Exeter

Welcome to the new Beacon LIfe blog where we share stories of what happens at our community centre in Beacon Heath.

Three miles for two bags of food

She walked into The Beacon Community Centre, anxiously looked at the groups of chatting people, turned on her heels and ran out the door clearly distressed.

I ran after her and asked if she was OK. “I’ve just walked from Exwick for the food bank, is it here?” she asked.

I reassured her that it was, made her a cuppa and introduced her to our friends from the Exeter Foodbank team who run a Friday session at our...

This November, teams from law firms, chambers, advice services and universities will be joining forces for the 2016 Great Legal Quiz, which takes place during National Bro Bono Week (7-11 November 2016).

The Great Legal Quiz is a national event being held on Wednesday 9th November across England and Wales to raise funds for free legal advice charities. All registered teams compete for the title of ‘Great Legal Quiz Team’ and whichever team scores the highest will claim the title! All funds raised will go to support the work of South West Legal Support Trust (SWLST) who are running...

The Government has announced plans to ban microbeads used in cosmetics and cleaning products by 2017.

Environment Secretary Andrea Leadsom has announced that a consultation on how a ban would work will start later this year.

Tamara Galloway, Professor of Ecotoxicology at the University of Exeter, is one of the UK’s leading experts in marine pollution and her team studies the health effects of microplastics pollution.

She said: “This is a fantastic example of the Government responding swiftly to the overwhelming scientific evidence that microbeads are bad for the...

Exeter could see a revolution in the way it keeps its streets clean if a new strategy gets the go-ahead.

Changing shift patterns, installing smart litter bins that compact waste and replacing traditional litter pickers with street vacuums are just some of the ideas behind the Clean Streets Strategy, which goes before Exeter City Council's Executive on 13 September.

The Strategy also looks at changing the behaviour of residents and visitors and increasing enforcement for things like littering, dog fouling and graffiti.

Cllr Rob Hannaford, Lead Councillor for Place,...

On 29th May 2016 almost seventy riders from Devon & Cornwall Police cycled from Exeter to Lands End to raise money for the charity Little Bleeders.

The journey involved over 130 miles of road, with 10,000 feet of climbing.

Organiser for Devon & Cornwall Police, Sergeant Owen Messenger said: “The ride was organised as part of a charity event to raise vital funds for the charity Little Bleeders. We aimed to raise over £5000 and exceeded this massively with a grand total of £8838.02 which was incredible”.

The ride saw cyclists from Team DCP (Devon &...

Cardiff’s popular ‘street-food warehouse’ venue, The DEPOT, has announced it is bringing one of its most unusual events over to Exeter.

Bingo Lingo, is an event in which guests play a chaotic and ironic version of the game, complete with rave intervals and competitive dance-offs. Players have the chance to win a range of cash prizes, life-changing prizes, and rubbish-but-hilarious prizes.

The strictly adults-only event has been a smash success in Cardiff since its introduction in April 2016, attracting a varied crowd of students and young professionals alike. Prizes in the...

Police investigating how a dog came to be found injured on the A38 near Exeter say they believe it may have escaped from its home.

Officers received reports that the dog had been thrown from a vehicle near Kennford services on Thursday afternoon.

The black King Charles Spaniel was found with broken legs. It is now thought the sustained its injuries by running across the road.

Police will now review CCTV to see if any light can be shed on how the dog got onto the road.

In a statement Devon & Cornwall Police said: “As stated in the initial appeal, it was a...

A man has been charged with terrorism offences and is appearing at Westminster Magistrates Court this afternoon (2 September 2016).

Ciaran Maxwell, 30, a serving member of the British armed forces from Old Quarry Drive, Exminster has this afternoon been charged with:

Charge 1:

Between 1 January 2011 and 24 August 2016, with the intention of assisting another to commit acts of terrorism, engaged in conduct in preparation for giving effect to this intention, namely:

- Research resulting in the creation of a library of documents providing information of a kind...

According to recent research, graduates regret going to university due to debt, and half reckon they would have landed their current job without having to study for a degree. Someone who is working to ensure she gets the best out of her time at university is Geography student Katie Parker, 18.

When she first started studying, Kate was struggling to pay travel costs from her home in Newton Abbot to University in Plymouth and so looked around for opportunities to earn money. Katie came across a great opportunity to work hours that suited her and allowed her to run her very own...

Pets across Devon and Somerset now have a greater chance of surviving household fires, thanks to new oxygen masks specially designed for animals that are being carried on selected fire engines. The ‘Smokey Paws’ masks are available in three sizes, so a large dog, cat, guinea pig, even a tortoise can be treated.

Two sets of these masks have kindly been donated by Quantock Veterinary Hospital to Nether Stowey and Bridgwater Fire Stations. Dominic Phillips, Director and Vet at Quantock Veterinary Hospital said: "After first-hand experience of dealing with the devastating effects of...