city news

Cranbrook to get £3m community centre for families to ‘thrive’

A new town in Devon will receive £3m to create a community space with facilities for families and young people.Devon County Council's cabinet has agreed to allocate the money from housing developer contributions for the project in Cranbrook, near Exeter.The new facility will provide health services for young people "who are at risk of poor outcomes" as part of a larger leisure centre scheme that is being worked on.The council said Cranbrook had a much younger population than…

Continue ReadingCranbrook to get £3m community centre for families to ‘thrive’

Discussions open over £7m libraries budget for Devon

Discussions open over £7m libraries budget for Devon

Miles DavisDevon political reporterLibraries UnlimitedAlex Kittow, of Libraries Unlimited, said people were using libraries differently nowLibraries are now "community hubs" rather than just places to borrow books, according to the boss of the library service in Devon.Libraries Unlimited chief executive Alex Kittow has welcomed the prospect of a consultation on the future of the county's libraries and urged the public to have their say.It comes as Devon County Council looks at ways of reducing its annual payment of…

Continue ReadingDiscussions open over £7m libraries budget for Devon

Acclaimed Ukrainian soldier poet invited to the UK for Being Human festival

A Ukrainian poet renowned for composing her verse on the frontline of her country’s defence against Russia’s illegal war is to visit Devon and London to share her experiences and perspectives. Yaryna Chornohuz has been helping to defend her country from Russian aggression since 2019. She is currently a drone operator and previously took part in fierce battles as a member of the 140th Separate Reconnaissance Battalion of the Ukrainian Marine Corps at the time of the full-scale…

Continue ReadingAcclaimed Ukrainian soldier poet invited to the UK for Being Human festival

Student entrepreneurs spark electric vehicle revolution for education sector

Two Exeter students are making inroads in business by supplying colleges and universities with electric vehicle chargers. Ruairi Duignan, who studies Business and Environment, and Ammar El Beik, a Law with Business student, started a startup called Turbo Zone in their first year of studies at Exeter’s Penryn campus. They initially planned to manufacture their own EV chargers but were steered towards a different business model after consultation and mentoring from University experts. Turbo Zone emerged as a value-added reseller of…

Continue ReadingStudent entrepreneurs spark electric vehicle revolution for education sector

New partnership set to strengthen regional education for the South West.

Andy Berry, CBE of UCS College Group and Professor Lisa Roberts, President and Vice Chancellor, University of Exeter signed of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), marking a significant step towards strengthening regional education, research, and skills development across the South West. The collaboration aims to explore joint initiatives in several key areas, including improving education outcomes, fostering social mobility, developing innovative healthcare solutions, and enhancing employer-led training. The partnership will also seek to make collaborative bids for regional…

Continue ReadingNew partnership set to strengthen regional education for the South West.

Furniture trader duped vulnerable customers in Devon and Somerset

Furniture trader duped vulnerable customers in Devon and Somerset

BBCPeter Kitson was jailed for 15 months after he pleaded guilty to fraudulent tradingThe "greedy and arrogant" boss of a mobility furniture firm which scammed vulnerable customers out of £65,000 has been jailed.Exeter Crown Court heard staff at Peter Kitson's business, Mobility Furniture Company, used aggressive and pressurised sales techniques to carry out fraudulent deals on elderly people between 2015 and 2018 across Devon and Somerset.The court was told Kitson was fully aware of the tactics being used,…

Continue ReadingFurniture trader duped vulnerable customers in Devon and Somerset

Heavitree Road in Exeter closed for an extra week

A main road closure that has caused major traffic problems in Exeter will be closed for a week longer than expected due to engineering problems.Heavitree Road - the main bus route in and out of Exeter - will now be closed heading out of the city until Monday 13 October.The road was due to reopen last Sunday but Wales and West Utilities said work to upgrade the gas network had "taken longer than expected".The road closure has caused…

Continue ReadingHeavitree Road in Exeter closed for an extra week

Kwenzo Blose: Exeter prop to have surgery on ruptured Achilles

Exeter prop Kwenzo Blose is to undergo surgery after it was confirmed he has ruptured his Achilles.The South African forward was taken off injured 10 minutes after coming on from the bench in the Chiefs' 38-15 Prem win over Newcastle on Saturday.Exeter director of rugby Rob Baxter said he hoped to see the 28-year-old back "before the end of the season"."We're all disappointed for Kwenzo," Baxter said. "He really started to emerge for us at the tail end…

Continue ReadingKwenzo Blose: Exeter prop to have surgery on ruptured Achilles

2023 ocean heatwave ‘unprecedented but not unexpected’

The June 2023 heatwave in northern European seas was “unprecedented but not unexpected”, new research shows. During the heatwave, temperatures in the shallow seas around the UK (including the North Sea and Celtic Sea) reached 2.9°C above the June average for 16 days. While unprecedented since observations began, the study warns that rapid climate change means there is now about a 10% chance of a marine heatwave of this scale occurring each year. The June 2023 marine heatwave…

Continue Reading2023 ocean heatwave ‘unprecedented but not unexpected’

Help researchers track the fascinating history of seaweed eating in Cornwall

Researchers need the help of communities in Cornwall to help trace the fascinating history of seaweed eating. There has been a seaweed culinary revival in recent years, but people have eaten it for thousands of years. Seaweed’s historical use as a food seems to be less well remembered in Cornwall compared to Scotland, Wales and Ireland, where there are still living memories of foraging for and cooking with laver, dulse and carrageen. Now a research team are putting…

Continue ReadingHelp researchers track the fascinating history of seaweed eating in Cornwall

Experts to embark on radical new approach to understand the challenges of academic writing

Experts will launch a radical approach to understanding the challenges of writing well at school and university. A team working on a major new study will create a ‘map’ of writing task types, and their key linguistic features, across different subject areas and educational levels. This will lead to an online resource and guidance to help educational professionals and researchers better understand the different linguistic and academic challenges posed by different text types and the ways in which…

Continue ReadingExperts to embark on radical new approach to understand the challenges of academic writing

Deaf community takes centre stage at Exeter’s Northcott Theatre

Deaf community takes centre stage at Exeter’s Northcott Theatre

BBCMark Stocks from the Deaf Academy teaches British Sign Language (BSL) to staff at the Northcott Theatre A Devon theatre has joined forces with Exmouth's the Deaf Academy to make the venue and its productions more accessible to people with hearing loss.The collaboration grew out of a letter one of the teachers sent to the theatre about about the impeded view of the British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter on stage. Mark Stocks, of the school, was invited to…

Continue ReadingDeaf community takes centre stage at Exeter’s Northcott Theatre