Exeter

His Royal Highness the Earl of Wessex was today taken on a whistlestop tour of Exeter's Royal Albert Memorial Museum (RAMM), which was recently named Museum of the Year by the Art Fund and gained its 300,000th visitor last Friday. After arriving at 11am, the Earl was welcomed to the Museum by the Lord Mayor of Exeter, Cllr Rob Newby, Leader of the City Council, Cllr Pete Edwards, and Chief Executive Philip Bostock and introduced to chief patron Michael Morpurgo and patrons Show of Hands.

The Earl was then walked around the Queen Street building by the Museum Manager, Camilla...

The Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering has launched a competition in association with the Tate, the Design Museum and the Science Museum, for young people in the UK to design the iconic trophy that will be presented to the winner of the prestigious £1 million international prize.

16 to 24 year olds are being invited to submit a design that represents the wonder of modern engineering. Anyone in that age group can enter, with particular interest expected from those studying or working in art, design, fashion and technology, as well as those studying or working in...

The president of Diabetes UK will talk about the ground-breaking treatment he underwent to gain control of his diabetes at a meeting in Exeter.

Richard Lane, 68, was among the first people in the country to receive a transplant of insulin-producing islet cells in 2005. Following three transplants, he was the first person in the UK with Type 1 diabetes to come off insulin altogether.

Richard will be discussing his own experience of diabetes and the work of Diabetes UK at the meeting at the Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry on October 18....

This month sees a jump in new seller average asking prices of 3.5% (+£8,310), the biggest increase for eight months, with a regional boost of 4.8% (+£21,834) and a 6.2% increase on last year's prices. This goes a long way towards reversing the Olympic-induced price lull over the summer, which saw asking prices of property coming to market fall by 4.6% (-£11,377) over the three months between June and September. This price rebound indicates the market is not performing as badly as some feared.

However, sellers looking to try for a higher price should note Rightmove research which...

A national newspaper has praised the joint effort that went into securing the new John Lewis store for Exeter.

Observer journalist Zoe Wood wrote:

Despite the rearguard action being fought by government high street tsar Mary Portas, town centres around the country are being pushed to breaking point as retail chains are felled by the recession. One in seven high-street shops lies empty, with the recent failure of JJB Sports, which resulted in more than 130 closures, making a grim picture worse.

Against that backdrop, the strength of Exeter's retail centre – albeit...

More firefighters from Devon and Somerset Fire Service are choosing to take part in the Exeter 10,000 project, run by the National Institute for Health Research Exeter Clinical Research Facility (CRF), University of Exeter Medical School (formerly Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry).

Last month, firefighters from Red Watch took part in the scheme. Not to be outdone, this month it is Green Watch who are planning to add their data to the Exeter 10,000 project.

The project aims to compile a research register of 10,000 individuals from the Exeter and East Devon area....

Jemma Gill and her nan Pauline Roberts were surprised to find themselves first in the queue for the John Lewis store's big opening.

They had travelled from Hatherleigh and Bude to enjoy a day's shopping.

However they didn't expect to be in prime position for the historic event.

Jemma told The Exeter Daily: "We were really excited about John Lewis coming to Exeter and we thought we'd make a day of it.

"We decided to get here early as we expected there to be queues but we were quite surprsied when there was nobody here."

Jemma said she would previously...

Early morning commuters got their first peek inside the new John Lewis store today.

Barriers that had been shielding the site came down overnight revealing a glistening entrance area decorated with elegant chandeliers.

In the early morning half light the building was a far cry in appearance from the former eyesesore Debenhams building.

The front facia has been bedecked with pealights and the all-glass frontage hints at the treats that await shoppers inside.

Workers were putting the finishing touches to the new Exeter John Lewis store just hours ahead of opening today.

Outside, cleaners were jet washing the pavements whilst inside the windows were being cleaned to gleaming perfection.

City centre manager John Harvey was outside the store at 7am sharp.

He said: "The workers have done an amazing job to turn everything around and this part of the city centre looks completely different now.

"Not only have we got a marvellous new department store, we've got a great environment for the many, many people who are going...

A man arrrested by police in Exeter earlier this month has died in hospital.

The coroner will now hold a postmortem and The Independent Police Complaints Commission is investigating the incident.

Thomas Orchard was detained following a disturbance in the city centre on October 3.

IPCC Commissioner Amerdeep Somal said: “This is very sad news and I extend my condolences to Mr Orchard’s family and friends. We will arrange to meet with his family again when they are ready. We will, of course, keep...