Exeter’s very special mini-indoor music and performance festival GemFest 2016 takes place on Easter Sunday, March 27 at the Exeter Phoenix.

The event is organised by Gemma Wensley, a brain tumour ‘survivor’ from Exeter, and a committed team of her friends. Gemma has recently returned from a holiday of a lifetime in Australia and New Zealand, a trip she was planning before she was struck down with an inoperable brain tumour in 2009.

Gemma said: “I really did have the time of my life! It was so emotional to finally get to Australia as I have always wanted to go. When I became...

Colette Dinnes from Phillips Dinnes Accountants shares her advice on the topical new tax on dividends. She discusses the impact that the new tax will have on small businesses who have, to date, been encouraged to operate as limited companies because of the favourable tax treatment of dividend income and how this is going to change from April 2016.

Colette comments that 'from the 6th April 2016, part of the advantage will be lost and tax payers who receive a significant part of their income in the form of dividends will suffer a tax increase'.

To find out more, contact...

A gold in the 200m butterfly and 100m backstroke last weekend resulted in two Exeter swimmers gaining a place in next months Olympic trials in Glasgow.

Dominic Wooldridge and Liam White, who both swim for Exeter City Swimming Club, got the times at the Level 1 Wycombe swim meet on Sunday.

This is the first Olympic trials that 17 year old Liam, who is a backstroke specialist, has qualified for with 20 year old Dominic already qualifying for the 100m butterfly in last years summer National Championships.

The duo are now back working hard in the pool, training up to 20...

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.’

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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...