|
Friday 10 November
 The city centre piazza is the place to be this Thursday (16 November) as Plymouth starts its official countdown to Christmas.
There’s festive family entertainment starting at 4pm, with local dance, singing and theatre groups performing on stage, plus live music from the brilliant Ocean City Groove.
The switch-on of the Christmas lights will be between 6.20pm and 6.30pm and many shops will be open until 9pm for that all-important late-night shopping.
Don’t forget you can park for just £1 at Western Approach car park from 3pm every Thursday night in the run-up to Christmas.
 Meet Bran, a pawesome pooch and very good boy who helped seize illegal tobacco and vapes worth almost £100,000 from across Plymouth last week.
Acting on intelligence, a team of officers from the Heart of the South West Trading Standards Service visited six commercial and retail premises, accompanied by Devon and Cornwall Police and specialist tobacco detection dogs including Bran.
During the visits 17,075 packets of 20 cigarettes, with an estimated sell-on value of £85,375, and 688 pouches of hand rolling tobacco, worth an estimated £4,816 were seized. A further 550 vapes, with a value of £7,150, were found and confiscated.
 Did you know the original plan for Armada Way was devised in 1943 by one of the country’s leading architects and planners, Professor Patrick Abercrombie and James Paton Watson, a city engineer and surveyor?
They proposed ‘A Plan for Plymouth’, outlining how they thought the city centre should evolve after the Blitz. It included a new Armada Way, which would be a kilometre-long processional, pedestrianised, tree-lined route for the people of Plymouth, running directly through the commercial centre and bisected by smaller streets.
Our latest proposal, currently out for public consultation, seeks to mirror this original design and has been praised by local historian Chris Robinson.
He said: “What’s brilliant is that the vision in this new design is as good as, if not better than the original. We can create something that leads people in a direct line, from the train station all the way to the war memorial.”
 One of Plymouth's most cherished attractions, the National Marine Aquarium, will be in the spotlight as part of a new documentary series airing on BBC2 from Tuesday (14 November).
The 'Secrets of the Aquarium' show has been 18 months in the making and delves into the lives of the dedicated NMA team as they navigate challenges, moments of heartbreak and ultimate joy, while caring for more than 5,000 incredible aquatic creatures right here in Plymouth.
In the opening episode you'll watch NMA curator Marcus embark on a mission to move a troublesome shark to the top of the deepest tank in the UK, biologist diver Andrew build a new hideaway for a reclusive lobster and ‘Friday’ the turtle face an unwelcome encounter.
The programme will be on every Tuesday at 8pm until 19 December.
 NHS dental appointments will soon be offered to children at Whitleigh Primary School, thanks to the work of the Plymouth Dental Task Force.
Almost half of the children at the school, like many in the city, do not have a dentist and their parents are unable to pay for private care. The children in years five and six have been influential in raising the profile of this issue across the country, including appearing on national television.
The University of Plymouth’s Peninsula Dental School has been working hard to come up with a plan and, in a new pilot scheme, will soon be offering dental appointments to all students at Whitleigh School in key stages one and two (with children remaining patients up to the age of 16).
 Do you have a coat you no longer need?
You could help provide a lifeline to those who may not have access to warm clothing during the winter months.
If you have any coats that are clean and in good condition you can donate them at our Plympton, Plymstock, Southway or St Budeaux libraries, during normal opening hours.
Anyone struggling with the cost of living who needs a warm, winter coat is welcome to pick one up for free at one of these libraries, with no questions asked.
 Hundreds are expected to gather on the Hoe this Sunday (12 November) as Plymouth remembers all those who sacrificed their lives in both World Wars and in all conflicts.
Our Remembrance Sunday Service, which will be led this year by the Archbishop of Canterbury, The Most Revd Justin Welby, will start with a two-minute silence at 11am.
Coverage will also be streamed on our YouTube channel from 10.15am.
Give your views about where you vote
New name proposed for city centre square
|
