county news

Amy HeyandZhara Simpson,DevonMalcolm TownrowMalcolm Townrow (right), here with his friend Richard Edwardes, said he was still planning visits to groundsA 71-year-old football fan has completed a challenge to visit all 92 football grounds of teams in the English Football League (EFL).Malcolm Townrow, from Devon and a Plymouth Argyle fan, said it had "only taken" him 57 years, four months and 27 days to complete the challenge.The challenge is to visit every single football league ground in England and…

The rebranding of a well-known venue in Devon is to better reflect the scale, ambition and profile of the events it hosts, bosses have said.The former Plymouth Pavilions has been renamed the Plymouth Arena, and marked the "next chapter" of its long-standing role in the city by offering entertainment and events, they added.CEO of Plymouth Marina Sarah Phillips said they had taken the opportunity to redefine what it stood for by putting creativity, community and character at the…

Samaritan volunteers have been at a railway station in Devon to encourage people to talk about their feelings. Members of the South Devon branch were at Newton Abbot station to talk to passers-by and also to remind them to "reach out" to people they care about for a cup of tea and a catch-up.The charity said there was no such thing as Blue Monday - widely considered to be the third Monday in January and said to be…

Exeter City loanee Timur Tutierov has "big potential" after scoring on his debut, says manager Gary Caldwell.The Ukraine Under-21 international moved to the League One side on loan from Premier League club Sunderland last week.Having come on after an hour, the 20-year-old winger scored deep in stoppage time to secure a 3-0 win over Stevenage at St James Park. He is the first player to move to the club during the January transfer window. "He's someone we've been…

Paul Wotton felt his Torquay United side deserved to take all three points in their 1-1 draw with Maidstone United.The Gulls, who were reduced to nine men in the final minutes of the game, fell behind midway through the first half after an excellent long-range Riley Court free-kick.But they were level in the 29th minute when Dylan Morgan fired in low from inside the box. The point saw the Gulls slip to fourth place in the National League…

Emma RuminskiSouth West arts reporterJim WilemanGillian Taylor has received letters to her PO Box address from all over DenmarkAn artist is collecting the final letters sent by a 400-year-old postal service to create a piece of art. Denmark's national postal service PostNord now only delivers parcels after it stopped its letter service in December due to a drop in demand.Artist Gillian Taylor is using the final postcards and letters sent to her to create an art installation called…

Archie FarmerandEve Watson,DevonBBCThe land earmarked for the development is near Woodbury Common and Pebblebed HeathsAbout 100 people have campaigned against plans for 700 homes to be built near protected areas of heathland. The protest in Budleigh Salterton was against proposals, named Exmo 20, which have been included in the draft East Devon Local Plan.The land earmarked for the development is near Woodbury Common and Pebblebed Heaths. Campaigners said it was the wrong place for large scale building.Councillor Todd…