Devon

Have you ever bought a postcard as a souvenir of a visit? Over two hundred years ago, cousins Jane and Mary Parminter from A la Ronde did just that.

While on their grand tour of Europe they collected 39 Gouaches and a fan from Mount Vesuvius. These will be on display at the 16-sided property throughout May as part of a ‘Hidden House’ programme which showcases items in the collection that visitors cannot usually see.

Gouaches are much like modern day postcards. They were printed from engravings and then coloured using a transparent paint called Gouache. With their passion...

A report released today (28 April 2015) by road safety charity Brake and Direct Line has revealed worrying and widespread disregard for traffic laws among UK drivers, with half (49%) admitting to breaking them.

Half of drivers who admit breaking traffic laws (25% of all drivers) say they do so through inattention, while the other half (23% of all drivers) admit doing so deliberately, because they think they can get away with it or do not agree with the laws. This makes it clear that more needs to be done both to enforce traffic laws, and to persuade drivers to buy in to the...

Leading housebuilder Barratt Homes is predicting a rise in buy-to-let investors in Exeter now that pension changes give individuals far greater control than ever before over their retirement funds.

Barratt Homes managing director Paul Moran said they have already seen an increase in enquiries from potential buyers looking to invest in property and the five star housebuilder has now produced a step by step guide geared to helping first time investors through the process.

As part of the changes people are now allowed to access their defined contribution (DC) pensions as...

Gareth Steenson insists Exeter Chiefs can ill afford to be afraid of the rewards that are on offer with the Aviva Premiership heading towards a dramatic conclusion over the coming weeks.

With just two rounds of the scheduled season remaining, the Devon club are still firmly in the race for the end-of-season play-offs, this despite slipping to a 36-29 defeat against Wasps on Sunday.

That loss, coupled with Leicester's bonus point win over bottom club London Welsh 24 hours earlier, saw Rob Baxter's side slip a place to fifth in the current standings.

However, a last-...

Chartered Accountants, Haines Watts, one of the UK’s leading accountancy firms, has unveiled its new website. The new site is designed with business owners in mind, offering a multitude of resources and showcasing real business owners sharing their stories and challenges and how they have overcome them.

With Devon offices based in Bideford, Exeter and Crediton, the new Haines Watts website, utilising a fully responsive design will offer business owners the best experience possible no matter what device they are using. Going responsive has enabled Haines Watts to use the most up to...

UKIP Parliamentary Candidate Derek Sargent and ‘flying column’ supporters hit the streets of Bideford on Saturday morning. Almost everyone spoken to in and around the town’s High Street and Pannier market areas, pledged their support for Derek in the upcoming May 7th election and some said they’d already voted by post.

The days activities began with the discovery of more signage vandalism on Churchill Way, Northam, quite an ironic choice, where a large banner had almost been ripped off a fence but, being a UKIP sign, it tenaciously clung on despite the attack.

One UKIP...

Three leading organisations in a North Devon village, who come together to improve the lives of local residents and visitors, have won this year’s Prince of Wales Award, which will be presented at the Devon County Show, May 21-23.

Swimbridge Jubilee Hall Committee, Parish Council and Parochial Church Council will jointly receive the accolade awarded by HRH The Prince of Wales, administered by Devon County Agricultural Association (DCAA), to recognise community sustainability initiatives in rural Devon.

Lady Arran, one of the judges, said: “We greatly enjoyed visiting the...

A woman has died following a collision in Cullompton on Friday.

The woman was cycling along Old Hill, Cullompton around 5.30pm on 24th April when she collided with a road sign.

Paramedics and police attended the scene and the woman was taken to the RD& E via land ambulance where sadly she died.

She is thought to be a Romanian national in her 40s. Her next of kin are being traced.

No other vehicles are believed to have been involved in the collision.

The road was closed until 11pm while investigations at the scene took place.

Any witnesses...

A Devon-based insurance and financial services company is celebrating its Exeter 10th anniversary.

Pavey Group opened its Exeter office at Pynes Hill Business Park in 2005, with just one employee and one client, expanding from its Torquay base.

Today the firm has a team of 31 people in the city and more than 2500 clients, having moved to offices at Peninsula Park on Rydon Lane in 2012.

Geoff Gale, Pavey Group Director, is Head of the Exeter office. He said: “That very first client – and still a significant and valued client today – was the National Trust. From there...

It’s the second evening meeting of the summer at Newton Abbot on Thursday 30th April with the first race, the Newtonabbotrace On Twitter Maiden Hurdle, due off at 16.45.

With 132 horses having been entered across the seven races, including fifteen in the feature £10,000 Newtonabbotracing.com Handicap Chase over three and a quarter miles, a good turnout is expected.

The race is for horses rated up to 135 and course winner Prince Tom, trained near Taunton by Alexandra Dunn, and Bertie Boru, twice successful last season for Philip Hobbs, are both on the maximum handicap mark...