Devon

As anticipation starts to build for this year's annual Food Drink Devon Awards in October, Food Drink Devon has unveiled the shortlist of finalists for its prestigious awards. Since entries closed in April, a distinguished panel of judges and industry experts has evaluated an extraordinary number of entries sampling over 340 products, visiting 107 hospitality venues, exploring 17 retail outlets and experiencing nine training schools to identify the best that Devon has to offer.

Winners will be announced during the organisation’s glittering black tie award ceremony on Monday 7th...

A Tiverton man has completed the first leg of his charity tour of the UK coast.

Jim Bray is taking on the mammoth road trip – entitled Exploring Britain’s Coast and Seaside Pubs – to raise money for Hospiscare.

The cash-strapped local charity cared for his sister, Emma Ansley, before she died of cancer aged 48.

Jim started from Tenby in South West Wales at the end of July and, travelling anti-clockwise, has reached the Exe estuary.

It’s the closest he will be to home and Hospiscare’s base in Exeter.

Following a brief spell at home to do some...

New North Devon-based contemporary circus theatre company Kook Ensemble has announced its first two shows: premiering in Devon and touring, Filibuster, is a solo show created with and performed by gentleman juggler Tom Gaskin and inspired by silent movie physicality.

The show premieres and plays several venues in Devon, and tours to venues including Jackson’s Lane in London. It will be followed in 2025 by Sand, a show about coastal erosion and dementia. Kook Ensemble, which aims to create character-driven circus theatre, was founded to by Michaela O’Connor and Sean Kempton, two...

Part Victorian thriller, part contemporary tale of friendship and rebellion, RedCape Theatre’s new time-travelling, genre-busting show The Luminous will go on a UK tour this autumn. Delving into tales of old, the show employs the company’s trademark blend of physical theatre, dark comedy and gripping storytelling to explore the power of narratives to penetrate the present and forge unexpected connections.

Set in a modern-day book club, the action follows the course of one evening as three women discuss their chosen book - a schlocky melodrama set in Victorian London called...

Adult learners at Learn Devon were among those who endured the nerve-racking moment of collecting their GCSE results yesterday.

Learn Devon, Devon County Council’s adult education service, offers free GCSE English and maths qualifications, with courses that start in September and in January.

In Exmouth, Andrew Morgan achieved a grade 5 in his English GCSE. He said: “I’m delighted, it's has been a long year and I have had to work really hard and I'm now feeling really relieved. Thanks to Learn Devon, especially to the learning support team for their help.”

Jiyong...

Exeter College students are celebrating their GCSE results as sixth form and adult learners alike collected their results on Thursday, alongside thousands of young people across the country.

Bucking the national picture for those retaking English and Maths GCSEs, sixth form learners have made amazing progress from the GCSE grade they attained in school while studying alongside their full time course.

One of those students is Trinity Bridger who retook her GCSE Maths and English. Trinity previously achieved a 3 in English and has made amazing progress, getting a 6 today,...

Devon in Sight, the county’s leading sight loss charity is hosting their second County Sight Loss Conference at the Mercure Rougemont Hotel, Exeter on Tuesday 10th September.

Devon in Sight have been supporting people with little or no sight in the county since 1925. The charity offers a range of holistic services for anyone affected by sight loss including their families, carers and friends across Devon.

Devon in Sight’s Chief Executive Officer Grahame Flynn said, “We are delighted to be hosting our conference at the Mercure Exeter Rougemont Hotel again this year in...

Devon County Council is set to expand its network of Youth and Adult Employment Hubs across the county to support people into employment and training.

Working in partnership with four district councils (East Devon, Exeter City, Mid Devon and North Devon), the County Council already has a number of Hubs in operation at Barnstaple Library, Cullompton Library, Exeter Library, and at the Beehive Community Centre in Honiton. Now, two more Hubs are set to open at the Family Hub in Ilfracombe and the Old Heathcoat School Community Centre in Tiverton.

What are Youth and Adult...

Dogs Trust, the UK’s leading dog welfare charity, has welcomed the new Pet Abduction Act which comes into force this Saturday, 24th August.

From Saturday, anyone found guilty of stealing a dog in England or Northern Ireland will face up to five years in prison, a fine, or both. Previously, despite the very distressing nature of having a dog stolen, pet theft has not been a specific crime and has instead been treated in the same way as the theft of household items such as phones and bikes.

Under the new Pet Abduction Act, dogs and cats are no longer treated as inanimate...

Residents at Cumberland Grange in Exeter celebrated National Allotment Week which took place from 12-18 August. Founded by the National Allotment Society in 2002, National Allotment Week is a way of raising awareness about allotments and the role they play in helping people to live healthier lifestyles, grow their own food, develop friendships and bolster communities.

The theme for this year’s National Allotment Week is celebrating biodiversity on UK allotments. Residents found out about all kinds of useful and informative topics about biodiversity including introducing...