Exeter

Equestrian team members from the Maynard School in Exeter, the South West’s leading independent girls’ school, made the long trip to Hickstead in Sussex worthwhile when winning the NSEA Eventer’s Challenge on 3 June 2016.

This was a complete surprise for the newly crowned National Champions who had travelled to the event with low expectations and were really only looking forward to the opportunity to ride at the hallowed All England Jumping venue.

“Unfortunately two of our team members had to drop out after the entry stage but, just when we thought we would have to withdraw...

A man has made an emotional appeal for thieves to return his father’s war medals, after they were stolen from a train earlier this week.

The 64-year-old was returning from his father’s funeral on the 11.17am train between Birmingham New Street and Exeter St Davids on Tuesday.

He left his bag, which contained the medals, on the luggage rack but found it missing when he exited the train at Exeter.

The medals were won by the victim’s father (pictured) between 1945 and 1948.

He said: “I inherited these medals from my father’s estate only a couple of weeks ago...

Leading West Country financial planners Old Mill have become one of only 25 currently certified firms in the country to meet top financial planning standards. As part of its commitment to offering the best possible service to its clients, Old Mill has completed the certification programme for BS 8577 –the only best practice standard for financial advice and planning firms. Set out by Standards International, BS 8577 sets out a framework for best practice and process; it was developed with industry, professional experts and consumer representatives including, the British Standards Institute...

The overall experience of inpatients at Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust (NDHT) has improved this year, according to the latest national inpatient survey.

Nearly 600 people shared their views about the care they received at NDHT.

The results have been published by the Care Quality Commission as part of its look at standards around the country.

The survey also puts NDHT in the top fifth of trusts for issues such as feeling looked after by hospital staff and the level of respect and dignity for patients.

Dr Alison Diamond, chief executive for the Trust,...

With prostate cancer claiming the lives of one many every hour in the UK, it's one of the most common male-specific diseases in the country, and the second biggest killer after lung cancer. That’s why this Father’s Day weekend (June 18th and 19th) charity supporters from Exeter are being urged to join thousands from across the UK to gather en masse and get on their bike to take part in the national fundraising effort and biggest cycling event of its kind, the ‘Rotary Ride’. The Rotary Ride, which is now in its second year is a nationwide event organised by Rotary International in Great...

Local Vets, one of the Crowd10 finalists to go live on Crowdcube on 1st June, were the first to reach their crowdfunding target on Wednesday 15 June, just as the remaining finalists are about to launch their campaigns.

The Crowd10 initiative, which was the brainchild of crowdfunding expert Kirsty Ranger at IdeaSquares, nurtured some of the most promising start-ups from the South West on their crowdfunding journey.

Local Vets launched their crowdfunding campaign on Crowdcube during a showcase event in Bristol on 1st June, along with three other finalists. Within just two...

Sainsbury’s Pinhoe has marked a year of fundraising for their 2015 Charity of the Year, Rainbow Living, with the presentation of a cheque for £5,207.

Over the last 12 months Sainsbury’s Pinhoe has held many fundraising events for the local charity, including second hand book sales, car boot sales, and a curry & quiz night, along with several fun in-store events such as an Easter Bunny Hunt and Guess the Weight of the Heart Shaped bun to mark Valentine’s Day.

Individual staff also took on personal challenges as part of the store’s on-going charity support, including...

The Dissenters Graveyard in Exeter will open to visitors between 11am and 4pm on Saturday 25th June.

Visitors will be abel to:

- see the work done and being done to repair broken monuments: restored chest tombs; broken headstones repaired and set upright; and gravestones being put together piece by piece.

- view an exploratory excavation which could reveal a previously unknown underground vault.

- hear about previous excavations including an investigation of an intact underground vault with visible burials.

- hear about the histories and sometimes...