Exeter Chiefs head coach Rob Baxter has led the tributes to lock James Hanks, who has been forced to retire from the game with immediate effect due to a serious neck injury.
The 29-year-old forward announced on Tuesday that he was calling time on his 10-year career with the Devon club following advice given to him by leading medical experts.
Hanks - who featured 192 times for the club, scoring seven tries in the process - sustained his injury during the final minutes of Exeter's LV= Cup semi-final win against Bath at the Recreation Ground last month.
Exeter Chiefs can confirm lock James Hanks has been forced to retire from the game with immediate effect.
The long-serving forward, who sustained a serious neck injury late on in Exeter's LV= Cup semi-final win at Bath last month, has been told by medical experts to call time on his ten-year stint with the Chiefs.
It's a cruel blow for the popular 29-year-old, who since making his first team debut at the old County Ground against Cornish Pirates in September 2005, and has since gone on to represent the Chiefs in 192 appearances, scoring seven tries.
At 6.30pm on Thursday 1 May, the Salutation Inn in Topsham, which offers the very best local, regional and seasonal produce cooked by Tom Williams-Hawkes and his brigade to a modern French influenced style, will be hosting a unique gourmet dining event in association with WESC Foundation.
Dining in the Dark - the first of its kind in the South West - will not only raise funds for the vital work being undertaken by WESC Foundation, a specialist centre for visual impairment, but will also give diners a real sense of what it is like to be visually impaired, if only for one evening....
Dartmoor National Park to receive a £150,000 of funding for urgent repairs following the winter storms and flooding, the government announced today. The funding will be used to repair the numerous footpaths and bridleways damaged in the storms and drainage infrastructure will be restored. The funding is the largest single share from a governmental pot of nearly £400,000 set aside for the national parks worst affected by the severe winter weather. Exmoor is set to receive the second largest sum of £99,197 in order to repair the severe flooding damage to paths and passengers
People who want to vote in this year's elections must make sure that they are on the electoral register by Tuesday 6 May.
This is the last chance for those not yet on the register to be able to vote in the Exeter City Council and European Parliamentary elections taking place on Thursday 22 May.
City Council elections are taking place for seats in 13 of the City’s 18 wards. The wards involved this year are: Alphington, Cowick, Duryard, Exwick, Heavitree, Mincinglake, Newtown, Pennsylvania, Pinhoe, Polsloe, Priory, St. David’s and Whipton Barton. European Parliamentary...
The first phase of the Exeter Flood Defence Scheme is due to start this summer as part of a £36bn programme of infrastructure developments across the UK. The scheme which will cost around £30m is expected to bring an estimated £200m of direct economic benefit to Exeter. Exeter City Council and Devon County Council are each contributing £3 million to the scheme with the remainder is being funded by flood defence grant in aid. The city’s current flood defences were built in the 1960s and 70s after devastating flooding affected more than 1,000 properties and while Exeter was largely spared in...
A private investigation has been launched into the cause of a fire Tiverton pub after an initial probe by fire investigators proved ‘inconclusive’.
Forensic investigators have been hired by owners of the Twyford Inn, Enterprise Inns, to determine the cause of the blaze which took 50 firefighters close to 10 hours to extinguish last week. The company which specialises in insurance losses including fires, explosions, accidents and engineering problems will provide teams of forensic scientists to study photographs taken before the blaze, which could help with the enquiry....
Organisers of the 12th Annual Michelmores Charity Run have announced that entries are now open, but are urging runners to apply early as they are expecting a bumper starting line-up.
The 5K event begins on Cathedral Green before taking in Princesshay, the Guildhall Shopping Centre, back to the Northernhay memorial statue and on to Rougemont Gardens, for a short uphill sprint finish at Exeter Castle. Entrants are limited to 1200 with a minimum age limit of 15 years. Runners will be provided with a race t-shirt sponsored by Pencarrie, which they are required to wear, unless they...
Organisations that want to be involved in the commissioning of services to victims after April 2015 are being given the opportunity to join in the improvement of victim services. From April responsibility for the commissioning of most victim services across the peninsula will fall to Police and Crime Commissioner Tony Hogg who is asking groups to register their interest in providing victim services in the future. In his recently published revised Police and Crime Plan Mr Hogg made a clear commitment to ensuring that all victims get effective support to deal with the effects of crime. The...
Fore street in Exeter was closed on Thursday afternoon after a fire broke out in a top floor flat. Three appliances from Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue were at the scene at around 14:08 yesterday (April 17) after being called to the fire involving the window sill and walls of the residence Police closed the road between Market Street and Bartholomew Street while fire crews made the building safe.
