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Hospitality sector in Devon and Cornwall calls for more support

Hospitality sector in Devon and Cornwall calls for more support

Caroline RobinsonSouth WestBBCEllie Pitt said she loved the industry but it was "very challenging at the moment"People working in the hospitality sector have been looking ahead at the year to come, some have expressed concerns over business rates and others said they were "cautiously optimistic".Ellie Pitt, landlady at The William the Fourth Pub in Truro, said her business rates had increased from £56,000 to £93,000. Kate Nicholls, chair of UKHospitality, said: "There's no better place to go on…

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Former factory could be transformed into permanent Devon church

  • Post category:Devon News
Former factory could be transformed into permanent Devon church

A planning application to convert a former factory on an industrial estate in Exeter into a place of worship has been submitted. The Elim Trust Corporation said it wants give the Stanley Security unit at Signal House on the Marsh Barton industrial estate a new lease of life. It is proposed Rediscover Church, established in Exeter in 1928, will run the new church.The church moved to the former Matalan store at Haven Banks in 2024 as a "pop-up…

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Apple FM asked to move out of Taunton’s Musgrove Park Hospital

Apple FM asked to move out of Taunton’s Musgrove Park Hospital

A community radio station has been asked to move out of its hospital studios after more than 55 years due to "increasing NHS pressures".Apple FM has been based at Taunton's Musgrove Park Hospital in Somerset for more than five decades, starting as hospital radio for patients in 1969.Greg Perkins, managing director of the station, told BBC Radio Somerset: "While we fully understand the pressures the NHS is facing, we are now reaching out to the people of Taunton…

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Wincanton independent cinema to open doors in February

Wincanton independent cinema to open doors in February

A businessman has admitted opening a new cinema will cost a lot of money - but he could not imagine doing anything else.Pat Scott runs four independent cinemas in Somerset, after learning how to be a projectionist in the military.His next venue in Wincanton will open in February, after someone in the town asked him to take over an Art Deco building which was once used as a church.Scott said the venture was "very expensive, but it's what…

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Vital Ferry Bridge road set to partially close for repair works

  • Post category:BBC Dorset
Vital Ferry Bridge road set to partially close for repair works

Preparation works to repair a main road in Dorset that connects people from an island to the mainland have begun.Cracks are beginning to show in the concrete on Ferry Bridge that leads Weymouth to Portland.The main repairs, which are needed to ensure the vital link is safe for future use, will run from 19 January to 12 March.A two-way traffic light system will be installed when part of the road is closed for single lane use.The route will…

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World War Two land girl Gwen Raggett, 99, recalls farm work

  • Post category:BBC Dorset
World War Two land girl Gwen Raggett, 99, recalls farm work

A 99-year-old-women has been remembering how she and thousands like her went to work on farms to help feed the nation during World War Two.Gwen Raggett left her job in a Bournemouth cinema to join the Women's Land Army (WLA) - known as the "land girls" - replacing male workers who had joined the military and helping to keep farms running and producing food. Her family have compiled a scrapbook of her pictures, letters and newspaper clippings to…

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Bath charity buys phone box on street mentioned by Jane Austen

Bath charity buys phone box on street mentioned by Jane Austen

BBCThe phone box is at the end of Gravel Walk in BathA phone box, which appears on a path made famous by Jane Austen, has been bought by a charity for just £1.The K6 red phone box is at the end of Gravel Walk in Bath, a walkway which is specifically referenced in the novel Persuasion.The Bath Preservation Trust purchased the 1935 phone box from British Telecom (BT) for the nominal fee, as part of an initiative to…

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Airport drop-off charges: how does yours compare?

  • Post category:Devon News
Airport drop-off charges: how does yours compare?

Chloe HarcombeWest of EnglandBBCThe fee to drop passengers off at Bristol Airport has increased to £8.50, making it one of the most expensive in England.The charge to park for 10 minutes in the drop-off area has risen a number of times in recent years, increasing from £5 to £6 in 2024 and up to £7 in 2025. Blue badge holders can stay for up to 40 minutes for the same price.A spokesperson for the airport said the increase…

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Colombia’s Petro promises to defend homeland amid Trump threats | Conflict News

President criticizes Trump, calling US threats an undue interference in Colombian internal matters under international law.Published On 5 Jan 20265 Jan 2026Click here to share on social mediashare2ShareColombian President Gustavo Petro says he would “take up arms” for his country if necessary as the United States issues threats against him and his government.In a social media post on Monday, Petro, a former leftist fighter, said any violent US intervention in Colombia, such as the kind carried out in…

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‘Essential’ gas pipe upgrade project begins in Truro

‘Essential’ gas pipe upgrade project begins in Truro

Work to upgrade the gas network in a Cornwall town has been described as "vital" to ensuring gas flows safely and reliably to homes and businesses across the area.Wales & West Utilities said the project to upgrade pipes in St Austell Street, Truro, started on Monday and would finish by 9 February if everything went to plan.New Bridge Street, Duke Street, St Mary's Street and Mitchell Hill would experience closures. There would also be multi-way traffic lights on…

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Driver sentenced over Dorset A31 police vehicle crash

  • Post category:BBC Dorset
Driver sentenced over Dorset A31 police vehicle crash

A driver who injured a police officer in a crash has been given a suspended jail sentence, banned from driving and ordered to carry out unpaid work.Dorset Police previously said an officer was treated by paramedics and taken to hospital following the collision between an unmarked police vehicle and a white BMW on the A31 near Sturminster Marshall in September.Hassan Babaker, 35, of Felling, Gateshead, previously pleaded guilty to dangerous driving.He was sentenced at Bournemouth Crown Court to…

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International research breakthrough for remote Alzheimer’s testing

International research breakthrough for remote Alzheimer’s testing

A groundbreaking international study has demonstrated that Alzheimer’s disease biomarkers can be accurately detected using simple finger-prick blood samples that can be collected at home and mailed to laboratories without refrigeration or prior processing. The research, led by US institute Banner Health working with the University of Exeter Medical School and supported by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) publishes today in Nature Medicine. It represents the first large-scale validation of this accessible testing approach that…

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