Royal spotlight on Exeter as Duchess of Edinburgh visits Powderham Castle

The Two Moors Festival has celebrated its 25th anniversary with a special dinner attended by Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Edinburgh.

The milestone event was held on Thursday 5 June at Powderham Castle and brought together 120 supporters of the festival, including founder Penny Adie and Artistic Director Tamsin Waley-Cohen.

Hosted by Chair Andrew Welch and the festival’s board of trustees, the evening featured a silent auction and raised over £16,000 to support the upcoming 2025 festival, which will take place across venues in Exmoor and Dartmoor this October.

Broadcaster and Radio 3 presenter Petroc Trelawny gave an after-dinner speech describing the Two Moors Festival as “a glittering jewel in the crown of music-making… a vital cultural force of national importance.”

The dinner was sponsored by Arbuthnot Latham. Rob Salisbury, Director and Head of the Exeter Office, said: “The evening reflected the strength of the region’s cultural life, and we were proud to play a part in celebrating such an important milestone.”

First held in 2001, the Two Moors Festival has grown into one of the UK’s most distinctive rural classical music festivals, welcoming over 4,000 attendees each year. Alongside its concert programme, it runs a Young Musicians’ Competition to support emerging talent.

This year’s festival will feature 21 events across 15 venues from 1–5 October in Exmoor and from 8–12 October in Dartmoor. Performances will span six centuries of music, alongside talks and workshops.

Chair of Trustees Andrew Welch added: “It was lovely to have so many of our supporters with us to celebrate our 25th anniversary with our Patron, HRH The Duchess of Edinburgh. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves and the silent auction was a huge success.”