Devon and Cornwall Police has made a significant improvement to its 101 non-emergency service since Police and Crime Commissioner Tony Hogg demanded urgent action. In January Mr Hogg insisted on an immediate performance upgrade, saying his review into the service highlighted ‘a poor state’ of affairs. Now, figures recorded for the last two weeks show that, on average, calls transferred to the Force Enquiry Centre (FEC) are answered in less than three minutes. In addition, for the same period, less than one in 10 calls wait more than 10 minutes to be answered. When the OPCC first reported...
Local housebuilder Barratt Homes is celebrating after receiving a major national award from the Home Builders Federation (HBF).
The house builder has achieved a 90% customer satisfaction score and 5 star rating after it took part in a nationwide survey. Barratt Homes is the only major national housebuilder to have been awarded the maximum 5 star rating for seven years in a row by the HBF.
Barratt Homes took part in the UK-wide survey of more than 45,000 homebuyers which revealed that over 90% of Barratt customers would recommend the homes to a friend. The high customer...
BBC Radio 1 and BBC Learning have announced plans for BBC Radio 1’s Academy - a month of free outreach activity across Exeter and Teignbridge in the run up to BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend that aims to inspire local 16-19 year-olds to take the next step in creative careers.
Now in its fifth year, Radio 1’s Academy will include a series of special events, local engagement and face-to-face activity in the area, which begins in Teignbridge in April and culminates in Exeter in May with a week of radio shows, gigs, practical workshops and Q&As.
Blood pressure differences between each arm can signal an increased risk of dying of heart disease, even in healthy people, a new large-scale study has found.
The University of Exeter Medical School has led an analysis of more than 3,000 people in Scotland who each had blood pressure measurements taken from both arms, published today in the British Journal of General Practice. Researchers say the findings show the importance of routinely measuring blood pressure in both arms.
Up to now, such research has mainly focussed on people who have already encountered heart disease...
This year's Exeter Great West Run will take place on Sunday 16 October.
Pulse Sport ( www.pulsesport.co.uk ) has taken on the management and organisation of the run, and are pleased to confirm the appointment of Exeter-based race organiser Mark Cowen as Race Director.
The race organisers are looking for sponsors. Anyone who can help is asked to contact Charlie Beauchamp, MD of Pulse Sport by email at charlie@pulsesport.co.uk
Details of the race and how to take part an be found at www.thegreatwestrun.co.uk
Police forces nationwide are appealing for internet users to report harmful extremist and terrorist material when they see it online.
All week, police and partners have been using their social media channels to urge people to report material they suspect is extremist or terrorist by clicking on a distinctive red "STOP" button that can be found on their websites. STOP stands for Stop Terrorists' and extremists' Online Presence.
After clicking on the button, web users are quickly directed to a short, anonymous form at www.gov.uk/report-terrorism where they are asked to enter...
Your essential guide to what’s on in and around Exeter this weekend (14-17 April)
THEATRE
Julian Clary - The Joy of Mincing Friday, 8pm, Exeter Corn Exchange Witness a masterclass in camp comedy with national trinket, author, TV and radio star Julian Clary. Over 16s. Tickets £24, £21 conc. https://sites.exeter.gov.uk/cornexchange
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Friday & Saturday, Exeter Phoenix Join Dorothy and Toto on their fantastical and downright chaotic travels along the Road of Yellow Bricks meeting the usual (sort of) suspects along the way – an unbelievably...
Her Royal Highness, The Princess Royal was in the East Devon seaside town of Seaton on Thursday 14th April visiting the town’s newest tourist attraction, Seaton Jurassic.
She arrived by helicopter in the early afternoon following an earlier engagement at Dartmouth Royal Naval College. On arrival The Princess waved to onlookers who had lined the streets around the town’s Underfleet. She then spent an hour touring Seaton Jurassic’s exhibition halls, meeting children from the local Seaton Primary School and representatives of the many organisations that have been involved in getting...
Tickets to a new family friendly music festival in East Devon are selling fast.
The Altitude Village Festival, which takes place in Blackborough on the weekend of May 20 and 21, will see performances by high profile local and regional bands, including Sound of the Sirens, Bristol reggae band Talisman and Mark Morriss of The Bluetones.
As well as music, there will be children’s entertainment, crafts, and a huge range of street food and drink. The event is being held to raise funds for local charities, including Blackborough Village Hall.
Eleven-year-old Taylor Murphy of Whipton Barton Junior School in Exeter has beaten almost 25,000 other UK primary school children to win a place in the live Grand Final of The BANANAGRAMS Challenge.
After triumphing over his classmates in the first stage of the free-to-enter national tournament earlier this year, Taylor’s impressive word skills in the online rounds secured him one of just 12 coveted places at the Final, which will see the UK’s Top Banana crowned on 30 April 2016.
Taylor and his fellow finalists will spend the day at the Magic Circle, the world-famous...
