MEN and women across the South West are being challenged to ban the booze in January to raise money for Cancer Research UK. The charity is launching Dryathlon for the New Year and urging people the region to sign up now before the festive season gets into full swing. Dryathlon is Cancer Research UK’s popular fundraising campaign that invites social drinkers to take a month-long break from alcohol. ‘Dryathletes’ pledge to ditch the drink for a month and either get sponsored or donate the money they would have spent on alcohol to the charity. An impressive 6,818 people in the South West took...

Public help over the last two years is providing a better understanding of the lives of one of our most iconic birds.

The ‘Flight of the Cuckoo’ Project, which is a partnership between Dartmoor National Park (DNP), Devon Birds and Exeter University, has now completed its third year with the public being asked to report their cuckoo sightings for the past two seasons.

The sighting report project was first run in 2014, and the project partners are very pleased with the enthusiasm of the public response again this year, having received double the number of reports from the...

Highbullen Hotel, Golf and Country Club was the proud winner of two of the most prestigious categories at the Devon Tourism Awards 2015 - gold for Venue and Business Tourism and silver for Large Hotel of the Year.

Ronnie Orr, Resort Director said, “It is a great honour to be presented with the gold award for Venue and Business Tourism. It has been an incredible year since we first opened the Palazzo last November, when we hosted the 2014 Devon Tourism Awards. Our reputation has continued to grow, both with local businesses as well as those looking for a destination venue.”

...

E.ON, the energy supplier behind the Cranbrook and Skypark developments, has been chosen as the district heating provider for the new Monkerton residential and commercial development on the outskirts of Exeter, it was announced today.

As part of landmark agreement with Devon County Council, East Devon District Council, and Exeter City Council, as well as property developers Persimmon Homes, Barratt Homes, Linden Homes, Bloor Homes and landowners Eagle One and Pater Salter, E.ON will develop a £30 million, 10,000sq ft Energy Centre and district heating network which will provide a...

The Conservative Group on East Devon District Council has given its full backing to a proposed bid to establish a Heart Of The South West ‘powerhouse’.

If successful, the HOTSW bid would create a powerful partnership between local authorities in Devon and Somerset, building on benefits from recent collaboration, and working with Government to exploit economic opportunities of truly global significance.

Pushing ahead with the process to submit a joint bid to the Government before Christmas was approved unanimously by EDDC’s Cabinet last night (Wednesday 2 December).

...

Consumers are being urged to think before buying this year’s ‘must have’ for Christmas, a hoverboard, which could be at risk of catching fire or even exploding.

Devon and Somerset Trading Standards Service is appealing to Christmas shoppers to follow a 12-point safety checklist (below) if they are thinking of buying a hoverboard or have already purchased one.

Since October 15 more than 17,000 self-balancing scooters – or ‘hoverboards’– have been tested at national entry points due to safety concerns.

Of these, over 15,000 (88 per cent) were found to have significant...