A national recruitment campaign is coming to Exeter to encourage local people to find out more about life as a teacher. The session aims to inspire more people in the region to join a unique profession that helps shape the lives of the next generation. Anyone interested in finding out more about the benefits and rewards of teaching can visit the Train to Teach event at Mercure Exeter Rougemont Hotel, Queen Street, Exeter, EX4 3SP on Tuesday 17th May 2022 from 4.30pm to 7.30pm. Visitors will be able to find out how to get into teaching from expert advisers, training providers and local teachers. The event is part of a programme of events organised across different towns and cities by the national Get Into Teaching campaign, which provides a comprehensive programme of support to help graduates become teachers. At the latest event, attendees will be able to chat with current teachers to find out what a day in the life of a teacher is really like, and get one-to-one advice from teaching experts on their application. Information will be also available about how to fund your training – you could get a tax-free bursary of up to £24,000 to train as a teacher, in selected subjects. Being a teacher means having an impact on students well beyond the classroom years. In research of over 2,000 people for Get into Teaching, two fifths (40%) of adults surveyed in England work in a job or career related to one of their favourite subjects from their time at school, and almost three quarters (74%) of those surveyed who have a favourite subject, said their teachers’ passion for the subject helped spark their interest in it. Roger Pope, spokesperson for the Get Into Teaching campaign and a National Leader of Education, said: “It’s a wonderful feeling knowing that every lesson is helping to shape the life of a young person. “As well as the immense satisfaction of witnessing students learn and knowing you are influencing who or what they might become, teaching enables you to tap into your talents and passion for a particular subject. “It also offers some competitive financial rewards and long-term prospects. “Anyone who feels they have the passion and potential to teach should join us for this Train to Teach event in Exeter.” The free Train to Teach event is being held at Mercure Exeter Rougemont Hotel, Queen Street, Exeter, EX4 3SP…

By Ollie Heptinstall, local democracy reporter Labour has retained control of Exeter City Council as expected, following an interesting election night in which the party lost seats but unexpectedly won one in Topsham, and the Greens made gains. Overall, Labour’s majority dropped by two – down to 26 of the council’s 39 seats – with the Greens winning seats from them in Heavitree and St David’s to take their tally to five. The Conservatives dropped to five seats after losing a seat in Topsham, while the Liberal Democrats held the only ward they were defending to stay on two. It means the self-named Progressive Group – made up of the Greens, Lib Dems and one independent – overtake the Tories to become the main opposition. Overall, 17 of the council’s 39 seats were contested on Thursday: 13 in line with the usual cycle of a third every election year, as well as four others because of vacancies. Labour went in to the night with 14 of the seats not up for re-election, needing another six to maintain overall control. The party picked up 12 to give them another comfortable majority – although two fewer than in 2021. The night’s shock result came in Tory stronghold of Topsham, where Labour candidate Joshua Ellis-Jones defeated sitting councillor Keith Sparkes by more than 250 votes – an announcement met with cheers by the Labour supporters at Riverside Leisure Centre in Exeter where the count was held. It proved a mixed night for Labour, which firstly lost its last remaining seat in St David’s to the Green Party. Tess Read secured a third-successive election gain for the Greens in the ward, defeating Labour candidate Jakir Hussain. The Greens also picked up two seats from Labour in Heavitree. Sitting councillor Greg Sheldon was defeated by Catherine Rees. Carol Bennett took a vacant seat previously occupied by Labour. Deputy leader Laura Wright narrowly survived a scare in what had previously been a safe Labour seat in St Thomas. She beat Liberal Democrat candidate Adrian Fullam by just 44 votes. In other wards, parties held on to their existing seats. The Lib Dems saw off a Labour challenge in Duryard and St James, as did Labour in Newtown and St Leonard’s from the Greens. Turnout was 37 per cent, down on the 40 per cent…

Re-flow’s Co-Founder & Managing Director, Michael Saunders, has completed his 400-mile run to raise money for the prevention charity, PAPYRUS. Over the past four weeks, Michael has run a 10-mile commute from his home in Cheriton Fitzpaine to the Re-flow offices in Exeter, Devon. Undertaking this distance twice a day, he’s completed just under a full marathon every weekday, for 4 weeks in a row. Overall, this has amounted to 400 miles and 40,000 feet of elevation – the equivalent of scaling Mount Everest one and a half times. Re-flow works closely with companies in the highways, construction, civil engineering, and rail industries. All of which are disproportionately affected by suicide. In the construction industry, 29 out of 100,000 workers lost their lives to suicide in 2019, over double the national average. In the highways industry, 40% of workers report struggling with mental health issues – a major contributor to suicidal thoughts and behaviour.  Over his years working in the industry, Michael began to learn of the issues and statistics from peers and became determined to do his part. Aiming to spread awareness of these issues, Michael connected with Heather Sandover, Regional Manager of PAPYRUS Prevention of Young Suicide, a national charity dedicated to providing training and support surrounding suicide, which has now become the leading cause of death for under 35s in the UK. “I realised that PAPYRUS was the perfect charity for us to support, and I thought it was important that I lead by example.” Michael Saunders, Co-founder & Managing Director, Re-flow The challenge garnered a great amount of support from the Re-flow team, who cheered him on every step of the way. “I think it’s a really good charity he’s chosen, especially with our industry; there’s a lot of young workers.” Michael Gane, Senior Developer, Re-flow Many team members living in the area were already familiar with the difficulty and intensity of the route, making Michael’s achievement even more impressive. “I know that route; those are long, hard, steep roads. What he’s doing is quite extraordinary.” Robert Turland, Head of Support, Re-flow Michael started his daily run at his home in Cheriton Fitzpaine, climbing the 770-foot Raddon Hill taking him into Exeter. “The first thing you hit in the morning is Raddon Hill which is the real nasty bit, really short and sharp….

The Great West Run are proud to announce that Elysium Healthcare will be supporting the iconic event as Title Partners for 2022. The Elysium Healthcare Great West Run, formerly known as Exeter’s Great West Run, takes place next month on Sunday 22nd May 2022 and has the option of a 13.1-mile half marathon, a 10k route or a 1-mile Community Mile race for all ages and abilities of runner. The event takes participants on a journey through the city centre, along pretty country lanes and takes in stunning views across Exeter before a fantastic stadium finish at Exeter Arena Athletics Stadium. Elysium Healthcare South West Operations Director, Kim Hill, spoke on the announcement: “Fitness is an important part of life, which we encourage at Elysium for our staff and service users. Partnering with the Great West Run is a natural fit for this, and we’re thrilled to be a part of this event and supporting Exeter and the Southwest community.” Elysium Healthcare is a leading mental health service provider with over 80 sites across the country. This partnership with the Great West Run provides the people of Exeter and the Southwest with an awareness of the rewarding career opportunities that come with working for Elysium in the healthcare sector where you can experience what delivering great healthcare should feel like. The Great West Run Event Organiser, Rupert Martin, also commented on the partnership with Elysium Healthcare: “We believe that running can help people in so many ways; improving both physical and mental health, bringing communities together and helping raise crucial funds for brilliant charities. We’re thrilled to have Elysium Healthcare and their fantastic team supporting the event and everyone taking part.” The Exeter Daily …

Are you a fan of 80s music or is your thing singer-songwriters?  Child Bereavement UK needs you! The charity is looking for music fans to give 4 hours of their time to volunteer at a range of festivals this year, selling wristbands and raffle tickets to raise funds to support its work. In return volunteers get to enjoy the rest of the event free of charge! Child Bereavement UK helps families to rebuild their lives when a child grieves or when a child dies. The charity supports children and young people (up to the age of 25) when someone important to them has died or is not expected to live, and parents and the wider family when a baby or child of any age dies or is dying. Exeter is the location for two exciting festivals in July, both located at Powderham Castle. Let’s Rock Exeter (2 July) features performances from 80s legends such as The Human League, OMD, Billy Ocean, Tom Bailey (Thompson Twins), Belinda Carlisle and Heaven 17.  Meanwhile, A Perfect Day (3 July) is headlined by David Gray who will be joined by James Morrison, Tom Odell, Gabrielle, The Shires and Wildwood Kin. Lorna Murchie, Community Projects Manager for Child Bereavement UK said: ‘This year Child Bereavement UK is delighted to be the beneficiary charity of some of the UK’s most anticipated festivals and gigs. Our volunteers tell us they have a great time soaking up the festival atmosphere and seeing their favourite acts, in return for just a few hours of their time helping us raise much-needed funds.  If you’re tempted to join in, please visit our website to find out how you can get involved .’ For more information on volunteering or to see a full list of events, please visit:https://www.childbereavementuk.org/Event/festivals To find out more about the charity and for support please visit: www.childbereavementuk.org or call 0800 02 888 40 The Exeter Daily …