The Culture Secretary, Maria Miller, said this week she would fight hard in the forthcoming spending review for Arts and Culture. That’s an improvement on her predecessor, Jeremy Hunt, who seemed to take pride in the size of the cuts he offered up to the Treasury and was the first Minister to settle in the last spending round.

Investment in arts and culture is tiny - less than 1% of overall Government spending. Yet it goes a long way in terms of jobs and economic growth. Sometimes wrongly seen as a fluffy luxury, arts spending is central to Britain’s economic future. Independent...

Young people from across the region took part in a series of tests on Thursday as Exeter College hosted the inaugural South West CYQ Fitness Trainer Competition. Students from Exeter College’s Exercise and Fitness and Personal Trainer and Sports Massage courses were joined by competitors from Petroc to decide who would be the South West winners and go through to the National final.

The 12 competitors battled it out in two competitions, which ran throughout the day. Judged by experts from Cornwall and London, the competition involved giving a fitness consultation and designing and...

The Environment and Sustainability Institute (ESI), a £30 million environmental research institute at the University of Exeter’s Tremough Campus, Penryn, was formally opened on Tuesday 23 April by more than 120 local school children. The ESI leads cutting-edge interdisciplinary research to find solutions to the problems of environmental change and is working with local children to inspire them to take up careers in research. As part of a week of activities to celebrate the opening of the ESI, students from local schools enjoyed hands-on workshops that demonstrated the institute’s research...

One of the South West’s most up-and-coming ‘Cloud’ solution specialists, Hosted Desktop UK, has again been asked to speak at the UK’s premier accountancy exhibition, Accountex, on Thursday 6 and Friday 7 June.

Attracting over 3,000 accountants and financial directors plus over 100 exhibitors, the event will see Jonathan Oldknow, Sales Manager for the Exeter-based company, take to the stage at London’s ExCel to deliver a presentation about how hosted desktop is revolutionising the professional office.

Jonathan Oldknow has worked within the IT industry for 23 years...

All trains between Exeter Central Station and St David's Station were cancelled for over an hour this evening, while Queen Street was cordoned off to traffic, while police and fire crews dealt with a topless man threatening to jump from Central Station bridge.

Witness reports said that the man had fled from the Co-operative on Queen Street before getting onto the bridge and threatening to jump onto the tracks. Police negotiators managed to talk the man down and took him into custody.

Trains are now running again and the Queen Street cordon has been lifted.

Need some inspiration for the weekend? Look no further than our round up of the best events happening in and around Exeter over the next few days:

THEATRE

An Audience with Sherlock Holmes Friday, 7.30pm, Manor Pavilion, Sidmouth Join Sherlock Holmes in the study of 221B Baker Street for a classic retelling of some of his most celebrated cases - a captivating portrayal by raconteur Andrew Meller. A Truly memorable evening. Ticekts £11.50. Box office: 01395 514413. www.manorpavilion.com

The Incomers Friday & Saturday, Bike Shed Theatre, Exeter A full moon rises...

If you have been meaning to get back into tennis, or always wanted to play, the new Exeter Parks Singles Tennis League offers friendly, competitive tennis for all.

Designed to offer an easy way to play matches, (the best way to improve), the sporting challenge is open to men and women of all standards (aged 18+). Players are grouped by ability and have 8 weeks to play up to 7 matches. They arrange these themselves at a mutually convenient time and place.

Any court can be used - and in Exeter's parks they are completely free! There are £20 prizes for group winners and...

Approximately 30 people attended the Opening Day of the new TABS Training Centre in Exeter, including the Lord Mayor Councillor Rob Newby who officially opened the centre. There was also representation from local businesses and charities supporting the Opening Day.

TABS Director Mark Mitchell gave a presentation on the courses that are offered at the centre and the Lord Mayor followed with a speech on his personal experience after being made redundant from the Fire Service and lacking the required skills to help him get back into work. He pointed out that having organisations such...

London Irish fly-half Ian Humphreys may have ended up on the losing side following his side's recent visit to Sandy Park, but he has emerged as a real winner in the eyes of one young rugby fan. The 30-year-old back was greeted with a chorus of boos from supporters packed inside Sandy Park when he inadvertently kicked the ball straight into the face of schoolboy James Allan, who was watching his first-ever Chiefs game with his dad Nick and other members of his family. Immediately Humphreys gestured towards the youngster for his actions and even tried to find him following the final whistle...