AS THE famous festive song crooned by Andy Williams proclaims ‘It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year’ but not for all families says a unique legal service (December 2019).
Children in the Middle warns of Christmas heartache for estranged parents and asks others to spare a thought for those who are prevented from seeing their children this yuletide.
Family barrister, Elizabeth McCallum, who co-founded the legal service with her fellow Exeter barrister Sarah Evans, says: “It’s important to remember that not everyone will be having such a ‘Holly, Jolly Christmas’ this year...
Christmas party season is well underway at The Volunteer Inn in Ottery St Mary, but this year diners aren’t getting their traditional Christmas crackers.
Instead, landlord and landlady Mike and Jacqui Down have come up with an environmentally friendly alternative; a paper Christmas bag containing a joke, a paper hat, plus some homemade chocolate ‘bark’, all prettily wrapped in tissue paper and personalised.
Mike said: “We feel that Christmas crackers are really wasteful - the majority of the toys are made from plastic and are thrown away almost immediately.
Castle Drogo will be open for Christmas for the first time since a major conservation project began seven years ago to make the building watertight.
Although the building work now has the end in sight, there is still much work to be done to restore the castle’s grounds and interiors back into the Drewe’s family home, which is likely to continue into 2020. However, the building is now watertight, meaning that Christmas can return to the castle once again.
From Saturday 30 November until Monday 23 December, Castle Drogo will be open and decorated for Christmas, inspired by...
If you are looking for hints, tips and advice this festive season, our new sister site the Lifestyle Daily has everything you need in one place.
Whether you are looking to save money, avoid a hangover or find the perfect present for that difficult-to-buy-for partner, our Christmas page is the place to look.
A LEADING south Devon home care provider is offering advice to the elderly this month (December 2019) to help prevent them from suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).
Guardian Homecare, which provides care for elderly and vulnerable people living in the Exeter area, says SAD is more prevalent in the run-up to the year’s shortest day (December 22).
Catherine Porter, who manages Guardian Homecare’s domiciliary care teams in Devon, says: “The majority of our service users are elderly and at this time of year our carers are trained to keep a much closer eye on them...
Stagecoach South West has introduced a new Group niterider travel ticket, in time for Christmas. This enables passengers to make the most of the Christmas season with discounted group travel.
The group niterider ticket offers groups of up to 5 adults unlimited travel for just £10 after 7pm on any Stagecoach bus (including Night-Buses).
This special offer, which has been introduced in time for Christmas, gives groups of friends and families the chance to soak-up the festive atmosphere with Christmas markets, late night shopping and celebrations taking place across the region...
Terminal illness charity Marie Curie urgently needs volunteers in Exeter on Thursday (19th). The charity is asking locals to volunteer just two hours of their time for a local supermarket collection.
Lauren Peters, Marie Curie Community Fundraiser for Devon, said: “We urgently need people to help with a collection at Sainsburys on Alphington Road on Thursday 19th December. A collection can raise around £250 of vital funds, so we don’t want to miss out on the opportunity.
“We run our collections in two hour shifts and people often volunteer in pairs. The money raised will...
Sourdough pizza pioneer, Franco Manca, has pledged to turn surplus dough into delicious fresh sourdough bread for those most in need this festive season and beyond. The initiative which will launch on the 9th December and continue throughout 2020 aims to help those going without food or shelter, with loaves being distributed to local soup kitchens, charities and shelters across the UK.
The project supports Franco Manca's plans to reduce food waste across each of its UK-based sites, a focus for the New Year. The business already employ a number of waste-reducing initiatives across...
SLADE are back on the road playing Exeter's Lemon Grove on Saturday 21st December!
SLADE are without doubt one of the most exciting bands to come out of Great Britain in the past 50 years. With their unique blend of perfect pop rock'n'roll, outrageous flamboyance and pure fun, and no less than 23
Top-20 singles of which 6 were No-1 smash hits….plus 6 smash albums, Slade have become a firm favourite in the hearts of pop fans all over the world.
SLADE'S chart career has spanned 5 decades and their enduring songs "Cum On Feel The Noize" and "Coz I Luv You" are still...
Ottery coffee shop Tickety-Boo has pledged to raise more funds for its chosen charity Exeter Leukaemia Fund with a special ‘mince pie week’.
From Tuesday 17 to Saturday 21 December, the coffee shop team will donate the price of a mince pie to ELF for each one bought by a customer. That’s £1.50 per mince pie!
Tickety-Boo chef Trystan Bridgman says “All our mince pies are made in the traditional way by our talented baker Lesley.
“We’re hoping that there will be huge demand for them so we can raise a good amount to add a festive boost to our ongoing fundraising for ELF...
