Neil Parish, MP for Tiverton and Honiton, has joined the fight against breast cancer by taking part in Breast Cancer Campaign’s biggest (and pinkest) fundraiser, wear it pink day. Over the last 10 years wear it pink has raised a staggering £23 million and on Friday 25 October 2013 people will come together in schools, colleges and businesses throughout the country to raise vital funds for Breast Cancer Campaign’s lifesaving research. Neil Parish MP says “Every year in the UK around 50,000 women and around 400 men are diagnosed with breast cancer. Sadly 12,000 women and 80 men die from this...

An inspection into the quality of work with violent offenders by Devon and Cornwall Probation Trust has found that the organisation worked effectively with other agencies to protect the public and prevent reoffending. However, the report into the inspection's findings, published by Liz Calderbank, Chief Inspector of Probation, said the Trust's work to assess and review the risk of harm posed by some offenders needed to improve.

The report identified four key concerns identified during the inspection:

• The quality of initial sentence plans was not always sufficient -
...

Exeter Rugby Club chief executive and chairman, Tony Rowe OBE, says excitement is already mounting as the two-year countdown to the Rugby World Cup 2015 begins today. In a series of events across the country, including at Southernhay Gardens in Exeter, England Rugby officials have launched its ‘Post in the Parks’ scheme. Single rugby posts are being installed in parks in the 10 RWC2015 English host cities, including here in Exeter, as visible symbols of the RFU’s commitment to broadening the appeal of rugby and to reaching out to new audiences and new areas. Across the land, the specially...

Devon County Council's latest apprentices had a breath of fresh air when they took part in a voluntary exercise on Dartmoor recently at Shapely Commons near Moretonhampstead.

Not confined to their offices for the day, twenty Devon County Council apprentices were ‘let loose’ on a 3,000 year old Bronze Age settlement. The aim was to clear an area of gorse and bracken for use by the general public and as an added bonus reveal 6 'hut circles' of significant archaeological interest.

The day began with an uphill climb from the car park to the hut circles, which were barely...

Councillors will hear Devon County Council’s vision for Exeter’s libraries next week in a report to the Exeter Board.

The County Council has been reviewing library provision in the city to ensure a coordinated and strategic approach to the city’s network of four libraries, Central, St Thomas, Pinhoe and Topsham.

Councillor Roger Croad, the Council’s Cabinet Member responsible for the library service says:

“We are investing a huge amount of money in transforming Exeter Central Library into a new multi-million pound resource for information, learning and culture at...

120 guests attended the opening night and exclusive awards ceremony of The Exeter Contemporary Open, now in its eighth year and held at the Exeter Phoenix.

Sponsored by Chartered Accountants Haines Watts, the exhibition provides an important national platform for contemporary visual artists and is open to the public from 13 September – 2 November 2013.

The winner of the prestigious £1,000 award was Wales-based artist Rachel Busby.

Guests were welcomed with a specially mixed cocktail and invited to enter the ‘Untitled cocktail competition’ inspired by the works of...

Following the launch of the city garden and the housing of three bee hives on the roof tops of the Princesshay Shopping Centre in April 2013; the busy honey bees have produced their first pots of honey!

The nucleus hive, also known as a beginner’s hive does not usually produce honey during its first year, however, the Princesshay bees have produced 3 pounds of honey in just four months, which has equated to three jars of delicious, dark runny honey.

The expertly chosen bee friendly flora and fauna combined with an amazing summer and attentive care has boosted the production...

Whodunnit? With the Agatha Christie Festival in full swing, the question is – who created the Poirot gorilla that’s been wowing shoppers in Torquay this summer?

This time it wasn’t the butler – it was the students of South Devon College.

They created a remarkable gorilla version of Agatha Christie's famous detective, Hercule Poirot, as part of Paignton Zoo’s Great Gorillas Project.

Celebrating the 90th birthday of Paignton Zoo, the project has put life-size model gorillas, sponsored by businesses and community groups and painted in original designs by specially...

Stoptober – the 28-day stop smoking challenge which last year saw over a thousand people in Devon complete the challenge, is set to return this October, and Devon County Council’s public health team is marking the national campaign with a range of support for those trying to quit.

Smoking remains the nation’s biggest killer with half of long-term smokers dying prematurely from a smoking disease.

New research shows that people who quit smoking for Stoptober, and don’t smoke again, could gain an extra week of life, every 28 days, for the rest of their life. And anyone who...