Sparx, a socially focused learning technology company based in Exeter, is to receive a £20 million investment from Oxygen House, an ethical and impact-centric group of companies also based in Exeter. The investment follows an initial £30 million investment from Oxygen House which helped to establish Sparx and to develop and trial the technology.
Together, the £50 million investment is thought to be the largest by a UK investor into the UK edtech sector*.
Sparx was founded in 2010 and is an in-class and homework solution which uses machine learning, personalised content and...
150 people gathered at Hotel du Vin to learn about a new initiative from Exeter Chamber, Exeter City Council and Air Marketing, Tribe. The local buying initiative will encourage businesses within Greater Exeter to choose local suppliers where possible. Speaking at the event, were Owen Richards, Air Marketing, Ben Bradshaw MP and Ann Hunter, InExeter.
Owen Richards, managing director of Air Marketing and founder of Tribe said: “We aim to survey 5,000 companies within the area: if each of them changed just one of their services from a national supplier to a local one, we could...
The Dissenters Graveyard will be open to visitors between 11am and 4pm on two weekends - 14th/15th September and 21st/22nd September.
From about 12.30 on the afternoon of Sunday 15th we are exploring a high-tech method of reading worn and lichen covered monument inscriptions. Reflectance Transformation Imaging is a method for revealing surface detail being used and explored in the Imaging Suite at Exeter University. Dr Jacqueline Christmas from the University will be demonstrating the technique and teaching volunteers to use it. The equipment is simple, the computer programme is...
The family owners of a Devon holiday park are involving guests in their bid to turn the tide on the scourge of plastic which is polluting West Country beaches.
Ladram Bay Holiday Park near Budleigh Salterton in East Devon is aiming to retrieve one ton of waste washed up on its private beach over the coming months.
The growing total of discarded plastics gathered will be shown by a rising column of sand on a special display board near the beach path.
The park is asking guests to bolster the efforts of their own staff team of litter pickers by collecting any plastics...
Devon-based Simpkins Edwards is celebrating with its team after being accredited as one of the UK’s ten best accountancy employers by judges at the British Accountancy Awards (BAAs). The firm, which has offices in Exeter, Okehampton, Holsworthy, Bovey Tracey, Barnstaple and Honiton, has now been shortlisted for the BAA’s Best Employer title 2019, and will discover if it has won later this month.
This is the second successive year that Simpkins Edwards has reached the finals of the British Accountancy Awards - widely regarded as the industry’s most prestigious accountancy accolade....
The Exeter branch of RGB Building Supplies and Devon-based charity Amigos are thanking the local community for the amazing response received to their recent appeal to donate preloved tools. These will all now go on to help young people in Africa lift themselves and their families out of poverty.
Amigos has been working in Uganda for nearly 20 years and for the last nine it has been providing vocational training in construction skills. Throughout June and July, a total of 33 ‘dumpy bags’ of tools were collected across the RGB network and in some cases, instead of donating preloved...
Exeter College and Kier recently teamed up to deliver an intensive one week, pre-Apprenticeship work experience programme, designed to give local youngsters an insight into the construction industry and inspire them to pursue a career in the varied and vibrant sector.
Six learners who are considering the Apprenticeship route with Exeter College spent the week gaining knowledge and insight, as well as hands on experience behind the scenes with Kier at some of the company’s flagship developments.
The week kickstarted with health and safety training and a test for...
Veg lovers are being invited to ‘taste a piece of history’ at Knightshayes, near Tiverton, at a celebration of all things tomato on Saturday 7 September.
As caretakers of around 150 varieties of heritage tomato seeds, the garden team at the National Trust property have been growing 29 varieties this year. These 29 varieties will be the stars of the show at the ‘Terrific Tomato Day’ in September and the public are invited to see, smell and taste some of the tomatoes grown from the ‘living library’ kept at Knightshayes.
The 2.5 acre walled garden at Knightshayes is home to...
Hearst UK, the leading print and online magazine publisher, has today revealed findings from one of its largest surveys conducted around female body confidence.
Over 2,500 women, aged 18-65, took part in surveys, kept diaries and attended focus groups to understand how they think and feel about their bodies on a day-to-day basis. The headline result – that only 4% of UK women feel beautiful – has led to the creation of campaign - “Project Body Love” - which has an end goal of permanently changing the way women feel, and ultimately speak, about their bodies.
A top research centre focussed on tackling fungal diseases has relocated to the University of Exeter.
The Medical Research Council (MRC) Centre for Medical Mycology has moved from Aberdeen with existing Exeter scientists to create one of the largest groups of mycology (fungal research) experts in the world.
Mycology is an area of urgent medical need, with more than 1.5 million deaths worldwide each year caused by fungal infections.
“This move places Exeter at the forefront of fungal research at a critical time,” said Professor Gordon Brown, director of the centre...
