Devon

The Bard meets Brexit!

Untold Theatre and Yellowbelly Theatre are producing a version of ‘The Tempest’, touring theatres and community venues in the UK this Autumn.

This radical revamp of Shakespeare’s classic will combine News Footage, digital projections and live action. The show imagines the world during the year 2020: exploring the European Migration Crisis and asking ‘What happens next?’. Collections will be taken at each performance for the charity MSF (Doctors without Borders). MSF provide emergency medical aid to people affected by conflict.

As part of the tour, The Tempest will perform...

Olympics-inspired Disability Sports Festival in Exeter

CEDA is running a disability sports festival inspired by the Rio Olympics, and in anticipation of the Paralympic Games.

The event will offer disabled people the opportunity to try some of the most popular athletic events including throwing, running, wheelchair racing and jumping.

CEDA, a charity who work with disabled people in Devon, are working in partnership with the South West Athletics Academy to put on the festival at Exeter Arena.

Craig Bowden, CEDA’s Activity Hub Manager said: “A lot of our members have been inspired by the Rio Olympics and want to have a go...

Play time! Pup’s new toy makes a splash

Authored by Paigntonzoo
Posted: Mon, 08/29/2016 - 12:23pm

A happy youngster in Torquay plays in the water with her new toy…

This is Gemini, the two-year-old fur seal pup at Living Coasts, Torquay’s coastal zoo. Her new toy was custom made by dry suit manufacturers O'Three Ltd. of Portland, in Dorset.

Kiesha Summers, from O'Three, explained: “We supplied Living Coasts with dry suits. When we came to visit, both the penguins and Gemini were fascinated by the neoprene hoods – and this gave us an idea. Our clever seamstresses covered a football in 1.5mm double lined Neoprene with a small Velcro opening for a pump.”

Living...

Social housing tenants face £1,000 a year average rent rise

Authored by News Desk
Posted: Mon, 08/29/2016 - 10:39am

The Local Government Association is urging new ministers to rethink the Pay to Stay policy which will require councils to charge some of their tenants higher rents from April 2017.

It comes as new analysis reveals today that more than 70,000 social housing tenants could face rent rise bills of an average £1,000 a year from next year under government plans to increase rents for those deemed to be earning high incomes. The LGA is warning the policy would create a bureaucracy causing stress to families, further costs to councils, and financial returns to the Government far lower than...

Public invited to NHS Trust’s AGM

The public and all members of staff are invited to Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust’s annual general meeting on Tuesday 6 September.

At the meeting, the Trust will look back at its main achievements over the past year and look forward to what lies ahead for the rest of 2016/17. The Trust’s Annual Report and Accounts for 2015/16, and the Quality Account will also be reviewed.

The meeting will take place in the board room at Chichester House, North Devon District Hospital, at 5pm.

Light refreshments will be available.

If you would like to attend the meeting...

Spectators' guide to Devon Stage of the Tour of Britain

Spectators have 93 miles (137km) of Devon’s roads to choose from when it comes to watching the Devon Stage Tour of Britain on Friday 9 September.

Devon County Council, supported by East Devon District Council, Teignbridge District Council and Dartmoor National Park, will host Stage Six of The Tour, starting in Sidmouth and finishing at Haytor.

Crowds are being tipped to exceed last year’s record of 230,000 spectators that lined the route in Devon.

And once again the advice is to leave plenty of time to travel to where you’re planning to watch the action, in order to...

Exeter student tackles plight of child brides in Bangladesh

A student with close ties to Bangladesh has just returned from a research mission to raise awareness of the damaging culture of child marriage.

Muntasha Quddus, in her 3rd year of the University of Exeter Medical School’s Medical Sciences programme, won the £6,918 Davis Peace Project grant while on her Professional Training Year (PTY) at the University of Chicago. During this research placement year, she decided to take on the poignant issue of child marriage in Bangladesh, where her parents were born and where she visits family most years.

Muntasha won the grant with her...

Go the distance to fight heart disease

Make your mark in the fight for every heartbeat and become a British Heart Foundation (BHF) Heart Runner by running, jogging or walking either 2km, 10km or a half marathon around the grounds of one of the UK’s most famous historic houses. Entries are now open for the 7th Blenheim Palace running event, which is taking place on 2 October.

Join over 3,000 runners to fight back against coronary heart disease, the UK’s single biggest killer. Last year, those who took on the challenge helped raise over £180,000 for the BHF’s essential and life saving research, which is improving the...

Break Away at Ladram Bay

I had always been a little dubious about holiday parks, imagining them to be over-crowded, noisy, with the accommodation being basic and disappointing but, I have to say that after a stay at Ladram Bay Holiday Park, I am converted!

They are a great place to stay with children and ensure there is something to do whatever the weather. The other great thing is that you feel safe not to have your eyes on your children every second. Living just outside Exeter too, it seemed a little strange to be staying away so close to home. However, this was the beauty of the location - no queues on...

Have your say on new proposals for council tax support

Authored by Mary Youlden
Posted: Sun, 08/28/2016 - 12:05pm

East Devon residents have just a few days to respond on how much the council should pay towards the council tax bills of working age householders on low incomes who live in the district

East Devon District Council began a ten week consultation in late June on proposed changes to the working-age Council Tax Reduction Scheme which sets out a framework on how much council tax support can be claimed by these households.

It will be the first time in four years that the council is proposing to change the scheme, which was introduced in 2013. The amendments are being drafted to...

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