A SNEAK preview is being offered on Sunday (December 1) of Dulverton’s new National Park Centre.

The park authority is opening the doors of its Exmoor House headquarters to invite people to look around during the Dulverton by Starlight festival.

The authority controversially decided earlier this year to relocate the facility from its town centre premises as a cost saver.

National park enterprise and communications manager Dan James said: “We are really pleased with how well the transition has gone, the remodelled entrance to Exmoor House offers a warm welcome and has enabled us to continue to offer the ‘wow’ customer service our centres are famous for.

One of the displays in the new National Park Centre in Dulverton.
One of the displays in the new National Park Centre in Dulverton. ( )

“It was a difficult decision to relocate our award-winning centre, but with core funding being reduced by over 50 per cent in real terms we had to find significant savings.

“However, I am so pleased that, rather than lose the service, this has allowed us to make savings while maintaining face to face information provision for users of the national park, just a couple of minutes’ walk from the town square in Dulverton, the southern gateway to Exmoor.

“While we still have some finishing touches to complete the new centre, we are excited to offer people the opportunity to see behind the doors at Exmoor House alongside the starlight event.

“Our fantastic centre teams meet and greet over 150,000 visitors each year, helping to inform and inspire them to explore this special place, and to contribute positively to our communities and landscapes.”

The Dulverton centre with two others in Dunster and Lynmouth have been winners in the South West Tourism Awards and offer expert advice, alongside a range of displays, exhibits, resources, and merchandise to bring the story of Exmoor to life and inspire and inform people about the national park.

The Dulverton centre will be open from 2 pm to 7 pm for the starlight event preview and a limited range of products will be on sale.

The centre will officially reopen next spring, while the one in Dunster is open at weekends until Sunday, December 8, before returning to full opening in the spring.