Peoples Republic of South Devon

Devon news round up: GOOD WEEK/BAD WEEK

October 25th, 2008

Heads up! What’s going on on Dartmoor?

A Seaton councillor, a mental health charity and the Royal Mail (boo hiss) have done well this week, but who have lost out? Find out in our weekly news round up

GOOD WEEK
Young’ uns… Twenty-one-year old Seaton town councillor Sophie O’Connell has been awarded Devon Young Councillor of the Year. Since becoming a councillor in May 2007 she has worked with closely with young people, creating Ground Zero, an alcohol-free nightclub for 13 to 16 year olds.

Surf-ers… Schoolgirl Emma Pullar donated her prize money from poetry and photography competitions at a World Mental Health Day to mental health charity Surf. The 15-year-old picked up first place in both competitions and passed the money onto the charity her mother, who has post-traumatic stress disorder, established. Emma’s 17-year-old brother is autistic. She described both her mother and brother as “two very inspiration people in my life who deserve a lot more than the hand they were dealt”.

Making a packet… The operating profit for the Royal Mail is up to £177 million in the six months to September - the highest since 2001. This comes at time when 150 rural post offices have been closed throughout Devon and Cornwall, with fears of 3,000 more closing nationally. Community groups which protested the rural closers were flabbergasted

BAD WEEK
Blind data… More computerised personal information has gone missing - this time from the individual thefts of 15 computers used by council staff while at home, and two have been stolen from schools. It’s feared that information about schoolchildren (including photographs), schools and teachers and personal details of County Hall employees have been lost.

TRIPers… The Honiton-based ring-and-ride charity is losing out after the advent of free bus passes for the over 60s. Because free bus passes are not usable on ring-and-ride services, it’s felt “to almost be discriminating against those people who either are too unwell or disabled to get to a bus stop, or who live too far from a service as they have to pay for us to collect them,” according to TRIP manager Neil Hurlock.

Wet feet… Senior citizens in East Devon are annoyed that leisure centres in the area are not taking part in a free-swim initiative organised by cereal manufacturer Kellogg’s, which allows senior citizens an opportunity to swim for free.

Long shots… Live firing on the moor is… err… under fire after disagreements about its long-terms aims and the environmental damage caused by the military activity. The Ministry of Defence has claimed a continued need, whereas the Campaign for National Parks, Dartmoor Preservation Association, Open Spaces Society and Ramblers’ Association were “deeply concerned” about the situation.

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Entry Filed under: Society