Essential repairs will be carried out to the Swing Bridge in Exeter, starting next week (Monday 27 April).
Recent inspections of the bridge, which carries outbound traffic on the A379, have found that the ends of the two main steel beams of the structure have suffered corrosion and these corroded sections need to be replaced.
Repairs will be carried out from Monday 27 April to Friday 15 May. To enable work to be undertaken the Swing Bridge will be moved to its open position for extended periods and contraflow arrangements, with temporary traffic lights, will be...
A drive-through coronavirus testing facility is to open at Honiton Park and Ride in Exeter as part of the Government’s UK-wide drive to increase testing for thousands more NHS and other key workers.
The site sits alongside a rapidly expanding network of testing sites being set up around the UK, and is operating on an appointment-only basis for NHS staff and other key workers. The facility will be piloted for its first few days of operation.
This follows the launch of the Government’s partnership with universities, research institutes and companies to begin rollout of the...
The comforts of modern life would be unimaginable to our ancestors. There is a fair amount of stress in our lives, but we don’t have to fight for our survival. If we are unlucky, we could end up losing our job or screwing up yet another relationship, but the chances are, we won’t be starving. This privilege is not without a price; we spend most of our lives sitting in front of computers, worrying about things that ultimately don’t matter. On the other hand, we don’t fear that any wild animals could stalk us; most of us are also safe from the elements. It doesn’t mean, though, that just...
Two independent opticians are extending their services to support vulnerable people in the community during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pullen and Symes Opticians, with practices in Exeter and Ottery St Mary, are delivering spectacles to those in need, including older members of the community and high-risk patients, who are unable to collect in-store.
Nicki and David Pullen from the practice will travel free of charge to the door of patients who cannot visit the practice in the Exeter area, even delivering contact lenses and solution to those in self isolation.
An award-winning Exeter children’s author has become a virtual bedtime storyteller to help families cope with the coronavirus lockdown.
Dr Wendy O’Shea-Meddour has replaced her work in schools and libraries with story sessions filmed at her home for toddlers to nine-year-olds. Her books have already garnered recognition for helping adults support children through difficult experiences and have become even more relevant now.
The sessions, available online, will include readings from new books not yet published. Dr O’Shea-Meddour, who records with a camera balanced on a...
A LEADING Devon care provider says the home care sector’s image is changing in the wake of the Coronavirus crisis as more people realise how vital and skilled it is (April 2020).
Domiciliary care was perceived as being low-status, unskilled work before the outbreak, but Guardian Homecare, which has teams in Exeter and surrounding areas, says this has now altered.
Manager for the service provider, Catherine Porter explains: “We’re helping shield our elderly and vulnerable service users every day as requested by the Government and we’re also preventing any non-essential...
The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic took the world by surprise, forcing millions of people to stay locked in their houses while the health workers are risking their lives and working overtime just so that the world can go back to normal. However, normal before the pandemic and after it will never be the same.
There is no denying that the pandemic has affected all the areas of everyday life - companies had to switch to remote work, beauty salons and hairdressers have been closed for weeks now. Schools and universities stopped functioning a long time ago, with most of them...
A social enterprise that supports vulnerable young people through music technology and music production sessions has been able to continue online during the Coronavirus outbreak thanks to a grant from the Exeter Covid-19 Community Action Fund.
Sound Gallery CIC have been awarded £1,000 from the Action Fund. The sessions, which would normally have been provided face-to-face from the Sound Gallery Studios at Exeter Phoenix, will now be delivered remotely via Skype or Facetime.
Maria Peters, of Sound Gallery CIC, said the grant was great news for organisation and some of...
The Donkey Sanctuary in Sidmouth received a special treat for its resident donkeys this week, thanks to a generous donation of 150kg of carrots from the local Waitrose store.
The mountain of carrots, kindly donated by Sidmouth Waitrose on Stowford Rise, was met with delight by staff and donkeys alike at The Donkey Sanctuary’s international headquarters in Sidmouth.
The sanctuary is currently closed to visitors, but donkey-facing staff are still ensuring the resident animals continue to receive the highest level of care.
Thirteen hundred people including vets, plumbers, soldiers, hairdressers, builders, students, artists and estate agents have answered the call to help care for the county’s most vulnerable residents.
It follows an urgent countywide appeal to recruit Healthcare Assistants – a vital new role supporting social care providers and the NHS during the coronavirus pandemic.
The registrations have come from people aged 16 to 65, some former health care professionals’ others, with little or no experience at all in health or care.
