On Sunday 9th June, farms across the country are opening their gates and inviting the public to come and find out more about farming and what farmers do. LEAF Open Farm Sunday has now been running for 14 years, offering a wonderful opportunity for visitors to get closer to farming and to the people that make it happen.

Each event is unique, each farm is different and every farmer too, but what they all share is a passion for farming, amazing expertise and a commitment to caring for the countryside. Some farms have been passed down through the generations, others are managed by...

A £2.2 million scheme to ease congestion at Moor Lane roundabout in Exeter has received the backing of Devon County Council’s Cabinet. Cabinet members have approved construction of the improvements on one of the main accesses into the city. The roundabout provides connections to the M5, A30 and new developments to the east of Exeter, and traffic is regularly queued on the approach roads to the roundabout during peak times of the day. Highways England has identified the need for improvements at Moor Lane roundabout to support future growth in the Exeter and East Devon Growth Point. The...

The first phase of Exmouth’s Queen’s Drive development – a new road and car park - is nearing completion, paving the way for the building of the new water sports centre. To put the finishing touch to the current works, residents and visitors to Exmouth are being alerted to road closures along Queen’s Drive later this month (May) as contractors create a kerb line across the old road to link into the new road. People will be able to access the Queen’s Drive car park throughout the diversion period from either the Ocean building side (west) or the Maer approach (east) but the small stretch of...

Exeter School CCF hosted an awards afternoon to celebrate and recognise the efforts of their cadets through the year and through their time in the CCF. Exeter School alumnus and Governor, Brigadier Steve Hodder of Wessex RFCA (1969-1976), was invited to present the awards. The Upper Sixth are an exceptionally strong year group and many of them were awarded with commemorative medals for their outstanding and continued effort. Congratulations to WO Bella Allan, PO Juliette Bundy, PO Leiney Frankpitt, CPO James Harris, SSgt Tom Barlow, WO2 Hope Evans, SSgt Patrick Gilbert, SSgt Freddie...

If you’ve never got caught up in the yearly, musical mayhem that is the Eurovision Song Contest, you’ve been missing out. Not only is it the hottest competition of the year for contending countries, but also for millions of viewers worldwide and those of you like me-who have placed a bet of the one-night-only worldwide, televised spectacular. This year is hosted by the much-loved host Graham Norton and is attended by Pop Queen, Madonna.

What is the Eurovision Song Contest?

The Eurovision Song Contest began in 1956 and has run annually since, meaning 64 rounds of proud...

Nursery workers at Otter Garden Centres in Ottery St Mary were surprised to discover a family of great tits nesting inside a speaker.

The speaker is there so staff can listen to the radio while tending to the plants but this year it has had a second function, as home to the great tits.

Nursery Manager, Kevin Clarke said: “We’ve found birds nesting on the site before, including robins in a storage box and wrens that were nesting in a hanging basket.

“We’re always careful to leave them well alone so they can raise their young in peace – although these great tits seem...

Independent charity Devon Communities Together has announced a new partnership with Dartmoor Brewery, which will see the two Devon organisations working together to raise money to support communities throughout the county.

The partnership will be predominantly based around the Brewery’s Legend ale, with a series of initiatives planned through which a percentage of Legend’s profits will be donated to the charity’s LOVE Devon campaign. The first of these initiatives will be at the Devon County Show, where visitors can visit Devon Communities Together’s stand to pick up a flyer which...

What is a Bridging Loan ? Bridging loan is a short-term loan which is usually taken for a short period. Normally bridging loan is taken when an individual or business is in need of quick money. Depending on the need, bridging loans are termed as a first charge or second charge. First charge loan is when the bridging loan is the only loan outstanding on the borrower’s property. Whereas the second charge loan is when the borrower has another loan on his/her property. First charge loans are cheaper as compared to second charge loan as the lender has more security. Bridging loans have a...

Children from Exeter’s Trinity C of E Primary School helped the area’s leading health and wellbeing charity, CITY Community Trust, celebrate this week.

The charity, which provides activities to people of all ages focused on health, education and wellbeing, has been named as the new Lord Mayor of Exeter’s charity for 2019-2020.

The announcement was made at the Guildhall on Tuesday evening during the ceremony when Cllr Peter Holland was elected to the ceremonial position. Every new Lord Mayor chooses a charity to support during their mayoral year. Many events, including...

Private landlords, property investors and owners of empty homes are invited to a free Landlord Open Evening hosted by Teignbridge District Council on Thursday 23 May. Open to all Teignbridge landlords, whether currently renting or thinking about renting, the event covers all areas of buy to let and brings together experts and industry providers under one roof. With an informal environment, landlords will have the opportunity to network and gain the information needed to run effective, safe and profitable tenancies. As the buy to let market expands the government continues to legislate to...