Workers at Barratt in Exeter have been showing support for the city’s homeless by donating the proceeds of an annual raffle to Shilhay Community.
The charity works as a not-for-profit organisation, supporting people who are homeless and vulnerably housed in Exeter, East and Mid Devon. It also acts as a key partner in the Devon & Cornwall Rough Sleepers Partnership, which provides an emergency helpline for the general public to call if they see someone sleeping rough.
Money raised by the raffle will go towards a housing project that aims to add extra units to the 70-plus...
The heat will be turned up on curry chefs in Exeter and Teignbridge this week in an attempt to find out who can rustle up the best balti.
Ten of Exeter and Teignbridge's finest curry chefs will be putting their best dishes to the test on Wednesday (20 February) at @34 Restaurant, Exeter College. At stake will be the prestigious title of Exeter & Teignbridge Curry Chef of the Year 2013. This year for the first time, Exeter City Council has joined forces with Teignbridge District Council to combine the event.
Contestants have two hours to prepare and serve a curry, a...
A Devon secondary that has cut its energy use in half has been named the top Green school in Europe.
Okehampton College has won the prestigious Zayed Future Energy Prize and been awarded $100,000 to spend on renewable energy.
Since 2009, the college has cut its gas and electricity use in half, saving £60,000 a year in energy bills and reducing its CO2 emissions by more than 50 per cent.
That has been achieved by installing solar panels to produce Green electricity, changing 3,000 lights to low energy and introducing hi-tech measuring and management systems to track...
Best remembered for his performance as Tom Good, alongside Felicity Kendal, in the 1970s BBC1 sitcom The Good Life , Actor Richard Briers has died at the age of 79.
The star, who was also known for his Shakespearean roles, had been battling a serious lung condition for a number of years.
Briers died "peacefully" at his London home on Sunday, his agent said.
Briers recently said years of smoking had been to blame for his emphysema.
Stephen Fry said in a tweet: "Oh no, I’ve just heard the news that Richard Briers has died. How sad. He was the most adorable and...
Devon & Somerset Fire & Rescue Authority has agreed to increase its council tax precept by 1.99 per cent for 2013/14.
The average Band D household will pay £75.39 for the year for the fire service, an increase of £1.47 for the year.
The decision comes after Devon & Somerset received the third worst grant settlement nationally from the Government among fire and rescue authorities.
The Authority’s Government grant has been reduced by 10.3% in 2013 and a further 7.3% in 2014, which means the Service will lose £3.4m in the next financial year and a further £...
Police in Torquay have closed off a section of the town following concerns from officers who attended an address there earlier.
Police have set up a 100 metre cordon in the area of Falloway Close as a precaution following the discovery of an unexplained device in the garden of a property.
The cordon includes Happaway Road and extends as far as, but not including Barton Road.
The Royal Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal team were called to the property to assess the situation.
The road closure and evacuation will remain in place as a precaution until further...
The octopus has topped a poll of favourite species at Living Coasts.
Staff and volunteers voted for their Living Coasts top ten - and the results make interesting reading. Alongside the obvious crowd pleasers like the penguins and seals, staff have highlighted the variety of unusual species at Torquay’s coastal zoo and aquarium.
Spokesperson Phil Knowling said: “It might surprise people who think Living Coasts is just about birds, because the top ten is made up of four marine species, three bird species, two mammals and a reptile!”
With 17 per cent of growers failing to turn any profit in 2011/12 and a further 44 per cent of horticulture businesses making less than £30,000, the NFU’s horticulture and potatoes board has set out an ambitious agenda for growth in 2013. It hopes this will create a fairer balance of risk and reward in the supply chain and create a science and regulatory framework that backs production horticulture.
NFU horticulture and potatoes board chairman Sarah Dawson said: “As we emerge from one of the worst seasons in living memory, with balance sheets to match, our vision and optimism for...
The risk posed by global warming and rising ocean temperatures to the future health of the world’s marine ecosystem has been highlighted by scientists studying fossil records.
Researchers at Plymouth University believe that findings from fieldwork along the North Yorkshire coast reveal strong parallels between the Early Jurassic era of 180 million years ago and current climate predictions over the next century.
Through geology and palaeontology, they’ve shown how higher temperatures and lower oxygen levels caused drastic changes to marine communities, and that while the...
The NHS in Devon has been nominated for a prestigious award for its efforts to promote the importance of getting vaccinated against flu to healthcare staff.
Public health bosses at NHS Devon developed an e-card that encourages healthcare staff to get protected against flu.
It has been shortlisted for a national NHS Employers’ flu fighter award and the local NHS will find out if it has been successful on 27 February at an awards ceremony in Leeds.
The e-card was sent to staff by email and the message was spread further on Facebook and Twitter – reaching NHS staff as...
