Devon

Due to massive public demand TEDxExeter has found an additional venue for the public to attend this year's conference.

The talks will be streamed live from the Northcott Theatre to an audience of 80 people in Exeter Library's Rougemont Room. Tickets for the 2015 conference on 24 April 2015 sold out in a record two hours when they went on sale in December. Concessionary tickets went in 15 minutes! There are currently more than 100 people on the waiting list and they will be given the first chance to apply for tickets for the Library livestream. "We are aware that the appetite for...

New figures reveal that over £2.9 million of National Lottery funding was invested in Exeter projects last year alone. Across the city, 49 grants were awarded last year; benefiting local arts, sports and heritage projects alongside community groups helping those most in need. Grants were awarded to a wide range of projects in 2014, including:

• £8,675 to Southbrook School to buy new camping equipment for extracurricular outdoor activities.
• £9,500 to Exeter Citizens Advice Bureau to develop their online systems and improve advice services.
• £8,390 to Exeter
...

Bella Italia, the family-friendly Italian restaurant, has placed the future of its kids menu in the hands of some of the country’s toughest customers – children aged from three to 11.

With an established reputation for family-friendly service (that’s official as Mumsnet has awarded Bella for the development of its family-focused dining with an Innovation Award!), Bella decided to go a step further and allow boys and girls to rip up the rulebook and rebuild the way in which its restaurants cater for their younger customers.

Throughout the project, which spanned over a year,...

The number of Job Seeker's Allowance (JSA) claimants in Devon increased by 273 claimants, or 6.8% between December 2014 and January 2015.

Although this increase is in line with the national trend, as a proportion of the working age population, Devon, at 0.9%, remains far lower than the UK at 2.1%.

The figure for January 2015 is also 39.5% lower than January last year when the claimant count stood as high as 7,060 claimants.

In all of Devon’s districts, with the exception of North Devon, there were increases of around 6.4% over the past month. North Devon is the only...

Wedgewood Buildings, which is based at East Anstey, near Tiverton, Devon, has recently received vital funding in the form of a £25,000 DEFRA grant.

This has allowed the company to begin expanding capacity and developing the business further.

These grants, which originate from the European Union, recognise that rural development is a vitally important, while farming and forestry remain crucial for the management of natural resources and the maintenance of the countryside.

Wedgewood’s grant equated to 40% of the purchase price of a Serra Montana sawmill, which cuts...

A day or weekend of foraging and learning Bushcraft skills on the river.

A Touch of the Wild will be joining the team at Winding River Canoe for some epic paddling on the beautiful River Dart, stopping enroute to forage for shellfish and other wild foods to cook up at lunchtime over the campfire.

There will be opportunities to learn some key bushcraft skills, including how to light a fire without matches, and have a go at some natural crafts and cordage.

During the weekend trip you'll stop in the evening at a secret spot by the water's edge to set up camp....

Crowdcube battered the opposition in the 2015 World Pancake Racing Championships held at Princesshay Square to celebrate Shrove Tuesday.

Teams of four from businesses, shops and groups all across the town were egged on by cheering crowds as they flipped it out in a knock-out relay race.

Each race involved a short sprint along South West Athletic Academy’s portable running track, interrupted with several flips along the way.

Speed was obviously the main tactic but some teams discovered that a dropped pancake undid all their good work. Eagle-eyed officials from Exeter...

When she was younger, Mrs Edna Millard worked as a demonstrator for the Max Factor cosmetics company.

Looking at her this week, as she celebrated her 100th birthday at home in Budleigh Salterton, you could be forgiven for wondering if she should be the face of Max Factor 2015!

Mrs Millard has been a tenant in Moorhaven for just under 25 years and is one of many people who enjoy the comfort of these manageable council-owned homes, fitted with a Home Safeguard alarm system in case of emergency.

On Monday, Mrs Millard followed up a weekend of celebrations with family...

The site has been identified, funding secured, the design team appointed, now Exeter City Council wants to hear people’s views as they start to prepare a planning application for a brand new leisure centre to be built on the bus station site in the centre of Exeter.

Having opened in the 1940s, Exeter’s much loved but ageing Pyramids pool is reaching the end of its lifetime. It has become very costly to run and needs substantial multi-million pound investment just to secure its continued operation, before any improvements could be made to enhance the user experience.

The...

A group of young people in Exeter looking to progress their careers have received a major boost thanks to an Exeter City Council Rugby World Cup 2015 legacy project.

Nine unemployed 17-22 year olds have completed the two-week Rugby Empowering Employment Programme, run by Motiv-8sw. Set up by Exeter City Council and the Exeter & the Heart of Devon Employment & Skills Board, he Rugby World Cup 2015 legacy scheme aims to inspire and boost the prospects of 16-24 year olds struggling to find work. The pilot programme, inspired by the values of sporting achievement – hard work,...