Arts, Life & Culture in the Heart of the Southwest
Across Devon's beaches and estuaries, choral groups are combining open-water swimming with communal singing in a ritual that's equal parts meditation and madness. The movement is growing fast, with science suggesting the combination offers unique benefits for both body and soul.
Forget conventional retirement – a growing number of professionals are choosing Dartmouth for dramatic career changes after 50. From corporate lawyers becoming ceramicists to accountants launching artisan bakeries, the town is quietly becoming Britain's reinvention capital.
In workshops scattered across Devon's coast, a handful of craftsmen still twist hemp and manila by hand, creating rope the way their grandfathers did. Their clients range from tall ship restorers to West End theatre riggers, all seeking something synthetic alternatives simply cannot provide.
Behind every village production lies an army of creative seamstresses and charity shop alchemists. Now Devon's amateur dramatics costume departments are catching the eye of sustainable fashion pioneers far beyond the county's borders.
In an age of streaming supremacy, Dartmouth's record enthusiasts are proving that analogue still has soul. From former merchant seamen to teenage converts, a surprising community of vinyl lovers is keeping the needle in the groove across the South Hams.
When the last pint is pulled and the doors are locked, Devon's pub gardens are just getting started. From sunrise yoga to midnight poetry, these overlooked green spaces are quietly becoming the beating heart of rural community life.
In workshops scattered across the South West, master craftspeople are discovering that centuries-old techniques suddenly make perfect business sense. From hand-carved picture frames to letterpress printing, traditional skills are finding unexpected markets in our throwaway world.
While politicians debate high street decline, a generation of creative entrepreneurs in Dartmouth is quietly transforming vacant retail units into thriving cultural spaces. Their temporary tenancies are proving more permanent than anyone expected.
From garden-shed laboratories to cliff-top observatories, a dedicated band of amateur researchers across Devon are collecting vital environmental data with nothing more than curiosity and kitchen scales. Their findings are reshaping how we understand our changing coastline.
From Exeter to St Austell, a quiet revolution is transforming the pub landscape. We explore the alcohol-free venues creating genuine community spaces for a generation drinking less.
From drafty church halls to purpose-built theatres, Devon's amateur dramatic societies face their greatest challenge yet. Can centuries-old traditions survive rising costs and streaming culture?
In an age of GPS and fish finders, a handful of Dartmouth's most experienced fishermen still trust their instincts over their instruments. We meet the keepers of maritime wisdom that stretches back generations.
Behind hand-painted china and secret scone recipes, a passionate band of tea room proprietors is quietly revolutionising Devon's café culture. Their weapon of choice? Uncompromising authenticity in an age of corporate coffee chains.
Across Southwest England, the humble village hall faces extinction as funding dries up and volunteers age out. But a new generation is discovering these modest buildings hold the key to rural cultural survival.
From elderflower cordials to wild garlic feasts, a new generation of foragers is unlocking the culinary secrets hidden in Devon's ancient hedgerows. Meet the countryside code-breakers teaching us to read nature's menu.
Across the rolling hills and craggy coastlines of Devon, a quiet revolution is bubbling away in converted barns and repurposed farm buildings. A new generation of craft distillers is transforming local botanicals into world-class spirits, putting the Southwest firmly on Britain's drinks map.
In village halls and care homes across Devon, a quiet emergency is unfolding. The distinctive dialect that has shaped local identity for centuries is vanishing faster than anyone imagined, and a dedicated group of linguists and volunteers are fighting to preserve what remains before it's lost forever.
They arrived with romantic notions of rural inspiration and creative freedom, but what happens when London's artistic refugees discover that Devon's creative paradise comes with its own unique set of challenges? We speak to the artists, writers and musicians who made the leap.
While most of us check our phones for the weather forecast, a dwindling band of Devon fishermen still read the skies like an ancient text. These coastal oracles possess knowledge that's been whispered from father to son for centuries, and now researchers are racing to preserve their wisdom before it vanishes with the tide.
In an age of corporate chains and gastropub franchises, a handful of Devon families continue to pour pints in the same buildings their great-grandparents once called home. These are the stories of the bloodline keepers—the landlords who've chosen heritage over profit.