Local News

Home furnishings retailer, IKEA, today announces that the doors of its new Exeter store will officially open for business on Tuesday 1st May. IKEA has invested £80 million in the 29,000 square metre store on Newcourt Way, and will bring its extensive range of high-quality, affordable products to the south-west of England. The store will feature inspirational room sets, a crèche, restaurant, bistro, a Changing Places toilet facility* and car park with over 1,000 spaces. The store is now going through the final stages of its recruitment process, with almost all of the 350 jobs created for...

Consultation on draft measures in the plan to improve air quality and cut traffic congestion in the city will last for three months.

Residents, commuters and visitors are being urged to complete an online survey on the council's website.

Some people may also be asked to take part in representative, face-to-face surveys, and a number of focus groups will also be set up.

A major public consultation event will take place at Exeter's Guildhall on Tuesday, March 13, from 8am to 8pm.

Full details of the Draft Air Quality Action Plan can be found at exeter.gov.uk/...

Otter Garden Centres in Ottery St Mary has announced the total raised for its charity of the year 2017, Devon Air Ambulance Trust.

The East Devon branch of the family-run garden centre ran various fundraising activities across the year to achieve an impressive total of over £7,500.

£700 came from donations to the annual Memory Tree, where customers buy a red or gold ribbon to attach to a Christmas tree in memory of loved ones. £1,000 was raised from parking donations for Ottery St Mary’s Tar Barrels event, with a matching amount donated to the Tar Barrels Carnival Committee...

A researcher from Exeter will be pounding the pavements in the Bath Half Marathon in aid of Diabetes UK, the charity that funds her work. The run on Sunday, 4 March 2018 will see around 12,000 runners take to the streets of the World Heritage City to tackle the 13.1-mile route. Dr Pamela Bowman, 34, who is based at the University of Exeter Medical School, is running because she wants to show her gratitude to Diabetes UK for supporting her research. Pamela, who investigates a rare form of diabetes that affects people from a very young age, has been training hard for the event. She said: “I...