Available for over a yearA group of artists and volunteers on Portland are using an disconnected phone to help people cope with the loss of their loved ones. Leading artist, Antje Rook, spoke to Radio Solent's Steve Harris about the project. Image credit: Portland Wind Phone.Programme WebsiteShow less Source link
A look at the stories which are trending across the West of England on 16 October. Source link
Skinner is part of an exciting back-line at Exeter under the guidance of relatively new attack coach Dave Walder.Australia centre Len Ikitau is set to come into a side that includes England's Henry Slade and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso and powerful winger Paul Brown-Bampoe. "We've got boys that can just produce magic from nothing, so it's making sure we're all on the same page," he said."We want to make make our brand of rugby a lot more exciting and we've definitely got the players to do that."He added: "Now with Dave it's a different way of thinking."Especially my game, just how I can forward think - who I've got in my squad, who I've got around me, what strengths they bring, what weaknesses maybe they bring, and how I can play the right calls around who's around me."It's definitely challenged me in a different way of thinking." Source link
A new primary school and nursery will be built in the grounds of a secondary school, in a growing Somerset town.Somerset Council has confirmed it is going ahead with a £7.75m project to build a 210-place primary school and 40-place nursery at Holyrood Academy in Chard.The council said hundreds of new homes being built in the south Somerset town meant an extra 300 primary places would be needed in the next 10 years, more than the town's current three primary schools could accommodate.It is hoped the new school will open in 2028.Dave MacCormick, headteacher at Holyrood Academy, said: "I think it's great news for the town. A common criticism of towns expanding is that services don't keep pace."I think there's a lot more to it than just the school, GP services, dentistry, other services need to adopt this ahead of the curve approach. But I think it will be a relief for parents that they can get their children to primary school."Building the new school is expected to cost £7.75m over the next four years, all of which Somerset Council hopes will eventually come from S106 funding.These are contributions developers have to make towards local services, including education, when they are…
We compare and contrast Trump’s 2015 attack on Marco Rubio over donor ties with his own close ties to the same family. Source link
Exeter Opera Group is performing Bizet’s Carmen on Saturday 8 November at Exeter Castle and Saturday 22 November at Mary Harris Memorial Chapel of the Holy Trinity.First staged in 1875, Carmen is one of the most frequently performed operas in the classical canon. Set in southern Spain, it recounts the downfall of Don José, a soldier seduced by the fiery Carmen.In the Exeter Opera Group production, which is performed in French with narration in English, Carmen will be played by Iryna Ilnytska and Don José by Robert Felstead and Thomas Wood.Supporting roles will be performed by players including Nick Young, Ian Spackman, John Burgoyne, Lee Andreae and Anna Townhill.Richard Lucas and Tim Laurence-Othen will accompany on piano and Suzanne De Lozey on flute.The production is directed by Iryna Ilnytska, Nick Lawrence and Lucy Corley.Exeter Opera Group, comprised of 25 singers from across Devon, gave its first performance in August last year with a staging of Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice.The group has since performed works by Mozart, Rossini and Camille Saint-Saëns at venues including Exeter Library and St Nicholas Priory.In January this year it staged Purcell’s Dido & Aeneas and in July gave a fairy-tale themed concert for children.Exeter Opera Group was…
Eberechi Eze, Arsenal, £7.6m - Fulham (a)With Martin Odegaard set for a spell on the sidelines, Eze looks set for an extended run in the Arsenal side and that makes him a very intriguing FPL option.He tops most underlying statistics for Arsenal midfielders. His 17 shots translates to an average of 3.85 shots per 90 minutes - Bukayo Saka is next best at 2.33 - and 11 of those have been in the box.Bear in mind he is yet to score and you could say "he's due"!Eze has been involved in 38% of Arsenal's goals when he's on the pitch, which is huge in an Arsenal side with so many good players.Involved, playing well and a good price. Get him on your radar.Antoine Semenyo, Bournemouth, £7.9m - Crystal Palace (a)This slot is reserved for Semenyo until further notice. Palace away is not the easiest game but he might just be fixture proof.Jaidon Anthony, Burnley, £5.7m - Leeds (h)Leeds are a side you can target away from home, where their expected goals conceded (xGC) is more than double their record at Elland Road - 5.5 to 2.3.Four-goal Anthony is proving to be Burnley's best goal threat and is a nice price if…
A seafront theatre and cinema has managed to raise the £10,000 needed to put towards repairs to its roof riddled with leaks.The Mowlem Theatre on Shore Road in Swanage, Dorset, started a six week appeal to raise the money to add a waterproof layer onto the existing flat roof on 3 October.After many temporary fixes, the theatre found the roof was getting worse and needed urgent extensive repairs to avoid further damage over the winter and the possibility of cancelling shows or even closing the building.The theatre said it planned to get the work done as soon as possible to avoid further damage over the winter to the 1960s building.The venue has been using buckets between the ceiling and the roof to catch the water dripping in above its stage after finding puddles.Kate McGregor, executive director of the theatre, said the money raised through the appeal would be put together with funds from its other fundraising initiatives to pay for the work "to keep the rain out for years to come."The fundraising appeal runs until 13 November at 15:05 BST.The Theatre said any further funds raised would go towards more work and improvements on the building. Source link
Human disturbance has a significant impact on the behaviour and habitat use of urban wildlife, however, in some situations urban grey squirrels may actually feel safer from predators where our activity is high. A new study from the University of Exeter, published in Oikos, reveals the paradoxical ways grey squirrels balance risk and foraging in urban environments. Researchers measured how much food squirrels left behind in standardised food patches in different places, which reflects how dangerous they perceived their local surroundings to be. They found that squirrels felt safer from predators near roads when noise levels were consistently loud. However, squirrels also perceived foraging as more dangerous where noise was less consistent. The findings highlight the complex trade-offs squirrels face in urban environments when balancing the risks and benefits associated with living alongside humans. Dr Sasha Dall from the University of Exeter said: “Our findings suggest human activities have a double-edged impact on urban wildlife like the grey squirrel. While human disturbance can offer reduced risk from predators in some situations, it can also increase it in others. Squirrels are having to adapt to these challenges by altering their foraging behaviour and habitat use. “We now need to explore the variations…
Here are the key events from day 1,330 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.Published On 16 Oct 202516 Oct 2025Click here to share on social mediashare2ShareHere is how things stand on Thursday, October 16, 2025:Fighting The Russian Ministry of Defence has announced that its troops had pushed Ukrainian forces out of two settlements of Oleksiivka in Dnipropetrovsk region and Novopavlivka in Donetsk region. The Ukrainian energy ministry has said the country’s power infrastructure has been hit with drones, knocking out electricity supplies in several areas including in the central Dnipropetrovsk region. Weapons and military Kyiv will need up to $20bn in military aid next year from NATO countries, Ukrainian Defence Minister Denys Shmyhal said. The aid will help Ukraine build 10 billion drones in 2026, according to the Reuters news agency. German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius has announced that Berlin will finance a US weapons package for Ukraine amounting to $500m, as Western allies seek to fortify Kyiv’s defences in the ongoing war with Russia. Speaking at a meeting in Brussels, Pistorius said the package includes air defence systems as well as Patriot missiles, among others. Russia’s Federal Security Service chief said that Moscow has no doubt about NATO’s security services’ involvement…
BBCThe pharmacy building has sat empty ever since Jhoots' evictionA community centre says it can no longer afford to run an apprenticeship scheme for residents as it is owed thousands of pounds by pharmacy chain Jhoots. Victoria Park Community Centre in Bridgwater, Somerset, rented one of its buildings to Jhoots last year, but evicted the company after it failed to pay several months' rent.It comes with Jhoots already facing allegations of not paying staff at some pharmacies and failing to supply customers with their medication at branches across the country.The company has said that the trading name Jhoots is used by several independent companies with their own management and procedures.Across the UK there are 153 Jhoots pharmacies registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council, all owned at least in part by either Sarbjit Jhooty or Manjit Jhooty.Manjit has previously told the BBC his branches remain "fully functional and continue to deliver services to the communities they serve".The allegations in this article relate to the Bridgwater pharmacy managed by Sarbjit, who has previously confirmed he operated independently from Manjit.Sarbjit has previously admitted "workforce and recruitment challenges" across the South West, but has not responded to these latest allegations related to Bridgwater. Victoria Park…
Bath Spa UniversityVictoria Mason joins the faculty alongside Emmy-award winning lecturers and songwriters for famous artistsA professional singer and DJ has joined a university faculty to "empower" the next generation of musicians with her 20 years of industry experience.Victoria Mason started her new role this term as a lecturer in commercial music at Bath Spa University, teaching students about the creative profession.She said the music industry is "a very different place" from when she rose to fame in 2008, and wants to share her advice on staying "resilient" in an evolving digital era."We can't predict where the industry is going but we can give them the tools they need to future-proof their career," she said.Emerging from the band Dead Disco in 2007, Ms Mason established herself as a solo artist named 'Little Boots' with her electro-pop debut record Hands, which reached the top five on the UK Albums Chart.She has since toured internationally, produced three more albums and been a part of the ABBA Voyage productions.Getty ImagesMs Mason says being an artist is often about learning to overcome "setbacks and curveballs"The 41-year-old said it can be " incredibly difficult" to build a sustainable career as a musician."Of course you can master…