county news

Taunton pastor concerned over Sunday parking charge proposals

Taunton pastor concerned over Sunday parking charge proposals

Daniel MumbyLocal Democracy Reporting ServiceLDRSSomerset Council proposed to introduce Sunday parking charges across the countyA church leader says implementing car parking charges on a Sunday would "irrevocably damage" town centres.Somerset Council estimated the implementation of the charges across the county would raise £730,000 of additional funding every year.However, councillors and Judith Butler, a Taunton church leader, warned the move would severely damage high streets and would result in fewer people shopping, eating out or attending religious services.While the…

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Army doctors join Exeter project to end ‘dementia tax’

Army doctors join Exeter project to end ‘dementia tax’

Two former army doctors have taken their campaign against what they call an "unfair dementia tax" to Westminster.Dr Michael Staunton and his wife, Dr Avril Staunton, from Bridgwater, Somerset, are calling for the scrapping of a VAT rule that adds 20% to the cost of dementia day care at Exeter-based social enterprise The Filo Project.Avril Staunton, who was diagnosed with posterior cortical atrophy at just 60, hand-delivered an open letter signed by 150 supporters. A government spokesperson said…

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Experts hail Cornwall as the ‘Engine Room’ of PM’s new Critical Minerals Strategy 

The UK’s new Critical Minerals Strategy must make domestic extraction, refining, and recycling pillars of sovereign capability, experts have urged. The plan should define critical minerals as key to a broader political-economic reset that can underpin jobs and local growth, a new report by the University of Exeter’s Critical Minerals Challenge Centre, says.  Members of the UKRI-funded research hub – based at the University of Exeter’s Penryn Campus in the critical minerals hotbed of Cornwall, a world-leading reserve…

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Lost Gardens of Heligan night glow-up extends hours

Lost Gardens of Heligan night glow-up extends hours

The Lost Gardens of Heligan's Night Garden is back, and this year, visitors have more time to soak up the magic. The winter light trail is open with extended evening hours running on select dates until 3 January.The event transforms the Cornish gardens near St Austell into a glowing wonderland, featuring new installations like Dance of the Standing Stones and Submergence, alongside returning favourites such as animal lanterns and fire pits for marshmallow toasting. Visitors can also enjoy…

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‘I wish we could have Christmas together’

‘I wish we could have Christmas together’

George Thorpe,South West and John Henderson,CornwallBBCBecky Dustan said she wished she could have Christmas dinner with her brother Michael Riddiough-Allen againA campaigner whose brother was stabbed to death said she wishes "something could change" so they could have Christmas dinner together.Becky Dustan said she wanted everything to be different following the death of her brother Michael Riddiough-Allen, who was murdered in a knife attack outside Eclipse nightclub in Bodmin in April 2023.Jake Hill, who also injured four other…

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Book of Dorset women shelved as statue charity hit with £5k bill

Book of Dorset women shelved as statue charity hit with £5k bill

Campaigners working to install a statue of a Dorset novelist have shelved plans for a book to accompany the project after being hit with an unexpected £5,000 bill.Visible Women crowdfunded for the life-sized bronze of Sylvia Townsend Warner for Dorchester's South Street but had not factored in the cost of groundworks.It said the additional expense meant some side projects, including a book about Dorset's forgotten women, would be postponed or cancelled.Anya Pearson, who launched the project, said a…

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GPS tags for Dartmoor ponies grazing wild areas of west Cornwall

GPS tags for Dartmoor ponies grazing wild areas of west Cornwall

Dartmoor ponies roaming the hills of west Cornwall are getting a tech upgrade. The National Trust has started fitting GPS [global positioning system] collars to some of its ponies to make sure they can be tracked across the 1,482 acres (600 hectares) of land they help manage.Ash Pearson, countryside manager for the National Trust in west Cornwall, said the move was vital for conservation. "We've got over 30 ponies, but we only tag the lead animals in each…

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Bumper crop for National Trust’s Cotehele’s Christmas garland

Bumper crop for National Trust’s Cotehele’s Christmas garland

BBCJust part of the 60ft-long flower garland that hangs in the Great Hall at CoteheleA bumper growing season has led to 38,000 flowers being used in a Christmas garland.The festive tradition at the National Trust's Cotehele site, in Cornwall, started in 1956.The process of making the garland takes a year from sowing seeds, harvesting and drying the flowers for them to be ready to be carefully used in the garland which is about 60ft (18m) long.Gardener Kay Lyle,…

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Somerset board game marathon in aid of children’s cancer charity

Somerset board game marathon in aid of children’s cancer charity

Rachel Candlin,West of England and Simon Parkin,SomersetRikh HartRikh Hart (L) and Stuart Perrin aim to stay awake for the full 24-hour marathonBoard game enthusiasts in Somerset are taking part in a 24-hour marathon to raise money for charity.The event is being hosted by Bridgwater Geek and Gaming at The Activity Warehouse - and people can take part in eight-hour slots."People get really passionate about these different games, be it board games, role-playing or card games, so it's an…

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Cars and parts stolen and smuggled abroad within 24 hours

Cars and parts stolen and smuggled abroad within 24 hours

Hannah Walsh and Alex Bish,South and South East Investigations and Jonathan Fagg,England Data UnitSgt Ross Haybourne says his team has found stolen parts heading for Cyprus and Africa where there is high demandCars and parts are being stolen and smuggled out of the UK sometimes within 24 hours to countries in Europe and Africa, police are warning. Sgt Ross Haybourne, from the Kent Police Rural Task Force, says criminals are often stealing to order across the South and…

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