It’s all over for another year – a weekend of local food, beer, live music, celebrity chefs and community fundraising under the banner of Abbfest.

It’s been another success for the festival in Abbotskerswell, which has become one of Devon’s most popular local events.

And this is also the end of current festival director Roy Blunt’s time at the helm - he’s handing over to a new director for next year’s event.

Roy took the director’s role in 2023 even though he’d only put himself forward as a volunteer car park attendant.

The team were keen to bring him on board because of his connections with potential festival sponsors, through his day job as operations director for Westcountry Fire Protection.

The company has supported Abbfest by giving Roy paid time out from work to organise it, and by providing the required fire protection on site.

Roy said it’s been ‘an honour’ to work with Abbfest’s ‘amazing’ committee and volunteers, but he needs to take a step back now.

He said: “It’s not hard physical work but your brain never switches off, you’re just thinking about it all the time, and I’ve got enough to think about with work and my personal life.

“I think three years is probably enough, it needs a refresh, and I can still have an input in an advisory role. I’ll be helping on the fire protection side, and over the next 12 months I’ll be there for the new person to answer any queries.”

A new candidate has been lined up to take over as festival director, subject to the approval of the trustees.

And some aspects of the 2027 festival are already being planned.

Roy said: “The music acts are being booked now for next year, because to get decent music acts you have to book them so far ahead.

“And next year we’ll potentially have the biggest line-up of celebrity chefs in the south west.”