Bishopsteignton Pre-School, an entirely self-funding playgroup, is hoping for a record-breaking Easter Fayre on Saturday 22 April, when children and families from across Teignbridge converge on Bishopsteignton Community Centre to celebrate a tradition that stretches back over 25 years. Starting at 10.30am and running through to 1.30pm the Fayre, which is free to enter, will have a bouncy castle for small children, face painting, games and competitions as well as plant stalls, tombolas and much more besides. Old favourites will include splat the rat, sun flower seed growing, toy stalls and...
Starting at 10.30am and running through to 1.30pm on Saturday 22 April, the Bishopsteignton Pre-School Easter Fayre, which is free to enter, will have a bouncy castle for small children, face painting, games and competitions as well as plant stalls, tombolas and much more besides. Old favourites will include splat the rat, sun flower seed growing, toy stalls and Easter mask-making. There’ll even by cream teas, cakes and refreshments to keep everyone happy. The Easter Bonnet Parade will see a fantastic array of creations on display. The parade, seen as the highlight of the Fayre by many,...
Vandals attacked a rhino positioned outside of Exeter St David's station, ripping off its ear.
A specialist finishing had to be drafted in to repair the sculpture.
It was one of several life-size models to be positioned aroud Devon as part of Paignton Zoo’s Great Big Rhinos Project
With the trail only having started at the weekend, the rhino repair squad, made up of a dedicated team of fine finishers from Plastic Surgeon, a nationwide firm of surface repair specialists, saw an immediate requirement to showcase what they can do.
Paignton Zoo Environmental Park and Living Coasts, Torquay’s coastal zoo, are helping visitors and local people to improve their diets.
The attractions are among local businesses working with Torbay Council to put more healthy choices onto children’s plates.
The Growing Kids project runs throughout the Bay and is led by the Food Safety Team at Torbay Council. Nicolas Legendre, Food Production Manager at Paignton Zoo and Living Coasts, explained: “We have been instrumental from day one of the project.
Our zoos were chosen because of our high food hygiene rating...
A major local charity is marking a decade of environmental quality. Paignton Zoo Environmental Park has held the 14001 accreditation since 2005. Living Coasts in Torquay and Newquay Zoo in Cornwall, also parts of the Whitley Wildlife Conservation Trust, which runs Paignton Zoo, have held the standard nearly as long.
The Trust’s Environmental Officer Pete Morgan said: “The ten year anniversary of our 14001 accreditation is quite a landmark. You have to improve each year, so we have been moving forward all that time. ISO14001 is an international standard with an external audit system...
One of the largest - and smelliest - blooms on the planet is opening at Paignton Zoo Environmental Park.
The flower of the Titan Arum (Amorphophallus titanum) can be up to 3 metres high and 3 metres in circumference. And the smell? Curator of Plants and Gardens Giles Palmer said: “Imagine you have the smell of rotting meat in a tin can and you open that can on the hottest, most humid day of the year!”
Experts think the plant could flower within the week.
The plant - from the rainforests of Sumatra and a member of the Arum family - is classed as Vulnerable on the...
Newly-hatched African penguin chicks at Living Coasts are being named after stars and constellations.
Staff at Torquay’s coastal zoo and aquarium are using the pattern of spots on the belly of a young penguin – unique to each bird – to help find names.
Keeper Chris Dunn: “The idea is to take photos of the young birds’ spot patterns and compare them to star constellations. It’s not always easy to find good matches, however one chick has a row of four spots that matches the basic pattern of the constellation Aries. Conveniently, that’s quite a nice name for a penguin, too...
Sky field engineers from across Devon converged on Paignton Zoo to make some hefty treats for the larger animals.
The team of 18 engineers from Plymouth, Tavistock and Torbay made environmental enrichment devices for different species, including big balls for the rhinos and big cats.
As you can imagine, any toy that a rhino is going to play with needs to be tough. A rhino ball is made out of car and tractor tyres bolted together. In this instance, they have metal brackets inside so they make a noise when rolled, making them even more interesting.
A Critically Endangered monkey with a rare medical condition has been treated by a team of zoo experts and South West veterinary specialists.
Animal care staff at Paignton Zoo Environmental Park took the sick primate for a CT scan at a veterinary hospital in Somerset. JR – full name Jean-Robert - is a brown or variegated spider monkey Ateles hybridus The species, which is listed as Critically Endangered, comes from South America.
Paignton Zoo vet Jo Reynard, vet nurse Celine Campana, Head Keeper Craig Gilchrist and Senior Keeper Kate Jenner took JR to Cave Veterinary...
