THE National Trust Village of Allerford is to hold its first ever community-led Open Day, to welcome visitors to their unique village.

Nestled between Minehead and Porlock, the village is boarded by Selworthy Woods and is home to the packhorse bridge across the river Aller.

Organisers have been busy planning for the day on Saturday (April 12) from 10am – 4pm.

Kieren Roberts, who runs the National Trust Forge with his brother Kyle, came up with the idea to hold the open day.

He said: “Allerford can sometimes be forgotten but we want people to come and see who we are, what we do and what we’ve got to offer.

“The event has had fantastic backing from local businesses, the community and the National Trust and there’s so much for people to come and do.”

There will be special events throughout the day too including the wood carvers of Piles Mill who will be opening a permanent exhibition of life sized wood sculptures depicting many of the different species of wildlife that can be found on Exmoor.

The blacksmiths of Allerford Forge will also be allowing people inside the historic building to see the team at work.

The rural life museum is offering free entry and in the gardens of the museum, the West Country Thatchers will be displaying their skills.

Kieren added: “We want people to make a day of it, so don’t just visit the attractions, take a walk in the countryside or paddle at the famous packhorse bridge.

“We’re hoping that this is going to become something that we do every year and we want to make it bigger each year and attract as many people as possible.”

There will also be cookery demonstrations at Crosslane House and flower and table arranging demonstrations.

Free parking is available throughout the day at Crosslane House, the Central Car Park and the Village Hall.