Devon

Your holiday is on us, Devon park tells crisis heroes

Seventy-five nights of happy holidays have been handed to NHS workers by Devon's Ladram Bay Holiday Park as a "thank you" for their dedication and bravery.

The family business said it wanted to give away a free night's stay for every one of the past 75 years it has been welcoming guests to its seaside park in Budleigh Salterton.

It means that when the park is allowed to re-open, NHS staff and their families will enjoy no-cost holidays both at Ladram Bay and its nearby sister park Castle Brake.

The breaks include stays in luxury holiday homes, chic glamping...

Devon exploring temporary measures for walkers and cyclists

A series of temporary measures to support social distancing for walkers and cyclists is being explored by Devon County Council.

It follows the Government’s announcement of a £250 million emergency active travel fund – as the first stage of a £2 billion national investment in walking and cycling.

Although Devon County Council is still awaiting details of the funding, it is actively pursuing a number of possible changes to the local road network to help improve walking and cycling routes.

In considering its proposals, the focus has been on key travel to work...

Researchers track COVID-19 isolation effects on older people’s health and wellbeing

Authored by News Desk
Posted: Fri, 05/15/2020 - 11:57am

An online study of 25,000 people is recruiting participants to help study the impact of COVID-19 isolation on the health and wellbeing of older people, and find new ways to support them.

People aged 50 and over are being invited to join the PROTECT study , an innovative online platform run by the University of Exeter and King’s College London, which already has 25,000 people signed up. Now, a new arm of the NIHR-funded study will track both mental and physical health impacts of lockdown policy on older people, by incorporating a questionnaire to seek the experiences of the cohort...

Exeter Dementia Alliance

Exeter Dementia Alliance reflects on five years of learning and seven weeks of lockdown

The Exeter Dementia Alliance was originally set up to reduce the stigma and misconceptions of dementia by raising local awareness, educating and working with partners towards a more dementia friendly city.

EDAA were due to celebrate their five year anniversary today (Thursday 14th May) at the Royal Albert Memorial Museum, but the event was postponed like so many in recent weeks.

Gina Awad, founder and lead of the alliance said: "As we reflect on our journey, like so many organisations and people at this time, we can look back with pride while considering how the ongoing...

 Colyton Grammar School

Colyton Grammar School maintains Ofsted ‘Outstanding’ rating

Authored by News Desk
Posted: Wed, 05/13/2020 - 6:00pm

In what was probably the final Ofsted inspection of a school before lockdown, school inspectors have confirmed that Colyton Grammar School has maintained its ‘Outstanding’ rating while praising its students, staff and wider school community.

Colyton Grammar School is a state school with 954 students who come from across Devon, Somerset and Dorset.

The school was inspected following a decision by the Department for Education to revisit all schools with an ‘Outstanding’ rating. A previous ruling had deemed that ‘Outstanding’ schools need not be inspected which meant that...

Council issues fresh appeal to recycling centre visitors not to queue on the roads

Authored by News Desk
Posted: Wed, 05/13/2020 - 4:58pm

The phased reopening of Devon’s Household Waste Recycling Centres for essential use only has gone 'relatively well so far' says Councillor Andrea Davis, 'but we are experiencing some problems with traffic queuing back onto the public highway causing a safety issue, which we're having to address.’

Public safety is paramount to Devon County Council, but despite their appeals for the public to use the recycling centres only when they're unable to store waste safely at home or legally dispose of it some other way - with repeated warnings that there will be queues and therefore people...

Highway maintenance budgets agreed but programme could be impacted by lockdown

Authored by News Desk
Posted: Wed, 05/13/2020 - 3:41pm

The coronavirus lockdown and its after-effects are likely to impact on the delivery of the County Council’s highway maintenance schemes this year, councillors heard today (Wednesday 13 May).

The caution comes as Devon County Council’s Cabinet set out the authority’s capital and revenue budgets for highway maintenance for the current financial year.

The lockdown prompted many contractors, suppliers, quarries and material manufacturers to temporarily close, and by the end of March most highways work was limited to essential safety work. Some schemes from last year have had...

Hedgehog

Devon residents called to take part in Hedgehogs After Dark

Authored by Mary Youlden
Posted: Tue, 05/12/2020 - 10:49pm

Hedgehog Street, a nationwide campaign set up by wildlife charities the British Hedgehog Preservation Society (BHPS) and People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES), to halt the ongoing decline in native hedgehogs, has this week launched ‘ Hedgehogs After Dark’ .

This exciting new citizen science initiative asks Hedgehog Champions across the UK to record hedgehog behaviours. Over the course of several weeks Champions are being encouraged to carefully observe hedgehogs at a distance in their gardens, recording all the different behaviours they see. This will allow...

 Additional funding to help youth clubs through COVID-19

Like many voluntary groups and organisations, youth clubs in Devon are struggling right now to stay afloat, with bills to pay and no income to supplement them. It's left many in a hard place, and yet they're part of the solution in helping young people in the transition back to normal life.

The Youth Work in Devon Partnership is happy to announce that we have been successful in securing additional emergency funds for the youth sector. They are currently distributing over £60,000 to youth clubs across the county to ensure they can operate after COVID-19.

Many youth clubs...

East Devon to reopen remaining gardens in line with new Government measures on exercise during the pandemic

Authored by Mary Youlden
Posted: Tue, 05/12/2020 - 10:18pm

The seven remaining East Devon District Council gardens which have been closed since the coronavirus lockdown will reopen from tomorrow. (Wednesday May 13)

The decision has been reviewed following the Prime Minister’s announcement on Sunday where new measures for exercise were introduced. Although the gardens will reopen, the council is reiterating that the strict social distancing measures must be followed by everyone.

Last month, the council reopened the majority of the district’s large or easy to access park sites after they were closed due to the lockdown measures...

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