Express & Echo (Exeter, UK)

Talk On Reserve

THE speaker at the next meeting of Otterton Garden Club will be David Brock. The subject will be Bystock Nature Reserve, near Exmouth.

Churches Fill Up for Christmas

CHURCHES in Devon saw a significant increase in people coming to services over the Christmas period. Acting Dean Canon at Exeter Cathedral Carl Turner said people queued across the Cathedral Green for Christmas Eve carol services and many were unable to be accommodated.

Highways Chiefs Issue Traffic Plea

HIGHWAYS chiefs claim a host of transport schemes will ease congestion problems in Exeter. But they say the problem will only be eradicated when drivers ditch their cars and start using public transport.

The Boys Are Back in Town and On the Road ; Back in Town Is the Latest Thin Lizzy Line-Up Featuring New Frontman Ricky Warwick, Who Spoke to the Echo's Anita Merritt Ahead of the Band's Gig at Plymouth Pavilions Later This Month

UP there among the most iconic bands is Thin Lizzy, and despite frontman Phil Lynott's untimely death 26 years ago the music continues to live on. Stepping into the shoes of such a legendary performer has been one of the biggest challenges ever faced by Ricky Warwick, who was asked to join the band last year.

Budget for the Home

NEW Year resolutions can often stretch to stipulating that you feel you need to make a few changes around the home. Now could be an ideal time to take a look around the stores if you are planning to fit a new kitchen or bathroom in 2012, as many of the January sales are still on and for larger items a percentage off the price can make all the difference. The same applies if you are planning other improvements in or around the home, DIY or a garden makeover; you may be seeking a workman for al...

Pressure Grows On Zone Permits

HIGHWAYS chiefs are being urged to ditch a scheme which requires tradespeople to pay for parking permits in residentsonly zones. Councillor Jill Owen has called for the scheme to be cancelled, describing it as 'absurd'. Cllr Owen, who represents Priory and St Leonard's, is calling for the scrapping of the Parking Dispensation Notice scheme, which requires tradespeople to pay Pounds 10 - Pounds 5 to apply for a permit and Pounds 5 for the permit, for each property they visit.

Witness Plea After Injury

A MAN who received serious head injuries following an incident outside a city nightclub has been discharged from hospital. The 25-year-old was taken to the Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital just before 1.30am on Sunday, January 8. He was realised from hospital two days later.

Medium Derek Tries to Contact the Other Side

MEDIUM Derek Acorah will be trying to connect to the other side when he appears at Exeter's Corn Exchange later this month. He first attracted attention when he became the resident medium for the TV series Most Haunted, in which he was seen investigating haunted properties.

Art for People

Be Voice of the Neighbourhood

MID Devon District Council is looking for tenants who can represent the views of their neighbours and highlight concerns or ideas on their behalf. The authority is asking council tenants to consider becoming estate representatives for their areas. The purpose of an estate representative is to be the local voice for their neighbourhood.

Accounts Clerk Stole 'to Provide for Lover'

AN accounts clerk created a false identity and set up eight bank accounts so she could loot more than Pounds 150,000 from her bosses. Isobel Ravensworth, 33, stole to provide for an impoverished man with whom she was in an abusive relationship. She lived in a bizarre arrangement with both him and his wife and did not spend the money on high living, Exeter Crown Court was told.

Can You Lend Helping Hand? ; Exeter Volunteer Centre

USE your skills or gain new ones, meet people and support a good cause, give your time and volunteer. The latest selection of opportunities is here! Do you have a passion for walking and keeping fit? Can you share this with older people in South West prisons? Ramblers is looking for people to help deliver their Get Walking, Keep Walking 12-week programmes. Call Thomas Moulton on 0207 3398535 for more information. Ref 3103

Cheap and Simple Changes for Your Home ; Interiors

HAPPY New Year! I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and that some of my December decorating tips helped you create a beautifully festive home. Personally, I love the start of the new year. There is something about taking down the decorations and having a good clear out that revitalises me and makes me want to rethink the look of my home. How about you? Have you got that bug too? You know the one that makes you want to start from scratch and redecorate the whole house.

Bid to Boost Growth Flawed, Says Cameron

DAVID Cameron has admitted a flagship scheme aimed at bolstering economic growth in Devon is flawed after creating fewer jobs than expected. Under the initiative set up last year, start-up firms in parts of the UK including the South West were offered National Insurance tax breaks worth up to Pounds 5,000 for each of their first 10 employees. But figures from HM Revenue & Customs into the operation of the contributions holiday show in Exeter just 13 firms had taken advantage of the scheme in ...

Top Food and Drink Producers Honoured

Some of Devon's best local food and drink producers have been honoured this week at the launch of the Food magazine awards, as Catherine Fraser reports THE new year has begun with celebrations for some of Exeter's local food and drink businesses, who have been recognised in the inaugural Food magazine Reader Awards. Food magazine covers the whole of the South West, from Cornwall to the Cotswolds - and success in awards voted for by readers is always welcome. The winners were announced on Mond...

Recipe ; Chicken with Creamed Leeks and Wild Mushrooms

This week's recipe comes from Craig Dunn, head chef at ABode in Exeter Ingredients (serves 4) 4 x corn-fed Goosnargh chicken breasts (or use local freerange or organic) 4 x large leeks, cleaned, cut into quarters and shredded 100g mixed wild mushrooms, cleaned 1 packet baby spinach, cleaned For the chicken white wine sauce: 20g unsalted butter; 25g shallot, sliced; 2 clove garlic, peeled; 5 sprigs of thyme; 100ml dry white wine; 500ml chicken stock; 50g cream and 175g unsalted butter 100ml re...

Win Organic Veg Box From Riverford

A Punch Will Use Up the Leftovers

Many people are left wondering what to do with all their leftover festive spirits. Yvan Williams from the Oddfellows in Exeter suggests creating a punch PUNCH is a term for a wide assortment of drinks, both nonalcoholic and alcoholic, generally containing fruit juice or fruit. The drink was introduced from India to England in the early 17th century and from there its use has spread to other countries. Punch is typically served at parties or large gatherings in big bowls and then portioned int...

Marquee Cafe to Be Revamped

New Organic Soups to Buy

APPLEBY Westward, the regional distribution company for Spar stores in the South West, has added a range of Westcountry organic soups to its expanding own-brand portfolio. Produced by Rod and Ben's, of Bickham Farm near Exeter, the trio of soups are available in carrot and coriander, tomato and basil, and leek and potato flavours. Certified by the Soil Association, Rod and Ben's soups use high-quality ingredients. "All the vegetables are grown under strict organic rules to achieve only the be...