Aussie ace to join Chiefs

Australian international Greg Holmes says he is relishing the challenge that lies ahead after he today sealed his move to Aviva Premiership side Exeter Chiefs.

The 32-year-old tight-head prop, who joins from Super Rugby outfit Queensland Reds, will move to Sandy Park at the start of next season on a two-year deal.

A product of the Reds Academy, Holmes made his debut for the Aussie franchise back in 2005 against the Blues and has since gone on to win 132 Super Rugby caps, seven eight tries in the process.

With 24 caps for the Wallabies also in his locker, the...

MTV Crashes Plymouth tickets go on sale

Dates for next year’s MTV Crashes Plymouth have been confirmed and music fans can get their hands on tickets from Monday 21 December.

The spectacular live music event, organised by MTV in collaboration with Plymouth City Council, will be returning for its third year on Plymouth Hoe on the evenings of Thursday 28 and Friday 29 July 2016.

MTV Crashes Plymouth has grown year-on-year and has seen thousands of people enjoy chart-topping headline acts for a fraction of the cost of other UK festivals. The 2016 two-day event will be even bigger and better, bringing a number of top...

Tony Hogg welcomes call for independent police funding review

Authored by News Desk
Posted: Mon, 12/21/2015 - 5:40am

Devon and Cornwall’s Police and Crime Commissioner Tony Hogg has welcomed calls for an independent panel to advise the Government on future proposals for police funding. A report published by the Home Affairs Select Committee says accounting firms, financial experts and the College of Policing should be appointed to assist the Home Office in formulating revised proposals. Last month the Home Office paused its review process after Mr Hogg’s office highlighted serious errors in calculating the funding allocations for police force areas. These errors resulted in forces who had been advised...

Growth of online channels fuels expansion of intellectual property team

The ever-growing importance of online channels to businesses and the recognition of the value of intangible assets has led to the continued expansion of the intellectual property (IP) team of a leading South West law firm.

Stephens Scown’s intellectual property practice, established just three years ago, has grown rapidly to now include eight specialists - the largest IP team of any law firm in the region. Most recently, the firm recruited Neil Eagleton as a senior associate from London-based firm Sheridans.

According to Ben Travers, partner and head of intellectual...

Exeter Community Centre announces exciting new project

Authored by News Desk
Posted: Sun, 12/20/2015 - 10:08pm

Exeter Community Centre on St David’s Hill is proud to announce the launch of an exciting community project called Sense of Space, to create a new sensory garden at the centre and to bring its Pottery back into use.

A grant from The People’s Health Trust has enabled the project to go ahead.

The project will create opportunities for local people to meet and learn new skills together, at FREE workshops running from January 2016.

The workshops will focus on garden design and planting, and on designing and making pottery tiles that will be used to decorate the new...

Concerts in the West: Nicholas McCarthy (piano)

Authored by Mary Youlden
Posted: Sun, 12/20/2015 - 10:01pm

In the entire 130-year history of the Royal College of Music (RCM), there has only been one single-handed pianist to graduate. That person is the exceptionally talented Nicholas McCarthy, whose name now resonates throughout the frequently haughty world of classical music, as not just a one-handed wonder, but a musical talent of considerable standing. Since his graduation from RCM in 2012, Nicholas has wowed audiences around the world with his mesmerising performances in top class venues ranging from The Royal Albert Hall and St Martin-in-the-Fields to The Kennedy Centre, Washington DC and...

Campaign tackling seasonal loneliness helps record numbers

Record numbers of older people worried about being alone over Christmas have already contacted older people’s housing and care charity The Abbeyfield Society as its Coping at Christmas campaign gets into full swing.

Since the campaign launch in November, Abbeyfield has handled hundreds of calls from isolated older people who face being alone over the extended Christmas period. As a result, over 400 older people who would otherwise have spent the Christmas period without company are being welcomed into Abbeyfield houses the breadth of the country to enjoy festive events ranging from...

Clermont gain revenge in Champions Cup

Around the globe this week the headlines have all been about the latest episode of the Star Wars collection ‘The Force Awakens’.

Well, here in France, star-studded Clermont Auvergne showed they had themselves awoken from their European Champions Cup slumber, ruthlessly dispatching of visiting Exeter Chiefs at the Stade Marcel Michelin.

Having had their noses blooded by Devon’s finest just the week previous, the Top 14 outfit underlined their European credentials with a simply mouth-watering display that yielded five tries.

First half tries from David Strettle and...

A Christmas Message from Bishop Robert

Millions of us will take to the roads, seas and skies over the next few days to try and get home to be with loved ones over Christmas. It can be a lengthy and stressful experience with crowded trains, coaches and airports to contend with.

Of course, we aren’t the only ones journeying. Tens of thousands of others aren’t travelling home this Christmas, but are treading perilous paths to find somewhere safe, a sanctuary for their families. Harrowing pictures of the plight of refugees have filled our television screens: the toddler washed up on a beach in Turkey or the father whose...

Outstanding researcher recognised through fellowship

A Senior Research Fellow at the University of Exeter Medical School has been awarded a Fellowship from the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy in recognition of her excellence in research, education and partnership working.

Dr Victoria Goodwin works for the South West Peninsula Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Research and Health Care (PenCLARHC) and is an Honorary Physiotherapist for Torbay & South Devon NHS Foundation Trust.

She was nominated for the accolade by colleagues who highlighted her commitment and achievements in advancing the physiotherapy profession...

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