Homes & Gardens

Housing and homelessness charity Shelter is urgently appealing for support for its helpline this winter, after seeing a surge from callers at serious risk of losing their home in the South West.

Over the last year, the helpline’s advisers spoke to more than 4,500 callers on the brink of homelessness – a staggering 44% surge from 2012.

Overall, the number of callers from the South West to the helpline – which is in part funded by Marks & Spencer (M&S) – rose to a record high of more than 15,000 over the same period.

As England’s shortage of affordable homes...

The South-West Homebuilding & Renovating and Home Improvement Show, sponsored by Anglian Home Improvements, is increasing its appeal to customers by bringing together for the first time in Somerset at the Bath & West Showground (22-23 November 2014) home improvement features alongside professional guidance, innovative products and insightful tips on building a house from scratch.

New to the show this year is The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) who will be informing visitors about the domestic Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI). The domestic RHI, which launched...

As winter approaches, the Environment Agency is urging people across Devon to be prepared for possible flooding.

Last winter was the wettest for nearly 250 years and around 6,000 properties flooded across the country. Among the worst hit was Somerset, where, in some areas, people were evacuated from their homes and whole communities suffered major flood damage and disruption.

One in six properties in England is at risk of flooding. This figure is only going to increase with climate change. Many people think flooding will never happen to them, but it could. Now is the time...

A zoo might not be the first place you think of when it comes to Christmas shopping, but the Living World shop at Paignton Zoo is brimming with Fair Trade products, quality ethical gifts and the sort of quirky local items that make great Christmas gifts. Plus, you don't need to pay Zoo entry to browse and there’s plenty of free car parking!

Paignton Zoo Environmental Park and sister zoos Living Coasts in Torquay and Newquay Zoo in Cornwall are registered conservation charities. As such they are all too aware of the link between manufacturing and the destruction of species and...