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Exeter needs more space for walking and cycling

Exeter needs more space for walking and cycling, not cars.

We need a Green Recovery from the covid-19 crisis, including massive investment in walking, cycling and public transport infrastructure. The government’s decision to spend £27 billion on new road building is now clearly out of date - social distancing measures mean that we need more space for people to walk and cycle safely. Cities across the world, including Athens, Paris and Bristol, have recently announced plans to cut traffic, and pedestrianise areas of the city centre. Let’s do this here in Exeter as well. Exeter...

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The latest in Blogs

Traffic diversion or change of direction?

It’s sometimes very difficult not to be cynical about our restricted democracy when we see politicians buying people’s votes and promising them illusions that will never become real.

This is happening once again in the Chancellor’s recent announcement of a further £30bn road programme that will lead us to a better future, a message that is chronically sent out to placate car drivers as they face ever increasing delays, congestion collisions and poor air quality.

Since the 1960s governments of all colours have been saying if only we could have more motorways, by-passes and...

Divide and Rule Rediscovered

As has happened in other periods of history, we are now witnessing a surge in the growth of ‘tribalism’. This is partly the consequence of a culture which anonymises people to such a degree that it produces pervasive loneliness and alienation. We do not know where we belong and we thrash about in the water of isolation seeking a lifebelt.

There is a tension between the individual and the collective, and at present our society is pushing enormously towards individualistic atomisation. We feel lost in a world that seems unloving, uncaring and, at times, unforgiving.

The...

England World Cup Rap

From early days our playing ways were purely practical

No intent to reinvent or cement something maturely tactical

Allardyce and others like him are surely too didactical

And people are surprised when England’s tournament time is anticlimactical

We had the nightmare of Nice against an immutable Iceland

So might there be a cease to the FA’s usual silence?

Guus Hiddink on a 2-year plan was clearly warranted

If they did it that super man would have been sincerely restorative

But oh no, the blazers running the show, appraisers of...

Who on Earth Am I?

The matter of self-awareness and who we believe we are is probably the most critical, and yet frequently ignored of our lives. Generally speaking we do not think much about our identity and for most of the time are content to go with the social labels and titles ascribed to us – neighbour, friend, parent, child, sibling, relative, colleague, and so on. We rarely give a second thought to our roles other than the obvious, and how we relate to the wider community around us is usually determined by these narrow functions. However, who others say we are (who do you say that I am?) is...

Getting Back to Nature for the Ultimate Stress Buster

The positive and restorative powers that the great outdoors can have on physical and mental health are well known, and as the West Country weather finally takes a turn for the better, it is a perfect time to venture outside, get back to nature and embrace the multitude of benefits it brings.

For most adults in today’s world, the demands on their time, plus often sedentary jobs, and rise in use of technology in all facets of life, has combined to increase feelings of pressure, exhaustion and feeling ‘wired’, while decreasing the time spent outdoors, getting active, or being able to...

Search for former Girl Guide captain and gymnastics teacher

Hello Exeter, I am making my final (probably) trip to the UK this June, after emigrating to Canada in 1955.

As I go down memory lane, I would very much like to be able to make a tribute to Jean M. Churchley, my mentor, beloved Guide Captain for five years at Southampton Girls Grammar School, also gymnasics (physical eucation) teacher at the same school.

At 82 years old, our memories often go back to our school days and think of those who had a great influence in our lives.

Jean was straight from college in her first teaching position. She told us this, as first year...

Community, Culture and Crisis

If someone says they don’t think the environment is important, I suggest they hold their breath for 5 minutes, or go a day without water, or a week with no food. We may take breathing, drinking and eating for granted, but these are the three activities which link us more closely to the Earth than any others. Yet we do not appreciate their preciousness – or at least not until they are gone.

Yet the air, water and soil are the most threatened resources on the planet. Air quality, water pollution and land contamination are immense challenges today. Across the world, including Devon,...

Moving in Sitcom... A must watch!

If you're looking for something to watch that's a quick episode, easy to follow, fun characters and a good storyline then this is the show for you. 'Moving In' is a local webseries made around Exeter and includes alot of local, upcoming talent.

This Web-series is 2 episodes in and is in production to be making more episodes quickly and with more funding.

'Moving In' revolves around 3 main characters called Will, Amy and Emily. All 3 of them are completely different but together make for weird and quirky friendships and some budding romances....

Creating a successful blog

Blogging has become a prevalent part of modern society, and there are hundreds of blogs out there for a range of purposes. Starting a blog allows you to fully express yourself online: you can write about your personal experiences and convey your unique opinions through your writing. Blogging can also be a great way to expand or promote your business. However, it is important to find ways to make your blog stand out from the rest, in order to gain a wider audience reception. Of course, the key ingredient to a thriving blog is to write unique, engaging and up to date content that your...

Green Activism

I’ve been an environmental activator and activist for over 40 years and have passionately campaigned on many issues including climate change, transport, food and energy.

With others, I set up a student Eco-action recycling scheme in London as long ago as the early 1970s, and became absorbed in the political discussions around ‘Small is Beautiful’, ‘Enough is Enough’, the Brandt and Brundtland reports, and more. Reading Silent Spring propelled thousands of us to think and act as if the planet was precious and that future generations mattered.

Much of my thinking developed...