Every year 6 million loaves of bread are being thrown into canals and rivers in England and Wales - potentially polluting the water and damaging hundreds of thousands of ducks’ homes.
Last year 73% of people in the South West fed the ducks, 82% of them admitting to feeding our feathered friends with bread.
Uneaten soggy bread can cause a build-up of bad nutrients which can lead to greater algae growth, spread disease and encourage pests such as rats.
Today, ahead of the official start of spring and duckling hatching season, the Canal & River Trust is calling on...
A team of accountants swapped their books for Wellington boots when they paid a visit to their newly-adopted charity.
Exeter-based Sidaways were given a VIP tour of Farms For City Children at Nethercott House, near Iddesleigh.
The firm of chartered accountants is to focus on raising money for Devon-based charity Farms for City Children as part of the company’s 25th anniversary celebrations. The trip was arranged so the business could see where the money it raises will be spent.
Children’s author Michael Morpurgo and his wife Clare founded Farms for City Children in...
He’s the director of a multi-million pound company but that doesn’t stop Roger Young getting his hands dirty. Dressed in an immaculate grey suit and freshly polished shoes, this quiet, shy gentleman seems to come alive under the chassis of a Land Rover Defender 90.
It’s because that’s where his heart lies. Roger Young is one of the South West’s most successful businessmen, selling some of the most expensive vehicles money can buy, but it all started in a workshop on his father’s farm on Bodmin Moor – and he’s never forgotten it.
Gardeners should start preparing early for their great slug and snail hunt this year as winter temperatures have provided the perfect conditions for their arch enemies.
According to Wyevale Garden Centres – the UK’s largest garden centre group - last year, gardeners spent £11.6 million in their battle to protect their botanical spaces, battling over 30 species of slugs including a voracious invader discovered on our shores only last year – the Spanish slug (Arion vulgaris).
Slugs like mild and warm winters and Met Office statistics show that average temperatures were...
Devon & Somerset Fire & Rescue Service is joining with Fire and Rescue Services across the UK in supporting Fire Sprinkler Week 2015, taking place from 16-22 March.
This is the second annual sprinkler awareness campaign undertaken by Fire and Rescue services and this year is focusing on the way that fitting sprinklers can help businesses and education, by reducing the impact of a fire.
Lee Howell, Chief Fire Officer said: “Devon & Somerset fully support this campaign as sprinklers save lives, protect property, promote prosperity and contribute to the community...
A new intelligent digital Plymouth firm has ‘GAIN-ed’ a £250,000 grant to boost its £4million growth package, reports KATE WILLIAMS
High tech Plymouth firm Intelligent Optimisations has raised £4million in its first 18 months to fund its growth. The firm received a £250,000 grant from The Growth Acceleration and Investment Network (GAIN) Growth Fund, which has helped to unlock further investment, supporting the creation of up to 42 new jobs.
Based in the Barbican, Intelligent Optimisations was founded in May 2013 and now employs 31 people, with a major recruitment drive...
The use of social media is now a given for any business. Why? Because, with very few exceptions, our customers are having conversations on there and we have a huge opportunity to get involved too.
However, it doesn’t have to be complicated. Social media is just another form of communication, so we can use it however we want - for research, customer service, or positioning, for example, in addition to the more obvious goals of generating leads and enquiries. Successful social media marketing is, however, very different from traditional marketing as we are now generating interest by...
Exeter businesses are being warned they may become “April fools” by sacrificing tens of thousands of pounds in rating refunds and savings if they do not act quickly.
The alert has come from Matthew Midwinter, partner with leading national property consultancy and chartered surveyor Sanderson Weatherall, which has offices in Exeter.
Mr Midwinter explained: “The rates that businesses pay on their premises are linked to valuations which have previously changed every five years. The last such review took effect in April 2010 but the government announced a couple of years ago...
A BICYCLE recycling and repair project based at Bicton College has reached a significant milestone, launching a new 'Bring Your Own Bike Night', aimed at training people to fix their own wheels.
Founded just over a year ago, EaRTH Cycles has been taking in unwanted bikes and refurbishing them, recently receiving their 100th bike donation.
As well as diverting waste from landfill, the project gives people a chance to learn bike maintenance through refurbishing the donated bikes.
Sam White, EaRTH Cycles Coordinator, said: "Our 100th bike donation is a real milestone...
With the 2015 budget just days away independent Devon accountancy firm Thomas Westcott has issued a wish-list it believes will help businesses in the South West.
But, with a General Election looming, the experts at Thomas Westcott fear the Budget announcement will be a "benign affair" focused on what has been achieved, rather than measures to further stimulate business growth.
"With the economy continuing to show encouraging signs and businesses across the South West generally feeling more optimistic we would like to see the Budget used to keep momentum with local...
