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...
Devon’s Director of Public Health is urging parents to ensure their children have had their MMR (Measles, Mumps and Rubella) vaccinations, following a measles outbreak in Wales.
Dr Virginia Pearson’s message is part of a national joint campaign between the Association for Directors of Public Health, Public Health England – the government organisation responsible for immunisation; and the Local Government Association, to increase take-up of the vaccine in children and teenagers, following the recent outbreak in some parts of the UK.
In the past year nearly 45,000 hours of volunteer time have been devoted to looking after National Trust owned property on Exmoor.
The latest figures for volunteering on just the National Trust properties inside the Exmoor National Park show that 748 volunteers contributed an astonishing 44,470 volunteer hours in the twelve month period to March 2013.
It is the first time that the volunteer data has been compiled in this way to include every NT property within the National Park boundary - Dunster Castle, West Exmoor, Exmoor Bunkhouse and the Holnicote Estate.
From its humble beginnings ten years ago, always with acclaimed chef Michael Caines MBE at its helm, the Exeter Festival of South West Food & Drink has grown into one of the largest events of its kind in the UK, its rise corresponding to the huge surge in consumer demand for local produce. More visitors than ever flock to Exeter's Northernhay Gardens each year to visit artisan food and drink producers from throughout South West England.
In the popular Cookery Theatre, Michael organises and hosts the chef demonstrations, supported by the region's best and best known chefs. Be...
Police are treating a large fire in the Millbay area of Plymouth as a major incident because some of the smoke from the fire is thought to be toxic.
Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service are attending a serious fire in a vehicle spray workshop in Miller Court in the Millbay area of Plymouth.
Pumping appliances from Greenbank (two), Camels Head, Crownhill and Plymstock are at the scene together with support appliances and reports suggest that huge plumes of smoke were witnessed and explosions heard in the industrial estate. For the time being, fire crews have the...
Story update 20 May: Stephen Gill was arrested in Exeter on 15 May and returned to prison.
First reported 24 April: Police in Devon are seeking a 43-year-old man who has breached the terms of his release licence from Prison. Stephen Gill failed to comply with the conditions and is being sought by officers. He failed to comply with the terms of his licence and Devon and Cornwall probation service issued a prison recall making him arrestable on sight. Devon and Cornwall police are proactively following a number of lines of enquiry to ascertain his current location, and intend to...
Story update 7 May: Paul Irvine was arrested by police on 4 May and returned to prison.
Reported 23 April, 2013: Police in Exeter are seeking a 34-year-old man who has breached the terms of his Prison release licence.
Paul Irvine failed to comply with the conditions and is being sought by officers. He failed to comply with the terms of his licence and Devon and Cornwall probation service issued a prison recall making him arrestable on sight. He is known to frequent the Exeter area. Police in Exeter are proactively following a number of lines of enquiry to ascertain his...
Police are hunting for a masked offender who threatened two shop assistants with a knife during an attempted robbery in Teignmouth. The man struck at Tesco in Bitton Park Road around 11.50pm on Sunday (21 April) as staff members were closing the store. A female member of staff was disposing of empty packaging at the back of the store when she was approached by the offender who was carrying a knife. He grabbed hold of her but she banged on the window to alert colleagues. She managed to get away from the offender. He then went into the store and grabbed a second female shop assistant,...
Businesses will have a chance to find out more about the current planning system and its impact on energy projects at the latest Exeter Energy Exchange, which takes place on 23 May. The event is being organised by leading South West law firm Stephens Scown and renewable energy consultancy Granted Ltd, and will also look at methods of project planning. Speakers will include Chris Tofts, a specialist planning solicitor at Stephens Scown, Mike Chapman, Senior Project Manager for Renewable Energy at Granted Consultancy and Sonya Bedford, Head of Renewable Energy at Stephens Scown. Sonya said...
A la Ronde, the National Trust's quirky 18th century 16-sided house near Exmouth, needs extra volunteers to help with fundraising activities in order to support the conservation of its fragile shell-encrusted gallery. If you enjoy meeting people and have an interest in history or conservation then we would be delighted to meet you.
The role is that of Volunteer Fundraiser, selling raffle tickets to visitors to support vital conservation work. Usually based in house, the Volunteer Fundraiser can also spend time in the garden during fine weather. A la Ronde House Steward, Nicola...
