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Extra phones mooted for safety in Cornwall after death threats

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Extra phones mooted for safety in Cornwall after death threats

Lee TrewhelaLocal Democracy Reporting ServiceLee Trewhela / LDRSKate Ewert said she received death threats to her and her childrenA councillor has said a local authority "should have done better" when she and her children received death threats. The comments were made by councillor Kate Ewert during a Cornwall Council constitution and governance committee meeting on Tuesday which considered whether councillors should be given a second mobile phone for safeguarding and privacy reasons. The motion was proposed at a…

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Fire-hit Lyme Regis Regent Cinema site to become homes and shops

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Fire-hit Lyme Regis Regent Cinema site to become homes and shops

The site of an art deco cinema destroyed by fire nearly 10 years ago looks set to be redeveloped, after the plans were approved.Regent Cinema in Lyme Regis, Dorset, was wrecked in a blaze in March 2016, causing the roof to collapse.The scheme, approved by Dorset Council in December, includes two four-bedroom apartments, one of which will have a linked studio flat. The surviving part of the Grade II listed building will be revamped to provide two retail…

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Bodmin’s wassailing tradition, begun in 1624, brings song to town

Bodmin’s wassailing tradition, begun in 1624, brings song to town

Caroline Robinson,South WestandChristine Butler,South WestBBCVic Legg has been a wassailer for more than 50 yearsA centuries-old folk tradition has brought cheer to a Cornish town for the 402nd time. The Bodmin Wassail takes place each year on Twelfth Night, 6 January, where a group of men sing wassail songs to local people at different locations including shops, pubs and cafes and residential homes around the town. The group began 12 hours of singing stop-offs at 12 noon in…

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Gas restored to most properties affected by Devon outage

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Gas restored to most properties affected by Devon outage

Gas supplies have been restored to thousands of homes affected by a major outage, a utility company has said.More than 100 engineers have been working to restore supplies in the Kingsbridge, Malborough and Salcombe area of the South Hams in Devon following damage to a mains pipe caused by a third party. on Saturday, Wales and West Utilities (WWU) said.The firm said supplies had been restored to about three-quarters of the 4,600 affected properties.It said engineers were continuing…

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Dehydrated seal rescued after travelling from Cornwall to Wales

Dehydrated seal rescued after travelling from Cornwall to Wales

Caroline RobinsonSouth WestRSPCAThe RSPCA said the seal was found at St Brides Bay in PembrokeshireA grey seal pup is receiving specialist care after he was found dehydrated and underweight following a 120km (75 miles) journey.The RSPCA said the seal was found at St Brides Bay in Pembrokeshire, Wales, after a four-day journey from Cornwall. It was spotted on rocks on 11 December fully weaned but in thin condition.The seal was removed from the beach and after immediate care…

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Mebyon Kernow has ‘changed Cornwall’s political dynamic’

Mebyon Kernow has ‘changed Cornwall’s political dynamic’

Seb NobleCornwall political reporterBBCDick Cole has been the leader of Mebyon Kernow for the past 28 yearsA political party, celebrating its 75th anniversary, said it was optimistic its vision for an assembly for Cornwall could become a reality in future.Mebyon Kernow, which translates as Sons of Cornwall in Cornish, has marked the anniversary of its establishment on 6 January 1951.It said its campaign for greater powers, protection, and recognition for Cornwall would continue - with the ultimate aim…

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Public toilets close as part of Plymouth regeneration works

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Public toilets close as part of Plymouth regeneration works

Public toilets in a city centre have been closed until the spring to allow for the final phase of regeneration works.Plymouth City Council said the temporary closure was part of the final phase of the £30m Armada Way redevelopment.The authority said the facilities on the Armada Way and the Sundial would be out of bounds whilst pipes were laid to take pressure off the aged sewer system as part of a sustainable urban drainage system.It said the temporary…

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Dawn French on whether she can keep a secret as she launches new sitcom

Dawn French on whether she can keep a secret as she launches new sitcom

Steve Knibbs,West of EnglandandMatty Edwards,West of EnglandBBCDawn French stars alongside Mark Heap in the new sitcom Can You Keep a Secret? Dawn French has said she can keep a secret as she launched her new sitcom about an "oddball family" who commit fraud.The new BBC sitcom - Can You Keep a Secret? - airs later and was filmed and set in Somerset. It tells the story of a retired couple who are presented with the opportunity to claim…

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Dorset wildlife centre ‘heartbroken’ to end rescue service

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Dorset wildlife centre ‘heartbroken’ to end rescue service

A wildlife sanctuary is to stop rescuing wild birds due to financial pressures. Sharandys Birds of Prey, based in Vurlands Animal Farm in Swyre, Dorset, had been rescuing wild birds for more than 20 years.But it announced it could no longer provide the service due to rising costs. Centre owner Sharon Cox said the move was "heartbreaking" and "one of the hardest decisions" they have ever had to make.Cox, who runs Sharandys with her son Matt, said: "I've…

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‘Long-awaited’ junction upgrade work set to begin in Dorchester

  • Post category:BBC Dorset
‘Long-awaited’ junction upgrade work set to begin in Dorchester

Work to upgrade a junction and pedestrian crossings to improve safety for schoolchildren is due to begin.Improvements to equipment, crossings and the junction at the Damers Road end of Williams Avenue, in Dorchester, will start on Monday and continue until April, Dorset Council said.The road will be closed eastbound for four weeks and temporary traffic arrangements will be in place.Families have called for safer crossings and better cycling links on the route, which is used by pupils attending…

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Bristol ambulance call handler walking 35 miles for work charity

Bristol ambulance call handler walking 35 miles for work charity

Andy Bennett,BBC Bristol Radio PresenterandCarys Nally,BristolHandoutNico Attwell is walking 35 miles for the Ambulance Staff CharityAn ambulance call handler is walking 35 miles in a day to raise money for a NHS staff charity after some of his colleagues took their own lives. Nico Attwell, 23, from Street in Somerset, will be walking from his house to the Bristol Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) in Bradley Stoke to raise money for The Ambulance Staff Charity (TASC) after losing three…

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NHS urges people to help ease winter pressure during busiest week

NHS urges people to help ease winter pressure during busiest week

Emma ElgeeWest of England PA MediaNHS services are expecting the first week of January to be their busiest of the year NHS services are asking for public support for what is expected to be the busiest week of the year.The NHS in Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire has said the pressures of extreme cold weather and a bad flu season will make the start of the year challenging. It is asking the public to think…

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