Exeter Chiefs assistant coach Ali Hepher believes it would tough for England to ignore the claims of Henry Slade if the young playmaker puts in a performance against France this Saturday at Twickenham.

The 22-year-old back is poised to win his maiden international cap when Stuart Lancaster’s side take on Les Bleus in the first of three warm-up games ahead of this autumn’s Rugby World Cup.

Slade, who is joined in the current England training squad by fellow Chiefs Luke Cowan-Dickie, Jack Nowell and Geoff Parling, enjoyed a stellar campaign last season, winning both...

Over a third (34%) of current students and graduates have said they based their university choice on student engagement levels and student satisfaction, according to a new study.

Maintenance grants have now been slashed for all students and over half of the Universities in the England and Wales now charge undergraduates the maximum of £9,000 per year.

Despite this, UCAS figures reveal that over half a million students secured a place in higher education last year, there has also been a 2% increase in the total number of applicants in 2015, meaning student support is...

Exeter Chiefs and Samurai Sportswear have today officially revealed the club’s stylish new home kit for the upcoming 2015-16 season.

The Iconix™ rugby match shirt will once again be sported by Rob Baxter’s side in the Aviva Premiership and comes with a host of new features, including high performance 4D fabric for improved fit and comfort.

Worn around the world and boasting a sleek style for both players and supporters alike, the state-of-the-art shirt also includes bicep sculptured sleeves; tailored waist and droptail, as well as an integral GPS pouch.

As well as...

Connecting Devon and Somerset (CDS) today announced major plans to make superfast fibre broadband available to 20 more business parks across the two counties.

It means that a further 1,000 businesses will have access to speeds of up to 80Mbps* by the end of 2016.

The 20 new locations are in addition to more than 200 business parks across the two counties where CDS has already delivered fibre broadband or has plans to do so.

The news comes on the same day as the Government’s announcement that the nationwide rollout of superfast broadband has now passed more than...

A student from the Stagecoach theatre school in Exeter has taken centre stage in the hit West End and Broadway production of Shrek The Musical® at the Theatre Royal, Plymouth this month.

Nine-year-old Sophia Rochfort sailed through her auditions organised by the Stagecoach Agency, to secure the part of the one of the lead characters, the Young Shrek and Grumpy the Dwarf.

The UK and Ireland Tour of Shrek The Musical® is directed by Nigel Harman who starred as Lord Farquaad in the West End production at Theatre Royal Drury Lane, winning him the 2012 Laurence Olivier Award for...

A world-class field will be contesting Empire Coachbuilders Bicton Arena International Horse Trials, which run on August 22, and 23.

They include four riders in the FEI top 20 rider rankings – William Fox-Pitt, Sam Griffiths, Jonathan Paget and Paul Tapner - as well as a number of other well-known eventing stars.

World number two William Fox-Pitt will ride nine horses including his international four-star horse Cool Mountain in the open intermediate.

Australian Sam Griffiths rides include the hugely popular Happy Times who finished third at last year’s Land Rover...

A coastal conservation charity is helping young people to face the natural world with more confidence by organizing close encounters with some amazing creatures.

Clare Rugg, from Living Coasts, Torquay’s coastal zoo and aquarium, explained: “There’s a big emphasis these days on getting kids outdoors, inspiring a love of the natural world and letting them get to know their local environment. But when it comes to our seas, recent scares about stinging jellyfish don’t help. We want to increase understanding and break down some of the misconceptions surrounding our sea-life.

“...

First Great Western (FGW) has announced the return of the award-winning Frame Your Train competition – running throughout August.

It calls on passengers travelling on First Great Western trains to reach for their smartphone, snap a view from the window, and upload the image to Instagram using the hashtag #FGWFrameYourTrain. All entries are then uploaded to an interactive map, and showcased in an online photo gallery. It couldn’t be easier for all budding photographers out there to get involved!

Each week, for four weeks, a nominated judge will pick their ‘Photo of the Week...

An Associate Solicitor at The Family Law Company has been shortlisted in the prestigious national Family Law Awards.

Grace Bradley qualified in 2009, having studied Law and German in Scotland and Germany. Unusually, she is qualified in both Scots and English law. She also spent time working for a law firm in Argentina before joining The Family Law Company in Exeter, where she specialises in private children law and financial matters, with a particular interest in cases involving international issues.

“To be shortlisted for such a respected award by some of the country’s...

The rise however equated to just 59 claimants, not enough to change the overall claimant rate for Devon as a proportion of the county’s working age population. The rate remained the same as in June at 0.8 per cent, in contrast to 1.8 per cent UK's average.

The increase represents a 1.6 per cent rise in Devon's claimants between June and July 2015.

However, the month's claimant count was 20 per cent lower than the same month in 2014, and 60 per cent lower than July 2011.

East Devon, Exeter and Teignbridge were the only districts to experience an increase in claimants...