Exeter Racecourse has launched its fabulous annual art competition for children aged 11 and under with the overall winner featured on the front page of its racecard on Family Day, Wednesday, March 30. Exeter want children to come up with vibrant designs which depict the colour and vibrancy of a day at the races, from the brightly coloured silks worn by jockeys, to smiling faces in the crowds. There are prizes to third place in each category – seven and under and eight to 11 - including family tickets to the races. The competition, which closes on March 23 with winners notified by March 26...

Storm clouds revealed by the Budget will force taxpayers in the South West to work an extra two years without pay to balance the country’s books

Exeter accountants, Wheelers, have launched two free initiatives to prevent local taxpayers and businesses being drowned by the storm clouds identified in the small print of George Osborne’s Budget. Launching the initiatives, Wheelers Managing Director, Desmond Danes said:

“Inevitably the likes of the sugar levy, school reforms, lifetime ISAs, business rates exemptions and flood defence spending promises will grab most of the...

Police are appealing for witnesses to a hit-and-run collision near Exeter which left a man injured.

The head-on collision between two cars happened at 7pm on Monday 14 March close to Half Moon Village on the A377.

A light blue Corsa travelling from Crediton was in collision with a dark blue Peugeot 106 heading in the opposite direction.

Two men fled the Corsa and were seen to get into a dark-coloured VW Golf which then headed towards Exeter.

The driver of the Peugeot, a man from Bideford, sustained minor injuries and was treated by ambulance at the scene....

Exeter’s top skittles teams are busily preparing for this year’s Gasket Guy British Skittles Championships after notching up the city’s best ever showing at the competition last year.

Two Tribes mixed team (pictured above) have won the British title two years running and will be going for a hat trick, never before achieved in the mixed competition’s history. Team captain Barry Powell said the team was preparing hard for the initial rounds.

‘We are adding a few promising newcomers to the existing squad,’ he said, ‘and arranging some extra matches to get into form.’

...

If you own a small business, you may be wondering whether or not setting up a business blog is worth either the time or effort. The short answer to this question is yes; blogging or indeed any form of content marketing can be extremely valuable to businesses of all sizes – it’s not just for the big corporations! Blogging on a regular basis can be an extremely easy yet also effective way to enhance your marketing efforts, drive traffic to your website, and bring more customers through the door. Here are just some of the ways in which your small business could benefit from starting a blog...

Members of Exeter’s Wheatley St Michael Lodge of Moose International have presented a cheque for £700 to local cancer charity FORCE.

Moose International is an organisation dedicated to raising money for good causes.

This contribution to FORCE reflects the St Thomas-based branch’s commitment to making donations to local charities where members can see the money they have donated being put to good use.

“We have raised the money through collections, draws and the overall generosity of our members,” said Mel Fildew, treasurer of the Wheatley St Michael Lodge, which...

If you run a local business, you may be missing out on a goldmine of effective online marketing opportunities. Even small, family run businesses can benefit from carrying out strategies for marketing online. Social media is well-known for connecting businesses to customers and you can use it to find revenue generating customers both in your local area and further afield. Along with social media, however, there is also a huge variety of online marketing opportunities which you can use to market your location-based business successfully. Here are some of the top marketing strategies which...

ODE-true food in South Devon is vying with some of the UK’s best known restaurant and hospitality names to be a winner at the Food Made Good Awards 2016 – which reward the unsung heroes of hospitality who go way beyond just serving delicious food. Its Cafe-ODE concept at Ness Cove, Shaldon and Gara Rock, East Portlemouth is on the shortlist in three award categories including best independent of the year, award for sourcing and food made good champion. The diversity of eateries on the shortlist for the Food Made Good Awards, run by the Sustainable Restaurant Association (SRA) and sponsored...

Local healthcare and protection insurance provider The Exeter has presented their 2015 Charity of the Year, Rainbow Living, with a cheque for £9,367.

Staff at The Exeter raised the significant sum through a series of innovative fundraising events, including a 72-mile sponsored cycle challenge, raffles, dress down days, cake sales, an internal fundraising competition, as well as fundraising events organised by individuals in their own time. Staff also supported the charity through volunteer work, including gardening at the Exeter Rainbow House, running car boot sales and modelling...

In its response to the Budget 2016, leading local advice charity, Citizens Advice Exeter highlights how it dealt with 32% more enquires about disability benefits, including Personal Independent Payments, last year and the importance of more investment in frontline money and debt advice services.

Steve Barriball, Chief Executive of Citizens Advice Exeter, said: “Household finances mirror the instability of the wider economy. Increasing the personal tax allowance threshold to £11,500 from April 2017 and helping households to save are both very positive steps. We helped with 4,500...