Exeter Racecourse has recorded its best ever results for conference and events bookings since it first significantly started to build this side of the business in 2005.

The period from 1 January until 30 June saw a 30 per cent increase in revenue compared to the same period in 2012 and the highest following the opening of its £2.2million extension, in 2009, which doubled the size of the facilities available.

From January until the end of June, the racecourse hosted 300 separate events, with an average of 500 visitors per week and just under 12,000 delegates in total....

More than a quarter of over 70s with type 2 diabetes could benefit simply from improving communication and education in the clinic, new research has revealed. A study led by the University of Exeter Medical School and published in the Lancet found that 27 per cent achieved better glycaemic control through individualised care alone.

At the moment, patients over the age of 70 are treated using a blanket method of aggressively reducing blood glucose levels, but that does little to take their complex needs into account.

Dr David Strain, from the University of Exeter Medical...

Mr Parish has supported Guide Dogs’ call for the installation of a vital safety feature on quiet hybrid and electric vehicles to keep pedestrians safe, by attending a reception at the Houses of Parliament on Wednesday 26 June. The Tiverton and Honiton MP was amongst the large number of Members of Parliament who backed the charity's call to install artificial noise generators on quiet vehicles. Research shows that some quiet vehicles cannot be heard until one second before impact and, in certain conditions, are more likely to be involved in a collision with a pedestrian than conventional...

This Friday 12 July why not enjoy a three-course meal for the exceptional price of just £30 with the added plus that all the profits of the evening will be donated to The C Group Charity, supporting Royal Marines in Need.

Hosted by the Exeter Golf and Country Club, the three-course dinner will be joined by two outstanding and influential guest speakers - former England Rugby International, Andy Gomarsall MBE and skipper of the first all-female Whitbread yachet crew, Tracey Edwards MBE BSc.

Also attending the event will be Tony Rowe OBE, Chairman of Exeter Chiefs and The C...

The summer is looking bright at Devon’s Crealy Great Adventure Park with a packed calendar of fantastic events and attractions to keep the whole family entertained.

Devon’s Crealy Great Adventure Park will be welcoming different children’s characters every Monday throughout the summer holidays to meet and greet their fans.

These include Rastamouse on Monday 22 July; Octonauts on Monday 5 August; Mike the Knight on Monday 12 August and Peppa Pig on Monday 19 August. Guests can also watch Mini Shows staring Bob the Builder on Monday 26 August and Fireman Sam on Monday 29 July...

More than 4,200 students at the University of Exeter will be celebrating their graduation between 15 and 22 July. Ceremonies at the Great Hall on the University’s main Streatham campus and at Truro Cathedral will be presided over by the University’s Chancellor, Baroness Floella Benjamin OBE DL. She will personally greet each graduand and inspire them to use their education to make a difference in the world.

Inspiration will also come from 11 Honorary Graduates; senior figures from the NHS, Church of England, higher education, sport and media. From the local area these include Dr...

A Passivhaus project in which Exeter-based Aspect Windows installed the windows and doors has won a national award.

Totnes Passivhaus B&B, in Dartington, near Totnes, was announced the winner in the private housing category of the UK Passivhaus Awards 2013 at a ceremony in London on 4 July. The national awards celebrate the design and performance of Passivhaus in the UK.

Aspect Windows worked with the designer and builder and supplied and installed the property’s triple-glazed Internorm windows and doors to achieve the Passivhaus standard. The Totnes Passivhaus, the...

A revolutionary new nasal spray at the dentist could signal the end of the "dreaded" needle.

Scientists at the University at Buffalo have pioneered the spray to replace the need for needles, a move that could encourage 15 million people in the UK with dental anxiety to visit the dentist.

The nasal spray, called Kovacaine Mist, appeared to be just as, if not more effective than a standard anaesthetic, with more than four in five patients (83 per cent) requiring no further anaesthetic. Founder Dr Mark Kollar, DDS, noted the spray provided anaesthesia of the teeth 'sufficient...

An official turf cutting was held at the Grand Western Canal on Monday (8 July) to mark the start of restoration work.

The Canal suffered a serious breach of its northern bank near the Swing Bridge at Halberton on 21 November last year, after water spilled over the top of the embankment during torrential downpours and flooding.

It is estimated that more than 16 million litres of water (the equivalent of more than 100,000 bathtubs or 6.5 Olympic swimming pools) flowed through the 23-metre wide breach onto neighbouring farmland. Emergency services spent days pumping water...

There are 184 people in Devon waiting for a transplant and 31 Devon residents have died due to the shortage of organs in the last four Years*. NHS Blood and Transplant is highlighting the figures to encourage people to pass on their donation wishes to their loved ones during National Transplant Week 2013 (8-14 July). This year’s theme is Pass It On, stressing the importance of having a conversation about organ donation as well as joining the NHS Organ Donor Register. To encourage people, some of the UK’s best known communicators are showing the public how important and easy it is to do....