Devon

Browne Jacobson has announced its financial performance for the first half of the 2015/16 accounting year with revenues totalling £30.8m up from £28.6m, a rise of 7.5% on the first six months of 2014/15.

The figures follow on from the firm’s impressive 2014/15 financial year results which saw revenue rise 17.2% to £58.9m with profits reaching £16.2m, a 26% year-on-year increase.

Managing Partner, Iain Blatherwick, said: “We have had a promising half year and these figures are in line with our expectations.

“Growth is being generated across the business with our...

Cranbrook residents celebrated the opening of the town's new railway station yesterday (Sunday 13 December).

The first train to arrive was the 08:46 from Salisbury, which took passengers to Exeter Central before continuing on to Exeter St David’s.

The opening of the new station means residents in the town will be able to travel to Exeter in less than ten minutes.

Devon County Council and the Cranbrook New Community Partners have funded the project, which has been delivered on their behalf by Network Rail.

The single platform station will be served by hourly...

Once more our senses are being bombarded with manufactured images and messages of totally irrelevant and mostly unneeded seasonal tat.

It is nigh impossible to escape the Christmas kitsch which pushes us to value ourselves by what we buy, never mind the costs of consumerism to other people, other places or the planet. As long as the tills keep ringing, we can forget the bells.

So what is really at the heart of the Christmas story? In one word - ‘hospitality’.

We have an unmarried pregnant woman, marginalised in her own culture in an army-occupied land which is harsh...

The Leader of East Devon District Council, Councillor Paul Diviani delivered Christmas greetings in person on Tuesday 8 December to busy Royal Mail staff at the delivery office in Honiton.

Councillor Diviani was shown around the building by Delivery Office Manager Barry Marshall who introduced him to hardworking postmen and women, who ensure East Devon residents receive their Christmas mail.

"This is my annual early morning visit to the delivery office at Christmas and I was blown away yet again by just how much effort our posties put into delivering mail for people at this...

Exeter Chiefs 31 ASM Clermont Auvergne 14: Match report

New England coach Eddie Jones witnessed first hand what many in the Westcountry having been bleating on about for some time – Exeter Chiefs are the fast becoming the growing force within the European game.

Not content with proving their worth in the Aviva Premiership, now Rob Baxter’s side blooded the nose of one of the star names within the Champions Cup, sealing a maximum haul against visiting ASM Clermont Auvergne.

Three years ago it was the French outfit who were ruling the roost, twice dispatching of Devon...

Llamas, sheep and a donkey will join actors to recreate the Nativity live on stage at Exeter Cathedral on Sunday.

The story will be told in five short 'family friendly' scenes, along with favourite Christmas Carols at the Cathedral on Sunday 13th December at 2pm.

Children are invited to come dressed in Christmas costumes and join Mary and Joseph, a donkey, the sheep, llamas and angels and form a giant 'tableau' inside, creating a wonderful Christmas scene.

Revd Canon Anna Norman Walker, who organises the Exeter Nativity with the support of churches throughout the...

NFU Mutual, the UK’s leading rural insurer, is urging owners to put certain foods on the ‘naughty list’ for their dogs this year. Christmas is well known as a time of excess for humans but, according to the insurer, pet dogs are also prone to eating too much during the festive period and sometimes, what they choose to eat could have serious health implications and end-up in an emergency visit to the vet.

NFU Mutual warns that claims for dogs who have eaten weird or poisonous items take on a distinctly seasonal flavour as Christmas approaches and reflect the type of foods...

Blundell’s pupils have spent time during the run-up to Christmas fundraising for charity and having fun at the same time.

The girls in Year 12 of Gorton House sold a record number of 1,400 candy canes, raising £740 for the Crisis At Christmas charity.

Pupils and staff buy the canes to wish their friends and colleagues a Happy Christmas and write a label with a message. In a real team effort, the GH girls then worked as a production line to tie the labels onto the canes, which were then given out to the lucky recipients.

In another fundraising initiative, pupils...

Devon County Council says it will continue to pursue efforts for its parking enforcement officers to be granted more powers to deal with obstructive parking.

It comes after the House of Commons withdrew a motion for a bill to end Pavement Parking.

At today's (Thursday 10 December) Full Council meeting, Councillor Stuart Hughes, Devon County Council Cabinet Member for Highway Management, expressed disappointment on behalf of the County Council at the decision.

Councillor Hughes said: “It’s extremely disappointing that this opportunity has been missed. North Dorset MP...

Devon & Cornwall Police, working in partnership with the National Crime Agency (NCA) and the Association of Chief Police Officers, has delivered a successful proactive operation to safeguard children across the peninsula by targeting paedophiles that access indecent images of children online.

The operation which lasted for over nine months targeted those viewing, sharing or distributing indecent images of children, and in particular offenders who held a position of trust or who were employed in sensitive occupations.

The focus of the investigation was to prevent child...