THE Exmoor Pinnacle Award 2019 is now open for entries.

Organised by The Exmoor Society, the competition is open to young people aged between 18 and 27 years who live live work or study in the Greater Exmoor area.

It offers up to £3,000 to an individual or group who have an idea for a business venture based on Exmoor, for example in agriculture, forestry, food and drink, conservation, horticulture, craft or tourism.

The Award, now in its eighth year, was set up by The Exmoor Society to help young entrepreneurs live and work on Exmoor.

The award also helps to promote the idea that livelihoods and beautiful landscapes in a National Park do go together.

Previous applications have come from people with ideas as diverse as making cider and developing a herd of pedigree cattle.

The award so far has helped fund young people either to set up or take forward businesses such as agricultural contracting, country clothing, arboriculture, metalworking and woodland management.

There were three successful applicants in 2018: Polly Goodman, Philip Stephens and Camilla Waterer, who were developing respectively goat meat from local herds, vehicle canopies from lightweight material and horse-drawn carriage rides over the moor for celebrations.

Chairman of the Society, Rachel Thomas, said: ‘There is a great deal of concern that young people have to leave Exmoor because of the lack of employment. By providing seed core money through the Pinnacle Award, the Society hopes to enable them to stay in the area and keep the moor alive and thriving.’

The Society hopes to attract even more entries for the award this year which is open for applications with the closing date being June 30, 2019.

Forms are available at exmoorsociety.com or by calling 01398 323335.