Local News

As The Silent Child, the film starring six-year-old deaf actress Maisie Sly was honoured by winning an Oscar last week, Devon-based Water Babies has collected their own award with deaf children at heart.

Since 2016, Water Babies has been delivering deaf-friendly lessons to 50,000 babies and toddlers on a weekly basis across their international network. They have now been recognised for their commitment to inclusivity by being officially endorsed by the leading charity National Deaf Children’s Society for their Me2Pledge to deaf-friendly swimming lessons.

Honiton-based Water...

March is over-60s month at two top Devon zoos. The charity attractions are holding special days for older people. At Living Coasts, Torquay’s coastal zoo, the day of the week to make a note of is Wednesday. At Paignton Zoo Environmental Park, the special day is Thursday. Paignton Zoo and Living Coasts are both part of the Whitley Wildlife Conservation Trust, the charity which also runs Newquay Zoo in Cornwall. Spokesperson Phil Knowling said: “There are so many older people who are interested in zoos and conservation. This is an incentive to prompt a few more to come in and see our...

A group of Devon villagers are protesting that their village has been turned into a 'giant school car park' and are calling for a national conversation about the school commute.

Broadclyst, near Exeter, has 527 pupils and 88 members of staff at its primary school causing huge pressures on the village.

“Our beautiful, mediaeval village, one of the finest in England, has been turned into a giant school car park, severely reducing the quality of life for villagers and causing significant disruption,” said pressure group founder, Liz Straw.

“It’s time we stopped talking...

With the number of reported domestic abuse incidents in Devon continuing to rise, a new initiative aims to tackle the shortage of emergency accommodation for people forced to flee their homes because of violence, or the threat of violence.

Under the Safe Haven scheme, they would be offered temporary accommodation in a volunteer family’s home, using the same model as Exeter’s Nightstop scheme for young people at risk of having to sleep rough.

The volunteer hosts, who would all receive full training, would provide the potential abuse victim with a safe and friendly place to...