fun

The wait is almost over. The hour is very nearly at hand.

Sunday (29 October) will see this year’s epic 7.5-mile Jolly Good Jaunt walk from the Deer Park Hotel through the breath-taking beauty of the autumnal East Devon countryside. This year promises to be bigger and better than ever.

Advance bookings including online registration ( www.jollygoodjaunt.co.uk ) closed on 24 October but you can still sign up on the day itself with entry being £20 for adults and £10 per child.

The NEW nature trail consisting of a scavenger hunt, nature bingo, crafting and storytelling...

Your essential guide to What’s On in and around Exeter this weekend (8-10 September)

THEATRE

Phantom of the Opera Friday & Saturday, Barnfield Theatre, Exeter Andrew Lloyd Webber’s legendary musical is given a sumptuous new production by Exeter’s Stage by Stage. 7.30pm nightly plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee. www.barnfieldtheatre.org.uk

Sidmouth Play Festival Friday & Saturday, 8pm, Manor Pavilion Theatre, Sidmouth Hobson's Choice by Harold Brighouse. Tickets: Adults £17/£16, under 16s £8. Box office: 01395 514 413 . www.manorpavilion.com

An Audience...

After one singing session, we were askedL "Are trained music teachers involved?" Our reply ..."If so they haven't told us" ... probably tells you more about Forever Young Sing for Fun than two paragraphs of descriptive text.

There are a number of fine choirs in Exeter and some of our regulars are also members of these choirs.

They have told us that they like the informality and the fact that we don't rehearse and never do any performances – every time we sing we are performing just for ourselves. It is just fun to sing a lot of songs, rather than perhaps in a more formal...

A SPECTACULAR riot of colour will transform Devon’s Bear Trail when it holds a fantastic family fundraising event next month to celebrate its first birthday. The muddy obstacle course, which is based between Exeter and Cullompton, is holding the ‘Colour Bomb’ event on Sunday, July 23 - and it promises to be a party atmosphere, with music, a mini food market and, of course, the Colour Bomb itself. And those who prefer to watch the fun are welcome for a donation to the trail’s charity of the year, Chicks children’s charity. Participants can sign up for two hour slots when they can tackle the...

Children can enjoy exploring a walk-in camera obscura and a giant pop-up book at a free family day at the University of Exeter.

Families can also try printmaking, silk painting, handle local archaeological finds and examine Exeter City Football Club memorabilia at the event, Think...Art, which is being held alongside a new exhibition by South West artists inspired by the University of Exeter’s world-leading research.

The exhibition, The Observatory: perspectives on landscape, society and spirit will run from 11 to 18 June 2017 in the Forum at the University’s Streatham...

Local companies including LV=Exeter, Brend Hotels, Isca Barum Insurance Brokers, RGB Building Supplies and Thomson Reuters have signed up to sponsor paint stations at Children’s Hospice South West’s Rainbow Run, being held at Westpoint Arena near Exeter in June. Naomi Dymond, Corporate Fundraiser at the charity’s Little Bridge House hospice near Barnstaple said: ‘We are thrilled these wonderful local companies have chosen to support us. Their sponsorship is vital to ensuring we can continue to run the event which brings much needed funds into the hospice, and we’d like to say a huge thank...