Community stories from East Devon and Exeter, VE Day anniversary events, photos, celebrations, news in brief from across the district. If you have community news to share, email: newsdesk@eastdevonnews.co.uk
East Devon
Council coffers have been boosted after the auction sale of two blocks of East Devon public toilets and village land.
Auctioneers on May 1 sold public loos at Sidford Cross, in the High Street for £68,000, fetching more than the guide price of £40,000.
The auctioned public loos at Sidford.
Photo: with permission.
The toilet block in Marsh Road, Seaton.
Photo: with permission.
While public toilets in Marsh Road, Seaton, on at a guide price of £20,000, sold for £60,000.
East Devon District Council instructed the sale of the toilet blocks and land.
Audrey Smith, senior auction appraiser at Clive Emson Land and Property Auctioneers, said: “This sale proved just how popular former blocks of public conveniences are at auction.
“Often they are well located in tourist or residential areas, or may suit an interested party’s particular scheme.
“The new owners have a variety of options before them, subject to all the necessary consents being obtained.”
The detached, single-storey toilets in Sidford included a shelter area with a small parcel of land with the total site extending to 0.05 acres.
The Seaton toilet block was close to a residential area and town centre, plus seafront and the town’s wetlands.
Exmouth – VE Day anniversary celebrations
Stock image
VE Day anniversary celebrations are taking place in Exmouth on Thursday, May 8, with a host of family fun, entertainment and remembrance.
The day’s fun includes a community picnic in Manor Gardens, live music, readings, and beacon lighting.
Councillor Joe Whibley, Mayor of Exmouth, said: “VE Day 80 is a time for reflection and gratitude, as we honour those who sacrificed so much. It is also an opportunity for our community to come together and celebrate the peace we are fortunate to enjoy today. We warmly invite everyone to join us for this special day of commemoration.”
The town council said a series of events had been planned to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day.
- 3.30pm: Community picnic in Manor Gardens, with live music from the Liberty Sisters. Bring your own food and drink
- 6pm: memorial service on The Strand. All welcome to attend
- 6.30pm: Church bells across Exmouth will ring out in unison
- 9pm: Imperial Recreation Ground, reading of a formal proclamation to mark the commemorations
- 9.30pm: Beacon lighting at Imperial Recreation Ground, joining other lit beacons around the country.
Exmouth
Stock image
A fish and chip street-type party will be held in Exmouth on Thursday, May 8, to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day.
The event, is being organised by the Salvation Army, at its hall in Sheppards Row, off Exeter Road, and includes tea, coffee and pop.
The anniversary celebrations follow its recent Battle of Britain talk, where the town’s Salvation Army teamed up with Exmouth Museum and heritage centre to bring to life wartime 1940s, including a recording of a son interviewing his father after he saw a German plane circling and strafing Exmouth with machine-gun fire.
- See here for more information
Exeter
Isca Academy students teamed up with the Devon Youth Council.
Photo: with permission.
Exeter students from Isca Academy are helping to shape the community through youth politics.
The school has teamed up with the Devon Youth Council, highlighting ‘key issues’ locally, encouraging students to make their views known through voting.
The votes cast will play a role in guiding decisions on local issues, the school said.
Topics included mental health support, public transport, the environment, inequality and inclusion.
Honiton
A former Methodist church in Honiton has gone under the hammer, selling for £78,000.
The former Methodist church in New Street sold for £78,000.
Photo: with permission.
The New Street property, of an entrance vestibule, office, kitchen, main hall and three cloakrooms with loo, was sold on May 1 by Clive Emson Land and Property Auctioneers.
Audrey Smith, senior auction appraiser at the firm, said: “This former Methodist chapel offers its new owner potential for a variety of future uses, subject to all the necessary consents being obtained.”
East Devon
Firefighters tackled a car blaze at Clyst St George, in East Devon, on Monday evening (April 28) after the vehicle caught fire in the road.
Crews wore breathing apparatus and used a hose reel jet and thermal imaging camera to tackle the car blaze.
The fire service was said the cause of the blaze was thought to be accidental.
Exeter
Exeter Chiefs has announced how the club and Louie Gulley ‘have put pen to paper’ on a senior contract for the young hooker ahead of the 2025/26 season.
Gulley, who was one of four Chiefs players included in England’s 2024 World Rugby U20 Championship winning squad, signs the contract with his hometown club after another stellar season with EURFC.
Louie, aged 19, from Devon, who joined the Chiefs Academy four years ago having first picked up a rugby ball at Crediton RFC as a youngster, said: “I’m unbelievably excited to have signed a contract. It’s truly a dream come true for me.”
Exmouth
‘Urgent’ works to complete the next phase of repairs to Exmouth seawall is set to begin again this month, after a host of delays halted progress.
Work to repair and shore-up the failing sea wall started in November 2024, but weather conditions, technical difficulties, high tides, and the location proved challenging, resulting in hold-ups.
Exmouth sea wall repairs are ongoing.
Photo: EDDC.
The finish date for the second phase of what East Devon District Council (EDDC) is calling ‘urgent works’ has been delayed until late May.
The district council said it had changed the design, while its contractor had worked evenings and weekends to make up for lost time.
Phase three of the multi-million-pound work – the final stage – is expected to take place in the autumn once a public consultation has taken place on the appearance of the wall.
EDDC said the ‘crucial upgrades’ will help protect the town against climate change and bad weather, and safeguard Exmouth’s coastline.
An EDDC spokesperson said: “We are delighted that the project is progressing towards completion despite recent setbacks.
“Protecting Exmouth’s coastline from the increasing threat of storm damage is a top priority. We know the works are disruptive, and we thank everyone for their continued patience and support as we carry out these vital improvements.”
Devon
Stock photo courtesy of Devon and Cornwall Police
Extra police officers have been announced for Devon and Cornwall after a £4.7million grant from the Home Office.
The neighbourhood policing grant will fund 45 more police officers, 55 more police community support officers across the two counties, plus 10 special constable volunteers, and fund extra investment in recruitment and associated costs.
Exmouth
Pictured here, L to R, is charity CEO Alison Jordan and Teagan Shaw from Pete’s Dragons.
Photo: with permission.
A charity founded in Exmouth supporting suicide-bereaved families across the county has been given a boost by the 2025 Devon County Show.
Pete’s Dragon’s founded in 2010 in Exmouth by Alison Jordan after her brother’s suicide, has been announced as the show’s charity of the year.
The charity will host a stand at the show, May 15-17, highlighting the work of Pete’s Dragons in the community, plus a pop-up boutique selling items from its shop in Exmouth.
And the charity will have a group of professionals across the showground, offering support to anyone in need.
- You can find out more about Pete’s Dragons and what the charity does here.
East Devon
There is still time to apply for a grant from the recently-launched East Devon National Landscape Fund, before the closing date on May 11, 2025.
The fund is aimed at helping communities ‘bring their ideas to life’, enhancing and celebrating the local area.
A spokesperson for the East Devon National Landscape Fund said: “The fund aims to tackle current challenges, including biodiversity loss, poor mental and physical health, and climate change.
“Successful projects in previous years have included arts engagement for local people to connect with their local rivers, hedgerow creation, environmental talks at local festivals, upskilling volunteers through training and surveying wildlife.”
Community groups, organisations, and individuals are invited to apply. Applications close at midnight on May 11, 2025.
- For more information and how to apply, see here.
Cranbrook
Cranbrook Education Campus hosted a walk and wheel active breakfast in a bid to encourage healthier ways of arriving at school.
Photo: with permission.
Students from Cranbrook Education Campus recently teamed up with charity Sustrans, hosting a walk and wheel active breakfast in a bid to encourage healthier ways of arriving at school.
The event at Cranbrook Education Campus.
Photo: with permission.
The campus said the event was a ‘resounding success’ with scores of families arriving at the school gates on foot, bike, or scooter, instead of the car, ready for a breakfast buffet as a reward for their commitment to active travel.
Honiton
College students and staff took part in a 24-hour challenge, walking continuously for 365 kilometres in aid of charity.
Photo: with permission.
Honiton Community College students raised funds and awareness for the Samaritans, taking part in a 24-hour challenge where staff and pupils walked continuously for 365 kilometres as a nod to the charity’s daily support service.
The event took place in the school’s post-16 centre, where more than 120 students used cross-trainers, signing up for 10-minute slots, walking a total of 845km, raising £2,699 for the Exeter, Mid, and East Devon Samaritans branch.
The event took place in the school’s post-16 centre.
Photo: with permission.
The event raised £2,699 for the Exeter, Mid, and East Devon Samaritans branch.
Photo: with permission.
Caroline Brothwood, Honiton Community College principal, said: “We are incredibly proud of our students’ passion and commitment to making a difference in the community.
“Their dedication to supporting causes like the Samaritans shows just how much they care about the well-being of others.”
More than 120 students and staff used cross-trainers.
Photo: with permission.
Exmouth
An Exmouth company is celebrating flying the flag for East Devon at the recent South West Efficiency Awards.
Turner Enterprises (East Devon), of Exmouth, won the Boiler and Heating Installer of the Year award, at a ceremony held in Exeter.
The awards, made up of 13 categories, recognise organisations and individuals ‘driving real progress towards a more sustainable future’, while ‘setting new benchmarks for what is possible in reducing energy consumption, cutting carbon emissions, and making a lasting impact on businesses, communities, and the environment’.
East Devon
Gill Bond, Joseph McNeil from the Ice Cream Alliance (ICA), Alison Reed, Rebecca Bond, Neil and Annette James, from RSS Hereford and Catherine McNeil, ICA. Photo: with permission.
An East Devon ice cream parlour celebrated being named best in the UK after winning a top industry accolade.
The Otter Valley Ice Cream & Field Kitchen was crowned The Best Ice Cream Parlour in the UK 2024 at the 2025 Ice Cream Alliance awards night.
The Otter Valley Ice Cream & Field Kitchen was crowned The Best Ice Cream Parlour in the UK 2024 at the 2025 Ice Cream Alliance awards night.
Photo: with permission.
A spokesperson for the Bond family, at Otter Valley, said: “We are very honoured, this is the pinnacle of our career.
“We love the ice cream industry and all it represents and we will remember this night and what we’ve achieved for many years to come. I’m so proud of what we’ve achieved, and we really have the best team in the world.”
The event celebrates and recognises the country’s top ice cream creators.
The Bond family’s began ice cream-making in 2009, when they started producing slow-churned gelato ice cream using milk from their own cows, expanding the business into a parlour and café, located along the A30.
Devon
The viaduct will be open on May 17 and May 18, and is only the second time since the bridge was built in 1896 that is has welcomed pedestrians.
Image: with permission.
Rail enthusiasts are invited to a unique walk across the ‘iconic’ Chelfham Viaduct this month to celebrate the bicentenary of modern railways.
The viaduct will be open on May 17 and May 18, and is only the second time since the bridge was built in 1896 that is has welcomed pedestrians.
The Historical Railways Estate (HRE), who is responsible for the maintaining the structure, is giving people the chance to see the ‘spectacular views’ from the bridge deck and walk along the track bed of the Lynton and Barnstaple Railway.
- For more information on the free event, and how to reserve tickets, see here
