Hundreds of South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SWASFT) staff have experienced violence and aggression while working during the coronavirus pandemic. Ambulance crews and control room staff reported 290 incidents during the first 10 weeks of lockdown from 23 March to 31 May. This figure compared with 199 during the same time period in 2019. The majority (84%) of the cases during lockdown were verbal abuse from patients, relatives and members of the public. There were also 46 physical assaults against SWASFT staff, up from 34 last year. The areas with the highest number of...
Recovery after lockdown is the topic of a live business summit launched for South West SMEs.
Business leaders will hear from a panel of experts, as they discuss the key actions to focus on now as part of your SME business recovery plan.
Experts from Timewade, Astley Media, Minerva Lifelong Learning, Insight 6, Commissioning HR, Stephens Scown LLP and Bishop Fleming form the panel.
The summit is part of the ‘Technology For Success’ programme run by Timewade that gives South West SMEs free business guidance on using technology across their business.
Thanks to a grant from the Big Bike Revival for Key Workers initiative from Cycling UK, Ride On, the Exeter bike recycling charity, is offering free services to key workers.
The Covid-19 Government advice to avoid public transport has led to more key workers looking for a reliable form of transport that allows for effective social distancing and gives them a fast, efficient and independent way of getting around.
“Whether they are commuting or delivering essential items, cycling is the perfect solution! Plus, it’s good for physical and mental health. So, we've designed a...
Back-to-back careers fairs are being launched to give young people across the South West of England the chance to talk with employers and get vital careers advice at a critical time.
Developed by South West based polar explorer Anthony Jinman and running through the Liketobe.org career platform he founded, the 10-3pm careers fairs on Monday June 22 and Tuesday June 23 will give 15-25 year olds the chance to talk directly with companies and help prepare them for work in a post-lockdown world.
The Coronavirus outbreak has meant that more young people than ever are...
A church in Exeter has developed an exciting partnership to help distribute food to people in need across the area at this time.
Rediscover Church in Northernhay Street, Exeter, is working with FareShare which has an operation in Bristol, and is a charity which works with supermarkets across the region to help provide food to people who might have difficulties accessing it and those with financial difficulties at this time.
The team at Rediscover Church have been transporting food to Devon, which in turn has been packaged into hampers and delivered to a range of people...
The pivotal role of Devon and Cornwall’s hospital laboratories in tackling COVID-19, and in enabling the vast majority of everyday NHS treatment pathways, is being highlighted today (11 June 2020) as part of Biomedical Science Day.
The COVID-19 pandemic has thrust the role of pathology – the branch of medicine that deals with the laboratory examination of samples of blood, urine and other body tissues for treatment, diagnostic or forensic purposes – into the national spotlight, with widespread focus on the importance of testing in the management of the disease.
A triathlon coach from Teignmouth has received vital funding from the Swimathon Foundation.
Pete Wilby, founder of PeteWilbyTriathlOn, a triathlon and open water swimming coaching service, applied for the grant as part of Swimathon Foundation’s Covid-19 Relief Fund, announced last month, to fill the void left upon the suspension of coaching and access to open water.
PeteWilbyTriathlOn was formed in 2014 when Pete Wilby, a triathlon coach and former University of Exeter student, began providing personal triathlon coaching and swimming lessons at his local pool. His...
How much plastic do we really use, and can we live without it?
These are among the questions addressed by a tool that calculates the scale and extent of household plastic use, developed by the University of Exeter Business School’s plastics research hub.
The Exeter Multidisciplinary Plastics Research Hub (ExeMPLaR) estimated how much ‘invisible plastic’ is in our homes, as well as the amount of plastic materials coming in as products and leaving homes as waste each year.
Using a combination of national statistics and surveys, industry reports, academic research...
The first steps to replace an old bridge on Exeter Quayside that had come to the end of its life have taken place this week.
The wooden Mallison Bridge, which spans the medieval leats on the north bank of the River Exe, has been removed as its timbers had become rotten and unsafe to use.
Planning permission for a new pedestrian and cycle bridge was given in December 2018 and a new structure will be built as soon as adequate funding has been identified.
The old bridge had been closed since the end of 2018. Signs were erected and people advised to take a diversion...
People of all ages are being given the opportunity to spend time in the company of insects, through a series of fascinating new poems.
Award-winning poet Fiona Benson and sound artists Mair Bosworth and Eliza Lomas release their new collection of poetry sound pieces called In the Company of Insects , to the public from Monday, June 8th.
Each poem is dedicated to a different insect – from crickets to glowworms, fireflies to cockroaches. The poems have been recorded and the world of the insect brought to life through immersive sound design, field recordings made on...
