Young people held their quarterly meeting at Wheddon Cross, to update the organisation on aspects of life on Exmoor.

Exmoor Young Voices is an 80 strong, informal network of young people who live in the area, and they were there to discuss issues that affect them, ranging from self-build housing to tourism.

What makes the group unique is that they have a voice heard by Exmoor National Park, local councils and others – unlike any other young people within the country’s 15 national parks.

Exmoor Young Voices, with a core group of young farmers and their families, formed in 2015 to advise the park authority on what is needed for young people to stay living and working on Exmoor, and help minimise the drift towards an unbalanced population with more over 60s than the national average – and increasing.

The agenda for last week’s meeting included self-build homes, digital communications, housing, planning, tourism and the environment, and members of Exmoor National Park and local councils were also present.

The group is regularly involved with the local authorities, to make their views known and lobby them, with housing a major issue as well as digital inclusion, wages and transport.