Summer begins to mellow, winds begin to change and that is the herald for the beginning of a spectacular time of year for wildlife on the internationally important Exe Estuary.
As breeding grounds in Siberia turn icy cold and food supplies there dwindle, this prompts an exhausting annual migration of thousands of water birds. The rich food resources found in the Exe provide a welcome home to these birds, many of which travel in family groups.
With these changes in mind, people are asked to avoid wildlife refuges on the Exe Estuary at Dawlish Warren National Nature...
More than half of Britain’s car drivers are exceeding the speed limit, according to official figures released today from The Department for Transport.
The data reveals that on roads in built-up areas, with a 30 mph speed limit 54% of motorists, on average, are breaking the law.
On motorways it is 50% and this drops to 9% on single carriageways (60 mph limit for cars). However, only 12% of motorway car drivers exceeded the speed limit by more than 10mph on motorways. This dropped to 6% for 30mph roads and 1% for single carriageways.
Three schools across Devon County Council will be making more space outside their gates at pick up and drop off time as pupils return this term.
The School Streets schemes will restrict motor traffic at specific times to make more space for social distancing during the school run.
The schemes are being delivered by the schools and Devon County Council in partnership with walking and cycling charity Sustrans. They are being funded through a grant from the Department for Transport's Emergency Active Travel Fund.
Bradley Barton Primary in Newton Abbot is the first...
One of the UK’s biggest county competitions celebrating local food and drink has been forced to undergo changes this year for obvious reasons - but in the fertile and highly productive county of Devon, it remains the case that “the show must go on”.
The county’s producers, hospitality and catering businesses and speciality retailers have now been given the deadline of the end of this month to enter the prestigious Food Drink Devon Awards, which this year will be staged online for the first time.
“We have introduced an alternative awards scheme which aims to celebrate the...
Four popular holiday parks in Devon will be offering families two extra months of staycations this year, say owners Park Holidays UK.
Instead of shutting as usual after this October's half-term, the four seaside holiday parks will continue welcoming guests until the week before Christmas.
Park Holidays UK, one of Britain's largest holiday park groups, says the move has been triggered by "a deluge of demand" which is showing no signs of slowing down.
Almost half of the group's 31 parks in southern England are having their season extended as September shapes up to...
Exeter School is delighted to introduce its new Head, Louise Simpson, who joins the school from St Paul’s School in São Paulo, Brazil, following the retirement of Bob Griffin after 17 years at the helm.
Educated at a state school in Suffolk, Louise studied Environmental Science at the University of Wales before starting her teaching career in 1992 teaching Biology at Gresham’s School then Ratcliffe College and King’s Rochester. In 2009, she was appointed Senior Deputy Head at Brighton College, working under both Sir Anthony Seldon and then Richard Cairns. In 2010 she was...
While many of us across Devon have been out enjoying the heatwaves over lockdown, with temperatures have soared to 38 degrees in some parts of the country, wildlife experts at Spike’s Hedgehog Food are urging people to help out hogs who will be at increased risk of dehydration, with some even dying of thirst in the heat.
An abundance of water supplies across Devon, such as ponds has declined sharply in recent years, meaning many hedgehogs struggle to get enough water - which is especially important when temperatures rise.
Another serious issue is that the water sources...
Devon residents are being urged to breathe new life into their old clothes and ‘wear what you have’ to help reduce their carbon footprint and to pass on clothes they no longer want to keep them out of the bin.
By making at least one of a series of pledges, residents will be entered into a prize draw with a chance to win one of 10 Duronic Fabric De-Bobblers.
An estimated 10,000 items of clothing are thrown away in the UK every five minutes - and last year £2.7billion was spent on clothes that were worn just once.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock has urged all those people in the South West who are eligible for the flu jab to get one this winter, as the government launches its drive to vaccinate 30 million people.
The drive comes as new research from Public Health England suggests that people who tested positive for both flu and Covid-19 were more than twice as likely to die, compared to those with Covid-19 alone.
The research also found that those with co-infection of the two viruses were more at risk of severe illness.
This year, the flu vaccination programme is being...
As colleges and universities in Exeter prepare to welcome thousands of students, Covid-19 looks set to impact both lectures and lifestyle on campuses across the nation.
Despite the changing picture, thousands of students are planning to arrive at halls of residence and house-shares in Exeter, and it’s predicted they will be swapping their dancing shoes for slippers as a night in front of the TV replaces nights out on the town.
In preparation for bonding over binge watching, TV Licensing is encouraging young people who are substituting sticky dancefloors for Connell’s...
