Devon

Water and Wildlife event

Event Date: 
12/08/2016 - 10:00am
Venue: 
Devon Wildlife Trust, Cricklepit Mill, Exeter Quay

A wildlife garden and historic mill in the heart of Exeter will be opening its doors to the public for a special summer open day.

The ‘Water and Wildlife’ event is being held at Cricklepit Mill, the headquarters of Devon Wildlife Trust, on Friday 12 August, 10am – 3pm. Cricklepit is the last working watermill in Exeter and is only a stone’s throw away from the Quay.

Visitors will be given the chance to see the historic mill in action. Milling will run throughout the morning from 10am-12noon with volunteer millers on hand to answer any questions and help people discover the...

Rare bird causes a twitch at Seaton Wetlands

More than 200 bird watchers flocked to East Devon District Council's Seaton Wetlands nature reserve to see a rare vagrant bird, a Least Sandpiper, on Wednesday August 3.

The Least Sandpiper was first spotted on Black Hole Marsh on Tuesday evening (August 2). After its sighting was announced by a local bird watcher, the council-managed reserve was visited by bird enthusiasts from far and wide. Visitors included regular local bird watchers as well as visitors from further afield including Essex, Hereford and Norfolk. The Least Sandpiper, which has inadvertently travelled from North...

Fitz reveals all at local charity

BBC Radio Devon presenter and local personality David ‘Fitz’ FitzGerald revealed all at the local headquarters of the charity Samaritans - or at least, he revealed two new signs urging people in distress to ‘Talk To Us.’

Fitz was at the central Exeter base of the Exeter, Mid and East Devon Samaritans to unveil the vivid green signs. They help identify the building for people who want to have a face-to-face discussion instead of the more traditional telephone calls, emails and texts answered by the 100 volunteers who run the local branch of the service.

“Almost everyone...

Celebrate 150 years of racing excellence at Newton Abbot – Wednesday 10 August

Event Date: 
10/08/2016 - 12:15pm
Venue: 
Newton Abbot Racecourse

Join Newton Abbot Racecourse to celebrate 150 years of racing at their 150th anniversary fixture on Wednesday 10 August.

To mark this special occasion there will be a free goodie bag for the first 200 adults and a free gift for the first 200 children through the gates on the day, as well as free face painting for children in the Family Enclosure.

Racing starts at 14:10 and gates open at 12:10. The last race is 17:10. Tickets are available at the racecourse’s online ticket store until 17:00 on Tuesday 9 August.

Tickets are priced at £18 for the Paddock Enclosure and...

Radio Exe celebrates best ever listening figures

Authored by Mary Youlden
Posted: Mon, 08/08/2016 - 12:37pm

Exeter, Mid and East Devon commercial radio station Radio Exe has just received its highest ratings.

Independent figures published today by Rajar/Ipsos MORI/BMRB show that 29,000 people tune to the station each week and they’re listening for longer. It

means that station has now overtaken two national stations, Classic FM and BBC 5 Live, to achieve its highest share of listening in the area.

Among the other key highlights:

  • Overall listening to Radio Exe has increased by nearly half (47 per cent) in the past year
  • People in the area are
  • ...

Record crowds attend Dartmoor Folk Festival

Authored by Mary Youlden
Posted: Mon, 08/08/2016 - 12:32pm

RECORD crowds attended the 39th Dartmoor Folk Festival, held in the foothills of Dartmoor at South Zeal, near Okehampton from August 5 to 7.

Local and national artists entertained those who went along to the event, most to sell-out audiences.

The festival included concerts, dances, a Dartmoor Fayre, a ceilidh, folk service, craft displays, music hall, pub sessions, a ramble on Dartmoor and music, song and dance workshops.

The packed programme of events also included a dedicated children’s festival.

Hotly-contested competitions included the Dartmoor Broom...

Join the Big Friendly Read at Devon libraries

Authored by Mary Youlden
Posted: Mon, 08/08/2016 - 11:35am

This summer holiday Libraries across Devon are challenging children of all ages to take part in their Summer Reading Challenge – part of a national programme coordinated by The Reading Agency.

Inspired by the works of Roald Dahl, and to celebrate his 100th birthday, this year’s theme is “The Big Friendly Read” and is aimed at children aged from 4 to 11. “The Big Friendly Read” is running in libraries across the Devon and it is completely free. Children are challenged to visit their local library and read 6 books through the holidays to earn rewards and on completion they receive a...

Final consultation on Devon Minerals Plan

Residents in Devon are being invited to have their final say on future plans for quarrying in the county for the next 17 years.

The last public consultation for the new Devon Minerals Plan has been launched by Devon County Council this week.

The plan was developed following several rounds of consultation and informal engagement and examined by a Government inspector in May.

Following this, the County Council has drafted almost 200 modifications to address objections to the plan and the further consultation is now required on these modifications so the inspector can...

Life as a student in Exeter

Authored by News Desk
Posted: Mon, 08/08/2016 - 5:00am

Exeter has recently been revealed to be one of the most economical city in England in which to study, according to the NatWest Student Living Index 2016.

This year Exeter has ranked in position 5 in the Student Living Index 2016, making it the 5th most cost effective university city in the UK and one of the most cost effective places to study in England.

The research revealed the 25 most cost effective university cities in the UK by looking at a combination of low living costs and the earning potential for term-time jobs. Due to a combination of having a higher than average...

Guinness welcomes tenants to brand new Topsham homes

Authored by News Desk
Posted: Sun, 08/07/2016 - 6:10pm

On Friday (22 July), local councillors, tenants and housing professionals came together to celebrate the official completion of The Guinness Partnership’s latest homes in Topsham, Exeter. The ten brand new homes on the new Seabrook Orchards estate, developed by Bloor Homes, are comprised of two and three bedroom houses, with six for social rent and four for shared-ownership. Allan Ramsay, Director of Investment and Commercial at The Guinness Partnership, said: “We’re thrilled to be able to offer brand new homes to the people of Topsham in a community that has so much to offer. Seabrook...

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