A secure children’s home in Exeter has been praised by Ofsted for making good continued progress since its last Ofsted inspection.
The Atkinson Unit provides accommodation for up to ten young people and was inspected earlier in the summer of 2012 and again at the end of the year.
In their earlier report the inspectors said that the unit exceeded minimum requirements and were rated ‘good’ for their quality of care, safeguarding, leadership and management, and for the outcomes of the young people. During their most recent inspection, Ofsted were impressed with the progress...
With cold weather predicted over the next few days, Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service remind you to make sure your chimneys are safe and secure as possible, especially when lighting up fires that haven't been used for a while.
This advice comes after seven chimney fires took place yesterday.
Open fires and wood burning stoves are growing in popularity as they not only warm up a home, but create a unique and relaxing ambience within any room. This is all the more reason to ensure they are safe and clean.
Chimneys need to be dirt free to allow the free...
Women in their 50s earn nearly a fifth less than men of the same age – the widest gender pay gap of any age group – according to a TUC analysis published ahead of the latest unemployment figures due out today (Wednesday).
The TUC analysis of the pay and jobs of women over the age of 50 shows that despite a dramatic rise in the number of women working past 50, low pay and pensioner poverty remain major concerns for them as they approach retirement.
A woman in her 50s working full-time currently earns £11.99 per hour – 18 per cent less hour than a man of a similar age (£14.69...
It's definitely all about the girls this week as some of the best female minds in Devon's business community gathered for a special award ceremony at Exeter's Golf and Country Club.
The event, organised by Womens Development Unlimited (WDU), celebrates the achievements and advancements of businesses in Devon specifically run or owned by women.
All the candidates are on the Fast Track 4 Growth programme run by the WDU which is a highly subsidised programme of skills training, mentoring, coaching and action learning. It provides specialist women to women advice and aims to...
As the horror story of so many processed beef dishes containing a high percentage of horse meat continues, there has never been a better time to vow to only eat meat which you know the provenance of. Buy local, from a producer such as Moostone Meats in Wembury (Devon), and not only can you be fully confident in the fact that it is 100% beef, you will also enjoy some of the best meat available to you.
Producer Moostone Meats prides itself on the quality, traceability and known provenance of the meat sold. The Ruby Red beef and home bred lamb, which they sell on-site at their farm...
The Chartered Institution of Highways & Transportation (CIHT) held its annual conference at the Rougemont Thistle Hotel in Exeter. The CPD event, which was co-ordinated by Glen King PR, sponsored by WSP and supported by Parsons Brinckerhoff, attracted 75 delegates from the industry.
In the evening, 150 construction industry guests from across the South West region attended the black-tie dinner and enjoyed a three-course meal. Professional raconteur David Gunson gave a humorous after-dinner talk and £1,135 was raised for the CIHT dedicated charities.
Why not try home and garden maintenance company with a difference? Project Petrock is a social enterprise set up by Exeter-based charity, St Petrock’s, with the aim of helping people who are or have been homeless into work or training.
Project Petrock aims to help people by providing volunteering in ‘real work’ situations. Volunteers gain on-the-job training from an experienced builder while making meaningful use of their time and gaining a current volunteering record. Since March this year, of the 18 volunteers joining the project, two have gone into employment and three into...
Workers at Barratt in Exeter have been showing support for the city’s homeless by donating the proceeds of an annual raffle to Shilhay Community.
The charity works as a not-for-profit organisation, supporting people who are homeless and vulnerably housed in Exeter, East and Mid Devon. It also acts as a key partner in the Devon & Cornwall Rough Sleepers Partnership, which provides an emergency helpline for the general public to call if they see someone sleeping rough.
Money raised by the raffle will go towards a housing project that aims to add extra units to the 70-plus...
A Devon secondary that has cut its energy use in half has been named the top Green school in Europe.
Okehampton College has won the prestigious Zayed Future Energy Prize and been awarded $100,000 to spend on renewable energy.
Since 2009, the college has cut its gas and electricity use in half, saving £60,000 a year in energy bills and reducing its CO2 emissions by more than 50 per cent.
That has been achieved by installing solar panels to produce Green electricity, changing 3,000 lights to low energy and introducing hi-tech measuring and management systems to track...
With 17 per cent of growers failing to turn any profit in 2011/12 and a further 44 per cent of horticulture businesses making less than £30,000, the NFU’s horticulture and potatoes board has set out an ambitious agenda for growth in 2013. It hopes this will create a fairer balance of risk and reward in the supply chain and create a science and regulatory framework that backs production horticulture.
NFU horticulture and potatoes board chairman Sarah Dawson said: “As we emerge from one of the worst seasons in living memory, with balance sheets to match, our vision and optimism for...
