devon

Woman’s £8k theft from Plymouth charity ‘a betrayal’

Woman’s £8k theft from Plymouth charity ‘a betrayal’

Ian S/GeographGeorgina Mary Thompson, 40, was handed a 12-month prison sentence, suspended for a yearA woman stole almost £8,000 from a charity she worked for, a court has heard.Georgina Mary Thompson was handed a 12-month prison sentence, suspended for a year, a 24-month supervision order and ordered to pay compensation of £3,600 after admitting charges of fraud by abuse of position and theft from the person of another.Plymouth Magistrates' Court heard the 40-year-old took £7,877.87 from Friends and…

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Battle goes on over reopening of closed Dryden Road in Exeter

A highly controversial road closure will be the subject of a public consultation, it has been decided.Dryden Road in Exeter was closed to motorists temporarily in June 2020 and then permanently in 2022, to try to reduce traffic and create a safer cycling route.Campaigners against the closure said the move had increased congestion and pollution for people living nearby but cyclist groups said safety was paramount and the road should remain closed to cars.The Exeter Highways and Traffic…

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A woman’s place was not in the home: New book challenges assumptions about women’s work in early modern history

A woman’s place was not in the home: New book challenges assumptions about women’s work in early modern history

New research has revealed that women played a fundamental role in the development of England’s national economy before 1700. Far from being the unpaid homemakers and housewives of traditional historical record, women contributed to all the most important areas of the economy, such as agriculture, commerce, and care. More than half of the work done by women in the period between the 16th and 18th centuries took place outside of the home, and around half of all housework…

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Devon museums get share in government cash to stay open

Three museums in the region have been given government funding to help them remain open.The South West Heritage Trust (SWHT), which runs the North Devon Record Office and Devon Heritage Centre, was given £503,131 from the £20m Museum Renewal Fund.The Box in Plymouth was awarded £184,215, while Exeter City Council received £114,202.SWHT chief executive Sam Astill said the funding would help the team carry out a development programme to strengthen the resilience of its museums.Victoria Pomery, chief executive…

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Man in Devon feared lifelong debt over pet insurance claim

Man in Devon feared lifelong debt over pet insurance claim

BBCNorman West said his dog Ruby was "all I've got"A man said he feared he would be "in debt for the rest of my life" after an insurance company refused to pay out following an injury to his dog. Norman West, 92, from Plympton, said six-year-old Westiepoo, Ruby, damaged the cruciate ligament in her left leg and needed a £4,200 operation.Mr West had a new pet insurance policy with Petplan but the firm said because Ruby had previously…

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Woman found on Devon road died from chest injuries, inquest hears

A woman who was found dead on a road outside a property died from chest and abdominal injuries, an inquest has heard.Aimee Pike, 22, died on the A379 Embankment Road at New Bridge, Kingsbridge, Devon, in the early hours of 23 April 2025, the inquest in Exeter heard.Rowan Sutton, 30, of West Charleton Court, Kingsbridge, denied her murder and is due to stand trial next summer at Plymouth Crown Court.Coroner Deborah Archer said Ms Pike's cause of death…

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Cranbrook to get £3m community centre for families to ‘thrive’

A new town in Devon will receive £3m to create a community space with facilities for families and young people.Devon County Council's cabinet has agreed to allocate the money from housing developer contributions for the project in Cranbrook, near Exeter.The new facility will provide health services for young people "who are at risk of poor outcomes" as part of a larger leisure centre scheme that is being worked on.The council said Cranbrook had a much younger population than…

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Discussions open over £7m libraries budget for Devon

Discussions open over £7m libraries budget for Devon

Miles DavisDevon political reporterLibraries UnlimitedAlex Kittow, of Libraries Unlimited, said people were using libraries differently nowLibraries are now "community hubs" rather than just places to borrow books, according to the boss of the library service in Devon.Libraries Unlimited chief executive Alex Kittow has welcomed the prospect of a consultation on the future of the county's libraries and urged the public to have their say.It comes as Devon County Council looks at ways of reducing its annual payment of…

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Is Tom Daley going to win Celebrity Traitors?

Is Tom Daley going to win Celebrity Traitors?

Available for over a yearDevon's Tom Daley is one of the celebrities in the Traitors castle on BBC1. Caroline Densley asked Tom's friend and fellow diver Tonia Couch if she knew he was in the lineup and if he was going to win. Picture credit:BBC/Studio Lambert/Cody BurridgeProgramme WebsiteShow less Source link

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Acclaimed Ukrainian soldier poet invited to the UK for Being Human festival

A Ukrainian poet renowned for composing her verse on the frontline of her country’s defence against Russia’s illegal war is to visit Devon and London to share her experiences and perspectives. Yaryna Chornohuz has been helping to defend her country from Russian aggression since 2019. She is currently a drone operator and previously took part in fierce battles as a member of the 140th Separate Reconnaissance Battalion of the Ukrainian Marine Corps at the time of the full-scale…

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Furniture trader duped vulnerable customers in Devon and Somerset

Furniture trader duped vulnerable customers in Devon and Somerset

BBCPeter Kitson was jailed for 15 months after he pleaded guilty to fraudulent tradingThe "greedy and arrogant" boss of a mobility furniture firm which scammed vulnerable customers out of £65,000 has been jailed.Exeter Crown Court heard staff at Peter Kitson's business, Mobility Furniture Company, used aggressive and pressurised sales techniques to carry out fraudulent deals on elderly people between 2015 and 2018 across Devon and Somerset.The court was told Kitson was fully aware of the tactics being used,…

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Heavitree Road in Exeter closed for an extra week

A main road closure that has caused major traffic problems in Exeter will be closed for a week longer than expected due to engineering problems.Heavitree Road - the main bus route in and out of Exeter - will now be closed heading out of the city until Monday 13 October.The road was due to reopen last Sunday but Wales and West Utilities said work to upgrade the gas network had "taken longer than expected".The road closure has caused…

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