county news

Poppy parade and Joe Wicks

Poppy parade and Joe Wicks

November is in full swing across the county, bringing people together for parades of all sorts.Firefighters marched in the poppy parade on Armistice day and carts were seen on Weston-super-Mares streets for carnival.Find this and more in our weekly picture roundup.Lights and colours: A procession of illuminated carts and costumed performers filled the streets of Weston-super-Mare for the return of the carnival.The event, which dates back to 1871, is one of the well-known Somerset Guy Fawkes carnivals. The…

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Daughter’s joy as hidden motorbike engine found in Kingskerswell

Daughter’s joy as hidden motorbike engine found in Kingskerswell

Jonathan MorrisSouth WestSally OliverSally Oliver with father Peter who she believes could have hidden other itemsA woman whose late father hid a motorbike engine under the floorboards decades ago has been reunited with the memento.Mark Chard was working on pipework in Kingskerswell, Devon, when he discovered the MZ engine alongside a handwritten letter from Peter Oliver, a devoted motorcycle enthusiast. Sally Oliver said the engine "was a piece of Dad's spirit" would take pride of place in her…

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Cornwall GI baby on tracking down his dad and meeting his saviour

Cornwall GI baby on tracking down his dad and meeting his saviour

Tim LobbTim Lobb went to West Virginia to meet his father Marshall DonohewDuring his teenage years, Tim Lobb felt "alone in the world" after discovering he was adopted. That all changed when he tracked down his father in the United States and the pair formed a connection."It was a really big shock," said Tim Lobb, now 79, as he recalled the moment he learned the truth about his birth parents.He was 17 years old when he found out…

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Citizen science tackles Dorset’s invisible river pollution

Citizen science tackles Dorset’s invisible river pollution

Dorset Wildlife TrustThe presence of invertebrates are an indicator of river health and pollutionSewage in our waterways has long been a major concern but, in Dorset, hundreds of volunteers are tackling a bigger, but lesser known, threat to our rivers.According to Dorset Wildlife Trust (DWT), agriculture accounts for about 60% of the pollution in the county's rivers.Add that to medicines, household detergents, garden chemicals and common pet treatments and the problems start to stack up for these fragile…

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‘Flight route between Cornwall and London will still return’

‘Flight route between Cornwall and London will still return’

A vital flight route between Cornwall and London will return as planned, despite the company providing the aircraft suspending trading, Skybus has said.The plane for the resumed route was originally going to be sourced from Blue Islands, but the Jersey-based company suspended trading on Friday.The Newquay to London Gatwick route was suspended last month after the previous operator, regional airline Eastern Airways, announced it was on the brink of entering administration.Jonathan Hinkles, Skybus managing director, said he was…

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Four malnourished kittens saved from landfill site

Four malnourished kittens saved from landfill site

Four kittens were saved after they were found malnourished and riddled with fleas and worms at a landfill site. Workers from a cat welfare charity used kippers to tempt the kittens to safety after staff at Westcombe Waste in Somerton, Somerset, found two other dead kittens.The three males and one female kitten, aged about five weeks old, were discovered under an 8m (26ft) high pile of wood.Rebecca Dawson, from Cats Protection, said after two weeks of specialist food,…

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Applications for £2m south west nature recovery fund open

A £2m fund to support local community groups with a focus on the environment across south-west England has open for applications.South West Water (SWW) said its Nature Recovery Fund aimed to deliver "tangible, community-led improvements" to nature and water quality.The package will support and assist environmental partnerships and volunteer programmes across Cornwall, Devon, the Isles of Scilly and a small area in Dorset where SWW delivers wastewater services.Susan Davy, CEO of Pennon, said the fund was "another step…

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Serious crash closes Devon A30 for several hours

Serious crash closes Devon A30 for several hours

PANational Highways said the road reopened at about 02:00 on SaturdayA serious crash closed part of the A30 in Devon for several hours.National Highways said a van had flipped on to its roof on the road between the A377 near Exeter and the A382 near Whiddon Down on Friday.Devon and Cornwall Police said emergency services were called to the dual carriageway at about 17:50 GMT with "significant" congestion reported.A post on X from National Highways said the A30…

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Metal replaces wood in £100k Devon playground overhaul

A play area has replaced its wooden equipment with "robust" metal as part of a complete refurbishment.South Hams District Council said the village play park at St Ann's Chapel, in Devon, had benefitted from more than £100,000 funding as one of its key priorities to "enhance the wellbeing of their communities".It said impact-absorbing rubber and non-slip surfaces had been put down to ensure facilities were available in all conditions and that the park would "remain a safe and…

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Two birds of prey stolen from Cornish rescue centre

Two birds of prey stolen from Cornish rescue centre

Two birds of prey have been stolen from a rescue centre, police have said.Keepers at the Cornish Birds of Prey Centre CIC said a gyr falcon and a striated caracara were taken between 17:00 GMT on Thursday and 07:00 on Friday.Kelly Grigg, the owner of the centre at Winnard's Perch, in Cornwall, said the bolt and padlock to one of its aviaries had been "hit with force".She said she thought whoever had stolen the birds would have had…

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