Devon

Early Christmas present for North Devon club goers

North Devon club goers will be enjoying an early Christmas present – thanks to Stagecoach

The bus company has announced it will be operating night services between Bideford, Barnstaple and Braunton at weekends until December 29.

The new N21 route will run every 30 minutes from midnight until 4am on Fridays and Saturdays.

Stagecoach operations director Paul Clark said: “We had heard from a number of sources in North Devon that there is a real issue when the clubs turn out with the shear volume of people trying to get home.

“We believe there is enough demand...

Exeter College is Best in the West for FE employer satisfaction

Exeter College is the Best FE College in the South West for exceptional employer satisfaction, according to official figures.

The college is positioned in the top spot regionally and second out of circa 200 FE colleges nationally, scoring 99% - very close to a near perfect 100% - for employer satisfaction.

This exceptional achievement is well above the national figure of 85.2% for employer satisfaction for FE colleges, according to figures released by the Department for Education (DfE) in its 2018 survey of employers.

The news comes amid record recruitment to...

Armed police to patrol key festive locations across Devon

Authored by News Desk
Posted: Thu, 11/29/2018 - 3:15pm

Police in Devon will be patrolling key locations and events over the festive period and the New Year with support from armed officers.

Officers will be visibly carrying long-armed weapons to help offer further security and reassurance during this busy time of the year.

Head of Alliance Specialist Operations Superintendent Nikki Leaper said: “Similar to last year, police – including our armed officers – will be patrolling busy festive locations and events to offer a high-visibility level of protection to our public.

“I want to reassure the public that there is no...

Tina's 500 Samosa Challenge

Authored by Sue Cade
Posted: Thu, 11/29/2018 - 12:05pm

Ottery St Mary's 'Samosa Lady' Tina Chauhan-Challis is making 500 samosas from scratch in just 24 hours in an attempt to set a record.

The cooking marathon starts at 6pm during Ottery's late night shopping event on November 30 and Tina is aiming to finish her 500th samosa at 6pm the following day.

She said: "I'm not undertaking this lightly - it's a tough challenge but I'm determined to set the record."

After the event, Tina's samosas will be on sale for £3 each. All proceeds will be donated to a good cause in the town. Tina will need lots of support and is...

Rock and roll flirting is a fishy first

Authored by Paigntonzoo
Posted: Thu, 11/29/2018 - 11:02am

Fish at Living Coasts in Torquay have been observed performing a mating behaviour that zookeepers think has never before been recorded. Animal experts filmed female four-eyed fish (Anableps anableps) rocking from side-to-side; this appeared to attract the male to come and mate.

Sharp-eyed aquarists Tom Fielding and Sam Worthington noted and eventually videoed the curious behaviour. Clare Rugg, curator of the Devon coastal zoo, has a theory: “One possibility is that the movement of the female fish is releasing pheromones into the water to signal that she is ready for mating. She...

Enterprising people set to Transform Ageing across Devon

Authored by Mary Youlden
Posted: Thu, 11/29/2018 - 10:58am

The Transform Ageing programme is providing funding awards to ten social ventures in Devon – and 16 in total across the south-west – which aim to provide solutions to many of the issues faced by people in later life in the region.

A programme of dance to help prevent falls, a community bookshop staffed by people in later life, and a group day-care service for people with dementia are just some of the Devon-based social ventures to receive funding and support as part of Transform Ageing.

Funded by the Big Lottery Fund, Transform Ageing aims to revolutionise the approach to...

Tree planted in memory of long-standing former Exeter city councillors

Oak trees have been planted in memory of two former long-standing Exeter City Councillors. David Morrish and his wife Joan Morrish, who between them dedicated 80 years of political service to Exeter and Devon, died earlier this year. David was 86 years old and Joan 91. The City Council wanted to provide a lasting and living memory of the couple by planting a pair of oak trees in Heavitree Pleasure Ground, a park they were very familiar with, which is situated within David’s former ward. Exeter Lord Mayor Cllr Rob Hannaford carried out the planting in the presence of David and Joan’s...

The Donkey Sanctuary to feature on CBeebies’ Vet Tales

Authored by Mary Youlden
Posted: Thu, 11/29/2018 - 12:31am

The Donkey Sanctuary’s state-of-the-art donkey hospital will be featured on the popular CBeebies show - Ferne and Rory’s Vet Tales. Presenter Rory Crawford spent the day at the The Donkey Sanctuary’s Brookfield donkey hospital near Honiton to film veterinary staff for the popular children’s show. It will feature in their ‘Vets Go’ sequence, where they visit animal sanctuaries and zoos to find out how vets care for their animals, During their visit, the team filmed vets Vicky Grove and Kaz Pickering as they went about their work, treating some of the donkeys in their care. Rory watched the...

Trading Standards telephone scam warning

Authored by News Desk
Posted: Wed, 11/28/2018 - 10:57pm

Devon, Somerset and Torbay Trading Standards is warning residents to be on their guard after unscrupulous telephone scammers attempted to con a grieving ex-serviceman out of half his savings. Last month retired Royal Navy serviceman Stephen Burgess, 64, from Frome in Somerset, was called by someone falsely claiming to be from Virgin Media. And he was on the verge of handing over £2,000 worth of iTunes vouchers before he became suspicious and severed all contact with the fraudster. The attempted scam began when the caller told Mr Burgess that Malware - software specifically designed to...

Local chef, Michael Caines, unveiled as the latest tenant at new development on Exmouth Waterfront

Authored by News Desk
Posted: Wed, 11/28/2018 - 8:30am

Award-winning local chef, Michael Caines, has been revealed by Exeter-based developer Grenadier as the latest tenant to join the new scheme on Exmouth waterfront. One of the UK’s most celebrated and acclaimed chefs, Michael Caines - who grew up in Exeter -will be opening a restaurant with a bar and café area on the Exmouth waterfront with a brand-new food and drink offering for visitors. Caines’ plans for the scheme are very different to the fine dining experience available at nearby Lympstone Manor and include a range of offers to suit all tastes, from a casual dining restaurant complete...

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