Devon

Radical new online vision screening software is being provided free of charge to all schools in Exeter, following a study revealing that millions of UK children under the age of 12 have never had an eye test.

The three-minute screening test, developed by optometrists and vision scientists at City University London, has been shown to detect the most common eye problems among children and will be available nationwide from this week.

Through funding by Specsavers, the software, which has been designed to be operated by teachers and other school staff or volunteers, is being...

An interior design team from Devon has won the ultimate UK luxury bathroom award.

David Aspinall, Director and Designer at Sapphire Spaces, beat competition from around the country to win Ultimate Luxury Bathroom Design of the Year in the 13th annual Designer Kitchen and Bathroom Awards.

Sapphire Spaces, based opposite Darts Farm near Exeter, pride themselves on creating first class living environments for their clients in homes ranging from stunning new builds and conversions to terrace houses and West Country cottages.

David said: “Being a designer is a...

Members of the public are being asked to keep an eye on their neighbours at Christmas to help keep them safe from fire.

The appeal follows a fire in Mount Dinham, Exeter, on 10 December, during which firefighters discovered the body of a man.

Three fire crews attended the incident and extinguished the fire. The 89-year-old man was found close to a gas fire in a ground floor lounge.

Investigations are continuing into the incident and a report will be prepared for the Coroner but there have been several fire-related deaths that Devon & Somerset Fire & Rescue...

Update: 16 December: Abbie Grant has been found safe and well. Police thank everyone for their help.

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Police are appealing to the public to help them trace 15-year-old Abbie Grant who was last seen on the 8th December in the High Street area of Exeter.

Abbie is a white female, 5ft 4 tall, medium build with black shoulder length hair tied in a ponytail.

She was wearing grey jogging bottoms and a navy blue sweatshirt and has links to both Newton Abbot and Exeter areas.

Police are concerned for Abbie's welfare and need to locate...

The Bike Shed Theatre has launched a new website, a newsletter, a trailer and a whole new look.

With more behind-the-scenes information, interviews with artists and specialist cocktail recipes, the subterranean venue offers an an enticing glimpse inside for anyone who’s curious.

A new season of work kicks off with a festival of the finest Devon-based theatre companies. From Devon with Love is a celebration of fresh new work from homegrown voices, taking place this January. Hot on its heels, The Laugh Out Loud festival brings acclaimed comedians to Exeter, including The...

Businesses in Devon are being urged to do more to reduce the hundreds of millions of pounds lost to fraud in the county each year. With procurement fraud now recognised as the second most frequently reported form of economic crime, analysis of figures from the National Fraud Authority carried out by Devon-based blur Group, reveals that £126m a year is lost to fraud by businesses in the county, including £52.6m to procurement fraud. The scale of the wasteful spend means firms are less profitable, have less money to invest in their business and are at risk of losing out to competitors who...

On Saturday 5 December naturalist and TV presenter Nick Baker attended an award ceremony for the first group of teenagers to complete the Dartmoor National Park Junior Ranger programme. Nick’s inspirational talk on his life’s journey with wildlife set the scene for the Awards in which all 12 Junior Rangers' achievements were celebrated.

Over the last 12 months of this pilot programme the Junior Rangers aged 13 -16 have been working towards achieving not one but three different Awards - The Dartmoor National Park Authority Junior Ranger Award, the John Muir Explorer 8 day award and...

A Devon hotel is celebrating having received national recognition for the quality of its ‘dog friendly’ accommodation.

Elizabeth and Steve Morey own the award-winning Blagdon Manor restaurant and hotel near Ashwater and have been welcoming dog owners from across the country for 15 years.

The hotel has been awarded a ‘certificate of excellence’ for its positive reviews on the world’s largest travel site, Trip Advisor and also named in the Independent and London Evening Standard as one of the ‘Top ten dog friendly hotels in the UK’.

To further enhance their...

Fire crews were called to a thatch blaze in East Devon in the early hours of this morning (Tuesday 15 December).

Three fire engines from Exeter and Ottery St Mary, along with the water carrier from Exeter, were sent to Cranbrook shortly after 1am.

On arrival crews confirmed that a thatched roof derelict farm house was well alight and got to work extinguishing the fire using two hose reel jets and one main jet.

The thatched roof and first floor were well alight. The building was showing signs of collapse so crews withdrew from the sectors to keep themselves at a safe...

Artwork produced by year 7 Exeter School pupils last summer is currently on display in the newly reopened Truffles Bistro and Pizzeria on Magdalen Road in Exeter.

The walls of the café are adorned with vibrant mixed media monoprints of Exeter Cathedral inspired by artist John Piper. Truffles Bistro is open Monday to Saturday from 8.30am to 4pm and the Pizzeria is open from 6.30 - 9.pm on Tuesday and Saturday evenings.

Head of Art at Exeter School, Alison Dyer, said "We are very grateful to the manager, Chris Sage, for the opportunity to display our pupils' artwork in a...