Local News

The University of Exeter has distributed £1m in hardship and emergency funding to students most significantly affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

The financial support, which has been available since the first lockdown last Spring, is helping those most in need to continue studying in these difficult times. The funding for students started as an emergency scheme last Spring, and evolved into the current Success for All Fund at the beginning of the Autumn Term. Funding is fast-tracked for those on the lowest household incomes, and includes emergency funding, ongoing support for...

The NIHR-supported Novavax COVID-19 vaccine – which was trialled in Exeter and Cornwall – has demonstrated that the vaccine is 89.3% effective at preventing COVID-19.This data was identified from interim analysis of the Phase III study and included effectiveness against the new variants.

The Novavax study is the largest ever double blind, placebo-controlled trial to be undertaken in the UK. It recruited over 15,000 participants in just over 2 months from 35 UK research sites, including the NIHR Patient Recruitment Centre based at the Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust...

West Country house builder Devonshire Homes has kick-started 2021 by donating £1,000 to the William Wates Memorial Trust.

Announcing its charity partnership with the Trust in 2020, the first £1,000 has been raised through Devonshire Homes’ open-market sales and in-house fundraising events. Devonshire Homes will continue to donate £50 to the charity for every open-market sale during 2021.

The funds will help the Trust support projects that encourage young people experiencing severe disadvantage to keep away from a life of crime and violence, enabling them to fulfil their...

Despite their pubs being currently closed, many publicans across the South West are spreading some cheer to people in their local communities, during these challenging times, by sharing a heartwarming poem about pubs written and performed by a poet from Bristol.

The poem, which has been specially commissioned for pubs in the South West by arts project INN CROWD, is called ‘The Best Ones’, which has been written and performed by poet Malaika Kegode, who grew up in Devon. Her poem is part of a national campaign called ‘Winter Warmers’ that aims to help bring some cheer and hope to...