ONE swallow may not make a summer but visitors to Porlock should have a clearer picture of what is on the horizon thanks to a new weather station in the village.

A donation from a mystery benefactor has funded the new facility, which should help visitors appreciate the advantages of Porlock's temperate climate.

Local businessman Grant Dennis, who is hosting the station at his village centre home, said until now Porlock's weather had been forecast by the nearest Met Office weather station at Liscombe on Exmoor.

"That's 800 or 900 feet up on the windy moor," said Grant.

"Porlock Vale and the village itself is in a little bowl - it's on the north side of the Exmoor hills and is protected from the South West prevailing weather.

"In the winter, we get the warming effect of the sea and in the summer we get its cooling effect.

"It's very rare to get a hard frost in Porlock

- in the last century the village won awards for its champion barley and it was put down to the climate.

"It's a really pleasant climate and the weather station will ensure that visitors know what it's really like here."

The idea of setting up the village's own station came from David Britnell, a local parish councillor who has been keeping a daily record of the village's weather for more than a decade, using a manual system.

Grant has been a keen amateur meteorologist for a number of years and has also been recording the local weather on an automated system.

The new fully electronic equipment will take the monitoring and predictions to a new level, with software even allowing 12-hour forecasts to be made.

All the details will be posted on a new website, http://www.porlockweather.co.uk">www.porlockweather.co.uk and eventually will also be available on the Porlock Visitor Centre website.

The new facility was officially launched by former BBC weatherman Richard Angwin on Monday.

Richard, who was previously named TV personality of the year four times by Porlock residents for helping to promote the village, now works for Aljazeera TV.

He agreed to cut the ribbon on the new weather station and give a talk afterwards - A Wandering Weatherman from Porlock to the Persian Gulf - during a return visit to the UK.