Devon

Can you help light up Fore St this Christmas?

Members of the Fore St Collective - a group of local independent traders based on Fore St and the West Quarter area of Exeter - are working hard to raise the profile of this part of town. Their first mission is to try and light up the street this Christmas. Here they talk about what their hopes are for Christmas...

"As you may know the Council has withdrawn funding for the Christmas lights down here and rather than just sit in the dark like the poor relations we thought 'let's do it ourselves'.

"The idea is to install individual Christmas trees with pretty...

Devon’s libraries celebrate Hilary Mantel

Devon author Hilary Mantel recently became the first British writer to win the Man Booker Prize for Fiction twice, after her novel Bring up the Bodies was named the best book of the year.

To celebrate her success Devon County Council’s Library Service is ordering additional copies of her books, and offering free reservations on all her titles until Christmas.

Devon’s full library catalogue can also be accessed online at www.devon.gov.uk/libraries . The website offers full search facilities to help people find and reserve books, films, music, audio books...

Westcountry MP raises awareness of flash flooding in Tavistock

Torridge and West Devon MP Geoffrey Cox visited Tavistock yesterday to help raise awareness of the dangers of flash flooding, part of the Environment Agency’s nationwide flood awareness and action campaign.

The Environment Agency has identified Tavistock and Horrabridge as being at risk of flash flooding from rivers and is keen to help these communities prepare for possible flooding. Flash floods can happen very quickly – much faster than other forms of flooding – and with massive force. Often there’s no time to issue flood warnings in advance

Geoffrey Cox...

Badger cull to be postponed for up to a year

The environment secretary, Owen Paterson, will announce today in Parliament that the government is postponing the controversial cull of thousands of Badgers, which was intended to reduce the spread of bovine tuberculosis. The cull is now unlikely to take place until next June at the earliest, amid growing concern about the cost and effectiveness of the controversial scheme.

This news comes to the great consternation of many farmers in the South West, who believe the cull is essential to stop the spread of bovine TB, which is leading to the slaughter of many of their cattle...

19-year-old Zoe celebrates apprenticeship scheme success

Authored by Rockit69
Posted: Mon, 10/22/2012 - 4:48pm

Zoe Elder has been awarded a diploma for the first stage of her Design and Digital Print apprenticeship.

19-year-old Zoe, who has worked for Exeter-based design and print company Peninsular OneSource for 18 months, enrolled on the apprenticeship scheme run by the Alliance Sector Skills Council in Association with Plymouth College Art. As part of the overall course she attends the college on a monthly day release basis. Ronnie Halden, Marketing & Creative Director at Peninsular commented: "Zoe has come on in leaps and bounds over the past 18 months and is now starting to...

Police appeal for information after serious assault in Totnes

Police in Totnes have appealed for information following a serious and unprovoked assault in the town. The incident took place between 2030 hours and midnight on Friday, 12 October at the upper end of the High Street in an area close to Cistern Street. After leaving a nearby pub for a cigarette, a 26-year-old man was alledgedly pushed to the floor and then repeatedly kicked in the face and body. The victim sustained facial and head injuries and was taken to hospital for treatment. It is believed that one of the offenders was wearing a white/grey top and the victim was wearing a...

Gorillas heading to Exeter to celebrate birthday!

Authored by Paigntonzoo
Posted: Mon, 10/22/2012 - 1:06pm

The South West’s top zoo is celebrating its 90th birthday with an ambitious plan combining art, conservation and the community.

The Great Gorillas Project will bring a host of life-size model gorillas out into the streets, parks and open spaces of the English Riviera and Exeter. The gorillas, sponsored by businesses and community groups and painted with original designs by local artists, will be displayed in public, creating a unique art trail.

The official launch, which will feature a spectacular arrival courtesy of Greenway Ferry Pleasure Cruises, takes place on Tuesday...

Woman rescued from car stuck in Cockwood Harbour

A woman has been freed from her vehicle, which got stuck in the mud during a rising tides after it went through a dwarf wall and ended up in Cockwood Harbour.

The vehicle hit a wall, flipped over, and landed on its wheels in Cockwood Harbour near Starcross, Exeter, Devon, at about 21:50 BST on Sunday. Fortunately for her and the two other passengers with her in the car, the harbour had no water in it at the time of the accident, but with rising tides time was of the essence for the Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue service.

The roof was cut off to...

University of Exeter Chancellor receives prestigious award

Baroness Floella Benjamin OBE DL, actress, author, politician and much loved University of Exeter Chancellor, has been recognised for her outstanding contribution to children’s television and her championing of arts for children, at an awards ceremony at BAFTA, London, on Saturday 20th October.

The annual Children’s Arts Awards, organised by Action for Children’s Arts (ACA), celebrates artists who have made a lasting contribution through their work to children’s art and welfare in the UK. Baroness Benjamin will be presented with the J.M.Barrie Award, for a body of work that will...

Waitrose partners with FareShare to ease food poverty

Waitrose has announced a major partnership with the food charity FareShare, which will see even more of the supermarket’s surplus food go to help the most vulnerable members of local communities.

FareShare accredited charities will now be able to collect surplus food directly from their local Waitrose branches to help those most in need.

This national announcement builds on Waitrose’s existing partnership with London-based charity Esther Community Enterprises (ECE) who also take surplus food from Waitrose for donation within local communities.

Waitrose has already...

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