Local News

Leading local advice charity, Citizens Advice Exeter, today publishes its advice trend statistics for the period 1 April – 31 May 2016.

The charity has helped 38% more people with their advice and information when compared to the same period in 2015.

The advice trends over the period were as follows:

Welfare benefits

Overall, the charity dealt with 47.8% more welfare benefit enquiries. The main increases being:

• 60.9% about employment and support allowance • 44.2% about tax credits • 42.5% about disability benefits (PIP/DLA) • 32.9% about housing...

Stagecoach South West has announced today that it will be offering free bus travel to Armed Forces personnel to honour the 19240 Shrouds of the Somme commemoration.

On Saturday 2nd July, the same day as the 19240 Shrouds of the Somme commemoration opening and exactly one week after Armed Forces Day 2016, Stagecoach South West will be offering Armed Forces personnel free bus travel on the production of military I.D.

Armed Forces personnel can use their free bus travel for Saturday 2nd July only and, if they wish, travel by bus to the 19240 Shrouds of the Somme art project in...

East Devon MP, Hugo Swire, marked Carers Week 2016 by meeting Bluebird Care’s customers and Care Assistants in West Hill and Ottery St Mary on Friday 10th July.

Carers Week is an annual campaign to raise awareness of caring, highlight the challenges carers face and recognise the contribution they make to families and communities throughout the UK.

Mr Swire began by meeting Mr and Mrs Deung in West Hill and their full-time Live In Care Assistant Atlanta, before presenting the awards at Bluebird Care’s Long Service Presentation at the Tumbling Weir Hotel. This quarterly event...

Exeter has made some great strides in meeting the needs of people with physical disabilities, but may be lagging behind in making adjustments for autistic people.

We all realise that a wheelchair user needs a ramp, rather than steps, to get into a building. It can be harder to know what changes to make to welcome someone with Autistic Spectrum Disorder.

Understanding can be limited by stereotype and myth. Back in the 1950’s, child psychologist Bruno Bettelheim thought that Autism was caused by Refrigerator Mothers, and this was widely believed. Research using brain scans...