A young boy asked his mother what he should do in order to be a success when he grew up. The mother thought for a moment, and then told her son to bring her a pencil. Puzzled, the boy found a pencil and gave it to her.

“If you want to do good,” she said, “you have to be just like this pencil.”

“What does that mean?” her son asked.

“First,” she said, “you’ll be able to do a lot of things, but not on your own. You have to allow yourself to be held in someone’s hand.

“Second, you’ll have to go through a painful sharpening from time to time, but you’ll need it...

Today (Wednesday 3 July), Devon and Cornwall, Avon and Somerset, Dorset and Gloucestershire Police join the National Police Air Service (NPAS). This is the fourth phase of implementation since the launch of NPAS on 1st October 2012. The remaining police forces in England and Wales will join NPAS by January 2015.

The focus of NPAS is to deliver a more cost effective service, balancing the need to save money in a challenging economic environment against the need to ensure the police have a quickly deployable asset that can be used to tackle crime and protect the public.

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City manager Paul Tisdale clarified the contract situations with a few of the players that are yet to put pen to paper with the Grecians for 2013/14.

Experienced pairing Matt Oakley and Steve Tully have not yet agreed terms to remain with the Grecians, but Paul is confident in the knowledge that he and the club are doing their utmost retain both players within the constraints they have.

“Matt Oakley hasn’t signed yet, but he’s come back to training and he wants to play for us,” said Tis. “We’ve been very transparent over the last month or two that we’d like to sign him and...

On Saturday, members of Exeter Enterprise met at Countess Wear School Exeter to assist with its Summer Fete. Our chosen stand was “Pick a Nail” and for a charge of 50p you picked a nail and depending on its colour, chose a prize from either a blue or red box. If you were lucky enough to pick the Gold Nail, then you received a choice of very special prizes.

Overall the day was a great success and the club raised approximately £50.00 towards the plaques for the school benches in its forest garden. We thank everyone who took part and made this event so enjoyable and fun.

Civil engineering contractors in the South West are calling for early industry engagement in the infrastructure projects unveiled by government to enable local companies to invest in appropriate skills and innovation. Alan Taylor, Executive Director of Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA) for the South West, welcomed the recent announcements, but highlighted the role of industry in bringing the plans to fruition and ensuring cost-effective project delivery. Mr Taylor commented: “Our members have been pushing for greater certainty around infrastructure investment for many years...

Devon County Council has today (Wednesday, 3 July) won an award for excellence for a pilot project to tackle smoking and protect children from harm.

The award from the CLeaR Partnership, which works with local authorities across England to assess progress in reducing smoking, was given for Devon’s pioneering work with children’s centres.

At the seven pilot sites across the county, the Council has installed specially designed signage to advise people not to smoke on site and provided bespoke training for staff to raise the issue with parents and offer support to parents who...

ECFC Supporters' Trust has been busy helping the Club to organise the very popular pre-season Funday.

This year it will be taking place at St James Park on Sunday 14 July. Let's hope for better weather than last year.

The Trust will again have its stall, as will the Red Army and other supporters groups, with the usual fun and games for all the family.

Tis will once again be taking an hour-long training session with the players on the pitch, which is always popular.

The players will be available later on to meet fans and sign autographs, and then everyone...

A private dental centre in Exeter is hoping to fill a cavity in the market by opening seven days a week.

From Monday, 1 July, The Exeter Dental Centre will be the first practice in the area to offer patients the opportunity to book appointments on Sundays. The centre, situated on Castle Street in the city centre, already opens on Saturdays, offering a range of convenient appointments for its patients, including early morning opening and two late-night surgeries in the week.

Principal dentist and practice owner, Michael Hesketh, said: “Offering fully staffed surgeries seven...

The Exeter office of Brewin Dolphin, one of the UK’s largest independently owned private client wealth managers, announces a double celebration as two of their Investment Managers achieve exam success. Sean Priestley and Victoria Eastwood based in Pynes Hill jointly obtained their Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) Financial Services Certificate, aimed at investment advisers, financial planners and those working in the banking sector. The qualification provides an advanced understanding of Trust and Estate Planning in Investment Management as well as enabling candidates to...