Local members of the Royal British Legion in Cornwall have launched the annual Poppy Appeal outside Truro Cathedral.The annual appeal runs in the lead up to Remembrance Sunday and nationally raises more than £50m each year.The funds are distributed to support ex-service personnel and their families.The cathedral plays a key role each year in Remembrance events across Truro and Cornwall. Source link
A woman died after being trampled by a herd of cows while walking her dog on Exmoor, an inquest was told.Rebecca Jane Hitchings, 59, of Woodcombe, near Minehead, in Somerset, was found with severe injuries and she was airlifted to Derriford Hospital in Plymouth, but doctors were unable to save her.Senior Devon, Plymouth and Torbay coroner Philip Spinney said Ms Hitchings suffered blunt trauma that led to haemorrhagic shock. Ms Hitchings, a retired nurse who was born in…
Jonathan HolmesWest of EnglandDiocese of Bath and WellsThe clock mechanism in the tower of St Catherine's Church in Montacute dates back to the 1400sWhile most will be enjoying an extra hour's sleep as the clocks go back on Sunday morning, for those who look after them it is a busy time.Across the West Country, people will be heading out to look after various antique mechanisms in church towers, train stations and more."It's quite notorious that somebody will turn…
Rainwater will be collected and filtered to help lower utility costs for a charity supporting single people who may otherwise be homeless.Glen Carne houses 35 people who have been referred by local agencies such as Cornwall Council, homeless charities and mental health teams.Each resident has their own room with shared cooking and laundry facilities which currently use metered water, the charity said. A new underground tank was installed at its site in St Agnes, Cornwall, thanks to £15,000…
A visitor attraction that cares for hundreds of swans has closed for winter a week earlier than planned and cancelled its half term Halloween events amid fears of a bird flu outbreak.Abbotsbury Swannery in Dorset had been due to welcome visitors to its Ghostly Games trail from Saturday 25 October to Sunday 2 November.A post on its website said: "Due to suspected avian influenza (bird flu) on the reserve, as a precautionary measure, and in line with other…
A military museum has hosted a training exercise to test the emergency services' response to a chemical incident.Police, fire, ambulance, search and rescue teams and university paramedics took part in the exercise at the Tank Museum in Bovington, Dorset.The fake scenario involved a forklift truck colliding with a chemical tanker carrying chlorine, resulting in a chemical leak, casualties and missing people.The Tank Museum remained open throughout the event on Thursday and there was no risk to the public.Sgt…
Lilly-Mae MessengerSomerset , BBC West of EnglandTanya RussellTanya Russell's daughter, Johdi (L), died in 2017A Somerset mother is appealing for help after losing a ring containing her daughter's ashes.Tanya Russell, a grief counsellor based in Cheddar, posted the appeal on social media when she realised the ring was missing.Her daughter, Johdi, died in 2017 from sudden unexplained death in epilepsy (SUDEP).Mrs Russel said: "It's similar to losing a loved one as it was part of her... I feel…
Trowbridge Pumpkin TrailThe annual Trowbridge Pumpkin Trail begins on Saturday 25 OctoberWith Halloween right around the corner, the West of England is bursting with exciting activities this spooky season. From decorated pumpkins, spooky houses to family-friendly fright nights, here is a round up of some of the spookiest events happening in the west.BristolBristol Aquarium and We The Curious are hosting a Halloween silent disco - one ticket grants access to both venues.Families can step on board the SS…
A council has launched a new health campaign to encourage parents and caregivers to put down their phones and connect with their children more.The "Phones Away - Talk and Play" campaign aims to highlight the role face-to-face interaction plays in early childhood development, said Cornwall Council.The council said research showed excessive parental phone use could interfere with a child's brain development.Public Health Cornwall and Together for Families have partnered to lead the campaign.Hilary Frank, cabinet member for children,…
Nikki Fox,East of England health correspondent at Essex Coroner's Court and Lewis Adams,EssexFamily handoutAbbi Smith understood and felt the world around her differently due to being autistic, her family saidA mental health trust that discharged a patient despite a "real and immediate risk to her life" was neglectful in its conduct, a coroner has said.Abbi Smith, 26, died the day after her release from the Linden Centre, an inpatient unit run by Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust…
An exhibition has opened in Barnstaple to showcase North Devon's growing reputation for innovation and technology.Northern Devon Innovates, which opened at the Museum of Barnstaple and North Devon, said it would focus on local businesses developing products and ideas for global markets.The exhibition includes case studies of companies like AutoNaut, Ecotribo and Krempel to show that there is more to the region than "agriculture and farming".Alison Mills, director of the museum, said the exhibition was due to run…
RNLI lifeguards in the South West have returned to some beaches for the school half-term holiday.It said lifeguards would patrol 23 beaches across Devon, Cornwall and Jersey for the half-term period from Saturday, 25 October until Sunday, 2 November.Henry Saddler-Irvine, RNLI regional lifeguard lead for the South West, said "conditions can be challenging at this time of year" with autumn storms "bringing large swells and an increased risk to people on the coast". The RNLI said lifeguards would…