Devon theatre school seeks new home to store historic costumes

Post published:December 2, 2025
Post category:Devon News
Post comments:0 Comments

A theatre school in Devon is looking for a new space to store several decades' worth of costumes after a leak in its roof. Willow Tree Dance and Theatre Arts School, based in Tiverton, said the building it currently stored the items in including handmade clothing, wigs and accessories had a leak. The school hosts about 274 pupils aged 18 months and upwards and said it hosts at least three shows a year. It added thanks to its…

‘Dog soft play centre opens’ and ‘longest NHS strike continues’

Post published:December 2, 2025
Post category:BBC Somerset
Post comments:0 Comments

Somerset Soft Play for DogsA soft play centre for dogs has opened in SomersetHere's our daily pick of stories from across local websites in the West of England, and interesting content from social media.Our pick of local website storiesA 106-year-old newsagents in Burnham-on-Sea, which has been run by the same family for over century, has closed, Burnham and Highbridge Weekly News reports.A thief who plagued a Greggs branch and stole from Home Bargains has been sentenced, the Swindon…

‘Risk of serious injury’ at nuclear plant Hinkley Point C

Post published:December 2, 2025
Post category:BBC Somerset
Post comments:0 Comments

There is a "risk of serious injury" at the first nuclear plant to be built in Britain for 30 years after regulators identified "inadequate fire controls".Inspections served civil engineering firm Bylor JV, which is run by both Laing O'Rourke and Bouygues Travaux Publics, with a fire safety notice for its work at Hinkley Point C in Somerset.The Office for Nuclear Regulation(ONR) said the company "did not meet the standards we require, particularly given the scale and complexity of…

Prison staff ‘begging for help’ as mental health sick days rise

Post published:December 2, 2025
Post category:BBC Dorset
Post comments:0 Comments

Eve Webster,BBC News,Jonathan Fagg,BBC England Data UnitandEma Sabljak,BBC England Data UnitGetty ImagesThe total number of staff taking at least one day off for mental health reasons across England's prisons rose from 3,535 in 2019 to 5,478 in 2024Prison staff in England are increasingly missing work due to poor mental health, exclusive data shows. Officers say a lack of support, regular traumatic incidents and violence are factors behind the rise."In my final weeks, it was very common to come…

Devon charity Headway uses cooking to aid brain injury recovery

Post published:December 2, 2025
Post category:Devon News
Post comments:0 Comments

Claire Manningin PlymouthBBCHeadway Plymouth has teamed up with not-for-profit community interest company Food is FunA Devon charity that supports people with acquired brain injuries is using cooking as a way to help clients with their recovery.Headway Plymouth has teamed up with not-for-profit community interest company Food is Fun to teach cooking skills.The charity said there were about 80,000 brain injury survivors living in Devon.Headway Plymouth's chief executive Craig Butler said food was important for brain growth and development.'We're…

Teachers cycle to support community after Somerset bus crash

Post published:December 2, 2025
Post category:BBC Somerset
Post comments:0 Comments

Cathy AlexanderWest of EnglandMoorland FederationThe head teachers said the air ambulance is a vital resource for their rural communityThe community left reeling in the aftermath of a school coach crash is coming together to raise funds for the air ambulance that played a key role in the emergency response.Three Moorland Federation headteachers will be cycling between its eight schools in Exmoor, Somerset, joined by the father of 10-year-old Oliver Price.Oliver died of a head injury when a coach…

Birdgirl marks decade of helping minority children access nature

Post published:December 2, 2025
Post category:BBC Somerset
Post comments:0 Comments

Oliver Edwards PhotographyDr Mya-Rose Craig says Black2Nature has helped hundreds of children over the past decadeAn environmental campaigner who founded a charity to help children from ethnic minorities access nature says the cultural landscape has "shifted" since she began her work a decade ago.Dr Mya-Rose Craig, 23, nicknamed 'Birdgirl', set up Black2Nature at the age of 13 to connect more children from Visible Minority Ethnic (VME) communities with the outdoors.Reflecting on the charity's 10th anniversary, she said the…

Erhmann hopes to make inroads into UK dairy market

Post published:December 2, 2025
Post category:BBC Cornwall
Post comments:0 Comments

Christine ButlerCornwall, TrewithenBBCStaff package tubs of clotted cream for distribution to supermarketsThe new German owners of a dairy in Cornwall say "the future's really bright" for the business after substantial investment in new products.The Ehrmann group bought Trewithen Dairy in June 2024 and is spending more than £20m on a new state-of-the-art chilled dessert facility, due to be completed next year.The investment has secured more than 200 jobs, with the hope more staff could be taken on when…

Art students design murals for new Bournemouth hospital building

Post published:December 2, 2025
Post category:BBC Dorset
Post comments:0 Comments

A group of art students have seen their work unveiled at a hospital that is undergoing a major transformation.Two 9m (30ft) murals have been installed at the Royal Bournemouth Hospital's new BEACH building.University Hospitals Dorset NHS Trust collaborated with Arts University Bournemouth (AUB) on the project as part of the trust's £500m transformation programme.The artworks - Emerging Kingfisher and Dorset Diorama - were created by interior architecture and design students Emily Bishop, Yulia Klajnscek, Rhea Hackwell and Olivia…

The NFU Mutual Charitable Trust Centenary Award 2025

Post published:December 1, 2025
Post category:Exeter Uni News
Post comments:0 Comments

A promising postgraduate student from Holne in Devon has been selected to receive a national ‘Centenary Award’ bursary from The NFU Mutual Charitable Trust to support her studies relating to UK agriculture. Maeve Leith was selected for the award to support her PhD at the University of Exeter. Maeve’s working title for her thesis is “Shared Values, Divided Visions: Perceptions of Landscape Health in a National Park Context”. It will be a Sociology programme with the university’s Centre…

Bin lorry fire in Wimborne ‘likely caused by battery’

Post published:December 1, 2025
Post category:BBC Dorset
Post comments:0 Comments

A fire that broke out in a bin lorry was "quite likely" caused by a crushed battery, a council has said. A crew from Dorset Council noticed smoke coming from the rear of their vehicle in Wimborne town centre earlier.They ejected the contents of the lorry to prevent damage and the flames were quickly put out by the fire service. No-one was injured, and the authority said the road surface had now been cleaned and swept. In a…

Langport caravan park owner fined for threatening bird habitats

Post published:December 1, 2025
Post category:BBC Somerset
Post comments:0 Comments

Daniel MumbyLocal Demoracy Reporting ServiceNatural EnglandThe site near Langport is a crucial breeding site for birdsA caravan park owner has been fined more than £116,000 after admitting disturbing land used as a breeding ground for birds.John Holland, 59, of Moorlinch in Somerset, appeared before Taunton Crown Court on Wednesday 26 November after admitting two offences under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 at earlier hearings.A four-year Natural England prosecution showed Holland had created a permanent caravan park on…