Devon

Tony Hawks to speak at Exeter business dinner

Authored by Mary Youlden
Posted: Fri, 10/16/2015 - 10:58am

Exeter Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce the guest speaker for the 11th annual business dinner will be TV and radio comedian and bestselling author Tony Hawks.

Tony is the author of the bestseller ‘Round Ireland with a Fridge’ - the story of his absurd quest to hitch round the circumference of Ireland within a month... with a fridge. The book became a top 10 Sunday Times bestseller in 1998, was serialised on BBC Radio 4, and led to a six month TV advertising campaign for HARP Irish Lager. It has now sold over 800,000 copies worldwide including the US and Australia, and has...

Council postpones contract to build school

Authored by News Desk
Posted: Fri, 10/16/2015 - 10:36am

Devon County Council has expressed its disappointment at having to postpone a contract to build a new primary school on the outskirts of Exeter.

Work on the Trinity Church of England Primary was due to start last month (Monday 7 September) but the County Council has now put the contract on hold pending agreement with the landowners regarding the site situated near to the Newcourt housing development. This follows protracted negotiations from which it has not been possible to reach agreement to progress the project in the immediate term.

Devon County Council Leader John Hart...

Pupils learn about composting

Westpoint Arena opened its doors to 1,400 primary school pupils from across Devon for the third annual Farm Wise event. As part of this hands-on learning approach to agriculture, the children donned wellington boots and rolled up their sleeves to discover how Coastal Recycling transforms ordinary garden waste into free organic compost for farmers. This nutrient rich compost fortifies soil, promoting a fertile environment for crops and therefore plays a vital role in our food chain. Coastal Recycling creates more than 35,000 tonnes of compost each year, which farmers can then spread free of...

Defend yourself against flu this winter

Devon residents susceptible to the effects of flu are being reminded to get their annual vaccination to protect them against the illness this winter.

Flu can be a serious illness, particularly for those in the at risk groups, so it’s vital that people in the eligible groups* and parents of young children take up the offer of the free flu vaccination, even if they feel healthy.

The effects of flu can be much more serious than people think. It’s highly infectious, and the symptoms of fever, chills, headache, aches and pains in joints and muscles, and extreme tiredness, can...

Moon set for Chiefs milestone

Ben Moon has warned his Exeter Chiefs team-mates they can expect the ultimate examination when they kick-off their Aviva Premiership campaign on Saturday away to rivals Bath (2pm).

With a lengthy and gruelling pre-season done and dusted for Devon’s finest, it’s now that the business end is about to begin and the 26-year-old prop is well aware of what looms large on the horizon.

Impressive victories over Bath and Gloucester - both home and away - meant the Chiefs collected the inaugural Westcountry Challenge Cup with an unblemished record and with plenty of positives safely...

Police plan for station closures

Devon and Cornwall Police plans to close police stations and offices across Devon and Cornwall in the next five years as the Force strives to save £29m from its current budget. In most cases closures would lead to the building of smaller, more cost effective facilities, or see police teams sharing facilities within their communities. None of the sites being closed are currently open to the public. The closures or lease surrenders would make revenue savings of at least £1.053m a year. Faced with the next round of budget cuts under the Government’s comprehensive spending review – and with...

Wi-Fi SPARK's 10 mile hike for charity

WiFi service delivery company, WiFi SPARK based in Exeter, has chosen Children’s Hospice South West as its charity of the year, and its latest fundraiser has seen members of the team hike the ten tors of Dartmoor.

Twelve members of the team from the Matford Business Park based company braved cold and foggy conditions to hike the ten miles across the ten tors of Dartmoor. Matt O’Donovan, WiFi SPARK’s founder said: ‘We’re so pleased to have raised over £1300 for this great cause and have many other activities planned to add to this sum. The WiFi SPARK team will continue its...

Your guide to What's On this weekend

Your essential guide to what’s on in and around Exeter this weekend

THEATRE

Hands Up for Jonny Wilkinson's Right Boot Friday & Saturday, Barnfield Theatre, Exeter Hands Up for Jonny Wilkinson’s Right Boot brings to life one of those unforgettable moments when everyone can remember exactly where they were and what they were doing: The Rugby World Cup Final 2003 - England v Australia with just 26 seconds to the final whistle and the score standing at a tantalising 17-17 Jonny Wilkinson makes history by dropping a goal with his right boot to win the World Cup for England...

World Cup parade wows the crowds

Exeter was wowed by a parade of colour, rugby, music and creativity this past weekend.

Huge crowds gathered for The Exeter Five Nations Parade. A parade that snaked through the city from Cathedral Green to the Fanzone on Saturday 10 October to celebrate the Rugby World Cup 2015 and the culture of the nations based in the host city of Exeter.

The parade was awash with eye-popping amazing costumes, bears, Vespa’s, magical musicians and giant pizzas hats. Not to mention a giant revolving turtle dove.

Walk the Plank, the creative producers of the parade and world...

Great West Run route and road closures

Authored by Mary Youlden
Posted: Thu, 10/15/2015 - 12:14pm

Exeter’s Great West Run will be taking place on Sunday 18th October 2015.

This established half marathon is an annual fixture in the city’s calendar, and expects to attract around 4,000 runners, many of whom are fundraising for local and national charities. Using the city’s streets for the race will cause changes to usual traffic routes for a limited period on Sunday 18th October.

In planning the event every effort is made to minimise the disruption caused with the closing of roads.

Where closures occur, and where possible, diversions will be in place to ensure...

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