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Plea to rehome unwanted ex-racing greyhounds at Plymouth shelter

Plea to rehome unwanted ex-racing greyhounds at Plymouth shelter

Nine ex-racing greyhounds have arrived at a dogs and cats home and staff say they urgently need help to rehome them.Gables Dogs & Cats Home in Plymouth takes in nearly 1,000 unwanted and abandoned dogs and cats every year.With 76 cat pens and 71 dog kennels to heat, it said rising energy costs pushed their winter bills to more than £15,000, so it asked for donations and potential pet owners to come forward. General manager Claire Sparkes said:…

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From G20 to Penryn: Experts hail Cornwall as the ‘Engine Room’ of PM’s new Critical Minerals Strategy 

The UK’s new Critical Minerals Strategy must make domestic extraction, refining, and recycling pillars of sovereign capability, experts have urged. The plan, which will be launched at the G20 summit in South Africa by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, should define critical minerals as key to a broader political-economic reset that can underpin jobs and local growth, a new report by the University of Exeter’s Critical Minerals Challenge Centre, says.  Members of the UKRI-funded research hub – based…

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Matt Worthington & Callum Dolan: Torquay United suspend pair for ‘disciplinary matter’

Matt Worthington & Callum Dolan: Torquay United suspend pair for ‘disciplinary matter’

Torquay United captain Matt Worthington and team-mate Callum Dolan have been suspended by the National League South club.The midfielders will not play for the next four matches after what the club says is an "internal disciplinary matter". Worthington has played in 16 of Torquay's 17 league games this season while Dolan has scored two goal in nine games.”It's hugely frustrating, it's another obstacle put in front of us,” Torquay manager Paul Wotton told BBC Radio Devon.“It’s been a…

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Exeter nightclub staff cleared after Freshers’ Week fall

Exeter nightclub staff cleared after Freshers’ Week fall

Miles DavisDevon political reporterBBCA University of Exeter student fell backwards down stairs at the Timepiece nightclub in ExeterSecurity staff at a nightclub acted correctly in dealing with a university student who fell backwards down stairs during Freshers' Week, a licensing committee has said.Lawyer David Dadds applied for a licensing review of the Timepiece nightclub in Exeter, Devon, and said door staff "failed to show basic care".Exeter City Council's licensing committee said it was "appropriate" to pick the woman…

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Devon gin maker fears further tax increase in Budget

Devon gin maker fears further tax increase in Budget

Miles DavisDevon political reporterBBCMick Skerratt from Exeter Gin runs a gin school as well as producing spiritsA gin producer and drinks maker is concerned the chancellor might increase tax on spirits again in the Budget.The previous Conservative government increased excise duty by more than 10% in August 2023 and Labour increased the tax by another 3.65% in 2024.Mick Skerratt from Exeter Gin said another increase in duty would be a tough blow to take at a time when…

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Demolition of North Devon hospital accomodation blocks under way

Demolition of North Devon hospital accomodation blocks under way

Work to demolish two former hospital accommodation blocks has started as part of a £22.7m project to redevelop the site.The North Devon District Hospital in Barnstaple was given the money from the New Hospital Programme.The two buildings will be replaced with new housing which will provide 120 ensuite bedrooms, including four fully accessible family apartments and six single accessible ensuite rooms. Prof David Sanders, clinical director of surgery at the hospital, said "in order to attract staff and…

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Exeter City’s FA Cup tie with Wycombe Wanderers will go ahead after fire

Exeter City’s FA Cup tie with Wycombe Wanderers will go ahead after fire

Exeter City say their ground will be ready for their FA Cup second round tie with Wycombe Wanderers next month.Damage from a fire at St James Park last week has meant Saturday's League One game with Burton Albion has been postponed.The fire, which affected the stadium's control room and medical room, meant key safety systems were taken down and work to repair the damage is ongoing. "As disappointing as Saturday's game being postponed is, it does give us…

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Devon and Cornwall police chief putting more officers on the beat

Devon and Cornwall police chief putting more officers on the beat

A police chief has said he wants to "stabilise patrol numbers" by getting more than 100 additional officers on the beat.Devon and Cornwall chief constable James Vaughan said 121 officers were being added to patrol teams, with 71 officers joining existing patrol teams by the end of 2025, along with another 50 by the end of March.Mr Vaughan, who will address the Devon and Cornwall Police and Crime Panel meeting in Plymouth later, said the officers were new…

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Second deliberate fire at former Exeter police station

Second deliberate fire at former Exeter police station

A former police station and magistrates' court building is thought to have been targeted by arsonists for the second time in a week, according to emergency services.Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service said it was called to the blaze at the disused building on Heavitree Road, in Exeter, at 21:42 GMT on Thursday where two fires were found in different parts of the property. A fire at the same building took place on Monday night.The service said…

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Truro City ‘building foundations’ despite poor form – Alex Black

Truro City ‘building foundations’ despite poor form – Alex Black

The changes at Truro - who were sharing a ground in Plymouth for much of the time after they left their Treyew Road home in January 2021 - are not just on the field.Having gone fully professional they have had to employ more staff to cater for a side that had previously only trained a couple of times a week. "Probably for the first time ever at the club we do have a chief scout who is able…

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Plymouth Argyle: Tom Cleverley and Derek Adams ‘connect as characters’

Plymouth Argyle: Tom Cleverley and Derek Adams ‘connect as characters’

Argyle are bottom of League One having won just four games in the third tier since being relegated from the Championship last season.The Pilgrims have been hampered by serious injuries to players such as Xavier Amaechi, Caleb Watts, Julio Pleguezuelo and most recently Bradley Ibrahim - who will not feature until the new year after an ankle injury sustained this week.But some fans have been critical of the summer recruitment following a major turnover of players in the…

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Watchdog orders improvements at Dawlish mental health unit

Watchdog orders improvements at Dawlish mental health unit

Getty ImagesInspectors found "inconsistent care planning and risk management" at the Langdon Hospital wardsAn NHS trust has been told to take immediate action after inspectors found regulation breaches at a mental health unit.The Care Quality Commission (CQC) carried out an unannounced inspection in April of the wards at Langdon Hospital in Dawlish, Devon, following concerns over the safety of people using the service.The watchdog said the forensic inpatient and secure wards at the site, run by Devon Partnership…

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