Local News

Newcourt Community Centre has been awarded £2,000 by one of the South West’s most prominent housebuilders.

Exeter-based Persimmon Homes donated the funds as part of its Community Champions programme which seeks to reward good causes and much-valued organisations in the areas in which it builds.

It follows the handover of a nearby 100% Affordable Housing development from the accredited five-star developer to a local housing association, LiveWest, who joined both parties for the cheque presentation alongside local city councillor, James Cookson.

The Centre has...

Unpaid carers in Tiverton are the first in Devon to have received free Wellbeing Gift Boxes as part of a county-wide joint initiative between Devon Carers at Westbank and Devon Partnership NHS Trust (DPT), supported through funding from Open Up, the Trust’s charity, launched during Carers’ Week (8th - 14th June 2026).

The Wellbeing Boxes are being gifted to individuals who provide care and support to someone experiencing mental ill health, in recognition of the vital role they play and the challenges they may face in their caring role. It’s a ‘gesture of recognition’ to show them...

An independent optician in Exeter has become one of only a handful of practices in Devon to offer specialist visual stress assessments, providing a service that transforms a child’s reading ability, and life.

Peter Tosh Opticians in Topsham, run by Suzie Tosh and her husband Peter, has invested in the Intuitive Colorimeter - the Wave - developed by Cerium Visual Technologies and widely regarded as the gold standard in visual stress assessment.

The machine tests up to 10,000 colour combinations to identify the precise colour tint that calms the visual processing...

This year’s Learning Disability Week (15 to 21 June) asks “Do you see me?” and is all about ensuring people with a learning disability are seen, heard and valued. This aim is shared by Devon County Council’s Reaching for Independence team which offers short-term enabling support to people aged 17 years and upwards with eligible social care needs or likely to have them.

Over the last 12 months, Reaching for Independence has helped more than 1,850 people in the county. Of these referrals, 358 people had a Learning Disability diagnosis as the primary reason for needing support, as...