South West

Devon MP recognised in Dairy UK awards

Three dairy champions have been recognised for their hard work within the industry.

Heather Wheeler, MP for south Derbyshire and Neil Parish, MP for Tiverton and Honiton have both been awarded the annual Dairy UK award for their support of UK dairy farmers.

Heather Wheeler chairs the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Dairy. Neil Parish chairs the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) Select Committee and is former chair of the Dairy APPG.

The third winner, Catherine Collins, winner of the Scientific Excellence Award, is a highly respected registered...

Dawsonrentals confirms Bandvulc tie-up

Dawsonrentals|truck & trailer has confirmed an exclusive four year agreement with Bandvulc, the UK’s largest independent truck tyre retreader. Bandvulc will work closely with the individual managers at the company’s 30 branches around the UK, collecting tyres from the 11,000 strong truck and trailer fleet and retreading them as needed.

Peter Snowden, engineering director of the Dawsonrentals operation, said, “This agreement has been subject to a rigorous process, even though we have had a good working relationship with Bandvulc for a number of years. At the end of it though, we...

Patients with high blood pressure wanted for clinical trial

PEOPLE in the South West suffering from high blood pressure are being given the chance to take part in a major clinical research trial which could herald a ‘new era’ in the treatment of the life-threatening condition.

The ‘WAVE IV’ trial at the Royal Devon and Exeter Foundation Trust is testing a new one-hour, one-off non-invasive treatment which aims to reduce blood pressure permanently, cutting the patient’s risk of stroke and heart attacks and eliminating the need for on-going medication.

Principal investigator for the study, Dr Andrew Sharp, Consultant Cardiologist and...

Disabled people still face barriers in SW workplace

Authored by News Desk
Posted: Thu, 06/23/2016 - 6:08pm

People with physical and mental disabilities still face significant barriers in the workplace, a new Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) survey of senior British SME decision-makers suggests.

Nearly half (45%) of SME senior decision makers surveyed by YouGov for RICS said disabled people would find it ‘difficult’ in their workplace and 16% felt disabled people were not generally supported in their workplace. 70% of the RICS membership in the UK is made up of SME’s.

A lack of appropriate access was viewed as the primary barrier to increasing diversity (29%) among...

EU Single Market critical to regional economy

Authored by News Desk
Posted: Tue, 06/21/2016 - 7:26am

The UK’s membership of the European Union has helped boost job creation and growth in the South West for more than forty years, with as many as 250,000 jobs in the region currently linked to exports to the Single Market, the CBI argues.

According to figures from HM Treasury, there is the potential to create 74,340 future jobs for the South West if the UK remains in the EU, and continues to deepen economic ties with its member states.

Several key sectors in the region depend on the Single Market:

  • 83,960 manufacturing jobs in the South West are linked to UK
  • ...

20,000 renters put at risk of eviction in past year

Authored by News Desk
Posted: Wed, 06/15/2016 - 6:36am

Alarming new figures from housing charity Shelter have revealed more than 8,600 renting households in the South West were put at risk of losing their home in the past year –equivalent to 20,429 renters.

The new analysis of statistics from the Ministry of Justice, showed that 1 in every 86 rented homes in the South West were at risk of eviction.

The charity also identified the ‘home threat hotspots’ across the region where renters face the greatest risk of losing their home, which comes as a result of the chronic shortage of affordable homes combined with crippling welfare...

Chancellor warns of impact of leaving EU on South West

Authored by News Desk
Posted: Tue, 06/14/2016 - 7:23am

A VOTE to leave the EU would cause a 'profound economic shock' that would cost tens of thousands of jobs, and risk living standards and house prices in the South West, Chancellor George Osborne will warn today. (TUES)

On a visit to Stroud, the Chancellor will say that the UK has a bright future inside a reformed EU, with opportunities to build on the economic recovery and rising levels of employment, with over 44,600 jobs expected to be created in the South West by 2020 if we remain in the EU. By contrast, he will unveil new analysis suggesting a Leave vote on June 23rd would cause...

6 things to see in the South West

Are you planning to see some of the south west of England this year? Well, if so, you’re going to need to have a few ideas up your sleeve. While it’s nice to read a book, peruse beautiful villages and walk along the shore, it’s well worth planning a few ‘big’ days out to ensure you see as many as the most breath-taking, inspiring and informative things on offer in this idyllic part of the UK. Here are six things to see in the south west this summer…

1. The Minack, Cornwall The Minack is an atmospheric theatre perched atop a cliff high above the Atlantic Ocean. Every summer it’s...

Exeter to host South West's first LEGO show

Authored by Mary Youlden
Posted: Sun, 06/12/2016 - 11:18pm

A one day show of LEGO creations is coming to the city centre's Exeter Phoenix on Saturday 30 July.

West Country Brick Show promises an imaginative family day out in the school summer holidays.

The show organisers, 'West Country Bricks' are made up of LEGO fan builders and traders who will be proudly displaying their impressive creations and wealth of LEGO building expertise.

The event will feature large model replicas from history and science fiction, including a giant Star Wars mosaic. There is also a rare opportunity to see a vintage display of a 1960's town...

SW house prices 'set to falter'

Near term expectations for South West house prices turned slightly negative for the first time since 2013 according to the latest Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) Residential Market Survey.

The survey shows house prices in central London falling while prices are continuing to climb modestly across the rest of the UK. In the South West 25% more respondents said prices had risen rather than fallen over the last three months. This figure has fallen in each month since February when 73% more respondents reported a rise rather than a fall in prices.

However, price...

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