Devon

Employment problems still rising

Authored by News Desk
Posted: Wed, 01/31/2018 - 10:46am

Leading local advice charity Citizens Advice Exeter, has today released its advice trend statistics for the period 1 April – 31st December 2017.

The charity has helped 7448 people directly with advice and information since 1 April. The overall advice trends, compared to the same period in the previous year, were as follows:

Employment

Overall, the charity saw a 4.8% increase in employment enquiries. The main changes being:

• 26.3% increase about pay and entitlements • 14.8% increase about employment tribunals and appeals • 37.0% reduction about terms...

Exeter Deaf Academy Children’s Home graded ‘Good’ again by Ofsted

Following a thorough two-day inspection of our children’s home, ‘Progress House’ has been graded ‘Good’ by Ofsted.


The Ofsted report praises the staff and is positive about the future of our three-bed home which provides specialist 52-week residential care, 24 hours a day, for Deaf young people.


Registered Care Home Manager James Heaver leads the Care Team, who includes Deputy Manager Vicky Coombs and nine Residential Support Workers (RSWs) who are all trained in Deaf awareness and qualified in British Sign Language (BSL) up to Level 3.


Inspectors judged that...

Work to repair footpaths along Pinhoe Road to start next week

Footpaths along Pinhoe Road in Exeter are due to be repaired, starting from next week (Monday 5 February).

The existing paving slabs, between St Johns Road and St Marks Avenue, are being replaced with a bitumen surface over the next six weeks.

Temporary traffic lights will be used outside of peak travel times (9:30am – 3:30pm). Temporary bus stops will be located away from the work area and contractor South West Highways Ltd will help manage pedestrian crossings as and when necessary. Councillor Stuart Hughes, Devon County Council Cabinet Member for Highway Management, said...

Devon's Special Species unveiled

Devon is renowned for having beautiful wildlife-rich landscapes and habitats. Less well known is the huge number of rare species which Devon supports, including some such as the horrid ground-weaver spider which are found nowhere else on the planet.

To shine a spotlight on the matter, Devon County Council has worked with the Devon Biodiversity Record Centre and species experts to produce a list of the county's most threatened species.

The work shows that among the tens of thousands of species in Devon, at least 1,600 are considered to be nationally rare or scarce and many...

Food Drink Devon 2018 Awards Launched

Authored by kath@raw
Posted: Tue, 01/30/2018 - 11:52am

Following 2017's record-breaking year, entries are now open for the prestigious Food & Drink Devon Awards 2018. These gold standard awards celebrate the very best Devon has to offer by recognising the county’s most respected, influential and passionate artisan food and drink producers and establishments.

The awards, currently in their eighth year, continue to grow with 2017 recording the highest number of entries to date as well as boasting a glittering sell out awards evening. Last year the judges tasted over 250 of the finest products and visited nearly 100 establishments...

Exeter University Officer Training Corps cadets compete in Army Telemark Championships

Authored by News Desk
Posted: Tue, 01/30/2018 - 11:46am

Earlier this month 80 skiers participated in Exercise Telemark Titan the British Army Telemark Skiing Championships held in the picturesque setting of Pralongan-la-Vanoise in the French Alps.

Among this number were a team of eight Officer Cadets from Exeter University Officer Training Corps (EUOTC), many of them attempting Telemark, a discipline which incorporates downhill, jumping and cross-country skiing, for the first time.

The demanding two-week military exercise began with five days of intensive training that tested the Officer Cadet’s strength, stamina and skills on...

Over-60s needed for memory study

Authored by News Desk
Posted: Tue, 01/30/2018 - 9:35am

People aged over 60 who suffer minor memory problems are needed for a new study at the University of Exeter.

Memory decline is common as people age and – although it usually isn’t a sign of serious medical issues – many people find it stressful and worrying.

Exeter researchers are trying to understand the factors that influence whether people experience worry or distress when they have memory lapses.

The results could help identify ways to help people who experience lapses but do not have a diagnosable memory impairment.

“This is an exciting project that...

Police launch Dawlish rape investigation

Authored by News Desk
Posted: Tue, 01/30/2018 - 9:28am

Police are appealing for witnesses following allegations of a rape in Dawlish.

The incident occurred on the beach path close to the Dawlish Warren Bird Nature Reserve on Thursday 18 January at around 11am.

The suspect is described as a white man, approaching 6ft in height and of stocky build. It is believed that the suspect may have had a tattoo in and around his right ear which could have been wings or an angel; the attackers face was covered.

It is believed that there were dog walkers in the vicinity who may have seen the victim immediately after the incident....

Mental health workshops for Sidmouth residents

A series of mental health workshops are being held by East Devon District Council in Sidmouth to help young people, parents and working professionals have a better understanding of mental illness and to educate them on the issues surrounding it.

All the workshops are being coordinated by Aaron Clark from East Devon’s Community Development service and Debbie Humberstone, founder and co-ordinator of The Project, a young persons’ mental health support group based in Axminster.

The workshops are being funded by a grant from the Parishes Together Fund, which is community funding...

Young car engineers race for victory as Formula One comes to Newton Abbot school

Authored by Mary Youlden
Posted: Mon, 01/29/2018 - 12:36pm

School’s from across the south west gathered at Newton Abbot’s pioneering secondary school, South Devon University Technical College (UTC), to go head-to-head in a special Formula One challenge.

Students from The Crypt School, Exeter School, Colyton Grammar School, Churchdown School Academy, The Castle School and North Somerset Engineering and Technology College, came together at South Devon University Technical College (UTC) to take part in the F1 in Schools Technology Challenge.

Raising awareness of STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) and Formula One amongst...

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