who choose to support Rural Reach. Your adverts do not just keep the magazine going. They help ensure important local information reaches households right across the area, and they encourage readers to support the businesses on their doorstep.

Here’s to a happy, healthy and positive New Year for you and your family. Thank you again for being part of Rural Reach, and for helping keep our rural communities connected.

Graham Harris, Publisher Email: ruralreach@boomboommedia.co.uk Rural Reach is not liable for services provided by advertisers or for inaccuracies within this publication. We cannot accept responsibility for any loss or damage due to errors or omissions. Reproduction of content without our prior permission is prohibited.

Bleak Midwinter? Perfect Time to Plan Your Planting As tinsel and turkey become a dim and fragrant memory and we brace ourselves for the bleak midwinter, there's nothing nicer for anyone with gardening visions, than to curl up on the sofa, out of the cold and the rain...with a pile of seed catalogues!

Written by Kate Helyer

Consult those seed catalogues for inspiration, or for those much desired plants you'd love to have in the garden this year but always cross reference the plant information with your intended site for it, to be sure of giving it a happy home, where it will thrive, in sun, shade or a dappled bit of both.

You might not be able to get out there and do much more than add some mulch layers to protect from frost, but now is the time to get planning the year ahead. If you're passion is for colour and flowering plants, think of your garden as an extension of the house. Look at your beds, borders, planters or windowboxes and get those colour swatches out.

Just as you would pick up match-pots, wallpaper samples and paint colour charts for a room refresh, so you can plan out the colours, textures and heights for your outside space. Sit at the window (look at it from all the angles you can) and sketch out a plan on paper. It doesn't have to be accurate.

Squiggle away with the kids' coloured pens, pencils or paints. As long as YOU know what it means, it will be grand (adding in labels, if, like me, memory isn't enough)!

And if you're an eager beaver who is just desperate to get out and plant, there are a few possibilities. In January you can sow tomatoes and chilies under cover, but like us, they MUST be kept toasty and warm at this time of year - sow them in a heated greenhouse, in a propogator or on an indoor windowsill.

TAILS & TWINE: what a wonderful way to end last year The festive workshops at Venn Valley Vineyard were such a joy! It was incredible to meet so many lovely people, all gathered around a table with hands busy, laughter in the air, and a glass of the vineyard’s finest, creating something special together.

I’m Sophy, a dried flower florist and workshop host based in North Devon. My workshops are warm, relaxed, and inclusive. They’re not about perfection, they’re about enjoying the process. Whether you come on your own, with a friend, your mum, daughter, or a special someone, you’ll be welcomed in and guided every step of the way.

Each session focuses on crafting something seasonal and meaningful that you can take home and enjoy long after the day itself. I share simple techniques, styling tips, and gentle guidance, so no experience is needed, just a willingness to give it a go. These gatherings are creative, sociable, and always full of good conversation (and often a little something to sip!).

Dogs sit at the heart of everything I do. Every piece is made with care, character, and purpose, and with every workshop booking or bouquet ordered, a donation is made to support The Dogs Trust, a cause very close to my heart.

I’m so excited for what 2026 has in store!

This March, I’ll be moving into a small unit at Venn Valley Vineyard, which means more workshops, more creative gatherings, and a delivery service for seasonal, dried flower gift bouquets. Great things are ahead, and I can’t wait to share them with you!

M: 07779 601 574 mark@map-accounting.co.uk www.map-accounting.co.uk

CLUCK & MOO: Is It A Question Of Balance?

The proposed Holsworthy Beacon Solar Farm, spanning 2,700 acres, has sparked understandable concern. While I support renewable energy, I believe the case for large-scale solar farms has been oversimplified. Solar panels on homes, farm buildings, factories, schools, hospitals, and leisure centres make perfect sense. They generate power where it’s needed during the day, with minimal impact on wildlife or landscapes. My reservations begin when acres of farmland are covered in panels.

The first issue is biodiversity. Solar projects often mean few trees and low-trimmed hedges to avoid shading. Yet advice from Devon Wildlife Trust stresses the importance of infield trees for shade, soil nutrients, carbon storage, and biodiversity. Second is grazing. While sheep are said to graze under panels, in practice this is rare. Grass deprived of sunlight is less nutritious, reducing carbon sequestration and harming soil microorganisms. Third, land is finite. With 70% of Earth covered by water and populations rising, shouldn’t farmland be reserved for nutrient-rich food, especially in times of global instability? Fourth, inefficiency. Sir Dieter Helm’s *The Future of British Farming* highlights how the UK now requires 120 gigawatts to achieve the same output once delivered by 60, due to grid inadequacies in handling renewables and storage. Meanwhile, electricity costs are four times cheaper in the US, and even cheaper still in China. This disparity contributes to national debt and the loss of industries such as steel, fertiliser, car manufacturing, and plastics. We still consume these products, but outsource their production—along with

the fossil fuel emissions—to other countries.

Despite claims from Energy Secretary Ed Miliband that solar is the cheapest form of electricity, bills in the UK remain among the highest globally. Solar’s hidden costs lie in the doubled grid and infrastructure it demands. Chris Clark and Brian Scanlon’s *The Profitable Farm* argues that food itself is energy. Their calculations show grazing cattle or sheep on organic grassland is six times more efficient at producing energy than solar farms. I don’t fault farmers for choosing solar—it’s tough to stay profitable in agriculture. But if we valued locally produced, nutrient-dense food and rewarded farmers who protect wildlife and the environment, solar farms would be far less common. The result would be healthier people and a more resilient countryside.

“As Heard by the Herd” – Moo cluckandmoo@mail.com

January Reflections - A Kinder Start to the Year January often arrives with a strange mix of pressure and discomfort. If you celebrate Christmas, the festivities are over, daylight is limited, and we’re suddenly expected to become new versions of ourselves overnight - The good old New Year's Resolutions! It’s no surprise that many people feel flat at this time of year, and with ‘Blue Monday’ looming in the media, it can feel as though we’re being told to expect to struggle. But instead of viewing January through a lens of gloom or forced improvement, we can choose a gentler, more realistic approach to our wellbeing.

I feel there is a lot that contributes to ‘Blue Monday’ in January. What many people feel now is the natural response to winter - slower energy, disrupted routines, financial pressure, and social withdrawal after a busy December. Acknowledging this without judging ourselves can already help to ease the pressure.

One useful way is to rethink the idea that we must hit the ground running. Change doesn’t have to be dramatic or immediate. January can be a month of transition, not transformation. Permitting ourselves to start slowly can reduce the sense of failure that often follows an overenthusiastic New Year’s resolution, which I’m all too guilty of at times.

Small, compassionate practices can make this month feel more manageable: • Light exposure matters. A short walk in natural daylight, even on a grey day, can lift mood and reset sleep patterns.

• Keep goals small and flexible. Instead of ‘get fit, try ‘move for ten minutes.’ Instead of ‘be more organised,’ choose one space to tidy.

• Reconnect gradually. Social contact can be grounding, but it doesn’t need to be intense.

Written by Lisa Wickett

A message to a friend, a coffee with someone safe, or joining a low-pressure activity can make you feel less isolated.

• Build rest into your routine. Winter naturally invites slower living, yet we often resist it.

Allowing time for rest can help to regulate our emotions and energy levels.

Most importantly, remember that January is just one chapter, not a measure of the year ahead. If this month feels heavy, you’re not doing anything wrong, you’re human, responding to your environment. Sometimes, the most meaningful progress is simply treating yourself with understanding as you ease into the year.

Wishing you all a healthy and peaceful start to 2026.

Old Traditions, New Beginnings There is something quietly powerful about the turning of the year. The days are still short, the lanes are darker earlier, and village life settles back into its winter rhythm. After the bustle of Christmas, New Year arrives with a different feel. It is calmer, more reflective, and for many of us it brings that familiar sense of a fresh start.

The idea of a “new year” is older than you might think. The Romans set 1 January as the start of the year in honour of Janus, the two-faced god of doorways and beginnings, who looked both backwards and forwards. It is a fitting image for this time of year, when we take stock of what has gone, while hoping for what is to come.

Across Britain, New Year has long come with its own customs. In Scotland, Hogmanay is famous for first-footing, where the first visitor to cross the threshold after midnight is said to bring luck for the year ahead. Traditionally,

they might arrive with coal for warmth, bread for food, and something to drink for good cheer. Even if we do not follow the tradition to the letter today, the meaning still lands. Start the year by looking out for one another.

Elsewhere, the old practice of making noise at midnight, bells, cheering, and singing Auld Lang Syne, has roots in the idea of driving away bad luck and welcoming in better days.

Whether you are in Chulmleigh, Bratton Fleming, Woolsery, or one of the many smaller communities in between, New Year is a gentle invitation to begin again. A fresh page. A kind word. A visit to someone who might be on their own. Supporting a local business. Joining in with a village event.

Small things, done steadily, are often what shape a good year.

From all of us at Rural Reach, we wish you a happy, healthy New Year.

THE~

DEVON AND

The Devon and

CORNWALL FISH COMPANY

LTD

Cornwall Fish Co LTD Appledore Fish Dock Hubbastone Road EX39 1LZ Opening Hours Tuesday – Friday: 8am - 3pm.

Saturday 8am - 1:30pm

Enjoy the freshest fish—locally landed and caught by North Devon boats, straight from sea to plate!

Fish and shellfish not available locally are sourced from the very best suppliers across the UK

Telephone 07871616515 email: thedevonandcornwallfishco@gmail.com

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