Hundreds of Santas in Weymouth charity beach pudding race

Post published:December 21, 2025
Post category:BBC Dorset
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More than 200 runners dressed as Santa have taken part in a seaside town's festive Chase the Pudding charity race.The sprint along Weymouth beach, saw a pudding pursued by the Santas along a three-mile (5km) route from the Pavilion to Greenhill and back again.The annual event in Dorset raises funds for the Will Mackaness Trust, in memory of sportsman and Wey Valley School student Will Mackaness after he lost his battle with cancer in 2008.His mother Pamela Govier,…

Missing lifeboat washes up on Devon beach

Post published:December 21, 2025
Post category:Devon News
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A lifeboat that washed off a cargo ship has come ashore on a Devon beach.HM Coastguard said teams were first alerted to the container ship lifeboat at Sidmouth Beach at about 07:30 GMT on Sunday.It said the lifeboat had previously been reported as missing from a known cargo ship on Wednesday and teams had been tracking it since but were unaware of where it was going to wash up.Beer Coastguard Rescue Team was sent to help secure the…

Plans to create a public car park in Parkham submitted

Post published:December 21, 2025
Post category:Devon News
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Plans have been submitted for a new public car park aimed at addressing traffic issues in a north Devon village. Parkham Parish Council proposed developing land next to The Allardice Hall to provide a 34-space car park along with an amenity area.The plans, submitted to Torridge District Council, were supported by the local school, residents and the badminton club, which said hall users and the wider village would benefit significantly.In a letter to planners, Parkham Primary School said…

Drivers in Truro warned over ‘morning after’ drink-driving

Post published:December 21, 2025
Post category:BBC Cornwall
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Police in Cornwall have been stopping motorists as part of a 'morning after' drink-drive operation which is taking place over the Christmas season.Officers set up a roadside site in Truro to pull in vehicles and carry out breath tests on drivers. A total of 20 drivers were tested over a 90-minute period and all of them produced a negative result.PC Dave Langley, road casualty reduction officer for Cornwall, said: "If you drink the night before, chances are you're…

Russell Howard revisits his Somerset and Bristol roots

Post published:December 21, 2025
Post category:BBC Somerset
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Claire Carter,BBC Radio BristolandKirsten Robertson,West of EnglandRussell Howard on growing up in the West"The south-west just has a warmth to it; a twinkle, a bit of lunacy."Russell Howard is proud of his Somerset roots. The combination of "madness" and "warmth" in his upbringing helped him take his first steps down the winding road of stand-up.Born in Bath and raised in Radstock, the comedian - who later moved to Bristol - still has family based in Midsomer Norton, Radstock…

Exeter Digest #95: Libraries Funding Cuts – Heavitree Road Student Blocks – Exeter College Merger – Hospital Doctors Strike – Topsham Gap Development – Exeter Observer

Post published:December 21, 2025
Post category:Devon News Exeter

Exeter Digest #95: Libraries Funding Cuts – Heavitree Road Student Blocks – Exeter College Merger – Hospital Doctors Strike – Topsham Gap Development – Exeter Observer

HEADLINES Devon County Council funding cuts set to reduce core library opening hours by 30% Public consultation on changes explores possibility of closing some branches altogether despite claims to the contrary while Libraries Unlimited contract extension decision scheduled for six weeks before consultation ends. Read more. Exeter City Council adds 813 more student and “co-living”

Underweight seal pup recovering after Seatown beach rescue

Post published:December 21, 2025
Post category:BBC Dorset
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Ros TappendenSouth of EnglandAllan CummingsThe seal pup was found underweight and exhausted near SeatownAn underweight and struggling seal pup rescued from a litter-strewn beach after Storm Bram is recovering very well, rescuers have said.The juvenile seal was spotted covered in mud and surrounded by debris near Seatown, Dorset, on 9 December.A member of the public alerted British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) which rescued the animal and it is now being cared for by the RSPCA at West…

Villagers group together to try and buy Somerset pub

Post published:December 21, 2025
Post category:BBC Somerset
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Rachel Candlin,West of EnglandandAndy Bennett,BBC Radio SomersetGoogleThe Cat Head Inn closed in May and is currently on the marketA group of villagers are trying to buy their local pub after it closed suddenly.Chiselborough had a pub in one form or another for 400 years - until The Cat Head closed in May. Its owners said the "rising costs of running a business in today's economy" had made it "impossible" to continue.The Somerset pub is now on the market…

Seaside councils adopt 100-year coastal risks action plan

Post published:December 21, 2025
Post category:BBC Dorset
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Two seaside councils have adopted a new joint action plan to manage coastal flooding and erosion risks for the next 100 years.Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council (BCP) and New Forest District Council worked with the Environment Agency and infrastructure consulting firm Aecom to produce the Christchurch Bay and Harbour Strategy.It outlines how ageing coastal defences and the changing climate, including rising sea levels, put more than 3,500 properties at risk.The authorities said that if nothing was done, over…

Improvement works to Devon King Charles III coast path completed

Post published:December 21, 2025
Post category:Devon News
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Caroline RobinsonSouth WestDevon County CouncilThe route was cleared for the new path at Downend Croyde in DevonImprovements to two sections forming part of the King Charles III Coast Path (KCIIIECP) being created to go around the whole of England, have been completed.The sections on both Devon coasts cover more than 150 miles in total, and the works include upgraded walkways, landscaping and habitat improvements, Natural England said.The works form part of a national programme to create a coastal…

Young female beaver’s arrival ‘exciting moment’ for sanctuary

Post published:December 21, 2025
Post category:BBC Cornwall
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An animal sanctuary has said the arrival of a female beaver to pair up with its resident male is "an exciting moment".Parsnip, who is about two years old, arrived at the Cornish Seal Sanctuary from Forestry England's Cropton Forest enclosure after a short stay at Flamingo Land.Her move was planned with the Beaver Trust to ensure she was a compatible match for Turnip, a male beaver at the sanctuary. The sanctuary said it had been a Christmas surprise…

Dorset reptile charity runs free children’s Christmas club

Post published:December 21, 2025
Post category:BBC Dorset
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Katie WapleSouth of EnglandThe Reptile AcademyYoung people at The Reptile Academy learn how to handle larger animals like Monte the Burmese pythonA non-for-profit organisation dedicated to reptile and amphibian education is giving children the opportunity to attend free Christmas holiday clubs.The Reptile Academy, in Wimborne, Dorset, offers a holiday activity and food (HAF) programme which is supported by local councils and the Department for Education.The clubs are to support families and young people who face hardship during the…