The run-up to Christmas has been busy for local health and wellbeing charity Westbank Community Health and Care, with a full calendar of events for members of its community and its team.  The festive celebrations got off to a heartwarming start when Year 2 children from Exeter Pre-Prep School visited Westbank’s Day Centre at Exminster to sing a melody of Christmas songs for regular clients. The following day, the Royal Oak in Exminster kindly hosted a 3-course meal for fifty of Westbank’s clients to mark the end of a year of fantastic support from the pub.  Westbank’s Head of Fundraising and Marketing, Katie Elliott, who attended the Christmas lunch, says, “The Royal Oak pulled out all the stops again this year, providing our clients with a delicious meal, much enjoyed and appreciated by all who attended. The pub was beautifully decorated, and the food was plentiful! Many thanks to Mel and the team for making it such a lovely event.  “Thanks also to all our wonderful volunteers who came along to help. One of our volunteers donated a beautiful Christmas hamper that was raffled off over lunch and raised over £100 to support Westbank’s work in the community.  “The icing on…

FORCE Cancer Charity has launched a campaign to increase support for people living with incurable cancer. Let’s Face Cancer Together aims to raise awareness of the unique way FORCE is supporting a patient group for whom there is very little dedicated support available. The Exeter-based charity runs a regular support and education group – Living with Non-Curable Cancer – and has also staged a pioneering retreat day. More than 20 people living with cancers that cannot be cured came together at Buckfast Abbey to share their experiences and hear from experts in cancer care. That pilot was so successful that FORCE would like to embed regular retreat days as part of its core services for anyone locally affected by cancer. To do that, the charity needs to raise £25,000. “We’re launching the Let’s Face Cancer Together campaign to let more people know about how FORCE can help those coming to terms with a diagnosis of incurable cancer,” said FORCE Oncology Support Specialist Emma Ellis. “Giving them the opportunity to be with others who understand what they’re going through is invaluable. That was made so clear at our first special retreat day. It was overwhelmingly powerful and we really want to offer…

Devon Carers, a free service by Westbank Community Health and Care, is this month celebrating 25 years of supporting unpaid carers across the county and is planning several events throughout the coming year as part of its landmark anniversary.  The charity provides a wide range of support services to those who look after family members or friends because they are ill, frail, or have a disability, mental health or substance misuse problem.   Over the last two and a half decades, Westbank’s Devon Carers has grown to be one of the largest charitable organisations in the UK helping adult and young carers; 28,000 adults across the county (excluding Plymouth and Torbay) are currently registered with Devon Carers, and around 2,500 under eighteen-year-olds are registered with Devon Young Carers.  What started as a small group supporting carers locally in Exminster, near Exeter, has expanded to cover Devon from coast to coast. The service continues to grow with thousands of carers joining each year, on average 200 – 300 per month. Andy Hood, Head of Devon Carers says, “There’s been a big increase over the last 25 years in terms of the support services we provide to carers, but we have big ambitions to…

Exeter Round Table’s annual firework extravaganza returns for its 40th anniversary, in support of Devon Air Ambulance.  Devon Air Ambulance is delighted that Exeter Round Table has once more chosen to support the charity with this popular event. This year, the spectacular pyrotechnical display will be synchronised to the music from the Greatest Showman when it returns to Westpoint Arena on Saturday 4th November.   The display, hosted by Radio Exe, will feature fireworks set to the popular musical by Sonic Fireworks, the 2022 British Champions! Not only that, but the spectacle also promises fun for the whole family with funfair rides, various catering outlets, and licensed bars.   This event will support Devon Air Ambulance’s lifesaving 365-day a year service by attracting visitors from the local area and beyond.   Jo-Anne Rigby, Head of Fundraising at Devon Air Ambulance says: ‘It is so wonderful to have another year’s partnership with Exeter Round Table which has been such a wonderful support over the years. This event brings everyone together for such a special, fun occasion, whilst raising money to keep our crew responding!’  ‘We are tremendously grateful to Exeter Round Table for supporting us through this event, and to…

One very popular form of entertainment that has become a mainstay in Western culture is betting. Sports betting, in particular, has boomed in popularity as punters look to try and make correct predictions about their favourite sports. Sports betting can be very fun when used in tandem with the viewing of a sporting fixture.  However, Many bettors try to make more profits during their gaming sessions and, as a result, look to gambling strategies to help them in this approach. One gambling strategy which has proved to be very effective over the years is known as arbitrage betting. But what exactly is arbitrage betting and does it make for a good side hustle? We will answer this question and more in this article as we take a look at arbitrage betting and everything this strategy provides. Arbitrage Betting Explained Arbitrage betting is a trading technique which benefits from price differentials in two different markets to ensure profits. Arbitrage betting is a common practice seen by traders on the stock exchange. The principle is applied in a similar fashion to sports betting. Arbitrage betting involves placing bets on every outcome of an event to guarantee a win…

Six talented and inspiring individuals on Degree Apprenticeship programmes at The University of Exeter will soon find out if they have been successful at the Multicultural Apprenticeship Awards. The University of Exeter, which is the largest provider of degree apprenticeships in the Russell Group and which last week launched a new Centre for Degree Partnerships, has six apprentices shortlisted for the awards, which celebrate those from multicultural communities who have worked hard to overcome adversity through apprenticeships. Ranga Nhemera, Mamadou Kone, Ahmad Smism and Naomi Ogundiran have been shortlisted in the Transport and Logistics category. All four are on the Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship programme, and combine studying for the University of Exeter Business School’s BSc Responsible Business Management programme with full-time jobs working for Amazon. Ahmad is a 29-year-old Syrian national who moved to UK in 2015 with few academic qualifications and only a basic level of English. Now working in Coventry as a Team Leader, he says his degree apprenticeship has been “really beneficial” and a “big opportunity to develop my leadership skills and get the knowledge needed to perform well in my work and enable me to get a promotion”. When Naomi relocated from…

More than twenty members of the Mid Devon health and fitness group, Way to Fitness, grabbed the opportunity to get naked and raise funds for Exeter-based FORCE Cancer Charity. Emma Healey, Fitness Instructor and Personal Performance Coach with Way To Fitness and Shine Brighter Coaching, put out a call for volunteers after a suggestion from a member. ‘We only had three weeks to put everything together because everyone has such busy schedules,’ explained Emma. Crediton photographer Andrea Wyatt stepped in to take the pictures while the calendar was Art Directed by Rachel Vowles, formerly at Exeter’s Northcott Theatre. Once FORCE was decided on as the charity they put the team in touch with Brightsea Print Group who were enthusiastic to continue their generous support. Over one very busy weekend a wide variety of props were gathered and the photographs were taken in Sandford Parish Hall and Scout Hut. The resulting collection features everything from a winter wonderland to springtime frolics in the hay, surfing and picnics in summer, harvest time and on to unwrapping Christmas presents around the tree, all in varying degrees of nudity! But it is not all naked ladies… October features six stalwarts of Emma’s Monday Men on…

Quayside Distillery, a leading name in artisanal craft spirits, is thrilled to announce the winners of their much-anticipated Still Naming Competition. The competition, which invited the people of Exeter and beyond to name the stills at their prestigious distillery, has concluded with two creative and meaningful names chosen by the distillery’s owner, George Nightingale: “Temperance” and “Clarence.” The competition garnered an enthusiastic response from the local community, as participants became eager for the chance to leave an everlasting mark on the distillery and its legacy. The winning names were carefully selected for their historical significance and deep connection to the local heritage of Exeter. The first name, “Temperance”, pays homage to a pivotal moment in Exeter’s history. It is a tribute to the last witch, Temperance Lloyd, to be executed in the UK, an event that unfolded right in the heart of Exeter’s city centre. The second winning name, “Clarence,” stands as a heartfelt tribute to the Clarence Hotel on Exeter Cathedral Green. This historic establishment, which tragically met its fate in a devastating fire in 2016, holds a special place in the hearts of locals and visitors alike.  In addition to the honour of naming…

Experts will use magic tricks to explain human actions and to illustrate how they help people to make sense of the world as part of the British Science Festival in Exeter. The event, held at the Exeter Phoenix, will showcase University of Exeter research on how entertainment magic can help explain the fallibility of perception and reasoning. Brian Rappert, a sociologist from the University of Exeter, and Gustav Kuhn a psychologist from the University of Plymouth, will perform sleight of hand tricks and illusions. The audience will be able to ask questions and will be given a chance to perform themselves!  Professor Rappert, who is a member of the Magic Circle said: “Magic offers a method for understanding ourselves, our relations to others, and how we make sense of the world around us. “We make assumptions all the time about what we think we see, and our thought processes, when we may not be right. The art of magic is based on deception, sleight of hand and illusions that exploit our blind spots, psychological biases and social conventions. Studying these bases can do more than just create entertaining experiences that defy what we believe to be possible….

ENJOY the very best music, song and dance from Dartmoor and beyond at the forthcoming three-day Dartmoor Folk Festival. A beautiful little festival in the heart of Dartmoor, it will take place from Friday, August 11 to Sunday, August 13. The villages of South Zeal and South Tawton play host to top local and national folk artists at the 46th annual event. The festival includes a packed programme of events and activities, some free-of-charge and others at reasonable prices. There will be hotly-contested competitions, one involving dancing with a broom and the other with a 15-inch square board!  Small and family friendly but with a big line-up, many of the artists appearing this year will be well-known. The fabulous Dartmoor Pixie Band, with caller Sarah Bazeley, the host band, kick off the first night with a ceilidh. Doors open at South Tawton Primary School at 7.30pm with dancing from 8pm to 11pm. There will be a full licensed bar. JIM CAUSLEY There will also be a concert with Sykes Martin and Jim Causley. Jim hails from the village of Whimple in East Devon, he was born in Exeter and is…