Friday 8 November 2024
To enable as many people as possible to gather from across the county, this year’s Remembrance Sunday Devon County Service in Exeter Cathedral will take place at 4pm on Sunday 10 November.
This special service for the people of Devon will be accompanied by music from Exeter Cathedral Choir and attended by military and veteran associations. During the service, commemorative wreaths will be passed to the Dean of Exeter, then placed in Exeter Cathedral’s Devon and Dorset Regimental Chapel, before being laid at the War Memorial on Cathedral Green, on Remembrance Day. A British Sign Language interpreter will be present at this service.
Everyone is warmly invited to attend this service. No advance booking required.
Earlier that day, there will also be a Morning Service of Remembrance at Northernhay Gardens, Exeter. This year, the Lord Mayor’s procession and morning wreath laying service will take place at the War Memorial in Northernhay Gardens, Exeter, at 10:50am. A Civic Party led by the Lord Mayor and comprising City Councillors, Honorary Aldermen, MPs, representatives from the Emergency Services, Military, College, University and others will lead the Service of Remembrance.
Full details can be found on the Exeter Cathedral website, Remembrance at Exeter Cathedral.
The Government has confirmed multi-million pound funding to provide more affordable homes, sheltered accommodation, green jobs and business growth in Devon and Torbay.
More than £8 million will be spent on housing projects in East, North, Mid and West Devon, the South Hams and Torbay.
They are part of the £16 million of capital funding from Devon County Council and Torbay Council’s devolution deal.
The funding will now enable 16 projects to progress, accelerating Devon and Torbay’s transition to a net-zero economy and capitalising on the area’s world-leading expertise in green science and technology.
The schemes have been developed by district councils, key business organisations, training providers and other selected organisations who were invited to put forward schemes which could meet the requirements of Devon and Torbay’s devolution proposal.
You can see more information, including a list of the schemes that will benefit from this funding, in the news story on the Devon and Torbay Devolution Deal website.
 Join the celebrations for the Restoring Stover Park Project
A raft of environmental, cultural heritage and community improvements will be unveiled at Stover Country Park next week, offering people the opportunity to be among the first to see the benefits of the Restoring Stover Park Project.
A special launch event will take place on on Saturday 16 November from 9:30am until 4:30pm to celebrate the achievements of the project so far.
Visitors will be able to follow a two-hour trail that takes in all the varied aspects of the Restoring Stover Park Project, including a new community workshop and upgraded visitor centre. The trail will also explore the conservation work which has been carried out to restore the gatehouse and there will be a chance to learn about the de-silting of Stover Lake.
Numbers to the public opening event are limited and people have the chance to book a two-hour slot, on a first come, first served basis.
With three time slots available for their two hour trail (9:30am, 12 midday and 2:30pm), you can just turn up on the day, or you can pre book your parking using this link to guarantee a parking space If you are unable to use Eventbrite, please call 01626 835236 or email stover@devon.gov.uk.
The Restoring Stover Park Project has been made possible thanks to a grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
A new £1.8 million funding programme has been launched to support local businesses and community organisations in their efforts to adopt sustainable practices and technologies.
We have introduced the Green Impact Fund as part of our ongoing commitment to fostering economic growth while protecting the environment.
The initiative is one of the projects supported with a share of the £16 million of capital funding from the Devon and Torbay devolution deal.
The Green Impact Fund is a capital grant scheme which is open to all businesses and community organisations located within the Devon and Torbay area.
Grants of between £5,000 and £49,999 are available to businesses and community organisations that are developing or implementing innovative solutions to reduce their environmental impact and help move towards a carbon net-zero economy.
Eligible projects may include, but are not limited to, renewable energy installations, energy efficiency improvements, waste reduction programmes, and sustainable product development.
You can find more information in the news story on our website, or on the programme webpage.
Several upgraded sections of the North Devon Link Road are due to open by Monday 11 November.
We have been informed by our contractor Griffiths that a number of improved stretches of the A361 between Portmore roundabout at Barnstaple and Yarnacott are now complete and are set to open fully to traffic. Other sections will open in stages over the coming weeks.
Work on the improvement project between South Molton and Portmore roundabout, has been ongoing since February 2021, with Griffiths widening two sections of road to provide overtaking lanes and upgrading four junctions.
The aim of the scheme is to improve safety and the reliability of journey times for anyone travelling on the A361. It will also support economic growth and unlock planned development in North Devon.
To improve the lifespan and resilience of the road, additional maintenance has been carried out during the scheme to resurface sections of the route, improve drainage and waterproof structures to reduce the need for disruptive roadworks that may otherwise have been required over the next few years.
Find out more about the first upgraded sections that will open next week, in the news story on our website.
Being a councillor is a fantastic way to give back to your community and you don’t need any specific experience - just energy, passion and a commitment to making a difference. Our aim is to have a diverse and representative council, which means having councillors from all backgrounds and experiences, who reflect the communities they serve. That’s why we’re encouraging more people to consider standing in the next Devon County Council elections, which will take place in May 2025.
We know that deciding to become a councillor can be a big decision, and those of you who are considering it may have lots of questions along the way! Last month we sent a special edition of our newsletter to help you learn more below about the role and the benefits it offers to you and your community. If you missed it in your inbox, you can read it online here.
We're also running two free information sessions that you can attend either online or in person:
- Tuesday 10 December at 5pm in the Daw Room at County Hall, Exeter
- Thursday 16 January at 9am in the Clinton Room at County Hall, Exeter
The sessions will be a great opportunity to hear more about life as a Devon county councillor and gain an insight into the role and what to expect. You’ll also have the chance to ask any questions you might have. Register your interest in attending on our website.
Parents can expect to see an increase in the number of wraparound childcare places available across Devon. If your school isn't already providing wraparound childcare, you can request that the school considers setting it up.
'Wraparound childcare' is before and after school care for primary school aged children in England, during term time. It should begin at least by 8am and continue after school until at least 6pm.
The provision should be available every school day outside of regular school hours and is often referred to as breakfast and after school clubs.
It can be on school sites, or in a nearby facility. In some cases, transport is provided to move children from one school to another or a walking bus if the centre is close.
Providers will set their own fees for wraparound places, so prices may vary. Parents will pay their childcare provider directly.
Parents eligible for some benefits will be able to use the support to help pay for wraparound care.
If your school isn't already providing wraparound childcare, and you would like to ask them to consider setting it up, you should write to your child's school by letter or email and include when you most need wraparound childcare, detailing the days and times you need it. The school will get back to you with a decision within a school-term.
For more information, please visit our website.
Transport has a vital role in helping make Devon and Torbay the best place to grow up, live happily and healthily, and prosper.
The way we travel is changing thanks to things like online shopping and working from home. However, access to reliable transport remains essential. An affordable, sustainable, and well-connected transport system can help improve the quality of life for Devon and Torbay’s residents.
We've joined forces with Torbay Council to create a plan for future investment in our transport infrastructure that will unlock development, support active travel, be efficient and reliable and reduce congestion and pollution. This will help to achieve our goal of carbon net zero by 2050 at the latest.
We've put together a special edition of our Connect Me newsletter to share this strategy (known as the Devon and Torbay Local Transport Plan 4) with you and encourage you to share your views on it.
If you missed it in your inbox, you can read it online here.
Help us to build a more sustainable Devon, with funded green skills training from Train4Tomorrow.
Our Skills Bootcamps are short, flexible courses lasting up to 16 weeks to fit around your working life. From farming to construction, to electric vehicle maintenance, our green courses provide the skills you need to keep up with the green revolution.
John from Salcombe completed the Regenerative Farming Skills Bootcamp, he said, “I wanted to learn from people who had direct experience, who are successfully growing and rearing animals in a way that was sustainable and good for the land.
“I can look any customer in the eye and say this is what we do and why we do it, in an authentic fashion.”
Skills Bootcamps are free for self-employed individuals. Courses are co-funded for employers who wish to upskill their staff, employer contributions are between 10% and 30% of the cost depending on organisation size. Please speak to your manager about co-funding.
Green skills training is available in:
- Electric Vehicles
- Future Climate Leaders
- Regenerative Farming
- Sustainable Construction
- Retrofit
- Ecology and Conservation
To browse courses and apply, visit www.train4tomorrow.org.uk.
Connecting Devon and Somerset (CDS) and Airband have announced that they have agreed to scale back Airband’s contract agreements to deliver full fibre to properties in the region. Both CDS and Airband remain committed to finding possible alternative delivery solutions for those communities who were due to receive fibre broadband.
CDS contracted with broadband supplier Airband, initially in 2016 to deliver fixed wireless infrastructure and additionally in late 2020 to rollout fibre broadband networks to communities across Devon and Somerset, with four contracts originally due to conclude at the end of 2024.
In total, Airband is contracted to deliver 55,493 premises. To date the operator has delivered 18,794 premises in collaboration with CDS. However, following Airband’s restructure earlier this year, the company is seeking to maximise take up across its existing network while slowing down on build activity which means it can no longer complete its contracted build for CDS in full. As a result, in April, Airband sought a change to its contract.
Detailed discussions have now concluded between CDS, Airband and Building Digital UK (BDUK) to resolve the situation and Airband has now committed to provide full fibre access to 8,377 more homes and businesses covered by the contracts, providing a total of 27,171 out of the 55,493 premises it was originally contracted to deliver.
Read the full story on the news page of our website.
Libraries Unlimited, the charity that runs libraries in Devon on our behalf, is excited to launch their first-ever Book Awards to celebrate the power of reading and our wonderful libraries!
With 20 of Devon and Torbay’s most-borrowed books of the past year shortlisted, you're invited to vote for your favourite! From contemporary novels to classical whodunits, the selection reflects the diversity of interest among local readers.
Voting runs until the end of January 2025, so there’s plenty of time to borrow the shortlist from your local library. Your vote also enters you into a prize draw to win a £50 book token!
Dive into the shortlist, cast your vote, and celebrate the joy of reading!
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