South West

All square between Exeter Civil and Alphas

EXETER CIVIL SERVICE 1-1 ALPHINGTON

The all-Exeter derby ended in a draw as Exeter Civil Service and Alphington finished 1-1 at Foxhayes in the SouthWest Peninsula Div 1 East.

This was probably the last time Exeter Civil Service in their current guise will host the neighbours before a summer name change. A strong crowd as well as a decent pitch and weather set the basis for a fiery contest which didn't disappoint.

Both of the city's suburban sides started lively with several early chances. The opener, though, came from an unlikely source - when Paul Gibbins made a...

Some progress in the South West despite disappointing Budget

The Civil Engineering Contractors Association ( CECA ) has called on government to elevate the status of key infrastructure projects in the South West to boost economic development.

Alan Taylor, Executive Director of CECA for the south west, says that while the £3bn extra capital investment announced in the Budget was to be welcomed, the delay until 2015 was a missed opportunity to help boost the regional economy.

“A ‘jam tomorrow’ approach does little to address the urgent need to harness the power of infrastructure investment to deliver real and sustainable economic...

Welfare benefit enquiries up by 12% says Exeter CAB

Local charity Exeter Citizens Advice Bureau today publishes its latest advice trend statistics, which show that it helped 3,300 people directly with advice on 14,040 problems, an increase of 1.3%, so far this financial year.

This year, the charity is helping clients with a debt burden of £5.5m, up by 28.3% or £1.2m from last year.

There was a 12% increase in enquiries about welfare benefits and tax credits; such as employment and support allowance, disability living allowance and problems with housing benefit and council tax benefit. On average, each client receiving...

Kids get to explore Devon’s wilder side

A leading Devon charity is offering local children the chance to become the next Chris Packham or Kate Humble. This summer Devon Wildlife Trust is running two weeks of wildlife Discovery Days where kids will learn the skills that will help them become top nature sleuths.

Bookings are being taken now for Discovery Days which will take place at two of the Trust’s wonderful Devon venues. At Wembury Marine Centre, children aged 8 to 11 can book for a week of marine-focussed fun. The event takes place 8.30am-4pm between Monday 5 and Friday 9 August. While at Woodah Farm, near...

Operation Easter - Police target anyone stealing birds' eggs

Easter is on the doorstep, birds are nesting, some have already laid eggs, and the national campaign to protect them is now underway. A new element to this year’s operation will target those who take the eggs or chicks of birds of prey, to sell to illegal falconries.

Collecting wild birds’ eggs is illegal and no longer just a schoolboy hobby. The police say it remains the pastime of a minority of individuals, who take whole clutches of birds’ eggs from some of Scotland’s rarest birds. The eggs are then stored in secret collections. Operation Easter will, for the first time, be run...

Exeter City Council seeks views on sex establishment policy

People can have their say on Exeter City Council's Sex Establishment Policy.

The current interim policy limits the number of Sex Entertainment Venues (SEVs) to one in the City Centre and zero elsewhere. It also restricts the number of sex shops to two.

The Council would like to consult Exeter residents and other interested parties on whether this is appropriate to have a policy and if so, what sort of controls and conditions should be included to ensure that the premises are situated in appropriate locations and properly managed.

A consultation questionnaire was...

Flying high with charity cash

A Devon housebuilder is set to give one regional charity a welcome fundraising boost having raised over £2,000.

Persimmon Homes South West and its employees managed to raise £2,156 by holding several fundraising activities throughout 2012 for their chosen charity the Devon Air Ambulance Trust (DAAT).

Caroline Creer, fundraising director at the Devon Air Ambulance Trust, said: “It’s fantastic that Persimmon Homes South West has raised such a significant amount. Being independent of Government and National Lottery funding, events just like this go a long way in raising the £4...

Feniton's Black Day march fights plans for large-scale development

Sir Max Hastings was one of the first national figures to express support for the Black Day for the Countryside mass march, held at Feniton on Saturday (23 March). In an e-mail to the organisers, he said, "I wish you the very very best of luck in a fight which is the fight of everybody who cares both about the English countryside and the democratic rights of local communities". Best wishes, Max Hastings.

Ben Bradshaw, MP, though unable to attend, sent a message saying, "I would have loved to come on the march" and "Congratulations on all your recent campaigning".

The...

Mammoth tooth discovered in East Devon river

It’s not often you stumble across a 20,000-year-old mammoth tooth while carrying out a routine task at work, but that’s exactly what happened to Environment Agency officer Simon McHugh.

Simon was checking riverbank erosion near Newton Poppleford in East Devon when he noticed the massive molar sitting on the bed of the River Otter. Experts at London’s Natural History Museum have confirmed the unusual find as a mammoth tooth dating from the last Ice Age.

The owner of the land where it was found has agreed to donate the tooth to the Royal Albert Memorial Museum in Exeter. But...

Devon’s plan for growth and jobs

Devon County Council is spelling out how it will boost the economy and help to stimulate growth.

The authority’s draft Strategy for Growth has been approved by the Cabinet and is now available for final consultations.

The county council says it has five key aims:

  • A more productive economy
  • A higher wage economy
  • Employment opportunities for all and a workforce with the right skills for the future
  • A well connected county
  • A thriving business community
  • Devon County Council leader John Hart said: “We can’t
  • ...

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