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Historic Cornwall pub warns rising rates threaten survival

Historic Cornwall pub warns rising rates threaten survival

BBCAmy Bennett runs The Seven Stars in FalmouthThe owner of a pub in Cornwall has said her costs will rise by thousands of pounds after changes announced in the Budget.Amy Bennett said she was "terrified" she was going to lose The Seven Stars in Falmouth, which has been in her family for seven generations, after learning how much her rateable value could increase in April.A firm's rateable value is based on how much it would cost to rent…

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Beatles’ autographs and Four Wedding hat up for auction

Beatles’ autographs and Four Wedding hat up for auction

Autographs of members of The Beatles and a hat from the 1994 film Four Weddings and A Funeral are among the music and film memorabilia due to go under the hammer in Exeter next week.The hat worn by American actress Andie MacDowell in the box office hit was given to a local resident who had worked on the set, said Bearnes Hampton & Littlewood auction house.The Beatles' autographs - signatures of Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and George Harrison…

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Will Smeed: Somerset opening batter signs extension to 2027

Will Smeed: Somerset opening batter signs extension to 2027

Somerset batter Will Smeed has signed a contract extension to remain at the club until the end of the 2027 season.The 24-year-old starred during Somerset's six-wicket victory over Hampshire in September's T20 Blast final at Edgbaston, smashing 94 off just 58 balls to claim the player of the match award as his club picked up their third Blast title.The club also confirmed Smeed will be available for both red-ball and white-ball cricket after he amended his contract to…

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Novice rower from Devon prepares for Atlantic Ocean challenge

Novice rower from Devon prepares for Atlantic Ocean challenge

Clare O'ReilleyClare O'Reilley is taking part in The World's Toughest Row alongside two other womenA woman with a fear of deep water is preparing to row across the Atlantic Ocean after being encouraged by someone she knows who has completed the challenge twice.Clare O'Reilly, 46, from Devon had never rowed before starting to train for The World's Toughest Row, which she will do alongside Rosie Tong, 26, and Mel Jarman, 33.The Row with the Flow crew will be…

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Devon theatre school seeks new home to store historic costumes

Devon theatre school seeks new home to store historic costumes

A theatre school in Devon is looking for a new space to store several decades' worth of costumes after a leak in its roof. Willow Tree Dance and Theatre Arts School, based in Tiverton, said the building it currently stored the items in including handmade clothing, wigs and accessories had a leak. The school hosts about 274 pupils aged 18 months and upwards and said it hosts at least three shows a year. It added thanks to its…

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‘Dog soft play centre opens’ and ‘longest NHS strike continues’

‘Dog soft play centre opens’ and ‘longest NHS strike continues’

Somerset Soft Play for DogsA soft play centre for dogs has opened in SomersetHere's our daily pick of stories from across local websites in the West of England, and interesting content from social media.Our pick of local website storiesA 106-year-old newsagents in Burnham-on-Sea, which has been run by the same family for over century, has closed, Burnham and Highbridge Weekly News reports.A thief who plagued a Greggs branch and stole from Home Bargains has been sentenced, the Swindon…

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US mass killings drop to 20-year low in 2025: Database | Gun Violence News

Experts say dip likely a return to more typical levels after unusual spike in preceding years, warn gun violence remains a major issue.Published On 2 Dec 20252 Dec 2025Click here to share on social mediashare2ShareThe United States has witnessed the lowest number of mass killings in 2025 in two decades, according to a database tracking such incidents.A recent shooting at a family gathering in Stockton, California, that left four people dead, was the 17th mass killing this year,…

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Litter pickers find needles and knives while collecting rubbish

Litter pickers find needles and knives while collecting rubbish

Clean Our Patch CICSome of the needles a litter picking group found in Victoria Park in PlymouthLitter picking volunteers said this year they have found items such as hunting knives and more than 5,000 used needles and syringes from different areas of Plymouth.Clean Our Patch CIC runs 43 litter picking groups in the city and has two trained volunteers who have specialist equipment to remove needles.Teams recently cleared 56 needles and a hunting knife from the edge of…

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Catherine asks singers for shanty in carol service

Catherine asks singers for shanty in carol service

A Cornish shanty group has been asked to perform at Catherine, Princess of Wales' annual Christmas carol concert in Westminster Abbey.Catherine has invited Fisherman's Friends from Port Isaac to sing a sea shanty in the Together at Christmas service in Westminster Abbey on Friday.Jon Cleave from the group said they had been asked to sing "a specific song", which he thought they would "make a good fist" of.He said receiving the royal invitation had been "the icing on…

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Meningitis B vaccinations calls after Pontypool student, 18, dies

Meningitis B vaccinations calls after Pontypool student, 18, dies

Family handoutMeg Draper joined the swimming and netball teams and was a popular figure in the student community A popular and sporty teenager who made a "big impression" at her new university died within weeks of starting, after contracting meningitis.Meg Draper was 18 and had joined swimming and netball teams, but died in October from meningococcal type B meningitis (MenB) while studying physiotherapy in Bournemouth.Her parents, from Pontypool, Torfaen, and the National Union of Students UK are now…

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Art students design murals for new Bournemouth hospital building

Art students design murals for new Bournemouth hospital building

A group of art students have seen their work unveiled at a hospital that is undergoing a major transformation.Two 9m (30ft) murals have been installed at the Royal Bournemouth Hospital's new BEACH building.University Hospitals Dorset NHS Trust collaborated with Arts University Bournemouth (AUB) on the project as part of the trust's £500m transformation programme.The artworks - Emerging Kingfisher and Dorset Diorama - were created by interior architecture and design students Emily Bishop, Yulia Klajnscek, Rhea Hackwell and Olivia…

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What scrapping the two-child benefit cap means for families

What scrapping the two-child benefit cap means for families

The two-child benefit cap is being scrapped - but how will that impact families in the south?Politics South reporter Emily Hudson has been looking at the move, which is estimated to cost £3bn a year by 2029-30.It was announced in the Autumn Budget by Chancellor Rachel Reeves who said the cap "pushes kids into poverty more than any other".Introduced under the Conservatives in 2017 it meant parents could only claim universal credit or tax credits for their first…

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