 Photo of Bystock Pools by Kate Williams
Hello,
In this week's newsletter, read about these stories and more:
Help shape East Devon’s future
 A six-week consultation on East Devon’s new Local Plan is being held before it is reviewed by a Government inspector and potentially adopted, if approved.
The document outlines what development should go where for the next two decades, helping to shape the district until 2042. The consultation, taking place between Thursday 13 February and Monday 31 March 2025, is the last chance for residents to share their comments on the plan for the review of the Government inspector.
Thousands of people have already commented on proposals outlined in the new Local Plan including on how many new homes need to be built and where. The plan sets out other aims, including:
- How the district could address the climate change emergency
- How and where new jobs should be created how we should support our town centres
- How East Devon protects its built heritage and natural environment
- How the council intends to deliver housing to meet local residents' needs and ensure new homes are net zero carbon, so they are more efficient and cheaper to run
Find out more about the Local Plan consultation.
Visit the East Devon Engagement Hub to take part in the council's live consultations, including the Draft Housing Strategy Consultation.
497 tonnes of steel cans collected from East Devon households last year
 A big thank you for recycling as many steel cans as you can. Please put all of your steel cans in your recycling sack along with the plastic and aluminium items we collect from kerbside.
The cans are separated from the mix of materials by magnets at our materials recycling facility and sent to foundries in England or Wales to be smelted into raw steel ready to be made into new products.
Your recycling sack is for steel cans only, other steel items can be taken to a recycling centre to be recycled.
There is no limit to the times your cans can be recycled – metal recycles forever.
For more information about Recycling and Waste, visit the website.
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Have you downloaded our free East Devon app yet?
Join more than 60,000 residents using our smartphone app and get simple personalised recycling and waste collection reminders, the latest collection updates and tell us about a missed collection. You can download the app through the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.
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East Devon celebrates National Apprenticeship Week
Apprenticeships are a fantastic way to learn while you earn. This week, East Devon District Council has been sharing the stories of its apprentices on its social media channels.
Representatives from the council also attended Exeter College's Apprenticeship Expo on Thursday 13 February 2025. They were delighted to meet lots of people who were interested in discovering the variety of career options available locally.
Read more about apprenticeships at East Devon on the council's website.
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 Events in East Devon
Countryside Team programme achieves 100% customer satisfaction
 During 2024, the Countryside team hosted a wide range of public engagement activities, including bird and bat box making, guided wildlife walks, and partnerships with local organisations on events including canoe safaris and willow sculpting and pottery workshops. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with respondents rating the events as “very engaging” as well as stating they would be “very likely” to attend a Wild East Devon hosted event again in the future.
There's another exciting programme for 2025, including:
Free mental health webinars for young Devon residents
Kooth provides free, anonymous, safe, online mental health support and counselling to young people aged 11-18 years old across Devon. No referral is necessary and there is no wait list.
In collaboration with Devon's libraries, Kooth will be delivering webinars during the February half-term. Webinars will be recorded, if you're unable to attend the live session.
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Need help using technology and the internet?
Digital technology is playing an increasing role in our lives. If you feel you need a helping hand using technology and the internet, why not come along to a free workshop?
Previous attendees have given great feedback, telling us: “the tutors are absolutely amazing” and the experience “gave me a whole new education about phones, laptops, the internet and technology.”
Coming up on Tuesday 18 February 2025 from 10am - 12pm, at Sidmouth's Lymebourne Community Centre, is a course dedicated to video calling and using WhatsApp. Free refreshments are provided.
Don't worry if you can't make it this time – you can find details of all the other workshops online.
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Join the Trinity Hill Waggy Walk
Devon Loves Dogs have a few places left for their social Waggy Walk with Forestry England at Trinity Hill near Axminster on Thursday 20 February 2025. The walk starts at 10am and will last for up to an hour and a half. Find out how the woodland is cared for, with plenty of time for dogs to sniff and explore.
Book your free place on the walk, for a maximum of 2 dogs per person.
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Sidmouth Youth Theatre Celebrates 40 Years at the Manor Pavilion Theatre with a show of their favourite hits
The Manor Pavilion Theatre are thrilled to host a celebration of the work of Angela Davies, respected producer and director of Sidmouth Youth Theatre.
With 50 shows spanning over 40 years, Angela has inspired some 5,000 Sidmouth youngsters to a love of all things theatre and proudly developed some of this young talent onto careers in the creative industries.
Students old and new have been invited back to perform hit numbers from previous shows such as Hairspray, Oliver, Chicago, Les Misérables, Godspell and We Will Rock You, to name but a few.
Running over four nights, the performance starts on Wednesday 2 April until Saturday 5 April 2025.
Tickets are selling fast with a strong local interest present.
Angela said: "The Manor Pavilion Theatre feels like home to us”.
Angela recently retired as a head of drama at Sidmouth College, and now wishes to concentrate her energies on the Youth Theatre.
Visit The Manor Pavilion Theatre’s website for the full schedule of productions.
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Discover more events in the local area by heading to the East Devon Excellence website
 Reporting dead birds on public land
 The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has confirmed a positive case of Avian Influenza (Bird Flu) in a dead gull collected at Seaton Wetlands. The site remains open.
Residents around East Devon are asked to follow DEFRA’s guidelines on avian flu outbreaks:
- Do not feed birds.
- Do not pick up or handle dead or sick birds.
- Report any dead birds found in public areas
 Council meetings dates
Over the next week the following East Devon District Council meetings are taking place:
You can watch public meetings live on the council’s YouTube channel.
You may be interested in
Next edition
We plan to send out our next bulletin on Friday 21 February 2025.
Please forward this email to anyone you think would find it useful and encourage them to sign up.
You can also share this update on social media and in any online groups you're part of by using the view it as a web page link at the top of the page.
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