devon

Pioneering placemaking and regional identity in the creative industries foregrounded at the Labour Party Conference

The South West has the potential to become a testbed for investment and policy for the creative industries, according to a special event held at the Labour Party Conference, today. A panel drawing together the region’s higher education institutions – Bournemouth, Exeter, Falmouth, Plymouth, Arts University Plymouth and Arts University Bournemouth – as well as businesses and other organisations, said the excellence and innovation of the creative sector in the region should be recognised more widely. The ‘Creative…

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Electrical shop returns to Devon high street after 18 years

An electrical shop will return to a high street after 18 years.Hockridge Appliance Centre operated in Tavistock for 12 years, before closing the branch for commercial reasons in the 2000s.Now the company, which has a store in Launceston, is returning to the town with a new shop in Brook Street on the site of the Towls electrical appliance store, which is closing after 53 years.Owner Karl Hockridge said he was "delighted" to bring the family firm back to…

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Coach aims for wider Devon wheelchair basketball team recognition

Coach aims for wider Devon wheelchair basketball team recognition

BBCJack Davey leads the Exeter Otters, who were founded in 1980The head coach of a Devon-based wheelchair basketball club says his "big goal" is to see his side become as well-known as other professional rugby and football sides in its city home.Jack Davey leads the Exeter Otters, who were founded in 1980 and are believed to be the UK's oldest such team.In previous years, the club had struggled to put out a side out, but the club is…

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South West Water AI trial ‘is cutting sewage pollution’

South West Water AI trial ‘is cutting sewage pollution’

Kirk EnglandSouth West environment and tourism correspondentBBCAI is being used to help identify changes in water levels in the network that could indicate if a blockage is developing in a sewerA trial that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to predict if sewers are becoming blocked has helped cut pollution, South West Water has said. The AI analysed data from 12,000 sensors on the network, monitoring how water levels were rising and falling, to help determine if a sewer is…

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Two new towns planned near Exeter and Plymouth

Two new towns are being planned in Devon as part of 12 selected for a nationwide building programme.Up to 20,000 homes are expected to be built in Marlcombe in east Devon, and Plymouth as part of the government's New Towns programme.East Devon District Councillor Todd Olive said Marlcombe, which will be south of Exeter Airport, would be a "vibrant, resilient, and well-connected town that champions innovation and sustainability, with a distinct identity and sense of place".Plymouth City Council…

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Police appeal after sailor last seen near Plymouth goes missing

Police have launched an appeal for a sailor who has not been seen for three weeks.Devon and Cornwall Police said Guy Nelson, 57, was last known to be in or around the Drake's Island area near Plymouth on 8 September.Mr Nelson, from Leamington Spa in Warwickshire, set sail from Plymouth in a boat called Swallow and was thought to be heading along the coast, but has not been heard from since.Officers described him as a white male, 5ft…

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Do you know your sh*t? Exeter research aims to speed up inflammatory bowel disease diagnosis

A research study led by the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and the University of Exeter is seeking volunteers to help speed up diagnosis and treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Backed by the ‘Know Your Sh*t’ campaign, the RAPID-IBD study is inviting people with unexplained gut symptoms to take part. It is open to anyone aged 16–49 living in the EX postcode area. Inflammatory bowel disease is an umbrella term for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative…

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Teddy Swims latest big star to headline at Powderham Castle

Grammy-nominated singer Teddy Swims has been named as headling act for a music event in Devon next summer.The US singer will perform at Live at Powderham on 25 June, joined by his band Freak Freely. Organisers said supporting acts included rising star Lauren Spencer Smith and multi-instrumentalist Jordan Rakei.The announcement follows news earlier this month that Lewis Capaldi will play two nights at the same venue on 27 and 28 June.Promoter Oli Mason of Live Nation said: "We're…

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Smooth snakes thriving after slithering into Devon heathland

Wildlife volunteers are celebrating the successful reintroduction of smooth snakes.A project to reintroduce the non-venomous species in Pebblebed Heaths in east Devon has seen numbers consistently hit new highs since 2023, with 39 sightings recorded last year, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) said.The reptile was reintroduced in 2009 with 17 snakes relocated from Dorset and Hampshire.The RSPB said the east Devon population was not only growing but there was now a "self-sustaining colony" there…

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Building of three new towns will start before election, Labour pledges

Building of three new towns will start before election, Labour pledges

Jennifer McKiernan & Becky Mortonpolitical reportersEPAHousing Secretary Steve Reed wears a Build Baby Build capThe construction of three new towns will begin before the next general election, Labour has pledged.A taskforce has recommended 12 locations in England for development, with three areas - Tempsford in Bedfordshire, Leeds South Bank, and Crews Hill in north London - identified as the most promising sites.Housing Secretary Steve Reed announced the plans in a speech on the opening day of Labour's annual…

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Devon’s Woody Bay Station receives Grade II status

Woody Bay Station in Devon has been listed as Grade II status as part of moves to mark 200 years of the modern railway.The station has been granted protection alongside six other sites as part of the anniversary celebrations of the opening of the Stockton & Darlington Railway in 1825.Historic England said Woody Bay was built in 1898 and was the best-surviving example of a station on the former Lynton & Barnstaple Railway, which allowed easier access to…

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