Family Life

Local dementia day-care not -for-profit urges families to seek support earlier

A local not-for-profit dementia care and support service, The Filo Project , is using this Dementia Action Week to encourage families across the region to reach out for help sooner and to challenge common myths that can prevent people from getting the support they need.

There are...

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Debt Awareness Week launches with new survey findings

A new survey, commissioned by StepChange Debt Charity, reveals that many people are underestimating the seriousness of their debt problems.

Although 15 million people in Britain are showing some sign of problem debt, over a quarter of these remain unconcerned.

The survey, conducted for the charity by YouGov, asked participants questions about the kinds of debt issues they...

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Plymouth

Museum’s under-fives music programme to feature leading folk duo

Two of the finest folk music performers and song leaders in the South West will lead an interactive event for the under-fives at the City Museum and Art Gallery on Friday 31 January.

‘Nice Warm Socks and Other Songs’ will be led by Paul Wilson and Sarah Owen from Devon-based educational charity Wren Music. Their performance will feature songs from a range of projects they have been...

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Plymouth praised for adoption scorecard results

Plymouth has been praised for being one of only 36 councils across the country to meet tough new government standards for adoption by continuing to reduce the amount of time children wait for new families.

This year’s national adoption scorecards from the Department for Education, which compare the performance of council adoption services across the country, show steady year-on-year...

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Increased mental health issues for South West's young jobless

Almost one in five young people from the South West (18 per cent) have experienced mental health issues as a direct result of unemployment, warns a new report.

The region has seen a 246 per cent increase in the number of young people claiming benefits for more than six months since the beginning of the recession.

Nationally, the report found that young people who are long-term...

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Bikers club together to spread Christmas cheer

A group of kind-hearted Santas visited the children’s ward just before Christmas, armed with gifts, chocolates and cards.

The Custom Owners Group, a brigade of local bikers across Devon and Cornwall, came together to spread some Christmas cheer to the patients of the children’s wards at Derriford Hospital.

The group of 16 members banded together with numerous local businesses...

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Donation of toys and gifts helps to put smiles on faces

Children staying on Derriford Hospital wards have even more toys and games to play with, thanks to a generous donation from customers and staff at Mecca Bingo.

Today, representatives from Mecca Bingo in Devonport, Tracey Davies and Chloe Robbins, came up to the hospital’s Activity Centre on level 12, with the large donation of toys, teddies and books for all ages. The brand new gifts...

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Track Father Christmas

Any parent who has ever been asked the question ' But how does Father christmas deliver all the presents in one night?' needs to visit http://www.noradsanta.org

This fantastic website allows its users to ' track' where Father Christmas is currently flying with his reindeer.

At 13.50 today St Nicholas had just visited Tokyo, with his next stop being Kyto.

The man in red...

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Owners to spend £300 million pampering their pets this Christmas

Animal lovers are expected to spend about £300 million pounds pampering their pets this Christmas a survey by the RSPCA has revealed.

Nine out of ten owners (91%) are buying their pet a present this year with almost a fifth (18%) admitting they will be spending more on their pet than their mother-in-law.

An RSPCA poll of almost 900 pet owners revealed most (54%) will be...

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Don’t miss out on the Pupil Premium!

That’s the message to parents or guardians if their adopted child was formally a ‘looked after child’ and adopted on or after 30 December 2005.

From April 2014, schools will be able to claim the Pupil Premium for children adopted from care, or who left care under a Special Guardianship Order (SGO) on or after 30 December 2005. Schools can also claim the Pupil Premium for children who...

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