Devon

Road closure for Dawlish Strand improvements

Motorists are being reminded that the road through Dawlish Strand will be closed for around two weeks from Monday (29 April) as work on the £1.5million regeneration of the Strand continues.

The road will be closed for reconstruction and resurfacing, which is expected to be completed by Friday 10 May. As per the previous road closure in February for water mains diversion, deliveries to the businesses will be permitted, although drop-off points will vary. During the second week of the closure, there will be some disruption to the car parks at the western end of The Strand...

Tour of Britain design competition hits the spot with cycling fans

Devon school children have the opportunity to design the famous ŠKODA King of the Mountains Jersey for this year’s Tour of Britain.

The “Polka Dot Jersey”, as it is often referred to, is awarded to the best climber in the race and the official jersey sponsor ŠKODA is offering one student the chance to see their design made and worn during The Tour.

The competition is open to children aged seven to 16 and entries must be submitted by Friday 14 June. The winner will be invited to present their jersey to the rider crowned ŠKODA King of the Mountains at the Tour’s official...

Art for Life charity auction to raise funds for Children's Hospice South West

An Art for Life charity auction is due to take place on Saturday 11 May 2013 at the Royal Clarence Hotel in Cathedral Yard, Exeter.

The event (taking place from 10.30am to 12.30pm) will display a vast amount of artwork by South West academicians and other established British artists including works by Ken Howard RA OBE, Rose Hilton ARCA, Peter Brown NEAC and many more.

The paintings have been donated to the auction, which will be conducted by Robin Barlow, in order to raise money for Children’s Hospice South West. This fantastic charity cares for children with a limited...

The arts are central to our economic and general well being, says Ben Bradshaw MP

The Culture Secretary, Maria Miller, said this week she would fight hard in the forthcoming spending review for Arts and Culture. That’s an improvement on her predecessor, Jeremy Hunt, who seemed to take pride in the size of the cuts he offered up to the Treasury and was the first Minister to settle in the last spending round.

Investment in arts and culture is tiny - less than 1% of overall Government spending. Yet it goes a long way in terms of jobs and economic growth. Sometimes wrongly seen as a fluffy luxury, arts spending is central to Britain’s economic future. Independent...

Devon adds its voice to MMR campaign

Devon’s Director of Public Health is urging parents to ensure their children have had their MMR (Measles, Mumps and Rubella) vaccinations, following a measles outbreak in Wales.

Dr Virginia Pearson’s message is part of a national joint campaign between the Association for Directors of Public Health, Public Health England – the government organisation responsible for immunisation; and the Local Government Association, to increase take-up of the vaccine in children and teenagers, following the recent outbreak in some parts of the UK.

Dr Pearson said: “Generally across Devon...

National Trust volunteers make an unprecedented contribution on Exmoor

In the past year nearly 45,000 hours of volunteer time have been devoted to looking after National Trust owned property on Exmoor.

The latest figures for volunteering on just the National Trust properties inside the Exmoor National Park show that 748 volunteers contributed an astonishing 44,470 volunteer hours in the twelve month period to March 2013.

It is the first time that the volunteer data has been compiled in this way to include every NT property within the National Park boundary - Dunster Castle, West Exmoor, Exmoor Bunkhouse and the Holnicote Estate.

The...

10th Exeter Food & Drink Festival set to be biggest and best ever

From its humble beginnings ten years ago, always with acclaimed chef Michael Caines MBE at its helm, the Exeter Festival of South West Food & Drink has grown into one of the largest events of its kind in the UK, its rise corresponding to the huge surge in consumer demand for local produce. More visitors than ever flock to Exeter's Northernhay Gardens each year to visit artisan food and drink producers from throughout South West England.

In the popular Cookery Theatre, Michael organises and hosts the chef demonstrations, supported by the region's best and best known chefs. Be...

Police treat large fire in Plymouth as major incident

Police are treating a large fire in the Millbay area of Plymouth as a major incident because some of the smoke from the fire is thought to be toxic.

Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service are attending a serious fire in a vehicle spray workshop in Miller Court in the Millbay area of Plymouth.

Pumping appliances from Greenbank (two), Camels Head, Crownhill and Plymstock are at the scene together with support appliances and reports suggest that huge plumes of smoke were witnessed and explosions heard in the industrial estate. For the time being, fire crews have the...

Police seek 43-year-old wanted man known to frequent Exeter and Torquay

Story update 20 May: Stephen Gill was arrested in Exeter on 15 May and returned to prison.

First reported 24 April: Police in Devon are seeking a 43-year-old man who has breached the terms of his release licence from Prison. Stephen Gill failed to comply with the conditions and is being sought by officers. He failed to comply with the terms of his licence and Devon and Cornwall probation service issued a prison recall making him arrestable on sight. Devon and Cornwall police are proactively following a number of lines of enquiry to ascertain his current location, and intend to...

Exeter Police seek man for recall to prison

Story update 7 May: Paul Irvine was arrested by police on 4 May and returned to prison.

Reported 23 April, 2013: Police in Exeter are seeking a 34-year-old man who has breached the terms of his Prison release licence.

Paul Irvine failed to comply with the conditions and is being sought by officers. He failed to comply with the terms of his licence and Devon and Cornwall probation service issued a prison recall making him arrestable on sight. He is known to frequent the Exeter area. Police in Exeter are proactively following a number of lines of enquiry to ascertain his...

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