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Totnes has a new national champion to be proud of.  Guy Davies became the British Open over 75 squash champion at Colets, Thames Ditton.  The championship took place over four days culminating in the final on Sunday.   This is the third most prestigious squash masters competition in the world behind only the world and European masters.   Entries from all over the world attended the competition and the standard was correspondingly very high.  Guy who plays and coaches at Dartington still plays regularly for the second team.  In his first game he beat No.4 seed John Culverhouse to 9 points, winning 3-0 with consummate ease.  Ken Reid, the Scottish No.2 was Guys opponent in the next round.  Guys 3-0 win wasContinue Reading

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Luke Pollard, the MP for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport, has added his support to call for a national memorial day to fishermen lost at sea. In a debate in the House of Commons called by Hull MP Karl Turner, Luke said: “In Plymouth we have lost four fishers in recent years: two on the JMT, one on the Solstice and one on the Laura Jane. Luke Pollard “In remembering them as individuals and the risks they take in going to sea, may I ask [we] use this opportunity to talk about the need to invest in improved safety such as the further roll-out of the Plymouth life jacket scheme? A personal locator beacon is included on the life jackets, whichContinue Reading

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Commenting on the investigation by the Police watchdog, the Independent Office for Police Conduct into Devon and Cornwall Police after the Keyham shooting, Luke Pollard MP said: “We are now one step closer to getting the answers we need as a community. People in Keyham and Ford need to know why the killer was issued with a gun certificate, why it was removed and why his firearm was returned to him. “I have met with the IOPC and know that they are conducting a thorough investigation. That another individual in the police has been served with a gross misconduct notice shows that there are serious questions that need answering. I believe that the whole system of gun control needs seriousContinue Reading

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The Community Waffle House CIC (Waffle) have teamed up with an orphanage in Kenya to release a charity single, adapted from Band Aid’s “Do They Know It’s Christmas, in an emergency effort to raise money for the community following mass starvation in the area as a result of Covid-19.   The idea was the brainchild of Chelsea and Mike, two employees at Waffle in Axminster, East Devon. Having heard about the situation in Kenya as the nation shut down jobs and market places, and thousands of people were left without food, they teamed up with a colleague, Sophie, who also runs the charity, Awaken Love For Africa to try and raise £10,000 to support the Gideons Orphanage in Ramba, Kenya.Continue Reading

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More than 20,000 Self Assessment customers have used HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) online monthly payment plan service since April to spread the cost of their tax bill, totalling £46 million so far, it has been revealed. Where customers are struggling to pay their bill in full, the self-serve Time to Pay service allows Self Assessment customers to manage how they pay their tax liabilities. Customers can use the online service for tax bills worth up to £30,000 without the need to talk to HMRC. The service will create a bespoke monthly payment plan for the customer based on how much tax is owed and the length of time needed to pay. Last year, 123,000 customers used self-serve Time toContinue Reading

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The UK government has been vocal in their support for electric cars as THE carbon-free future for  travel.  The transport carbon challenge sorted! Or is it? The generously-funded motor lobby is powerful at getting its message across.  We could be forgiven for thinking that electric cars are the answer to fully decarbonising our travel, and building a better future. A moment’s thought however shows  this falls far short of the future we need to create for ourselves and our children. Why so down on electric cars? Well, firstly, not many can afford an electric vehicle. They remain a privilege for the few. Once bought, however, they’re cheap to run and so there’s every incentive to make every journey by car,Continue Reading

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At 320 years old, Bevis Marks in London is the oldest continually functioning synagogue in Europe. So it is perhaps unsurprising that recent plans to erect two (very tall) skyscrapers overshadowing the building have led to angry opposition. One 48-story tower, planned to be built in nearby Bury Street, was rejected in early October on the grounds that it would severely disrupt the use of the Grade I-listed historic site. A groundswell of protest, led by the likes of Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis and historians Tom Holland and Simon Schama, voiced concerns about how the shadow from the proposed tower would affect the synagogue’s spiritual power. Another 21-story highrise, meanwhile, planned on Creechurch Lane, is still under consideration. For JewsContinue Reading

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The Ministry of Justice is banking on England and Wales’ prison numbers rising by 23.7% by March 2026, predicting that the prison population will climb from 79,580 to 98,500. Matched by an intention to build space for 20,000 extra prison places, this would take numbers to an all-time high for the two countries. It is mainly the sentenced population rather than the remand population (those awaiting trial) that is predicted to grow. The numbers of those recalled back to prison is set to grow as well. The number of men, women, children and prisoners over 50 years of age are all expected to increase. Yet evidence shows that far from cutting crime, increasing the prison rate is likely to haveContinue Reading

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The Cornwall Gleaning network was started in early 2020 after its founder, Holly Whitelaw watched a Simon Reeve documentary about Cornwall, it’s hidden poverty and challenges being faced by its inhabitants.After some shocking conversations with desperate individuals on the front line of the food poverty crisis, Holly decided to set up a project that could help in some way. What is gleaning and How can it help in today’s world? It is the act of harvesting surplus produce from farmers’ fields that would otherwise go to waste. It was actually a protected right of the ‘poor and the alien’ in days gone by. Farmers were obliged to leave behind the crops that had fallen to the ground or were leftContinue Reading

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Bristol-based recycling specialist ETM has integrated a new UNTHA XR3000 mobil-e shredder into its state-of-the-art waste transfer station, as the ambitious family-run firm pushes for zero waste to landfill in the South West. The XR investment marks the latest enhancement to ETM’s £5m facility, which was commissioned two years ago to become the biggest of its kind in the region. It has the capacity to handle 150,000 tonnes of waste per year, collected from ETM’s own skip fleet, as well as contracts for the west of England. But now, the installation of UNTHA’s single shaft waste shredder, means ETM can transform 400mm RDF burner fuel into a refined 30mm SRF for WtE and gasification plants requiring a more precise specification. The flexibleContinue Reading