AN Exmoor village will shortly be overrun with Santas as the community’s festive season gets underway.

The annual Porlock Santa Festival starts on Thursday, December 11, and runs until the end of the month.

The village will see Santas of all shapes and sizes as shops, businesses, pubs, and community groups display their efforts in the hope of winning top prize.

Porlock High Street will be packed with a variety of inventive and fun creations, from small toy Santas to life-sized models, to bring festive smiles to everybody.

A Santa Trail leaflet will be available from several shops in the village where visitors can pick up a copy and follow the trail to choose their favourites.

Independent judges will tour the village at the beginning of the festival to vote for their favourites.

The overall winner will be awarded the ‘Porlock Newsletter Best Santa Cup’, and other cups will be awarded for ‘The Lorna Doone Best Comic Santa’ and ‘The Porlock Information Centre Most Festive Santa’.

Awards will also be offered for the ‘most original Santa’, the ‘most creative Santa’, and the ‘best small Santa’.

The winners will be announced on Saturday, December 13, to coincide with Porlock’s Christmas late night shopping event.

Porlock’s Christmas lights will be switched on during the evening of December 13 and from 4.30 pm there will be carol singing by village primary school children outside St Dubricius Parish Church, with face painting and Santa’s grotto in the Old School Centre from 5 pm, and carols in Dovery Manor Museum at 5.30 pm,

A brass band and live music performances start at 6 pm with street entertainers roaming the village centre.

The annual Santa dash through the village will start at 8 pm.

A Christmas tree festival is also being held in St Dubricius Church.