Devon

Firefighters tackled a large fire at a thatched property on the outskirts Exeter on Friday.

Three fire engines along with an aerial ladder platform from Exeter were sent to a report of curtains on fire within a property with a thatched roof at Little Johns Cross, Ide, just after 8.30 this morning.

Upon arrival the crew confirmed that the thatched roof was involved in fire and requested the attendance of seven more fire engines.

These appliances were sent from Topsham, Crediton, Newton Abbot, Cullompton, Exmouth and Torquay.

Special support appliances were...

Don’t make any plans for the weekend until you’ve checked out our guide to what’s on in and around Exeter.

THEATRE

April De Angelis Friday & Saturday, 7.30pm, Cygnet Theatre, Exeter The theatres have just re-opened after seventeen years of suppression under the puritans, encouraging a great upsurge in dramatic writing. Of vital importance to the development of drama was the entrance of the first English actresses upon the English stage. April De Angelis has taken five famous figures – Nell Gwynn, Elizabeth Farley, Rebecca Marshall, Doll Common and Mary Betterton – and...

Long serving former Exeter City Councillor, Yolonda Henson has been awarded the Honorary position of Freeman of the City.

The award is recognition of her unstinting duty of public service over a total of 32 years elected service on the City Council. This includes a number of years as Leader of the Conservative Group, as well as Mayor of the City in 1992. Throughout that time, she has always put the interests of the residents of the City and the future of the City itself, first.

Yolonda most recently served the residents in the Polsloe ward on the City Council but was...

Local charity, Exeter Citizens Advice Bureau, is reporting a worrying 34% increase in private sector tenant repossession cases.

This is in comparison with the same period last year and shows that pressure on household budgets continues to hit hard.

Across all housing sectors, where a CAB adviser has assisted clients facing repossession, clients have avoided repossession in 80% of cases.

Exeter City Council has provided financial support for this essential service.

Steve Barriball, Exeter Citizens Advice Bureau Chief Executive, said: “We have at least one...

Homeless people across Exeter and parts of Devon have been given a boost with the awarding of crucial funding to tackle the ongoing problem of homelessness.

Quarter of a million pounds has been awarded from the government’s Help for Homeless fund.

The successful bid was lead by Exeter City Council and includes Exeter, Teignbridge, East Devon, Mid Devon and Torbay.

An additional combined total of £35,000 will be donated by the local authorities involved in the project.

The new funding will provide:

• Three specialist case workers managing complex
...

The latest figures for 2014 show that crime continues to fall across the region.

Recorded figures for January to December 2014 showed a decrease of 3.2% or 2,747 fewer offences compared to 2013, with reductions across a number of crime groups.

The updated picture shows the Force continues to see reductions in public order offences (down by 14.8%), theft (-10.7%), Burglary (-5.7%), and criminal damage has fallen by 5.9%.

In line with the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, there are certain types of crime that the Force want to see a rise in the reporting of...

Twelve Exeter School pupils have scored top results in the challenging British Physics Olympiad, competing against over 1,900 pupils nationally.

A total of one Silver award, four Bronze awards and seven Commendations were awarded.

Physics teacher Dr Houghton said all those who entered should be congratulated on their achievement.

“This comprises an extremely difficult test paper, much more challenging and less predictable than an A2 paper,” he said.

“Only those who have already achieved a good grade A at AS are considered for entry, and award boundaries are...

Employers could face an upskill struggle when recruiting for the roles available in a changing job market, set to grow by around 37% in the South West, according to CBI predictions.

The National Careers Council says over half of employers are not confident they will find sufficient recruits for jobs on offer. Growth is expected in sectors such as computer technology, tourism and healthcare, with decline anticipated in areas such as call centre, secretarial and banking employment.*

Graduates will be in higher demand as the job market picks up, with 30% of employers expecting...

A University of Exeter Law postgraduate student has been awarded the Hutton Prize for Excellence, which encourages the next generation of young professionals to put ethical conduct at the forefront of business, government and the professions.

Hadrien Chautard has been studying the LLM International Commercial Law programme and is the second postgraduate Law student in a row to win the Hutton Prize. As this year’s winner of the best dissertation demonstrating a commitment to ethical conduct and practice, Chautard won the prize which is a medal containing one troy ounce of solid gold...