Devon

Exeter Chiefs set to take part in SW’s first region-wide corporate Esports Festival

The Exeter Chiefs rugby team have entered a team for the first corporate esports festival for the whole of the South West, taking place in February 2022.

The two-time Premiership winning club, which also took home the European Rugby Champions Cup in 2020 after beating Paris-based team Racing 92, will enter a three-man team to compete with organisations from across the South West region.

Organised by Tech South West and Exeter College, the event seeks to place the South West at the forefront of esports innovation, one of the world’s fastest growing industries. Part of the...

Devon GP surgery Christmas and New Year opening times

Authored by News Desk
Posted: Sat, 12/25/2021 - 11:38pm

Patients across Devon are being reminded that most GP practices will be closed over the festive and New Year period and that if they need medical advice to make use of alternative services such as 111.

Most GP practices will close at the end of the day on Friday 24 December and will re-open again on Wednesday 29 December until Friday 31 December. They will then be closed again from Saturday 1 January until Monday 3 January due the New Year bank holiday.

The NHS in Devon is asking people to do what they can to prevent themselves becoming unwell and to choose the right NHS...

Recycle & Raise returns

Tubs of sweets adorn the shelves at this time of year, ready for shoppers to stock up on their favourite festive treats. Now, a leading waste management company, DCW, is asking us to donate the empty plastic tubs - once the treats are gone - to raise vital funds for charity.

The Recycle & Raise appeal is hosted every year by Exeter-based DCW Polymers. The Zero to Landfill firm is once again asking the general public to donate plastic tubs for recycling to raise funds for Dartmoor Zoo and Mind.

Last year, the campaign by the South West’s specialist plastic recycler...

SW charities win share of Persimmon's £1m Youth Charity giveaway

Authored by News Desk
Posted: Tue, 12/21/2021 - 8:54pm

Three charities from Persimmon Homes’ South West region have been awarded a share of a £1 million fund supporting under-18s as a part of the hugely successful Persimmon Homes Building Futures campaign.

Ups and Downs South West, Families for Children and Stars Elite Cheer and Dance were among 96 organisations to reach the final stage of the Building Futures competition and were each awarded £5,000.

With £128,000 already awarded this year in £1,000 grants through Building Futures, the total prize pot was £1.073million.

Three finalists were each awarded the top...

Get to know your garden birds at RSPB Bowling Green Marsh

Event Date: 
29/01/2022 - 10:00am
Venue: 
Bowling Green Marsh, Exeter

Get up close to nature and learn all there is to know about garden birds this January in preparation for the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch. Whether you’re kick starting the new year with a brand-new interest or just looking to brush up on your birdwatching, we’ve got the event for you.

Event title : Get to know your garden birds at RSPB Bowling Green Marsh. 

Event description : Learn to tell your blackbirds from your blue tits and your house sparrows from your starlings. Join us on a walk around RSPB Bowling Green Marsh as we see how many different garden birds we can spot...

“Get boosted now”, urges new Devon health and care leader Dr Sarah Wollaston

Dr Sarah Wollaston, newly appointed leader of Devon’s health and care system, has urged people who haven’t yet had a Covid-19 vaccine to reconsider, as parts of the county experience the highest case numbers in the UK.

Dr Wollaston, a GP and former MP for Totnes, took up the role of chair of the Integrated Care System for Devon on 1 December 2021 and has been volunteering as a vaccinator alongside GP teams in Exmouth this week.

She said: “If you are hesitant about the vaccine please look again. This is a really dangerous disease. It’s not just about preventing the risk...

Free training courses to tackle farming and woodland management skills shortages launched in the South West

Authored by Program
Posted: Mon, 12/20/2021 - 1:39pm

Technology, and its role in supporting a more sustainable future, is becoming increasingly important across all sectors, including Farming and Woodland Management.

tis a governmen t funded programme supporting adults in the South West to develop the in-demand skills required by industry through free training.

In January, Duchy College in Cornwall and Bicton College in Devon are running an 8-week Agri-Tech Woodland Management course. There are no set entry requirements to take part, and the course is completely free! Students over the age of 19 with an interest in Forestry...

Local Samaritans here to listen over the festive period

Samaritans volunteers in the Exeter, Mid and East Devon branch will be among those on hand across the country over the festive season to listen to anyone having a tough time.

Thousands of volunteers across the UK and Ireland will be working shifts for the charity to ensure its helpline is open around the clock - even on Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve. And that includes volunteers from across Exeter, Mid and East Devon too.

Mental health, family issues, isolation and loneliness are expected to be the top concerns - along with worries over the pandemic. Relationship...

Man outside in the cold

Devon estate agent supports homeless charity this winter

With the coldest months of the year upon us, homelessness charities such as Exeter based St Petrocks are a lifeline to individuals and families across Devon. Local estate agents Complete Property have teamed up with the charity this winter to raise funds, awareness and essential items for people in need this winter.

According to the latest statistics, a staggering 268,560 households in the UK were either at risk of or directly experienced homelessness last year, according to MHCLG's latest Statutory Homelessness Statistics.

St Petrocks is an Exeter based charity for people who are...

GP practices to prioritise urgent care and COVID boosters

Following the Government’s call to accelerate the Covid-19 booster vaccination programme, Devon’s GP practices have, at very short notice, reallocated much of their workforce to delivering Covid-19 vaccines over the next two weeks.

This means that GP practices will focus on urgent clinical need and vaccines, and some non-urgent appointments may be postponed until the New Year.

The Prime Minister, together with the NHS, has launched an urgent national appeal calling for people to get jabbed. It comes as the UK Chief Medical Officers have increased the UK Covid Alert Level...

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