Devon

Exeter School is proud of its U16 Girls and Boys and U18 Boys Indoor Hockey teams for making it to the National Indoor Hockey Finals on 10-12 January.

This is the first time three teams have represented the school at this national stage.

The U16 Girls met a wealth of hockey talent at the West Finals in Cheltenham on 30 November.

They were winners of the section and played Cheltenham Ladies College in the semi finals winning 6-1.

They played King's Bruton in the final. It was 2-2 at full time and Exeter lost on penalty flicks.

Exeter were runners up...

Forecasters have issued a double warning over two large storm depressions heading towards the UK, the second of which is expected to mean a stormy Christmas for the whole country.

The first depression known as Storm Emily is expected to arrive in Scotland and Northern Ireland late tomorrow night and with winds expected to hit between 80 an 100mph, leading the Met Office to issue a severe weather warning.

The storm is expected to worsen on Thursday but the Met Office has said that persistent rain will quickly clear to be replaced with frequent wintry showers.

As...

Firefighters will strike again on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve in an ongoing pension dispute between the Government and the Fire Brigades Union (FBU).

Three more strikes have been announced by the FBU following strikes last Friday and Saturday.

Devon and Somerset fire and rescue authority have said that seven incidents requiring firefighters took place during last weekend’s strikes and were attended by non-FBU firefighters.

Speaking ahead of last weekend’s strike Fire Minister Brandon Lewis said: “Once again the FBU’s actions cast doubt over their claims that...

A 62 year-old woman who threatened to harm herself and others has been arrested in Chawleigh this morning.

Police were called to a property in the village of Chawleigh, near Crediton just after 8:30 this morning (Monday 16 December) after reports that the woman was causing an obstruction.

On arrival they found the woman carrying a can of petrol and making threats to harm herself and others as well as damage the property.

Officers called for support from police negotiators and firearms officers and the fire service due to the nature of the threats.

After...

New figures released by the NHS, show that the majority of hospital staff in the West Country have an above average chance of being assaulted at work.

The figures also show that there has been a national increase in assaults against NHS staff rising from 59,744 to 63,199 since last year.

The figures only include assaults that could result in a criminal action and do not include cases were a medical element is involved in the case.

Royal Devon and Exeter NHS trust reported an above average level of assaults against their staff reporting 129 assaults against staff....

Horseracing is Britain’s best value day out for sports fans, according to a new report published by the Racecourse Association. The research, conducted by Deloitte shows that racing consistently costs less than other major sports, such as Twenty20 cricket, Football League games, a round of golf, domestic rugby and Premier League football and other competing leisure activities. A sports fan can enjoy a midweek race meeting for as little as £4, or a Saturday high-profile fixture for just £13. In contrast, the lowest priced adult matchday ticket for a Premier League game was £33, and cost as...

Every Friday and Saturday throughout December, visitors to Killerton house and parkland can enjoy the festive spirit and colourful light displays.

Three majestic 20ft Christmas trees greet visitors at the entrance to the house, while the parkland has a magical feel as spectacular coloured lights create beautiful shapes and shadows among the trees. Visitors familiar with Killerton’s paths, will see green, red and purple lights cast onto historic Sweet Chestnut trees, as well as willow reindeer and other estate landmarks.

Assistant Property Manager, Denise Melhuish says: "We’...

The Arctic 30 have been told they cannot leave Russia and return home for Christmas despite a ruling by an international court ordering their release.

The environmental charity Greenpeace has revealed that Russia investigative committee has written to one of its activists- Anne Mie Jensen from Denmark - indicating that they are not free to leave the country.

The charity’s lawyers have said that they expect this to be the case for all of the non-Russian members of the Arctic 30, including six Britons.

Three from Devon, Alexandra Harris, Iain Rogers and Kieron Bryan...

New flood maps issued by the environment agency show that less people in Devon and around England are now being classed as ‘at risk’ of flooding.

The maps, from the Environment Agency, show areas of the country at risk of flooding from rivers and the sea and help communities and businesses protect their properties from flooding.

The new maps, as well as providing a vital service to the public, will also help local authorities to manage surface water flood risk as required by legislation passed in 2010.

As Lead Local Flood Authority for the area, Devon County Council...

East Devon District Council (EDDC), and the young people from Honiton Youth Centre and Honiton Community College have been working together to design £90,000 of improvements to Honiton skate park in Allhallows Field.

The £90,000 has come from the Council’s main budget and is being spent on Honiton skate park as it was judged to be the most in need of improvements in the district with many of the ramps at the very end of their life. The improvements have been requested by skate park users.

Now, EDDC want local people who use or might use the skate park to decide how it...