WOULD YOU LIKE TO JOIN THE TEAM? WE NEED A DELIVERER IN YOUR AREA. INTERESTED?
We’re now three months into Rural Reach Magazine, and it’s been a fantastic start thanks to the incredible support from local businesses, our hardworking distributors, and the readers who’ve welcomed the magazine into their homes. A huge thank you to all of you
Each month, Rural Reach is delivered free to 4,000 homes across 19 villages in North Devon and Torridge, sharing stories, news, and events from our rural communities. But to truly reflect the life and spirit of our villages, we need to hear more from you. We’re still building up the level of contributions and that’s where you come in. Whether it’s a village hall event, a fundraiser, a community group update, a remarkable neighbour, or even just a few lines about something happening in your corner of the world your stories are what make this magazine meaningful.
We’re especially keen to hear from:
Local clubs and societies – gardening groups, choirs, WI, sports teams, etc. Community organisers – events, talks, coffee mornings, and markets
Individuals with a story – something historical, inspiring, funny or thoughtprovoking
Budding writers and photographers –we'd love to feature your work
Distributors – earn a bit extra and help keep your village connected
If you’ve been meaning to send something in, now’s the perfect time No contribution is too small, and every voice matters. We also rely entirely on local advertising to keep Rural Reach free for every household. If you run a business and want to reach thousands of engaged, local readers, advertising with us is a fantastic way to grow
your visibility while supporting a valuable community resource.
With your help, we can make Rural Reach a true reflection of the places we live full of the people, events, and ideas that make rural life so unique
Let’s fill these pages together. If you’ve got something to share, or just want to get involved, we’d love to hear from you
If you have any suggestions about content, would like to deliver in your area or would like to advertise, please don’t hesitate to get in touch You can call the office on 01271 326694 or email ruralreach@boomboommedia.co.uk
Warm regards,
Graham Harris
Publisher, Rural Reach Magazine
As Summer sunsets and sandy-toed walks become a dim and distant memory, there’s still plenty to keep us busy outdoors... Hi I’m Kate and I’ll be brightening your gardening day even when the nights draw in and the Autumnal tasks start to feel a little housework-y and drudge-iferous Yes, there’s a lot of pruning, clearing, tidying and cutting back to be done, but without getting preachy about the wonders of recycling, ‘there’s gold in them thar heapsblack gold! We’re talking compost And while a simple heap in a corner of the garden will do the trick, eventually, here’s a couple of alternatives you can just set it up and let Mother Nature do her stuff. Firstly, let’s talk about leaves and there are plenty of those around just now. Great for rustling through on a walk, or as inspiration for many a craft, not so great when they blow about a just-raked lawn, or block up the gutters. So composting leaves, separately from other garden waste, is an ideal way to clear them away and, with a little patience you’ll get lovely, rich dark humus that you can use as a soil conditioner and mulch around your garden. You don’t even need any special bins for this..just a black bin bag.
Written by Kate
exact I LOVE worms Nature’s gardeners, the soil’s busy little recyclers. So my favourite form of composting is the wormery. Everything goes in there, from fruit and veg scraps, to eggshells. (Potato peelings are tough so would need boiling first – and no meat or fish). Also added in, are deadheaded flowers and cuttings from the garden, some lawn clippings, though they need to be well mixed with other bits, and I even put in clippings from my dog when I give him a haircut – and the contents of the hoover bag!
I got my wormery from a fantastic website called www.wigglywigglers.co.uk They have a farm in Hereford where they produce their own bird seed – but also a variety of interesting composters, including bokashi bran - and wormeries The wormery is a series of stacking trays with a grid of holes in the bottom of each When the worms have finished breaking down one layer of scraps, they come up through the holes into the next tray up
Before the last 12 months if you had used the term “AI”, I would have naturally assumed you were talking about artificial insemination. AI has been in the news constantly over the past year and it would appear that we are not talking about selecting which bull semen to serve to our best cow
Now I grew up watching films and reading books about how technology would eventually try and wipe out the human race, science fiction, much of that fiction is becoming reality, although not yet Terminator’s on our streets!
In order to roll out the AI we are going to have to build extra power stations and create more reservoirs. This is because masses of electric and water are required to power and cool the data centres which AI uses.
Recently I read about Spain and solar projects they have commissioned since 2018 60% of the electric used in Spain comes from renewables which should be a very positive news story. But the cost of electric in Spain has reduced so much that the companies owning these solar farms are not making profits. The solar industry is producing more energy, than their national grid can take Over supplying local areas with electric and shutting down huge areas of panels at certain times in the day or year, because it cannot be exported as the network is not sufficient. In Scotland power from Wind turbines (reported in the Financial Times), 37% of the energy from their Wind industry was wasted because of insufficient network for exporting to the cities. 4 tera watt hours is wasted and this would supply all households in Scotland for 6 months! Scottish Government’s National
Energy Systems Operator paid £117 million in the first 6 months of 2025, to not produce energy!
Would AI prevent these planning mistakes, which cost us millions of pounds?
I am an AI sceptic, although I am sure it will have many benefits, the thought of AI being used to solve issues within farming reminds me of a quote This quote comes from Rudolph Steiner when he did his 8 lectures discussing farming, in Poland 1924 called Agriculture Course, The birth of Biodynamic farming. He said..”if one has not actually farmed, one cannot talk about the economics of agriculture… (any such such advice/theory would be)… “manifest nonsense” Success for me would be technology which improves our national issues and inefficiencies by using less resources, not more. I also don’t fancy The Terminator in Woolsery.
“As Heard by the Herd” – Moo cluckandmoo@mail.com
“No Foul by the Fowl” – Cluck cluckandmoo@mail.com
If you’ve ever watched your children enjoy outdoor adventures and thought, “I’d love to have a go at that”, here’s your chance! A brand new Explorers Club for adults is launching this autumn, thanks to the local charity Earth Action North Devon (formerly Plastic Free North Devon).
This exciting new programme is the grown-up version of the much-loved Ocean Explorers Academy, which has been getting young people from our local schools out into nature for years. Now, thanks to funding from Sport England, 40 adults from across North Devon will have the opportunity to take part in their own outdoor adventures—completely free, with transport included.
From rockpooling and woodland walks to paddleboarding and cycling along the Tarka Trail, the Explorers Club promises a mix of fun, fresh air and hands-on conservation Participants will also join National Trust rangers, take part in beach cleans, and learn practical ways to protect our coast and countryside.
Libby Bowles, education co-ordinator at Earth Action North Devon, said: “Families of our Ocean Explorers have been asking for years if they could join in, so it’s really exciting to finally offer this programme
to adults. We know people in our community are keen to reconnect with nature, improve their wellbeing, and do something meaningful for the planet.”
Whether you're looking to meet new people, boost your wellbeing, or just enjoy the great outdoors, this could be the perfect way to do it
If you live in North Devon and fancy joining in, email: info@earthactionnorthdevon org to find out more or to register your interest. Spaces are limited, so don’t miss your chance to become an Explorer!
Photo Credit: Libby Bowles
If you have any suggestions about content, would like to deliver in your area or would like to advertise, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. You can call the office on 01271 326694 or email ruralreach@boomboommedia.co.uk
