Local News

An innovative programme bringing actors into classrooms across Devon to encourage and support children to make healthier choices on diet and exercise has been selected to feature in this week’s British Science Festival.

The Healthy Lifestyles Programme is being run by specialists from the University of Exeter Medical School and Plymouth University Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry.

The programme sees Year 5 pupils work with a drama group who play the part of four characters: Snacky Sam, Disorganised Duncan, Active Amy and Football Freddie.

The children...

A leading professor from the University of Exeter has secured a significant international award, in recognition of his pioneering research.

Professor Nick Stone was bestowed with the inaugural Raman Award for the most Innovative Technological Development, at the recent International Conference on Raman Spectroscopy held in Jena, Germany.

As well as the award, Professor Stone, who specialises in Biomedical Imaging and Biosensing, also received a 2,000 Euro prize.

Professor Stone was presented with the award for his work in developing novel in vivo diagnostic tools...

Representatives of Exeter City Council and Devon County Council will get together next week to look at how best to tackle weeds in the city next year.

Devon County Council is responsible for the upkeep of highways in the city, including the treatment of weeds.

Earlier this year the City Council agreed that it could do this work – the spraying of highways weeds – on their behalf, if they agreed to cover the associated cost.

Unfortunately, Devon County Council was unable to commit to a budget for the works at that time and as a result the weed spraying didn’t proceed...

Parents in the South West fear their children will be locked out of their home towns in future as house prices and rents continue to rise.

According to figures from a new YouGov poll for the National Housing Federation, 72 per cent of English parents are worried about rising rent levels and 81 per cent about rising house prices and the impact of both on the next generation. Of those in the South West, over a third (39 per cent) believe it is unlikely their youngsters will have the chance to rent or buy a home in the area where they have grown up.

This comes as figures from...