On Saturday 7th June the South West Blogger Event will take place here in Exeter. The first major event of its kind to be held in the South West, it has been welcomed by local independent businesses throughout the city who are keen to make their mark amongst the UK blogging community.
The event will have a strong local presence, providing an opportunity for businesses to network with bloggers on both a local and national scale. Organisers of the event have worked hard to collaborate with the city’s independents, resulting in a strong South West flavour.
With headlines triumphantly blasting the news from every street, the people of Exeter can hardly have failed to notice this winter’s big news: IKEA has been approved for opening in Exeter! A vast wonderland of flatpacks and meatballs will be built off the A379 near Sandy Park, raking in an estimated turnover of £52 million annually, and bringing hundreds of much-needed jobs to the area. Concerns have been raised about the viability of the infrastructure, given the vast hordes of people who are predicted to make pilgrimage to IKEA’s newest home, but overall the proposal has been met with an...
This week we saw the publication of the three-monthly crime figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS). As police and crime commissioner it is inevitable that the media will want me to comment in simple sound bites - is this good news or bad news news - so I thought I would clarify why I have been guarded in some of the interviews I have carried out this week. ONS figures are, and always have been, released three or four months in arrears - in this case to the end of June 2013, whereas, day to day, myself and the chief constable are dealing with up to the minute statistics about...
Growing large vegetables is a pursuit that is largely underrated. For, to produce a giant carrot, onion or cabbage takes persistence, an intimate knowledge of your subject and dedication. At the Chagford Show in Devon recently I marvelled at the incredible specimens on display. This humungous harvest was the result of months of effort, blood, sweat and tears and yes, sometimes, failure. Everything from the choice of seed and the time of planting to the watering regime and the thinning out process went into producing these incredible results. The extra minutes spent eliminating bugs or...
Exeter MP Ben Bradshaw has accused David Cameron, of an act of "terrible miscalculation" in his attempt to persuade MPs to support military action against Syria.
Mr Bradshaw said the action led to the Commons voting against Britain taking military action – by accident.
He said in his blog today: "It may be an outcome supported by a majority of the public, but it was not what any of the main parties or their leaders wanted."
Mr Bradshaw added: "If Cameron had supported Labour’s sensible and measured amendment or waited until next week, the vote would have...
Bottled water epitomises the destructive, extravagant and wasteful nature of our modern society. In comparative terms it is very expensive, not necessary for good health and its packaging and distribution have enormous negative effects on the environment.
Bottled water can be 500 times more expensive than tap water. For example when I checked today (15 Aug 13) a 500ml bottle of Buxton from a nearby motorway services cost £2.29. That’s £4.58 a litre, three times the price of petrol at the same location! I couldn’t find the local price per litre of tap water however I do have a...
National Volunteers' Week is in full swing and I felt compelled to write a blog about why I think volunteering is so important to charities, and importantly to the charity I work for, WESC Foundation.
If this blog inspires you, please pass it on to others and should you ever consider volunteering, we would love to hear from you....
I’ve only ever worked in the charity sector and I have chosen to dedicate my career to this for a variety of reasons. I have to believe in who and what I am working for and I have to know that the energy I put in to my working week is making a...
Ever fancied writing a blog for an online publication on food & drink, fashion, travel, politics, sport, music, theatre, film, TV, crafts, business, I.T. or just about any other subject under the sun?
Or perhaps some poetry or a short story?
Or a local, national or international news story you would like to share?
Or a review of a restaurant, film, exhibition, album or gig?
Want to shout about your local amateur dramatics society?
Or simply an event or notice you would like to publicise?
Well now you can... and it's free and super easy to...
Hello, I am writing this on my 100th day in office. If I’m honest, it feels more like 100 minutes because we’ve packed so much in to these first three months, and at times there’s hardly been time to catch my breath.
I am really pleased with what I’ve managed to achieve so far. The appointment of a new Chief Constable, publication of the police and crime plan and setting the budget quite rightly took a good deal of thought and hard work, and I suspect you wouldn’t want it any other way.
I do realise that many of you are yet to be convinced about the need for a Police and...
For my final blog of 2012 I was going to do a review of the year. I mean, no one else does that do they? However I’ve been worn down by the endless stream of reviews so that’s a no go, writes blogger Ali.
So what to write about? 2012 has been a huge year of change for me. And I guess along the way I’ve learnt a few things. Only a few mind – I still don’t have any basic plumbing skills, and frankly technology is a baffling world of acronyms, none of which make any sense to me at all. But there are a few things I’ve learnt. And I guess that’s the hook on which I will hang my blog...
