Author: Caroline Robinson

This author has written 33 articles

Consultation on tougher penalties for hit-and-run

Consultation on tougher penalties for hit-and-run

Caroline RobinsonSouth WestBBCMark and Helen Saltern have been campaigning for change since Ryan's deathA consultation on "tougher actions" for hit-and-run drivers will be held the government has confirmed, following a campaign by a victim's family. Ryan Saltern was killed in a hit-and-run in St. Teath in North Cornwall in 2019.The Department for Transport said failing to report a road incident was "completely unacceptable" and they were "considering tougher actions".Noah Law, MP for St Austell and Newquay, said he…

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Bodmin’s wassailing tradition, begun in 1624, brings song to town

Bodmin’s wassailing tradition, begun in 1624, brings song to town

Caroline Robinson,South WestandChristine Butler,South WestBBCVic Legg has been a wassailer for more than 50 yearsA centuries-old folk tradition has brought cheer to a Cornish town for the 402nd time. The Bodmin Wassail takes place each year on Twelfth Night, 6 January, where a group of men sing wassail songs to local people at different locations including shops, pubs and cafes and residential homes around the town. The group began 12 hours of singing stop-offs at 12 noon in…

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Closing down signs in Plymouth’s House of Fraser store

Closing down signs in Plymouth’s House of Fraser store

BBCA sign in the shop window says the store will close in the spring.Closing down signs have appeared in the windows of a longstanding House of Fraser department store.A sign attached to the glass at the Plymouth store, said it would be closing in March 2026.The store, which was previously known as Dingles, had faced closure in 2018 before a rescue deal secured its future.Frasers, the owner of House of Fraser, has been approached by the BBC for…

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Study explores wellbeing impact of board games

Study explores wellbeing impact of board games

Caroline RobinsonSouth WestUniversity of PlymouthThe aim is to create the first toolkit of how tabletop role-playing games could be used to enhance people's wellbeingResearchers are exploring the ways board games and tabletop role-playing games could be used in health and social care interventions.The University of Plymouth said researchers found games such as Dungeons and Dragons and Dixit could lead to improvements in confidence, assertiveness, and real-life social engagement, especially in neurodivergent players.It received funding alongside Manchester Metropolitan University…

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Medical professionals recognised in Kings New Years Honours list

Medical professionals recognised in Kings New Years Honours list

Caroline RobinsonSouth WestNHS England South WestDr Michael Marsh was recognised for his contribution over many years to healthcare and public serviceA former medical director is among medical professionals who have been recognised in the King's 2026 New Year Honours list.Medical professionals across NHS England South West were recognised for services to healthcare, including two from Cornwall. Dr Michael Marsh, NHS England's former South West Medical Director, was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for…

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Improvement works to Devon King Charles III coast path completed

Improvement works to Devon King Charles III coast path completed

Caroline RobinsonSouth WestDevon County CouncilThe route was cleared for the new path at Downend Croyde in DevonImprovements to two sections forming part of the King Charles III Coast Path (KCIIIECP) being created to go around the whole of England, have been completed.The sections on both Devon coasts cover more than 150 miles in total, and the works include upgraded walkways, landscaping and habitat improvements, Natural England said.The works form part of a national programme to create a coastal…

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Recovery of hedgehog rescued in Devon ‘made our Christmas’

Recovery of hedgehog rescued in Devon ‘made our Christmas’

Caroline RobinsonSouth WestSouth West WaterSWW said Aquarius would spend Christmas snuggled up in his favourite Christmas hatA hedgehog which was rescued from a storm tank during a site investigation has recovered enough to be released in the new year. South West Water (SWW) said colleagues Joe Martin and George Cane discovered the hedgehog, which they named Aquarius, in November after the animal managed to climb the safety railing and get inside the empty tank at Blackawton, near Dartmouth,…

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Nativity exhibition brings together sets from around the world

Nativity exhibition brings together sets from around the world

Caroline RobinsonSouth WestNorthlew Nativity ExhibitionThe exhibition is open for the weekend at St Thomas's Church in NorthlewA nativity exhibition made up of about 80 nativity sets collected from around the world is being put on display this weekend.Organisers said the display at St Thomas's Church, Northlew, Devon, was believed to potentially be the largest Nativity Exhibition in the South West. Luisa Hulbert began collecting nativity sets from Africa, South America and across Europe after her husband, Victor Hulbert,…

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Mystery of message in a bottle found on Devon beach solved

Mystery of message in a bottle found on Devon beach solved

Mike Nicholls found the bottle on Woolacombe BeachA man who was looking for the family of a couple whose ashes were released into the sea in a bottle said the family had made contact with him. Mike Nicholls discovered the message in a bottle on Woolacombe Beach, in Devon, on 9 November. The note said the couple had been sent on one "final adventure".Mr Nicholls posted photos of the bottle on a Facebook page and said the story…

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Message in a bottle with ashes of couple found on Devon beach

Message in a bottle with ashes of couple found on Devon beach

Mike NichollsMike Nicholls found the bottle on Woolacombe BeachA message in a bottle, said to contain the ashes of a couple on "one last adventure", has washed up on a beach.The bottle was found by Mike Nicholls, on Woolacombe Beach, in Devon, on 9 November.The message asks finders to put the bottle back in the sea and use hashtags to tell the family where it was found.Mr Nicholls said he had tried to contact the family, but had…

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RSPCA warns of increase in abandoned pets in Devon and Cornwall

RSPCA warns of increase in abandoned pets in Devon and Cornwall

Caroline RobinsonSouth WestRSPCANova, who was found abandoned in Devon, suffered from severe malnutrition and cachexiaAn animal charity has warned of an increase of animal abandonment in the lead-up to winter.The RSPCA said animal abandonment cases in Devon had gone up by 14.9% so far this year, with 362 incidents logged by the end of October, compared with 315 last year.In Cornwall animal abandonment cases went up by 40.4%, with 205 incidents, compared with 146 last year, according to…

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Clean up of flaming Tar Barrels under way in Ottery St Mary

Clean up of flaming Tar Barrels under way in Ottery St Mary

Caroline RobinsonSouth WestBBCA total of 27 flaming barrels were carried throughout the eveningA clean up was under way on Thursday, the morning after this year's edition of an event where people run through the streets carrying flaming barrels of tar.The Ottery St Mary Tar Barrels attracted 20,000 people, more than doubling the size of the rural Devon town, on Wednesday evening.The festivities did not finish until just after midnight, with roads reopened at 01:00 GMT on Thursday.The clean…

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