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Tim Mock's funeral cortege will travel along Exmouth seafront. Photos with permission Mel Mock/Nigel Millard.

Exmouth: Family shares Tim Mock’s last letter of thanks and unseen story of his lifeboat life

By Becca Gliddon on 13th April 2021 East Devon, Exmouth, Features, News

A last letter of thanks penned by Exmouth RNLI ‘hero’ coxswain Tim Mock shortly before he died has been shared by his family. Married Tim, who died on April 10 after a short illness, wrote the ‘letter of praise’ with the intention of it being made public after his death. Tim thanked all who had helped him throughout his short illness and urged consideration for those caring for the terminally-ill through the pandemic. Signing his note off with his name, Tim wrote ‘When you read this I will have passed away with the cancer. “This is not an obituary but…

Major Geoff Bird pictured in 2018. Image: Devon County Council

Exeter: Fifty years of fundraising and Major Geoff is still campaigning as he turns 104!

By East Devon Reporter on 26th March 2021 Exeter, Features, News

A tireless Exeter fundraiser who has spent half-a-century championing and helping people with learning disabilities is still campaigning – at the age of 104. Major Geoff Bird MBE celebrates his birthday on Friday, March 26, and ‘is still able to write a good letter to his MP’. He has marked the special occasion by reflecting on decades of kind deeds for good causes. Even now, at 104 he hasn’t stopped campaigning and he is still able to write a good letter if needed to his MP! Geoff joined the Navy in 1940, transferred to the Army as a private before…

East Devon News co-founder Belinda Bennett, who was diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer at the start of 2020, has finished chemotherapy and had a mastectomy operation.

Breast Cancer: Mastectomy Surgery Not As Bad As I Imagined

By Belinda Bennett on 28th October 2020 East Devon, Editor's Choice, Features, Honiton, News

Over the years, Belinda Bennett, co-founder of East Devon News, has written countless stories about brave, inspirational people who have taken on cancer and won. But she never thought that, one day, she would be fighting cancer herself. At the end of January this year, Belinda shared her shock cancer diagnosis with the readers of East Devon News, revealed how she was coping, and what lay ahead. While the coronavirus pandemic stopped most routine NHS cancer treatments and surgeries, Belinda’s breast cancer care – which started in February 2020 – thankfully started up again in the autumn and her much-anticipated…

Photographer Rob Chidgey spent hours waiting to see beavers on the River Otter. Photo: Rob Chidgey Photography.

PHOTOS & VIDEO: Eager beaver Rob’s hours of patience pays off with these amazing images of cute creature on River Otter

By Becca Gliddon on 21st May 2020 East Devon, Editor's Choice, Features, News, Ottery St Mary, Uncategorised

Hours of patience resulted in wildlife photographer Rob Chidgey capturing these stunning shots of a beaver along the River Otter. Since lockdown Rob, from Exmouth, has been buoying spirits by sharing his scenic photos of East Devon to help those who are self-isolating because of the coronavirus. He said capturing these images of a beaver was one of his photography highpoints – after he had almost given up hope of seeing the creatures. Rob, who began his passion for photography five years ago, said previous attempts to photograph the River Otter beavers had fallen short of expectations. His latest attempt…

The Golden Boys was formed in Ottery St Mary some 31 years ago.

East Devon’s Golden generation! Age is no barrier for footballers in Ottery group that’s still alive and kicking after 31 years

By East Devon Reporter on 27th April 2020 East Devon, East Devon sport, Features, Football, News, Ottery St Mary, Ottery St Mary sport, Sport

A group of East Devon footballers footballers who take to the pitch every week in Ottery St Mary are most certainly on the ‘planning to never grow old’ list. It’s highly likely that players of a particular age across East Devon and Exeter will have heard of the ‘Golden Boys’ and someone who is involved with them. They are a set of former footballers who have been coming together each week for more than three decades. Prior to the lockdown, they had continued to meet up each Thursday evening. You will not find any of them playing in a league, indeed,…

Belinda Bennett has started chemotherapy in the first step to tackle her HER2+ inflammatory breast cancer.

Chemotherapy: my ‘waste’ is so toxic I have to flush the loo twice

By Belinda Bennett on 18th February 2020 East Devon, Features, Honiton, News, Uncategorised

Belinda Bennett’s breast cancer journey is now under way with chemotherapy. This is a personal account of her first round of chemo, which started yesterday and concluded today (Tuesday, February 18). She has five further rounds to complete at 21-day intervals before she can have the breast removed. I never thought I would find myself hovering over a loo handle waiting for the toilet cistern to fill enough to allow for a second flush. That was until today! But, then again, I never thought I’d have to bare my private bits to a parade of complete strangers, have small parts…

Belinda Bennett

The one cancer story I didn’t want to write

By Belinda Bennett on 25th January 2020 East Devon, Editor's Choice, Features, News

Over the years, I have written countless stories about brave, inspirational people who have taken on cancer and won. I have also covered a few stories about people who weren’t so lucky. I never thought that, one day, I’d be fighting cancer myself. On Thursday I got the news I had been dreading – but it wasn’t a complete shock. Like many people waiting for biopsy results, I researched the possibilities. In all honestly, there was only one likely outcome – a diagnosis of inflammatory breast cancer. It was still hard to hear the news, though. Trust me to get…

A look back at Honiton's 2019.

Honiton in 2019: the events and challenges that shaped the town

By Belinda Bennett on 31st December 2019 Features, Honiton, News

Steeped in history and considered ‘The Friendly Town’, Honiton has pulled out all the stops in 2019 to highlight everything good in the community. From hosting a second highly successful Gate to Plate event to staging a heatwave Honiton Show, it has thrown the spotlight on what makes this ancient market town truly special. In this look back at 2019, we review some of the events that captured the imaginations of both Honitonians and visitors. We also underline the changes and challenges facing the town. *EastDevonNews.co.uk went ‘live’ in July and our review of the year starts one month before,…

Artist impression of plans for student flats to replace the Sorry Head pub in Exeter.

No student flats approved for Exeter in 2019 – but is that about to change?

By Local Democracy Reporter on 30th December 2019 Exeter, Features, News

It has become a running joke in Exeter that whenever anything in the city closes then student flats will replace it. And, for the most part in recent years, it has been proven true – pubs, shopping centres and green spaces have all been turned into, or will be turned into, large tower blocks of student accommodation. More than 5,000 units of purpose built student accommodation had been built in the city since 2007, providing beds for 7,750 students, with another 3,600 in the pipeline over the next three years. But in 2019, Exeter City Council did not give planning…

“Keep candles away from things that might catch fire, like the Christmas tree, Christmas cards, ribbons or other decorations." Inset, a Christmas tree on fire after it was placed too near to a candle. Photos with permission DSFRS.

PHOTOS: Fire service explains how quickly one candle can ruin your Christmas

By Becca Gliddon on 22nd December 2019 East Devon, Editor's Choice, Exmouth, Features, News

It can take one small tealight candle to turn your Christmas celebrations into jingle hell. I was lucky enough to invited by Exmouth firefighters to watch up-close how quickly fairy lights or a candle can set fire to a Christmas tree, decorations and presents – and it is an experience I will never forget. You might think you would have time to deal with the emergency if your Christmas tree caught fire. But it takes seconds for a tiny flame to engulf a tree and for poisonous smoke to build and kill. The smoke alone was enough to kill –…

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