devon

Paignton Picture House awarded £675k grant by Historic England

Paignton Picture House awarded £675k grant by Historic England

A project to restore a Grade II* listed cinema has been given a grant of more than half a million pounds.Historic England (HE) has awarded £675,246 to the Paignton Picture House to carry out works to stabilise the building and restore architectural features.HE South West regional director Rebecca Barrett said it was one of the largest grants given this year and it represented "another big step towards its future as a thriving cultural hub".Paignton Picture House is expected…

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Villagers rally to save shop and chapel in Cheriton Fitzpaine

Villagers rally to save shop and chapel in Cheriton Fitzpaine

BBCResident Michael Skinner said the village would be "totally lost" without the shopA small village in mid Devon is celebrating after raising more than £100,000 to save its local shop and preserve a Methodist chapel. The lease on the community shop in Cheriton Fitzpaine is set to expire in 2027 and there is no right to renew it.When the chapel next door to it went up for sale, the village rallied around to buy it.Within eight months, 220…

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Forecasters warn of disruption amid weather warnings

Forecasters warn of disruption amid weather warnings

Forecasters have warned of possible disruption with more weather warnings issued for heavy rain and wind in the South and South West of England.The Met Office has put out a yellow warning for high winds extending from Hampshire to Devon and Cornwall and up to Somerset from 22:00 GMT on Monday until 16:00 on Tuesday.A separate yellow weather warning was also issued for rain which will be in place from 18:00 GMT on Monday to 18:00 on Tuesday.The…

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Penryn Town Council delays decision about using toxic weedkiller

Penryn Town Council delays decision about using toxic weedkiller

PA MediaPenryn Town Council has voted to postpone selecting a contractor for weed-killingA town council has voted to postpone choosing a contractor to kill weeds after it received complaints from members of the public.Penryn Town Council said weeds had been sprayed with glyphosate over the past few years, a herbicide which has been linked to cancer and a decline in bee populations.Councillor Mael Garrec said 80 residents had asked the council to delay the vote and added using…

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Mystery of message in a bottle found on Devon beach solved

Mystery of message in a bottle found on Devon beach solved

Mike Nicholls found the bottle on Woolacombe BeachA man who was looking for the family of a couple whose ashes were released into the sea in a bottle said the family had made contact with him. Mike Nicholls discovered the message in a bottle on Woolacombe Beach, in Devon, on 9 November. The note said the couple had been sent on one "final adventure".Mr Nicholls posted photos of the bottle on a Facebook page and said the story…

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£4.2m food waste collection scheme to be rolled out in Plymouth

£4.2m food waste collection scheme to be rolled out in Plymouth

Archie Farmer,DevonandAlison Stephenson,Local Democracy Reporting ServicePA MediaPlymouth City Council said the service would eventually serve every household in PlymouthFood waste collections are to be rolled out in the Plymouth area from March next year.It means that instead of putting food items in their brown bins, residents will be provided with a separate food waste caddy.The service, costing £4.2m to implement over the next few years, is expected to create an uplift in the city's under performing recycling rate…

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Business rates misery for independent shops in Newton Abbot

Business rates misery for independent shops in Newton Abbot

Miles DavisDevon political reporter, Newton AbbotBBCHayley Kyte has been put off expanding her business because of rising ratesIndependent traders in a Devon town are deeply concerned about an increase in their business rates bills.In Newton Abbot a sweet shop owner said his bill will go up by about £4,500 and a successful gift shop owner said the level of business rates means it would not be worthwhile for her to expand into a second shop.The government has brought…

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Exeter student wins award for device to detect parasite

Exeter student wins award for device to detect parasite

Clare AinsworthSouth WestUniversity of ExeterMedical student Kathryn Thomas, 21, has invented a device to test for cryptosporidium at sourceA medical student hopes her award-winning invention for detecting a deadly water parasite could save thousands of people from the risk of infection.Kathryn Thomas, 21, from Berkshire, said the system she had developed for detecting cryptosporidium - parasites that can cause a respiratory and gastrointestinal illness - could make a "huge difference to the health of thousands of adults and…

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Blaze that gutted Frome flats was ‘started accidentally’

Blaze that gutted Frome flats was ‘started accidentally’

A fire that gutted part of a block of flats started accidentally, firefighters have confirmed. Residents of nine flats have been forced to move into hotels after the blaze on Marigold Road, Frome, on Wednesday. No one was seriously injured but the building was extensively damaged with part of the roof collapsing. Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service confirmed on Saturday the blaze had been started accidentally.Selwood Housing, which own the flats, said it was "hard to…

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Hundreds of Santas ride through Cornwall and Devon for hospice

Hundreds of Santas ride through Cornwall and Devon for hospice

Hundreds of Santas on motorbikes have ridden through two counties to raise money for a children's hospice.The Santas On A Bike annual ride raises money for Little Harbour children's hospice in St Austell, Cornwall, part of Children's Hospice South West.The bikers set off from Ivybridge, Devon, earlier and travelled through Saltash, Liskeard, Lostwithiel, Par and Charlestown in Cornwall, before arriving at Little Harbour.Kevin Moorey, one of the organisers, said: "The feeling of riding with 200 plus other Santas,…

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Hundreds gather as rival protests begin

Hundreds gather as rival protests begin

BBCDevon and Cornwall Police said about 50 officers were at the sceneAbout 350 people have been taking part in rival protests in Plymouth.Flag Force Plymouth and a group of counter-protesters gathered near Plymouth Civic Centre on Saturday morning.Devon and Cornwall Police said about 50 officers were managing the scene, with their presence to "enable peaceful protests".A number of people from Flag Force and associated groups were in attendance.A group describing themselves as anti-fascists marched at the same time…

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Weather warning issued by Met Office

Weather warning issued by Met Office

Sarah TurnnidgeWest of England Getty ImagesSome exposed areas could see half their average December rain fall in just one day Areas of England and Wales have been warned of potential flooding and travel disruption caused by heavy rain. The Met Office issued a yellow weather warning for south west England and south Wales earlier, which will be in place from 18:00 GMT on Monday to 18:00 on Tuesday. The forecaster said an area of low pressure approaching the…

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