19/03/2026
You may have spotted the Moorland Mums across social media over recent weeks, well today marks the start of their incredible Exmoor challenge.
As they set off on this ambitious journey around the perimeter of Exmoor National Park, we wanted to take a moment, as a Federation, to share a little more about who they are and why their efforts mean so much to our school communities.
The Moorland Mums are a group of parents and friends with children across our Moorland schools, particularly St Dubricius in Porlock, Cutcombe and Exford. Their name reflects exactly who they are; local mums rooted in our moorland communities, passionate about opportunities for children growing up here, and determined to make a difference.
This is not a school-run group or school-led fundraising initiative. This is something they have created independently, driven by friendship, community spirit and a shared belief that rural children deserve access to rich, memorable experiences.
Last year, they completed the Three Peaks Challenge, raising funds that directly enhanced opportunities for children, including supporting the refurbishment of the Cutcombe swimming pool and the St Dubricius Forest School area. Now, they have set themselves an even bigger challenge, walking the full perimeter of Exmoor National Park to raise Ā£15,000.
This is an enormous physical and logistical challenge, involving:
ā¢ 8 walkers
ā¢ 4 support team members
ā¢ Hundreds of kilometres across challenging terrain
ā¢ Months of planning, training and personal commitment
From a Federation perspective, we are incredibly grateful. Like all schools, we work hard to provide the very best education and experiences we can for all our pupils. However, we also operate within the realities of school funding, which means we cannot always offer the full breadth of wider enrichment experiences we would love to. Community-led support like this genuinely helps us extend what is possible for children.
We are hugely thankful for the time, energy and personal commitment the Moorland Mums are giving to support our rural school communities. Their effort is a powerful example of what makes Exmoor and our Federation special, people stepping forward to support the next generation.
We also want to recognise and thank all of the volunteers who support our schools throughout the year. This includes the incredible teams who run our āFriends ofā groups (our school PTAs), who give their time to organise and run events such as summer fetes, tuck shops, quiz nights and so much more. These events take planning, teamwork and dedication, and the impact they have on enriching school life for our children is significant.
To every volunteer, fundraiser, event organiser and supporter ā a huge thank you!
Your support truly does make a difference to our schools and to the experiences we can offer our children.
If you would like to follow the Moorland Mumsā journey, cheer them on, or support their fundraising, please visit their Moorland Mums page or their fundraising page: https://gofund.me/eb8bbb683
