Business Daily

Sam Simmonds has every reason to be beaming with delight today as not only is he set to make his Aviva Premiership debut, but the young Exeter Chiefs forward has also penned a new two-year deal with the Devon club.

The 22-year-old will celebrate his latest contract by packing down at No.8 for Rob Baxter’s side when they play host to Wasps at Sandy Park (1pm).

It’s rich reward for the Teignmouth youngster, who has shown in recent weeks his growing stature within the ranks at the Chiefs, producing two eye-catching displays against Wasps and Bristol in the Anglo-Welsh Cup....

New recruits are joining the growing ranks of Devon County Council’s Community Road Wardens.

Around a quarter of town and parish councils in Devon have now either signed up as Roads Wardens or have been trained or are waiting for training as part of the scheme.

Community Road Wardens can carry out a range of duties including minor work such as weed clearance, grass cutting, sign cleaning, small drainage work, and minor road repairs. They act as their town or parish’s primary point of contact with the County Council’s local Neighbourhood Highway Officers.

So far, 22...

After nearly 120 years, iconic portraits of the Acland family members, who lived in the Georgian mansion, have been moved as part of a new exhibition inside Killerton House, near Exeter.

Their relocation from the water damaged stairway means the National Trust can commence a vital project to repair the leaking roof and conserve the building. The paintings, which include Killerton’s largest portrait, are some of the most significant objects in the house’s collection. For the first time since 1898, they have been carefully relocated from the stairway to protect them from the project...

Exeter Chiefs return to Aviva Premiership action on Sunday (1pm) with head coach Rob Baxter keen for his side to pick up from where they left off just a month ago.

In what was seen as a testing block of fixtures against top four rivals Leicester Tigers, Bath and Saracens, the Devon club emerged from that sequence of games with a profitable 11 points out of a possible 15.

That return not only helped inflict some timely damage on those around the Chiefs, but it also propelled Baxter’s side firmly into the top four and in control of their own destiny to reach this season’s...