The 2012 Countryside Alliance Awards (aka the Rural Oscars) were presented to top rural businesses by the Secretary of State for Defra, Owen Paterson MP, at a ceremony at the Houses of Parliament on 13 March. The Awards are the Countryside Alliance’s annual celebration of rural produce, skills, enterprise and heritage through our small hard-working businesses. They are now in their eighth year and have become the definitive rural business award to win. Environment Secretary Owen Paterson said: “Rural businesses are vital to the country’s economic recovery. The Government is right behind...

The biggest clinical commissioning group (CCG) in the country is celebrating after getting the ‘all clear’ to commission NHS services on behalf of the almost one million people in its area.

And the NHS body which officially authorised the group to carry out its statutory functions has done so without attaching any conditions – putting the CCG in the top 20 per cent in the country.

“Our GPs and staff have worked hard to produce clear and credible plans for the patients we serve,” said Rebecca Harriott, chief officer of Northern, Eastern and Western Devon CCG. “And, we are...

The Sunday Times Best Places to Live , published in The Sunday Times from Sunday 17 March 2013, will reveal the little Nirvanas dotted across the UK.

The comprehensive and up-to-date two-part guide will take a wide range of elements into account including transport links, quality of schools, natural beauty, low crime rate, property prices, cultural life and unemployment figures. Each area is also assessed on its own individual assets, whether it is a local festival, fascinating architecture or proximity to an airport.

The guide names the 12 most desirable locations in the...

The House of Lords Committee on Public Service and Demographic Change today publishes its report ‘Ready for Ageing?’ which takes an unprecedented, comprehensive look at the implications of a rapidly ageing population for a wide range of public services.

In response to the report Baroness Greengross, Chief Executive of the International Longevity Centre UK ( ILC-UK ) said:

“Our society is in denial of the inevitability of ageing. We have put off the difficult decisions for far too long.

"The Public Service and Demographic Change Committee argues that there has been a...

In the last 12 months alone, businesses being incubated by a partnership of five UK universities have raised some £30m in investment.

The figures have been unveiled by SETsquared , a collaboration between the universities of Bath, Bristol, Exeter, Southampton and Surrey. The organisation partners in enterprise activities and collectively supports the growth and success of new business opportunities through its five incubation centres.

SETsquared’s Partnership Director, Graham Harrison, shared the partnership’s latest success figures with MP David Willetts as he visited...

Graham Brown has resigned his seat representing East Devon’s Feniton and Buckerell Ward with immediate effect following claims he made about the local planning system to undercover Daily Telegraph reporters.

Earlier today the council referred the matter to the police under the Bribery Act 2010 and its own policy on Fraud, Theft and Anti-Corruption, saying that the comments made by Mr Brown warranted independent examination by the police, who may choose to investigate further.

His resignation means there will be a by-election in the Ward, and the council will release more...

David Cameron has welcomed the election Jorge Bergoglio, Archbishop of Buenos Aires, as the new Pope, saying it is a "momentous day" for Catholics around the world.

Cardinal Bergoglio, who will be known as Pope Francis I, was elected pontiff on the fifth ballot today (Wednesday 13 March) following the papal conclave in Rome.

Addressing the crowds, the first non-European pontiff for more than a millenium said: "As you know, the duty of the conclave was to appoint a bishop of Rome. It seems to me that my brother cardinals have chosen one who is from far away, but here I am...

So let’s face it. We are in a huge mess, despite the rose-tinted spectacles used by some of our political leaders who are clearly not well in touch with the realities that most of us face. The neo-liberal economics of recent decades combined with the assault on the ecology of the planet may be reaping dividends for the rich few, but for the majority of us the immediate outlook is bleak.

Our society is fracturing and breaking up, and, in my view, this is being encouraged by a government which seems intent on systematically dismantling the structures which have held us together since...

South West Communications Group will be assisting in setting up a new-look call centre for one of its customers to help support its call handling role for Comic Relief.

Axminster Tool Centre will be one of a select group of businesses taking calls from people pledging money to the charity throughout the evening of Red Nose Day on Friday (15 March).

To enable Axminster Tools to answer the volume of incoming calls South West Communications Group will give its time free of charge to change its current customer services call centre into one suitable for 60 call handlers to take...

New research shows that drinking beetroot juice can significantly improve performance in team sports involving bouts of high intensity exercise.

Trials by the University of Exeter Sport and Health Sciences department have found a direct link between the high nitrate content of beetroot and the chemical processes needed to get muscles working at their most efficient during intermittent bursts of activity.

During the tests, sportsmen were either given beetroot juice with a full complement of nitrates, or juice which had had the nitrate removed. Those who had taken the nitrate...