The first four trainees have completed their courses at the new Gregory Group Transport Training Academy which was officially opened on Friday 30 January at Gregory’s Cullompton Depot by Neil Parish, the MP for Tiverton and Honiton.
The ground-breaking driver training programme is intended to address an ongoing shortage of new driver recruits in the transport and logistics sector and will provide a service to all parts of the Gregory business, including milk collection, distribution and palletised services.
Daniel Boardman 27, Scott Stevenson, 33, and 28 year-old Paul Ayres...
The swimming pool at Newton Abbot Leisure Centre is reopening tomorrow (5 February), Teignbridge District Council has announced.
The leisure centre is offering a ‘Free Swim Sunday’ as a thank you to everyone for their support and patience during the closure period. Anyone wanting to enjoy a dip is being encouraged to visit.
Free Swim Sunday will be between 8.30am – 2pm on Sunday 8 February. Anyone visiting can use the pool for free.
The pool had been closed for checks and repairs to be carried out after a flood damaged equipment in the pump plant room. The pumps...
Business owners across Devon and Cornwall are being asked to sign up to a new scheme which helps crime victims.
Businesses that are already members of the Trading Standards’ Buy With Confidence scheme have been invited to become a ‘trusted provider’ of services to victims of crime.
In April 2015 Police and Crime Commissioner Tony Hogg will take over responsibility for commissioning victims’ services and this new initiative sees the OPCC team up with Devon and Cornwall Business Council (DCBC) and Trading Standards to create a trusted link between victims and businesses....
Catching the bus is around 60%* cheaper than commuting to work by car despite falling pump prices, according to new research.
The study by Stagecoach, Britain's biggest bus and coach operator, found that bus users save an average of £1,200* a year – or £100 per month - by leaving their car in the driveway. The saving is enough to pay almost all of the average household’s gas and electricity costs for a year**.
Pump prices are at their lowest level for four years, but the Stagecoach survey of around 40 key commuter corridors in England, Scotland and Wales found that hopping...
On Friday 6 and Saturday 7 February 2015, from 11am to 3pm, there will be a volunteering open day at Castle Drogo.
The year ahead promises to be a busy one at the castle. From 9 March, the huge five foot wide front door opens to visitors as phase three of the exciting renovation project gets underway. This is the most exciting time in the history of Castle Drogo since its initial construction. After receiving funding in 2012 from the Heritage Lottery Fund and Interreg, the project to save this iconic place from the wind and rain began. 2015 marks the start of the final phase of...
Today (February 4th) is the 100 day countdown for farmers across the region to apply for £175 million of EU subsidies – but the new high tech way of applying and more detailed information needed could lead many to miss the deadline and fail to qualify.
The warning comes from countryside experts at Luscombe Maye which helps farmers across the region in their bids for the EU Basic Payments Scheme.
The company – which has been a land agency in the South-West since 1873 - is already working with 120 farmers to make sense of the new application system but fears others could...
Network Rail is joining the British Transport Police (BTP) at level crossings across Britain this week, as part of the BTP’s ‘Operation Look’ awareness campaign.
Motorists and pedestrians are risking their lives and those of other road and rail users at level crossings. The week of action provides officers and safety managers from Network Rail with an opportunity to speak to thousands of people about how to use crossings safely and highlight the risks. ‘Operation Look’ has received backing from both the AA and the RAC.
The BTP has revealed that almost 1,500 motorists were...
Leading charity Action for Children is teaming up with The World of Eric Carle™ and encouraging children’s centres, nurseries and groups for under fives in the South West to host a Giant Wiggle on Thursday 19 March 2015 to celebrate the UK’s most read children’s book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar™. The event will bring together under-5s to wiggle along in giant caterpillar conga lines, encouraging them to help others, and opening up their imaginations through storytelling and creative activities. Brigitte Gater, UK West Director of Children's Services at Action for Children, said: “We want...
Young Devon is delighted to have been named as Sitel’s Charity of the year.
In addition to the announcement, the staff at Sitel have also raised a fantastic £3,500 for the charity, which Young Devon hopes will go towards creating a drop-in service at the Exeter YES Centre.
With offices in Exeter city centre, Sitel is a leading outsource provider of customer experience management, supporting major brands, with a 600 strong work force. The money has been raised thanks to staff holding numerous fundraising events including bake sales, dress down days and raffles.
Exeter Northcott Theatre has launched a club for people who’d love to go the theatre if they had someone to go with.
The Go Together Club is free to join and makes the whole experience of a theatre trip more enjoyable than going alone.
The club is the idea of the Northcott’s Development Committee, on which Tricia Cotton and Michael Terry serve as volunteers. It was trialled with a limited number of performances last autumn and proved so successful that the number of shows is being increased for the Spring 2015 Season.
Michael Terry says, “People are often reluctant...
