Local News

Jennifer Bell from Chilcotts with costume jewellery

June sale tops auction record as costume jewellery sparkles

Chilcotts Auctioneers has revealed that its June sale was the most successful to date.

The total achieved at hammer price was £280,000. This success reflects the current spike in silver and gold prices with top performers including gold proof coin sets from the Royal Mint.

A 2013...

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Wet Wet Wet Devon Gig Announced

Iconic UK pop band Wet Wet Wet are heading to Barnstaple in 2026 as part of a brand-new acoustic tour – and it promises to be something truly special.

An Intimate Acoustic Evening with Wet Wet Wet will visit Queen’s Theatre on Wednesday, 14 May, offering fans in North Devon a rare chance to hear their biggest hits completely reimagined.

The tour will feature founding member...

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wet wet wet

Barnstaple

Queens Theatre

graeme clark

Three people stood outside a Porter Dodson office

Exeter-based law firm achieves record breaking results

Porter Dodson , the South West-based UK Top 200 law firm, has announced a record-breaking year of growth and achievement, increasing revenue to £20.2m, while retaining the highly prestigious Gold Investors In People accreditation for the third successive time.

Across its Exeter, Sherborne, Poundbury, Bridport, Wellington, Taunton, and Yeovil offices, the firm has seen year-on-year...

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Active travel improvements planned for Dinan Way scheme

Walking and cycling links around Dinan Way in Exmouth are to be given a £3.15 million upgrade.

Devon County Council’s Cabinet today (Wednesday 23 July) approved the additional measures for the Dinan Way extension scheme, which got underway at the start of the year.

To encourage active travel, particularly for shorter journeys, councillors supported proposals to develop...

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Devon Young Carers shine at the 2025 Young Carers Festival

Seventeen young carers from across Devon have enjoyed a well-deserved break from their caring responsibilities at the largest festival in the world dedicated to young people with unpaid caring roles.

It’s the 25th year that Devon Young Carers has attended the Young Carers Festival at YMCA Fairthorne Manor at Botley in Hampshire. Four dedicated staff members, one volunteer, and one...

Four East Devon parks win Green Flag Awards for another year of excellence

Connaught Gardens and Peak Hill Slope in Sidmouth, Manor Gardens in Exmouth, Seafield Gardens in Seaton and Seaton Wetlands have once again been recognised as being among the best green spaces in the country. 

All four sites, managed by East Devon District Council (EDDC), have achieved the prestigious Green Flag Award for 2025; the international quality mark for parks and green...

Pecorama’s Competition Winner

The Beer Heights Light Railway (BHLR) proudly unveiled a refreshed look for one of its most beloved locomotives, Dickie , Saturday 19th July—marking a fitting finale to the railway’s 50th birthday celebration week. Over the winter months, BHLR launched a public competition inviting fans and visitors to redesign Dickie’s livery. Earlier this year, the railway’s staff selected a winning design...

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The Beer Heights Light Railway

Devon

Councils unite to back crucial wildlife sites

A new strategy to protect three of South East Devon’s most important nature reserves—Exe Estuary, East Devon Pebblebed Heaths, and Dawlish Warren—has been approved by all three local councils.

East Devon District Council, Teignbridge District Council, and Exeter City Council have formally signed up to the new South East Devon Wildlife – Joint Habitats Sites Mitigation Strategy 2025–...

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wildlife

East Devon District Council

Teignbridge District Council

Exeter City Council

South East Devon Wildlife – Joint Habitats Sites Mitigation Strategy 2025–2030

A Celebration of the Sea: Brand New South West Sardine Festival Comes to the English Riviera This Summer

This summer, Brixham’s Fish Market will come alive with flavour and festivity as the South West Sardine Festival arrives on Sunday 03 August 2025, bringing a vibrant new celebration to the heart of one of Britain’s most historic fishing towns.

Free to attend and running from 12:00 to 21:30, the festival invites locals and visitors alike to experience a day inspired by coastal...

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South West Sardine Festival

Devon gardeners called to adopt a pollinator-friendly plant group

Plant Heritage has published its Missing Collections 2025 list, which highlights 16 pollinator-friendly plant groups that aren’t yet part of the charity’s widely respected National Plant Collections scheme.

The charity is calling for gardeners in Devon, and across the country, to consider adopting one of the plant groups on this list, in a bid to protect more of the UK’s precious...

£1.4M Coastal Protection work to start late August at Seaton Hole Cliffs

Important work to protect the cliffs and beach at Seaton Hole will begin next month, following planning approval for a £1.4 million improvement scheme.

The work is designed to reduce erosion and lower the risk of cliff falls, helping protect the coastline and 41 nearby homes, including a care home.

The project is being managed by a partnership of East Devon District Council...

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