South Molton’s fifth Christmas Fatstock Show was held on Sunday 8 December, as part of the town’s Big Christmas Festival weekend. The Christmas Fatstock Show is firmly rooted in agriculture and any visitor to it experiences a real taste of the area’s farming tradition. This is the one day of the year that sees the Pannier Market returning to its roots, with pens of sheep (and carcasses) beingshown and subsequently auctioned on the day. Mr Ron Tapp and his son Andrew took the Championship once again, as they did in 2011. As sheep are such an important part of agriculture on Exmoor (with...
Four police dogs and their handlers are the latest highly trained officers to join Devon and Cornwall's canine unit.
The officers and their faithful companions have taken part in a passing out parade to mark the end of their training.
The group began their dog training in September and successfully passed an intensive two-day assessment with flying colours. The examination was carried out by PC Nick Dalrymple from Avon and Somerset Police.
Paul Glennon, Canine Development Officer and Course Instructor, said: “Following the assessment the assessor commented that this...
Government advisors have recommended the drug ketamine should be upgraded to a Class B drug.
Currently a Class C drug, the new classification could see illegal possession of ketamine carry a five year prison sentence.
The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs is expected to pass the advice to the Government following new evidence on the long term affects of the drug.
The new evidence from the Advisory Council showed that the prolonged use of the drug causes severe damage to the bladder which may have to be removed by surgery in the most serious cases.
Apprentice star Karren Brady is urging members of the public to nominate stroke survivors, carers and volunteers in the Stroke Association's 2014 Life After Stroke Awards (LASA).
The 2014 Life After Stroke Awards, which are sponsored by TONI&GUY CHARITABLE FOUNDATION, recognise the courage and determination of stroke survivors, and celebrate the commitment and dedication given by carers and volunteers.
The Stroke Association is a chartity close to Karren's heart after she suffered a brain aneurysm in 2006, which could have lead to a stroke.
As the South West housing market continues to show signs of economic recovery commentators have warned of the danger of the market may “overheat”.
A new report by the National Housing Federation (NHF) argues that “whilst economic growth has returned to many areas, this has caused the already over-stretched housing market there to overheat.”
In their “Home Truths” report they argue that rising rent and house prices are forcing working people onto housing benefits at the rate of 310 people every day.
The NHF also claim that if house prices continue to rise there is...
High-speed fibre broadband will be available to 44,000 Devon and Somerset homes and businesses within four months.
Connecting Devon and Somerset today takes a major step forward in the £94 million project to bring superfast broadband to rural areas by announcing the next communities set to benefit from the programme.
By the end of March 2014, fibre broadband will be available to a further 31 communities*. This extends the number of homes and businesses that are able to benefit from the programme to 44,000.
Those communities include: Bishop’s Hull, Bridford, Chilton...
Tiverton and Hontion's MP, Neil Parish, has pledged his support for the International Fund for Animal Welfare’s (IFAW) campaign against wildlife crime.
Neil Parish attended IFAW's Criminal Nature event, which took place at The House of Commons on Wednesday 27th November.
The event was hosted by Angela Smith MP. Key speakers included Davyth Stewart from INTERPOL and former Environment Minister Richard Benyon MP.
Neil Parish pledged his support for the cause by posing infront of a giant poster to highlight the issue and send a clear message that he wants the UK to...
Over one hundred travel agents from across the South West recently attended two evening events to promote the opportunities for passengers to use Manchester Airport as a hub for worldwide connections. The events at Exeter Airport and at Plymouth’s Jurys Hotel were sponsored by Manchester Airport and organised by Exeter Airport together with Flybe, the airline with frequent daily flights to the North West hub airport. Representatives from Etihad, Virgin Atlantic, Jetset, If Only, Emirates and United Airlines were at both evenings and were able to explain directly to the travel agents why...
ACRE (Action with Communities in Rural England) has joined the growing number of organisations committed to ending the stigma and discrimination against people with experience of mental health problems.
The leading rural network signed a pledge on Tuesday 3 December with Time to Change, a programme run by the charities Mind and Rethink Mental Illness.
The signing ceremony took place in Cirencester where Chief Executive Janice Banks pledged ACRE’s support to Time to Change and to promoting a better understanding of mental health problems through its national Network of 38...
