South West

Boat ownership, female participation and canoeing on the rise in SW

According to new research 378,000 adults in the South West (12.0% of the local population) took to water by one or more of 12 boating activities1 in 2014. This reflects an increase of 2.3% in the number of participants from 2013 (9.7%).

Whilst in the region, participation in any watersports activity in addition to the 12 core boating activities2 stands just over 1.1 million (35.6% of...

Lloyds pledges to help start-ups

Lloyds Banking Group has announced it will help 1,000 start-ups to push through the £1m turnover barrier by their third birthday as part of its 2015 SME Charter, contributing £1bn to the UK economy.

The new Charter focuses on growth, digital technology and sustainability as its key commitments for supporting for enterprise.

Nurturing 1,000 growth businesses of tomorrow

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Don't risk your health in pursuit of a tan

PEOPLE in the South West are being urged to enjoy the sun safely this summer, following striking new skin cancer figures released by Cancer Research UK yesterday (Monday).

According to the charity, people over 65 in Great Britain are around seven times more likely to develop malignant melanoma compared to 40 years ago.

The most recent figures show that on average around 5,700...

New Devon business magazine launched

Businesses from across Devon attended the launch of a new magazine for the county at Sandy Park, the home of the Exeter Chiefs.

Business and Professional life is a quality, quarterly publication partnered by a daily digital platform.

The new initiative is the result of a link-up between Archant, the publishers of Devon Life, and The Daily UK, which owns two citizen journalism...

First Great Western announces upgrades

First Great Western has announced proposals to deliver the largest train fleet upgrade in a generation on the Great Western network as part of its plans for the new franchise that starts in September, and will run until at least April 2019.

In a deal put together with the Department for Transport, First Great Western’s plans would see the age of First Great Western’s train fleet...

Neonatal network launches new website

A new website to provide information, help and support to parents using neonatal services in the South West has been launched.

The South West Neonatal Network website has been designed to provide a comprehensive resource for parents whose new babies are being treated at any one of the region’s neonatal units. The South West Neonatal Network is an operational delivery network funded on...

Householders in SW save millions by switching electricity supplier

Around £10.2 million was saved by 145,000 households in the South West in the last six months, simply by changing electricity supplier.

The figures, released as part of the ‘Power to Switch’ campaign, show that within the South West:

28,000 households in Bristol saved around £2 million 20,000 households in Gloucester saved around £1.4 million 17,000 households in Bournemouth...

Improvements to SW rail network

The biggest investment for decades on the UK’s busiest railway has now moved a step closer with the appointment of a team of contractors who will be responsible for planning and carrying out major improvement works at London Waterloo.

An agreement between the South West Trains-Network Rail Alliance, Skanska, Colas Rail, AECOM and Mott MacDonald has now been agreed following a detailed...

Litter increase on our beaches

Piles of wet wipes are littering our beaches as more people choose to use moist cloths to remove make-up, replace traditional toilet paper and apply fake tan. According to the latest beach litter data collected by the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) and published today in its Great British Beach Clean report, numbers of wet wipes found on beaches increased by over 50% in a single year!...

Gardeners beware: The slugs are coming!

Gardeners should start preparing early for their great slug and snail hunt this year as winter temperatures have provided the perfect conditions for their arch enemies.

According to Wyevale Garden Centres – the UK’s largest garden centre group - last year, gardeners spent £11.6 million in their battle to protect their botanical spaces, battling over 30 species of slugs including a...

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