Local News

Leading housebuilder Persimmon Homes South West has launched a £1million charity giveaway to support young people across Britain.

The Building Futures scheme aims to support community groups working with under-18s across three categories – education & arts, health and sport.

Robert Hart, managing director for Persimmon Homes South West, said: “Young people are at the heart of all our futures, and we are fortunate to be able to provide support and help create positive outcomes through our Building Futures campaign.

“We will make donations from £1,000 to £100,...

Parents can breathe a sigh of relief next week as baby and children’s classes finally reopen after the most recent lockdown.

But as well as having to adapt to the new Covid social distancing restrictions Exeter and Exmouth’s Phonics with Robot Reg classes will also look a bit different.

Instead of just focussing on the children the classes will also be supporting the parents.

Local class leader Jessica Jenner explained: “So much has changed in the last 13 months and we have realised that our classes do more than teach the foundations of reading and writing....

With great disappointment and sadness, the volunteer committee that organises the renowned annual Exeter Craft Festival has announced that the Festival will not take place this year.

The current Chairman, Madeleine Millington said: "We were very hopeful earlier in the year, with the roll-out of the vaccination programme, that we would be able to stage the Festival in July, but after careful consideration, we feel that there is still insufficient guidance as to the safety of doing so. Our event, which was planned for 1–3 July, would have been a matter of days after the government...

Having postponed their annual concert in Exeter Cathedral last July due to Covid, the Amadeus Orchestra is delighted to announce that it will now take place in July 2021.

Principal conductor Philip Mackenzie says: “As an orchestra, we have been silent since February 2020 when we performed in the House of Commons and we are very excited by the prospect of performing once again. It is very fitting that our first post-Covid concert will be held in Exeter Cathedral as this is the city where the orchestra was founded in 1990.”

The orchestra is well known in Exeter and...