Have you ever ended up being the emergency contact for a stranger who tried to scam you out of your money? No? Michelle Brasier has.   Edinburgh Festival Favourite and…

Three leading local companies have joined forces in a high-profile charitable project aimed at rewilding the environment, promoting healthy eating and raising awareness of bowel disease. The project has been commissioned by Bowel Research UK with the aim of constructing a ‘Microbiome Garden’ that reflects a healthy gut. It has been funded by Project Giving Back and designed by top garden designers, Chris Hull and Sid Hill. The state-of-the-art garden is being constructed by Atlantes Landscapes in Exeter, transported to the prestigious RHS Chelsea Flower Show and returned to a permanent site in Devon. The three companies are: GreenBrook Landscape Design led by Chris Hull of the ‘Garden Rescue’ TV series. Chris grew up in Tavistock and recently relocated from Bath to Exeter; Sid Hill Ecological Gardens based in Totnes. Sid is a well-known ecological horticulturalist who creates food forests and edible meadows; and Atlantes Landscapes, headed up by Paul Bentley who has more than 40 years of experience in landscape construction and has managed the design, construction and logistics of the garden in Marsh Barton.
The Bowel Research UK Microbiome Garden, which will include an edible meadow, seeks to explore the link between a healthy landscape, healthy gut, and…

Bowel Cancer West is delighted to have been chosen as the Charity of the Year for Devon County Show, which takes place on Thursday 16th-Saturday 18th May at Westpoint, Exeter. Recognising how big the issue is of Bowel Cancer in the South West, the charity reckons it can give a World Record a run for its money, but attempting to create the World’s longest toilet roll chain! Working tirelessly to ensure the survival rates of those diagnosed with bowel cancer across the region, the charity is celebrating its 15th Anniversary, and invites everyone who is coming to the Devon County Show to bring along a decorated toilet roll tube to add to the chain. People of all ages can be affected by bowel cancer, and people of all ages can bring along their toilet roll tube – it can be funky, it can be fun, or it can be dedicated to someone. The charity’s team will have an interactive stand at the show. Whilst everyone can have a go at the Smoothie Bike and make their own delicious healthy smoothies from pedal power, youngsters can have just as much fun by decorating toilet rolls that will be available,…

With several viral internet hits, appearances on Mock The Week, a debut performance on Comedy Central Live and an upcoming debut on 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown later…

An exciting new early years reading programme with stickers to collect has been launched in libraries across Devon and Torbay, aiming to inspire a lifelong love of reading. Libro’s Friends is an extension of Libraries Unlimited’s hugely successful The Secret Book Quest, which was launched in 2021. Both programmes have been created as part of Libraries Unlimited’s drive to boost the reading skills of children in the county. The Secret Book Quest uses a free sticker collection book to set older children a 50-book goal and takes them on a journey through topics ranging from space to animals. With Libro’s Friends, under-5s will get a similar sticker book and the chance to collect eight unique stickers to find out where Libro the Cat’s animal friends are hiding. Libro is an established character in The Secret Book Quest, created by the illustrator, Emily Fox. Emily is an acclaimed children’s book illustrator whose has created artwork for the covers of children’s classics as well as a compilation of writing edited by award-winning author, Katherine Rundell. Children who go to their library with their parents or carers and sign up for Libro’s Friends will get the sticker book…