Don’t make any plans for the weekend until you’ve checked out our guide to what’s on in and around Exeter.

THEATRE

April De Angelis Friday & Saturday, 7.30pm, Cygnet Theatre, Exeter The theatres have just re-opened after seventeen years of suppression under the puritans, encouraging a great upsurge in dramatic writing. Of vital importance to the development of drama was the entrance of the first English actresses upon the English stage. April De Angelis has taken five famous figures – Nell Gwynn, Elizabeth Farley, Rebecca Marshall, Doll Common and Mary Betterton – and...

Long serving former Exeter City Councillor, Yolonda Henson has been awarded the Honorary position of Freeman of the City.

The award is recognition of her unstinting duty of public service over a total of 32 years elected service on the City Council. This includes a number of years as Leader of the Conservative Group, as well as Mayor of the City in 1992. Throughout that time, she has always put the interests of the residents of the City and the future of the City itself, first.

Yolonda most recently served the residents in the Polsloe ward on the City Council but was...

Her Majesty The Queen has approved the appointment of six new Queen’s Counsel Honoris Causa, exclusively bestowed upon lawyers who have made a major contribution to the law of England and Wales outside practice in the courts.

Leading commercial lawyer Professor Rob Merkin, from the University of Exeter, is one of the few academics to be granted an Honorary QC, alongside 93 new advocates who have been appointed QC. The Lord Chancellor will preside over the appointment ceremony, where the rank will formally be bestowed upon successful applicants, at Westminster Hall on 16 February...

Tiverton and Honiton MP Neil Parish has signed the Holocaust Educational Trust’s Book of Commitment, in doing so pledging his commitment to Holocaust Memorial Day and honouring those who were murdered during the Holocaust as well as paying tribute to the extraordinary Holocaust survivors who work tirelessly to educate young people.

Tuesday 27th January will mark the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi concentration and death camp Auschwitz-Birkenau, the site of the largest mass murder in history. In the weeks leading up to and after Holocaust Memorial Day, thousands of...

Local charity, Exeter Citizens Advice Bureau, is reporting a worrying 34% increase in private sector tenant repossession cases.

This is in comparison with the same period last year and shows that pressure on household budgets continues to hit hard.

Across all housing sectors, where a CAB adviser has assisted clients facing repossession, clients have avoided repossession in 80% of cases.

Exeter City Council has provided financial support for this essential service.

Steve Barriball, Exeter Citizens Advice Bureau Chief Executive, said: “We have at least one...

Homeless people across Exeter and parts of Devon have been given a boost with the awarding of crucial funding to tackle the ongoing problem of homelessness.

Quarter of a million pounds has been awarded from the government’s Help for Homeless fund.

The successful bid was lead by Exeter City Council and includes Exeter, Teignbridge, East Devon, Mid Devon and Torbay.

An additional combined total of £35,000 will be donated by the local authorities involved in the project.

The new funding will provide:

• Three specialist case workers managing complex
...

The latest figures for 2014 show that crime continues to fall across the region.

Recorded figures for January to December 2014 showed a decrease of 3.2% or 2,747 fewer offences compared to 2013, with reductions across a number of crime groups.

The updated picture shows the Force continues to see reductions in public order offences (down by 14.8%), theft (-10.7%), Burglary (-5.7%), and criminal damage has fallen by 5.9%.

In line with the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, there are certain types of crime that the Force want to see a rise in the reporting of...

Exeter based charity, South West Grid for Learning Trust, has been awarded a prestigious Bett award in the ‘ICT Leadership and Management Solutions’ category. Coinciding with Bett, the world’s largest technology in education show, the awards are considered the highest accolade in the industry.

The Bett Awards play a key role in identifying and rewarding innovative ICT resources and services for use in education. The winning organisations were announced at the awards dinner in London on Wed 21st January.

The South West Grid for Learning is a not-for-profit charitable trust...

Twelve Exeter School pupils have scored top results in the challenging British Physics Olympiad, competing against over 1,900 pupils nationally.

A total of one Silver award, four Bronze awards and seven Commendations were awarded.

Physics teacher Dr Houghton said all those who entered should be congratulated on their achievement.

“This comprises an extremely difficult test paper, much more challenging and less predictable than an A2 paper,” he said.

“Only those who have already achieved a good grade A at AS are considered for entry, and award boundaries are...

Exmouth-based technology firm The EuroTech Group plc has provided the town’s community cadets with sponsorship for new safety boots.

The generous contribution will enable the Exmouth Community Cadets to complete their uniforms and carry out their activities in safety.

The cadets scheme gives Year 10 and 11 students the opportunity to experience a wide range of activities working with the emergency services in the local community with the aim of developing valuable skills for life.

It is run in partnership between Exmouth Community College, Devon & Somerset Fire...