Family Life

People in the South West are officially keeping up with the Joneses, according to new research released today.

The study, by the joint industry/government funded Go Ultra Low campaign for electric vehicles, has benchmarked how the people in the South West are aspiring to keep up with the Joneses.

People from the South West like to eat British cuisine (96%) most of all, with the majority preferring to cook from scratch as much as possible (54%). Likewise, the Joneses’ favourite food is also British. When it comes to holidays, the top destination of choice for people from the...

The installation of a new Moorland Play Park in the Dartmoor village of Holne was celebrated recently at a packed community event.

Previous equipment had become very dilapidated and when this small rural parish needed to find a large sum to fund a new park – they asked Dartmoor National Park if it would be able to help. The group used a small grant from the National Park to secure a substantial amount from Biffa Award, and with additional support from local Councillors, local fundraising, including a quiz night at the Church House Inn and a donation from Mike and Gill Cunniam of...

Devon County Council's fostering service is asking local residents to make a connection to fostering as part of Foster Care Fortnight 2015, to raise awareness of the need to recruit more foster carers.

With around 650 children currently in the care of the local authority, the Council is asking people if they believe they have the skills to make a positive change to the lives of children and young people, then consider becoming a foster carer.

This year’s Foster Care Fortnight, with a theme of ‘make a connection’, asks people to talk about what fostering means to them, their...

The Government has announced plans to double free childcare for hard working families – which will benefit up to 50,000 parents in the South West to the tune of £5,000 per year.

The offer of 30 hours of free childcare per week during term time means parents will be able to get on while bringing up a family.

All three- and four-year-olds in working families will be eligible for 1,140 hours of free childcare per year - twice the current entitlement.

The £5,000 extra in savings is on top of the £2,500 they can already save from existing free childcare offers. The new...