Badger Cull could be extended in Somerset and Gloucestershire

Authored by Huw Oxburgh
Posted: Wed, 10/09/2013 - 12:59pm

The company which ran the pilot badger cull in Somerset have applied for an extension of two to three weeks.

Natural England, the national executive responsible for protecting and improving England's natural enviroment is currently considering the application.

Gloucestershire is expected to also apply for an extension. The Department for Enviroment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has said that current indications suggest the six week pilot cull was humane, safe and effective in reducing the badger population. The Chief Veterinary Officer has advised the government that by...

Economic Growth stunted due to faults with funding process, claims LGA Chairman

The Chairman of the Local Government Association (LGA), Sir Merrick Cockell, is to address public service leaders from across Devon tomorrow saying that economic growth is being stunted because of the way Whitehall allocates and spends taxpayers' money.

Sir Merrick Cockell will use his keynote address to local government leaders, councillors and public service leaders from across Devon to demand a radical overhaul of the way public money is distributed and spent to deliver a fair deal for English residents, boost economic growth and completely rewire a public sector which has...

Woman in sea rescued by police

Authored by Mary Youlden
Posted: Wed, 10/09/2013 - 11:54am

A 19-year-old woman was rescued by police officers who waded into the sea in Exmouth at the weekend.

Police were called at 7.30pm on Sunday 6 October by the woman’s friend who was concerned about her walking out to sea.

Two officers from the Force Support Group, based in Exeter, were in the area at the time and rushed to The Esplanade area of the town.

When PC Grahame Bailey and PC Geoff Howell arrived they spoke to the friend who pointed out where she was.

The officers ran in to the sea until they could reach the woman. The pair grabbed her around 50 metres...

Dare to bare... have you got what it takes to walk over hot coals for Exeter's WESC Foundation?

Have you got a burning desire to face a new challenge and raise a scorching amount of money in the process? Then join other fearless fundraisers at Exeter’s Double Locks pub on 1 November and take part in a Fire Walk in aid of WESC Foundation - The Specialist Centre for Visual Impairment.

Organised in association with UK Firewalk, the event will raise funds through sponsorship for the charity, which provides specialist education and care to blind and partially sighted children and young people. You can enter either individually or as a team, and all participants will be mentored...

New route for the Great West Run

Authored by Huw Oxburgh
Posted: Wed, 10/09/2013 - 11:01am

This Sunday (13 October) sees the return of Exeter’s Great West Run.

Roads to be closed for the event: • Northernhay Place • Bailey Street • Sidwell Street • Exeter High Street • South Street • Western Way (one Eastbound Lane) • Frog Street • A377/Exe Bridges (one Northbound Lane) • Okehampton Street • Okehampton Road • Exwick Road • St Andrews Road • Crediton Road • Stoke Road • Cowley Bridge Road • New North Road • Streatham Drive • Prince of Wales Road • Pennsylvania Road (crossing point at Prince of Wales Rd & Union Rd) • Union Road • Mount Pleasant Rd • Pinhoe Road •...

Poetry is like music to the mind, University of Exeter scientists prove

New brain imaging technology is helping researchers to bridge the gap between art and science by mapping the different ways in which the brain responds to poetry and prose.

Scientists at the University of Exeter used state-of-the-art functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) technology, which allows them to visualise which parts of the brain are activated to process various activities. No one had previously looked specifically at the differing responses in the brain to poetry and prose.

In research published in the Journal of Consciousness Studies , the team found...

Charities call on Lords to stop postcode lottery on leaving care

Forty leading charities, organisations and academics have written to the House of Lords calling on them to seize their once-in-a-generation opportunity to change the lives of thousands of vulnerable young people this week, as they discuss an amendment to the Children and Families Bill that would allow care leavers in England to stay with their foster families to the age of 21. Currently most young people are forced to leave their foster homes at the age of 17, unless they are one of the lucky ones supported by their local authority or their foster carer can fund them to stay out of their...

Relaxed Performances: "The opposite of the quiet carriage on a train"

If you have a family member or care for someone who makes involuntary noise, is likely to talk a lot, needs to move around, or gets disturbed by sudden loud noises you may think that going to the theatre isn’t for you. After all, theatres are usually seen as places where you need to keep quiet and sit still during a performance. A Relaxed Performance may be the answer, making it possible for you to have an enjoyable trip to the theatre without fear that other audience members will complain and make the experience potentially awkward and stressful.

Exeter-based Theatre Alibi start...

Living With Sight Loss course

Event Date: 
05/11/2013 - 10:30am
Venue: 
Belmont Chapel, Exeter

Action for Blind People has developed The Living with Sight Loss (LWSL) course for people who are newly diagnosed, or anyone coming to terms, with sight loss. It aims to provide practical knowledge, information and support whilst empowering visually impaired people to gain confidence and independence.

The courses provide an opportunity to explore a range of different subjects from volunteering and peer support to emotional wellbeing and nutrition. They also provide an opportunity to meet professionals from a range of services such as Guide Dogs, RNIB, Social Services and the NHS to...

Proposed planning reforms threaten suburbanisation of Dartmoor National Park, says Authority

Dartmoor National Park Authority is asking the Government to think again about its proposals to allow farm buildings to be converted to housing, schools or nurseries without the need for planning permission.

The Government is consulting planning authorities across England on its proposals to allow the conversion or demolition of farm buildings to create up to three houses or a state school or nursery without planning permission.

It follows recent changes which already allow farm buildings to be converted into shops or offices, and for offices to be turned into homes,...

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