Local News

An innovative local service with a difference is moving into larger premises this month in the East Devon town of Topsham - after a marathon 260 hours of unpaid work by supporters.

The Topsham Library of Things (TLoT) opens on Saturday June 28 at the town’s Matthews Hall garden.

“There’s never been anything like a Library of Things in Topsham before” explains Charles Martin, a retired company chief executive. He’s one of the four-member committee who have been piloting the library before the recent move to larger premises.

“It works like a lot like a traditional...

Lympstone Manor Estate , the single-estate vineyard that is part of Michael Caines’ luxury Devon country house hotel Lympstone Manor , has received a Silver award for its Gin and Bronze award for its Eau de Vie de Marc at the 2025 International Wine and Spirits Competition (IWSC).

The IWSC is the world’s largest and arguably most influential spirits awards, with over 50 years of experience and a host of world-renowned judges. This year’s entries showcased global excellence across four continents, with standout spirits in categories including whisk(e)y, gin, brandy, agave, vodka,...

Local schools including Kenn C of E Primary School and Kenton Primary School have benefitted from a free fruit tree planting programme offered across Devon, Dorset and South-West Somerset by environmental education company Little Green Change.

Schools were able to choose up to four apple, pear, plum and/or cherry trees each for their grounds.

Children from both schools helped to plant the trees, as well as daffodils, and learnt about the many benefits of these to important pollinators like bees, other wildlife like birds, and to human health through the fruit the trees...

Whipton Barton Federation is pleased to introduce its newest team of Infant Librarians, Macie, Evie, Noah, and Maryam, who have already made a fantastic start in their new roles.

Over the past two weeks, these enthusiastic young pupils have been busy learning how to catalogue and organise books, navigate the non-fiction section, and bring new energy to the school library.

Their work goes beyond shelving books, they’ve begun refreshing displays, developing ideas to make the space more engaging, and helping to ensure the library remains a welcoming, inspiring environment...