THE wait is nearly over to find out which design has won the Exmoor Flag design competition and earned its place in history as the first area encompassing a national park to have its own flag. The official Exmoor Flag will be unveiled next week on Wednesday October 29 during a ceremony at West Somerset Railway’s Minehead Station with the new flag arriving on a majestic steam locomotive into Platform One at 11.42am.

Presentations of flags will be made to the Mayors of Minehead, Watchet and South Molton.

Commemorative gifts will be given to all five finalists and the grand prize to the winning designer by wildlife presenter Johnny Kingdom.

The Exmoor Flag will then embark on a tour of the region in a vintage bus provided by Quantock Heritage, sponsored by local businesses.

The bus will pass through Minehead town centre and call in at Porlock around 12.45pm. The tour will continue on to Lynton where there will be a presentation to Mayor Tony Meakin outside the Town Hall at 1.30pm. The Exmoor Flag will then make its way across country to Parracombe for 2.05pm, then on to Simonsbath for 2.40pm. There will then be a raising of the Exmoor Flag by Mike Ellicott, Chairman of Exford Parish Council at the Village green at 3pm.

The Exmoor Flag tour will then head down the Barle Valley to Dulverton where the town will celebrate with a ceremony to present Deputy Mayor Judy Ernest and Rev Andrew Thomas with the new flag outside the Town Hall at 3.30pm. The final leg of the tour takes the vintage bus to Wheddon Cross to the Rest and Be Thankful for 4.20pm and enjoy a short celebration. And finally at 4.45pm, everyone can gather outside the Yarn Market in Dunster to say ‘hello and welcome’ to the Exmoor Flag - registered by The Flag Institute as an official United Kingdom flag and the only area encompassing a national park to have its own flag.

The flag will represent and celebrate the greater area of Exmoor, beyond the National Park boundaries. It will be for everyone who loves living in and visiting this most uniquely beautiful corner of England.

Exmoor Flags and a small range of other gifts will be available shortly to purchase online at www.exmoorflag.co.uk/shop.

For each purchase made a donation will be given to the Devon Air Ambulance and Dorset & Somerset Air Ambulance charities.

Pre orders can be made via the website and an announcement will be made shortly with a list of local stockists across the region, wholesale enquiries welcome.