Friday 5 July 2024
 Luke’s career is growing strong after apprenticeship award win!
We’re pleased to announce that Luke Freathy, a Higher Level Apprentice in our Transport Coordination Service, was awarded Business and Professional Services Apprentice of the Year at the Exeter College Apprentice and Employer Awards at Sandy Park.
Luke arrived in our Transport Coordination Service with a keen interest in public transport and had previously developed a London Underground Map of the East Devon Bus Network.
The award highlighted Luke’s first apprenticeship with the team where he has been primarily assisting the operational and communications side of the Integrated Public Transport Team.
In that time, he has demonstrated his talents for graphic design including leading the re-design of information boards at the Honiton Road Park and Ride site. Luke has also received praise, having given some engaging presentations to different audiences.
Luke also designed a bus livery reflecting our DevonBus brand. Stagecoach Southwest had a double decker bus sprayed in the livery and the team was able to show it off this year at the Devon County Show.
Find out more about 'Step In', our apprenticeship scheme, on our website.
 Local farmers – join us for South Devon Food Hub’s inaugural event!
Are you a farmer looking for new ideas? The Agri-Events programme in the South Hams is here to help!
These workshops connect farmers and industry experts to share knowledge, ideas and experience to make their farms more profitable, sustainable, and able to handle challenges.
Previous events have covered topics including alternative routes to market, soil microbiology, and farm diversification.
The next workshop, titled ‘Pasture to Plate,’ will take place on Tuesday 9 July at the South Devon Food Hub in Totnes. This session will feature speakers from local businesses, including Sharpham Dairy, the University of Exeter, the Met Office, the NFU, Dayne’s Farm, and more. The discussions will focus on celebrating success, tackling future challenges, and embracing new opportunities.
This will be the inaugural event at the newly built South Devon Food Hub, organised in collaboration with the Devon Agri-Tech Alliance and the Devon Food Partnership. Attendees will also have the opportunity to tour the new facilities and meet the current tenants.
For more information and to register for these events, visit the DATA Eventbrite page or email data@devon.gov.uk.
 Take part in our childcare survey
Finding the right childcare for your child is really important and it is our job to help make sure that there are enough early years and childcare places for families in Devon.
Every year we invite people to take part in our Parents Childcare Survey to find out the kind of child care you use or plan to use, your entitlement to government funded childcare, and the number of hours your child spends (or will spend) in childcare each week. The results will help our early years and childcare team to plan and make sure that there is enough childcare available throughout the county.
This year the survey is more important than ever as the Government is expanding their childcare offer to include more funded hours per week for more working families. It means that over 5,000 more children in Devon will benefit from funded childcare this year, so there may be a shortage of places in some areas, and we need to know about that so we can help parents who are struggling to find a provider.
Use our early years support and childcare provision information to help with finding and choosing the right childcare for your child. Additional help is available through our childcare brokerage service. If you can’t find the childcare that you need, let us know as we may be able to help. You can do this by completing the 'unable to find suitable childcare form'.
 You could be one of the millions living with high blood pressure without knowing it
4.2 million people in the UK live with undiagnosed high blood pressure.
However, the good news is that it can often be prevented or reduced by eating healthily, maintaining a healthy weight, taking regular exercise, drinking alcohol in moderation, and not smoking.
If you're aged 40 years old or over, you can get a free blood pressure check. Visit the NHS website to find a pharmacy that offers free NHS blood pressure checks near you.
 Overnight road closures planned on A379
As part of the current work on the outskirts of Exeter at Trood Lane junction, there will be night time closures on the A379, between Ellacott Road and the Devon Hotel Roundabout, starting on the evening of Tuesday 9 July.
On the nights of Tuesday 9 July, Wednesday 10 July and Thursday 11 July the road will be closed from 7pm until 6am the following day.
Changes to traffic management arrangements will be made on the first night, with drainage improvements carried out over the following two evenings.
Residential access to Ellacott Road will be maintained on the A379 northbound and access to the Devon Hotel will be maintained on the A379 southbound.
This work is part of the ongoing south west Exeter infrastructure developments to support the delivery of around 2,500 homes and employment land.
 Talkworks for Menopause
Are you experiencing any physical or emotional side effects as a result of menopause? If so, you are not alone, and support is available.
NHS Devon's talking therapy service, Talkworks, offers free six week 'CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) For Menopause' courses. The aim is to provide information, strategies and techniques to reduce the impact of symptoms of menopause and perimenopause.
The weekly online sessions are two hours long and will include time for participants to share experiences of their symptoms, as well as learning how to apply CBT techniques to improve your symptoms.
If you feel this course could be helpful to you, please call our team today on 0300 555 3344 to book your free place on courses starting in August, September, October and November, or visit the Talkworks website for more information.
 Are you an international recruit new to the UK?
Migrant Social Integration (MSI) provides support and bespoke training for our colleagues who have travelled to Devon to work in social care on a certificate of sponsorship.
Challenges during the integration process are common, so it's vital to have all the essential information to help you make informed decisions and ease your transition into your new community. MSI is there to provide the guidance you need from navigating local services to understanding cultural nuances. They offer a wealth of integration resources, including articles, guides, and videos covering a wide range of topics such as cultural adaptation, legal matters, job searching, and healthcare.
They understand the challenges that are experienced through this process and have the tools to help you become settled and their bespoke training is tailored to the issues you may be facing.
Whether you have questions, feedback, or simply want to connect, their team is there to assist you. Migrant Social Integration is more than a service; it’s a community dedicated to your success. If you’d like to find out more about the services Migrant Social Integration provide and how they can help, please call on 07712 418206 or visit their website.
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