Thursday 28 March 2024
 We're sending you our usual weekly newsletter a little early this week due to the bank holiday weekend.
On behalf of everyone here at Devon County Council, we wish you all a happy and healthy long weekend, and if you're celebrating Easter, may this time bring you joy, peace and connection.
Devon's roads are likely to be busy this weekend as people make the most of the public holiday.
Motorists are being urged to 'drive according to the conditions' this weekend, following a day of strong winds and rain, (Thursday).
Gritting teams were treating the main salting routes last night as road surface temperatures dropped close to, or below freezing, and snow fell in some areas.
A yellow Weather Warning is currently in place for Devon with gusts of 50 mph in many parts of the county continuing throughout the day.
The Met Office says that some exposed coastal areas may experience gusts of up to 70 mph and large waves as the day progresses.
Surface water and spray are likely to make travel conditions more challenging, possibly leading to longer journey times or cancellations to road, rail, air or ferry services.
You can read the full story on our news page.
Follow Devon Alert on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) for the latest travel updates across the county.
 Our new aids have helped to improve the lives of children with a visual impairment
Children with a visual impairment in Devon have helped us to design a new custom-made armband and lanyard to help others more easily recognise that they have a disability. They've been a big hit with young people who have told us that these aids have had an immediate impact and made a big difference to their day-to-day lives.
More than 600 children and young people in Devon live with a visual impairment which affects their learning, development, independence, inclusion, and their confidence. But, because it’s a disability that isn’t visible to others, this can inadvertently lead to children and young people not being treated with the care and consideration that they deserve and are entitled to.
Usually those who are visually impaired use an awareness aid, such as the internationally recognised white short ‘symbol cane’ or white ‘long cane’. But these aids are designed with adults in mind, and children told us that they needed something to suit their age group. So our Rehabilitation Officer for Visually Impaired Children (ROVIC) service set out, with help from young people, to design two new visual awareness aids that they felt ‘comfortable and confident’ using.
Read the full story on the news page of our website.
 Places still available over Easter for egg-citing holiday activities and food programme
There's still time for eligible families in Devon to book a wide range of activities for their children to take part in over the upcoming Easter holidays as part of the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme.
We’ve teamed up with over 80 different activity providers across the county to offer more than 6,000 places to children aged five to 16 years old, who receive benefit-related free school meals. Uptake has been good but there are still some places left, so don't delay!
Details of activities can be found on our interactive map. If your child is eligible to access the programme, simply search for a provider in your area, have a look at their listing to see what they’re offering, then when you’re ready, book a place with them directly.
 First registered “habitat bank” will benefit biodiversity
Devon has become home to the first registered “habitat bank” in the country. We've been working closely with Exeter City Council and Devon-based BioGains Limited to register the privately owned 3.2 hectare site in Duryard Valley Park.
The habitat bank in Exeter will be enhanced predominantly into lowland meadow, which is a national priority habitat. There will also be around 260 metres of new and enhanced species-rich hedgerow and some small areas of scrub.
The ground-breaking initiative follows the introduction of the new Biodiversity Net Gain planning laws which require all qualifying planning permissions to demonstrate that development of a site will achieve a net gain in biodiversity of more than 10 per cent compared with beforehand.
Read the full story on the news page of our website.
 New programme aims to boost job prospects for care experienced young people
A pioneering new programme has been launched to improve career opportunities for care experienced young people in Devon.
We've been working with Exeter College to develop the PACE (Positive About Care Experienced) programme with the aim of creating a ground-breaking business network dedicated to working with young people who are, or have been, in the care system.
The scheme is designed to help employers feel confident in their ability to support care experienced young people and to commit to working with us and Exeter College to remove barriers that they might face. Those who sign up will be offered regular training days throughout the year covering a wide range of subjects including recruitment, inclusive employment, mentoring, apprenticeships and grants and funding.
Read the full story on the news page of our website.
 The old Mallison Bridge - Copywrite Harry Mitchell
We’ve secured more than £1m of Government funding to help fund the replacement of Mallison Bridge at Exeter Quay.
The funding follows our successful bid, supported by Exeter City Council, to the Department for Transport (DfT)’s Active Travel England Fund.
The £1.1m funding is Devon’s allocation after the DfT announced that £101 million of funding was being awarded for ‘high quality’ walking and cycling routes across England.
In partnership with Exeter City Council and Exeter Canal and Quay Trust, we’ll deliver a new bridge – the old Mallison Bridge was a key part of a popular cycle route in the City, but structural concerns led the bridge to be closed, then removed in 2020.
Since then, cyclists and pedestrians have used an alternative route via a narrow path which connects the river to Commercial Road.
The funding will enable a replacement bridge to be delivered which will improve active travel in the city which will in turn boost health and wellbeing and cut carbon emissions.
You can read the full story on our website.
 Overnight closures planned on Bickington Road, Barnstaple
Overnight road closures are planned at Cedars Roundabout in Barnstaple next month (April) to allow new traffic signal loops and ducts to be installed in the road. Bickington Road will be closed between its junction with Ellerslie Road (to the west) and Cedars Roundabout (to the east) from 6:30pm to 6:30am between Monday 29 April and Friday 3 May.
Signed diversion will be in place via the B3233 and A39, although local road users may decide to use alternative routes. All other routes to Cedars roundabout will be maintained – including access to the Cedars Inn from the south and east. During the daytime, work will continue on Cedars roundabout with temporary traffic lights in place.
The work is weather sensitive which may affect the scheduled timings. Trailer mounted variable message signs (VMS), will be located near the site to provide updates on any potential changes.
For more information, read the full story on the news page of our website or visit the scheme webpages.
 Stay safe when visiting farms this Easter
There's typically an increase in a number of gastro-intestinal infections associated with activities such as farm visits at this time of year, and these infections can cause illnesses, some of which can be particularly serious for children or pregnant women.
The harmful bacteria that causes these infections can't be seen, but can be picked up by touching animals in the petting and feeding areas or by coming into contact with animal droppings on contaminated surfaces around the farm.
Although your hands may look clean, it's vital to wash them thoroughly with soap and warm water immediately after you have had contact with animals and before eating any food to avoid accidently passing the germs to your mouth.
For more advice to help keep you and your children safe from infections that may be found on open farms, please visit the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) website.
 Temporary safety measures introduced to protect Brixton Road Station Bridge, near Elburton
Temporary safety measures are being introduced at Brixton Road, near Elburton in the South Hams, in order to protect Station Bridge. A routine structural assessment has indicated that the bridge, (which carries the A379), is not currently able to take the weight of two HGVs at once.
To ensure HGVs do not cross the bridge at the same time, we will be introducing a new road layout and speed restriction from Wednesday 3 April. The approaches to the bridge will be narrowed to reduce the width of the road and the speed limit will be reduced from 40mph to 30mph.
Work to introduce the changes is expected to take two days using temporary traffic lights outside of peak hours. We will continue to monitor the structure and vehicle movements and will introduce further measures if necessary.
Read the full story on the news page of our website.
 Don't miss your chance! Childcare support is expanding.
Eligible parents of two year olds have just a few days left to receive a code to access up to 15 hours of funded childcare per week from 1 April.
To benefit from this, and to register to stay up-to-date with the further changes coming over the next 18 months, visit the Government's Childcare Choices website.
 Spring forward on Sunday 31 March
The days are getting longer, and spring is on the way... which means it is time to change the clocks!
The clocks will move forward by one hour at 1am on Sunday 31 March, marking the start of British summer time.
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