Exeter Pride proposing to hold 2020 event in September

DUE to the daily changing national landscape caused by the COVID-19 outbreak, and upon Government and Public Health England advice, Exeter Pride trustees are postponing the May event “to ensure the continued health and well-being of everyone in the community”.

Originally scheduled to take place on Saturday, May 2, trustees are now exploring the new date of Saturday, September 26, subject to approval from authorities.

Simon Bowkett, chair of Exeter Pride said: “We have been following government and health advice closely, but now that the government has moved to the ‘delay...

Workplace fatalities increase - how safe is your business?

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has released their key accident figures for 2018/19. They provide stark reading;

147 workers killed at work (an increase of 6 since 2017/18)

69,208 injuries to employees reported through businesses under the HSE reporting scheme RIDDOR

28.2 million working days lost due to work-related illness and workplace injury

£15 billion estimated cost of injuries and ill health from current working conditions (2017/18)

The figures make it very clear how important it is that South West businesses maintain a focus on health...

The Benefits of Being a Woodworking Enthusiast

Woodworking is one job that is loved by numerous people around the globe. Many adults often end up taking a break from their main career field to make some handicrafts and experience the life of a professional crafter. The main reason is, by working as a woodworker, an individual is said to feel more connected to nature, alive and accomplished.

Working with wood has been around since the start of civilization. It is one of the planet’s oldest professions. Before steel, cement and bricks were established, wood was mainly used for constructing houses, furniture and even jewellery....

The Best Getaway Destination Activities for Couple

Authored by Claire Small
Posted: Thu, 03/19/2020 - 11:04pm

Maintaining relationships is never easy. It requires a lot of patience and commitment to foster and nurture a healthy relationship with your significant other. That’s why when you two meet, it’s important to make the moment count — and what better way than to spend this precious time together doing meaningful and memorable things that are unorthodox but in the best way possible? The stereotypical ideas of movie dates or candle-lit dinners have long been drawn out and overplayed by popular culture and media over the years; so why not try these more unique experiences for your dates instead...

Newcross Healthcare mobilises workforce for COVID-19 support

Authored by News Desk
Posted: Thu, 03/19/2020 - 10:51pm

Newcross Healthcare , one of Britain’s largest and fastest growing independent healthcare providers, is mobilising its 9,000 strong nationwide workforce with specialist training in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.

What’s more, the provider uses bespoke booking technology for clients to book shifts quickly and efficiently, giving the NHS and care homes the ability to instantly access highly trained staff. Newcross expect all bookings to be automated within two weeks.

Training is being delivered in partnership with Docebo, a leading artificial intelligence learning...

Stagecoach extends free bus travel for Devon's elderly and vulnerable

Authored by News Desk
Posted: Thu, 03/19/2020 - 5:30pm

Stagecoach is working with local authorities to temporarily relax time restrictions on concessionary travel to allow earlier access to bus services

Bus company Stagecoach South West has announced that it is working in partnership with local authorities to temporarily relax time restrictions on concessionary travel across Devon to allow travel for the elderly and vulnerable early in the morning as the coronavirus epidemic continues.

The local authorities involved are Devon County Council and Plymouth City Council. It comes as supermarkets make special arrangements for...

Sparx Virtual Classroom

Devon schools offered free state-of-art technology to support remote learning

Authored by AmySutton
Posted: Thu, 03/19/2020 - 1:49pm

In response to the Coronavirus Sparx – a socially focused learning technology company – is offering secondary schools free access to Sparx Maths Virtual Classroom so Devon students can continue their maths lessons remotely. The Exeter-based company will support any school that has had to close as a result of the virus through the product, for the duration of their closure.

Sparx already provides its maths learning platform, Sparx Maths, to secondary schools across Devon, including those within the Ted Wragg Trust, Education South West and West Country Trust. The technology allows...

Is the Eurovision Song Contest finally gaining musical credibility?

For many years, the Eurovision Song Contest has been treated as a running joke by viewers in the UK. It gained a reputation for featuring low-quality Euro-pop music and many people only tuned in to listen to Terry Wogan’s witty and sarcastic commentary - a tradition maintained by Graham Norton who took over in 2009.

Recent UK failures

The UK’s attitude to the contest may have been partly fuelled by our failures. After enjoying great success between 1959 and 1981 - in which time we came first four times and second on 10 occasions - the UK only managed one more win (with Katrina and...

Exeter Primary School celebrates active travel success

Authored by Mary Youlden
Posted: Thu, 03/19/2020 - 11:50am

Children and staff from St Sidwell’s C of E Primary School celebrated their Leg it to Lapland win with a visit from mountain bike trials legend Andrei Burton and his team.

Four times British Champion trials bike rider Owen Gawthorpe entertained and inspired the children with his amazing display of bike skills.

During the two week Leg it to Lapland active travel challenge, which took place in November and December 2019, children, staff and parents, earned ‘leg miles’ for every journey they made to school by foot, bike or scooter and by taking part in extra activities during...

Charity zoos: business as usual

Charity zoos: business as usual

Authored by Paigntonzoo
Posted: Thu, 03/19/2020 - 11:06am

The three South West zoos run by regional conservation charity Wild Planet Trust have a defiant message for coronavirus: “It’s business as usual”.

Staff and volunteers are prepared for the impact of coronavirus, but at this time the charity zoos remain open. Zoo spokesperson Phil Knowling said: “We’re monitoring the situation closely and will naturally continue to follow the advice of Public Health England and the Government. We will close if directed or if we no longer have the people to operate safely, but right now WE ARE OPEN!

“Our three zoos, Paignton Zoo, Living...

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