Citizens Advice Devon is urging local organisations which support or work with benefits claimants to ensure their staff and volunteers are fully up to speed with the new Universal Credit system as it continues its roll-out across the South West. This comes as Citizens Advice report a 50% or more increase in benefits enquiries in areas where universal credit has already been rolled out.

Universal Credit combines six benefits into one single payment, including Jobseeker’s Allowance and Working Tax Credits. It is currently being rolled out across the UK, and, by the end of September...

Exeter College Apprentice Ella Fielding has been announced as a South West Finalist for the National Apprenticeship Awards 2018.

The National Apprenticeship Awards celebrate the best Apprentices, committed Apprenticeship employers and individuals who go above and beyond to champion Apprenticeships across England.

The national awards identify and commend incredible achievements and challenge applicants to show how Apprenticeships have made a difference to their organisations and their careers.

From over 1,000 applications, Exeter College Apprentice Ella is one of 48...

Be it in our personal lives or at work, every single one of us makes mistakes. More often than not, mistakes can be handled quite easily. After all, they’re a part of life and there isn’t a single person on this planet that hasn’t made both big and little errors regularly throughout their time here.

Unfortunately, things do get more complicated when you make a business mistake, especially if the company you work for is high-profile and has a number of employees. In these situations, a simple mistake can suddenly turn into a scandal covered by news outlets thus damaging your...

Are you having problems with managing stress in college? For students and professionals, it is quite difficult to stay stress-free since they have a lot of work to do. The world we live in full of challenges, and to survive here, everyone is required to work hard and for long hours. It is possible to manage the day-to-day works without being stressed and tensed. How can I do so? You just have to remember the following things.

Listen to the music

One of the best ways to deal with stress in college is to listen to the music. It is okay if the work burden is too much or you...

New life was breathed into an historic Exeter building after the completion of a major refurbishment project.

The building in Bartholomew street was previously a theatre known as ‘Stage Studios’, home to a theatre school and dance company. It was bought by property developer LS Properties for refurbishment into accommodation for students and/or young professionals.

Now split into two six-bedroom apartments with separate entrances, each apartment has two bathrooms, a large communal lounge and good-sized kitchen. The two lounges are key features of the properties, each...

The charitable trust behind the project to restore and invigorate an historic house on the outskirts of Exeter are looking for new trustees with specialist skills.

Poltimore House is an 18th century Grade II* listed country house which was owned by the distinguished Bampfylde family for around 500 years. Since it was sold off in 1921, it has variously been a girls’ school, a college for boys, a private hospital, part of the NHS and a retirement home.

Partly destroyed by fire in 1987, the once elegant house which once boasted having a “Spacious Hall, 7 Reception Rooms,...

Simon Arnold, a volunteer for the National Trust, has started a challenge to play nearly every working piano or organ at a National Trust property in the south west, all to raise money to help keep music alive in these historic places. Simon’s challenge, ‘Pachelbel’s Progress’ will see him head off to play at a total of 15 places over 11 days in September, not a small task! The repertoire will be chosen to reflect the spirit of each place, with pieces including Greensleeves, Moonlight Sonata by Beethoven, The Charleston, Clair de Lune by Debussy and The Entertainer. Money raised from the...

Graduation day is one of the most important events in your kids' lives. To show your kids that you're proud of them and to give them even more confidence for the future challenges in life, you should throw an amazing party. However, to keep within budget, you can choose to use your own garden. By making a few tweaks it'll become a spectacular and magical place for fun and entertainment. Use the School Colors as the Party Theme

The party's theme will be reflected through the entire arrangement of your garden. You can use your kids' school colours and integrate them into the theme....

Tributes have been paid to a 16-year-old boy who has died following a serious collision in Exeter on Thursday [13 September].

Ben Davies, from Exeter, suffered life-threatening injuries after his bicycle was in collision with a silver Ford Fiesta at the junction of Tythe Barn Way and Pinn Lane around 7.15pm.

He was taken to Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital where he died from his injuries on Saturday morning [15 September] surrounded by his family; organs of the Exeter teenager were donated following his death.

His dad Graham said: “Ben brought immense joy to many...

The four women behind Devon’s ‘Row for the Ocean’ team are overjoyed to have raised four and a half thousand pounds in one night at their charity auction, raffle and boat unveiling at The Terrace in Exeter last week (Thursday 13th September).

With just 85 days to go until they set off on a gruelling 3,000-mile race across the Atlantic from the Canary Islands to the West Indies, the fantastic total is a big boost for rowers Kirsty Barker, Rosalind Holsgrove-West, Kate Salmon, and Laura Try.

The women were delighted to be joined on the night by sponsors, supporters, and well-...