IHG Hotels & Resorts, one of the world’s leading hotel companies, has opened voco Zeal Exeter Science Park – IHG’s first branded net zero* carbon hotel, in partnership with Zeal Hotels and Valor Hospitality. It has been designed to operate entirely on renewable and solar energy.       As with all voco branded hotels, the 142-room voco Zeal Exeter Science Park has been designed to help guests truly unwind and feel at ease with the use of neutral tones and contemporary features throughout the guest rooms and public spaces. Guests staying at the hotel will have access to a mini gym, gardens, a versatile meeting space and 12 EV charging points. The hotel’s onsite restaurant and bar, ISCA, emphasises the use of locally-sourced ingredients, collaborating with regional farms and producers to offer fresh, responsible dining options. The voco Zeal Exeter Science Park stands out with its sustainable design, which earned a BREAAM Outstanding rating, a renowned sustainable buildings certification. It is the first building in the UK that has utilised the Solarlab vertical photovoltaic panels as a rainscreen cladding system. It also follows the Passivhaus standard for ultra-low energy buildings and uses adiabatic cooling and heat reversible heat pumps to reduce energy usage. In…

Exeter Chiefs second rower Richard Capstick has committed his future to the club, signing a contract extension. Returning from a neck injury that derailed his plans for the 2023/24 season, Capstick has forged himself into a key component of the Chiefs pack this year with formidable on-field displays. “My family have been driving down here for years to support my career, so I always wanted to stay,” Capstick said on his decision to re-sign. “This is my home. I want to achieve things at my home club. “I’ve always said some of my main aims were to play 100 games for this club, to win trophies and play with my mates. A lot of the boys I came through the academy with are still here, so I want to stay with them. “I think we’re just at the start of our journey now as a group. I know we’ve had a tough season, but there have been some building blocks put in place this year that will help us moving forward. I think the future will be brighter.” Raised playing rugby with his brothers, Capstick’s early days were spent as a Taunton RFC boy –…

Making a difference should be something to celebrate, especially in a field as vital as dementia. A few years ago, I felt a sense of celebration after delivering an engaging dementia information session. The response was overwhelmingly positive, and made a real impact. But a few days later I learned that false information about this session was being shared, something that had the potential to harm my reputation. I  encountered something I wasn’t prepared for – professional jealousy. I have spent the last decade improving the lives of people affected by dementia. My work is about education, advocacy, and ensuring individuals living with dementia, as well as their families and care partners receive the support they deserve. My goal has always been to collaborate with others; professionals, organisations, and communities to create meaningful change. Along the way, I found that not everyone saw things the same way. I have been questioned, and undermined. It often came from people within the very sector I believed was built on compassion and shared purpose. Why Does Professional Jealousy Exist? At first, I struggled to understand it. I asked myself: Why would people working in dementia care, people…