Thousands of meal boxes have again been delivered to families with young children this half term holiday week, in an initiative to help those who are struggling during the coronavirus pandemic.
Devon County Council first ran ‘The Goodie Box’ initiative during the Easter holidays, with incredible success. The boxes included ingredients and simple recipe ideas, and they were delivered to families’ front doors. Families loved them.
The council has done it again this holiday, and the boxes have included fresh and store cupboard ingredients for dhal curry and flatbreads;...
CHILDREN in Exeter are being called to pen a short poem about hunger and what it means to them, as part of a national competition run by anti-poverty charity the Trussell Trust, which supports a network of food banks across the UK.
The charity is calling on youngsters, aged nine and under, to create and draw a hungry character and tell its story in the form of a short poem – as part of its Bye Bye Hunger competition.
The top twenty entries will be published in a poetry book and one star prize winner will see their character brought to life in the Trussell Trust campaign...
Devon County Council’s fostering service, Fostering Devon, is calling for people to consider offering emergency foster care to vulnerable children.
The new ‘Emergency Bed Scheme’ provides rapid support for children and young people, aged between 0 and 18 years old, who are unable to remain living in their current home and need an immediate place of safety at a time of crisis.
Foster carers providing emergency placements must have no other children at home so that they can accept any child or young person that needs a bed for up to seven nights.
I don't know about you, but I am so excited about being able to go to restaurants again! The great British weather isn't really made for eating outdoors, so having the luxury of knowing we can definitely eat indoors is going to be bliss!
Even though we are all pretty excited, the thought of eating out with kids can fill some people with fear! Especially after all of the lockdowns, where some of our children's manners or eating habits may have been allowed to slide a little.
I always try to be as prepared as I can to eat out with my littles ones, so today I thought I...
As hugs return to our lives, a leading national charity whose HQ is in Exeter is urging separated families across Devon to ensure the children get the chance to hug both their parents.
For over a year, separated families have adapted parenting arrangements as best they could. Restrictions meant many children didn’t see one of their parents for many months on end, and for some even longer. Temporary arrangements were made, with thousands of children making do with using video conference apps.
The Donkey Sanctuary Sidmouth will reopen to visitors on Monday 17 May, with the launch of a new family activity trail.
The new trail, 'An Adorably Curious Adventure', gives visitors the chance to explore the sanctuary and discover the A-Z of fun donkey facts, while completing trail activities along the way.
John Crouch, Visitor Engagement Manager at The Donkey Sanctuary, said: "We have all been looking forward to this day for some time, welcoming back our loyal supporters and visitors. The sanctuary always comes alive when it's open, there is always such a nice...
Just under half of children waiting for adoption are in family groups of two or more with 20 groups waiting in Devon
Latest figures show there are currently 2,020 children waiting to be adopted in England and, of those, 44% are in family groups of two or more. Groups of children wait an average of 17 months to be adopted, which is 36% longer (135 days more) than individual children. More than half of these groups (56%) even wait more than 18 months for their new family. For many potential adopters, this is due to groups being slightly older and worries about financial affordability,...
Parents, children and teachers in Exeter are being asked to share their experiences of lockdown learning as part of a new survey.
Experts hope the research will help them develop new support for pupils in the city this summer to help their wellbeing and education.
The study, led by Professor Justin Dillon from the University of Exeter’s Graduate School of Education, will shed light on the impact of coronavirus lockdowns and changes to schooling over the last year on Exeter children, their parents and teachers in the EX1-4 postcodes.
As Children head back into the Classroom Devon Education stakeholders to Question Shadow Education Secretary
On Wednesday 17th March, educators across Devon will have the chance to share their experiences and questions with Shadow Secretary of State for Education Kate Green MP on the quality of education in Devon.
This follows on from a successful listening event at the end of February which brought together parents, teachers and students to discuss topics such as academisation of schools, exams and the effect of COVID on students and teachers.
Steve Brown, Director of Public Health Devon, is asking families with school-age children to do all they can to help prevent the spread of coronavirus.
The call comes as schools and colleges invite all students back this week and as pupils begin to be regularly tested using rapid, lateral flow tests.
“With the significant increase in the number of students becoming routinely tested, we are likely to see an upturn in the number of positive cases,” said Steve Brown.
“Regular testing of people who show no signs of having coronavirus is going to be essential over...
