Defra announces 2016 bathing water quality results – East Devon has 7 Excellent beaches and 1 Good beach
The bathing waters at East Devon’s eight beaches have all passed the stringent testing standards set by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).
The announcement of the 2016 bathing water quality results, which was made by Defra earlier today, revealed that seven of the district’s beaches received an Excellent classification – which is the highest and cleanest class (an improvement from 2015 when only four beaches were classed as Excellent), while...
Local Government Chronicle (LGC) has announced that East Devon’s new town of Cranbrook has been shortlisted in the ‘Housing Initiative’ category of their prestigious 2017 LGC Awards .
Cranbrook is in the running for another industry accolade, having been selected by a panel of judges who considered entries from all over the UK for the LGC Awards 2017. In order to be shortlisted, the submission had to clearly demonstrate how East Devon District Council alongside partners Exeter City Council, Devon County Council, Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) plus the development consortium...
East Devon’s Countryside Education Ranger helps children centres and families to benefit from fun but challenging outdoor play sessions
Countryside Education Ranger Penny Evans has been busy holding a number of outdoor risky play sessions throughout October for groups of preschool children and parents from the Axe Valley Children's Centres. Risky play is about providing opportunities for children to encounter or create uncertainty, unpredictability and potential hazards as part of their play. However, it doesn’t mean putting children in danger or serious harm.
Want to get spooked this half term? Then why not take part in a number of Halloween-themed events taking place in East Devon.
The Seaton Wetlands Halloween trail is taking place all this week up to Sunday 30 October, from 10am to 4pm. Pick up a map and follow the trail of spooky clues around the Wetlands. If you complete the trail, you win a treat.
Join the Countryside Rangers and make some great autumn crafts this week. Create owls using pine cones and autumnal lanterns using leaves at Cranbrook on Wednesday 26 October from 2 pm to 4 pm and at Seaton Wetlands on Thursday...
Just because the summer is over, doesn’t mean that the fun has to end... To make sure the adventures keep on rolling, East Devon District Council’s Countryside team, together with 13 partner organisations, has been busy putting together a packed programme of 100 exciting events that will be taking place across the whole of East Devon from October 2016 through to March 2017.
There’s something for everyone with a wide range of fun filled outdoor activities, suitable for people of all ages. Choose from traditional favourites such as bird box making, wildlife gardening and wreathing...
Tickety-Boo in Ottery St Mary has welcomed a new front of house manager to the team.
Zoe Blackmore has taken the reins at the coffee shop and children’s play kingdom in Mill Street after Jane North decided to return to her previous role as a Teaching Assistant.
Zoe, from Ottery, has been working at Tickety-Boo part time since it opened. She brings with her a wealth of experience including a 15-year stint at the Tesco staff canteen, where she was Team Leader, and is well known locally as she has also worked at the Kings Arms.
The busy restaurant at Otter Nurseries in Ottery St Mary has been awarded the highest rating by the Food Standards Agency in its most recent inspection.
With over 280 covers, the restaurant serves hundreds of hungry customers every day using fresh ingredients from approved local suppliers.
Restaurant Manager Anthony Adams, said: “In a big kitchen like ours there is a lot to keep on top of in terms of hygiene.
“We work extremely hard to achieve the highest of standards, including staff training. It applies to me too - I recently attended a four-day course in Exeter...
A collection of propaganda pamphlets written during the years following the English Civil War are to be sold at Chilcotts September sale.
The fascinating 17th Century documents were discovered by the Chilcotts team in amongst books and papers during a routine house clearance in Exeter.
Auctioneer Duncan Chilcott explained: “Our research uncovered that one of these pamphlets, The Kings Cabinet opened: or certain packets of secret letters & papers was based on letters written by King Charles I, taken from his campaign chest after the battle of Naseby in June 1645....
A trailblazing new service to help East Devon residents recycle more of their waste than ever before will be phased in across the district from February next year.
For the first time, the district’s 68,000 households will be able to recycle cardboard, mixed plastics and Tetra Paks which will be collected every week from the kerbside; alongside the extensive list of items residents can already recycle. The new additions mean householders are able to recycle more, throw away less rubbish and put East Devon at the very forefront of environmental sustainability.
East Devon District Council will be introducing a Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) from Thursday (September 1) as a way of securing money from developers towards providing infrastructure such as school places, open space, new roads, and sports pitches.
The levy partially replaces the current Section 106 agreements which are a legal contract between the council and a developer to secure money towards the infrastructure of a development. Section 106 agreements will now be used primarily to secure infrastructure that the developer is providing themselves on the development and...
