South West

Falling midwife numbers in South West amid warning of a possible further decade of UK shortages

Despite midwife numbers increasing faster than births, it will be at least another decade before England has enough midwives, according to new figures from the Royal College of Midwives (RCM). The RCM estimates that currently, England is short of 5,000 midwives*.

The RCM looked at changes in the number of births and midwife numbers since the 2010 election and projected these forward...

Lib Dems announce Euro 2014 candidate list

South West Liberal Democrats have followed the Conservatives and Labour in announcing their candidate list for the 2014 European elections.

Lib Dems in the South West region have overwhelmingly voted to select sitting MEP, Sir Graham Watson to lead the party’s list in a ballot of party members.

The UK will vote for its Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) on 22 May 2014 -...

Harry and Amelia are South West's most popular baby names

Harry and Amelia were the most popular first names given to babies born in England and Wales in 2012, maintaining the top spots from 2011.

They were also the most popular names in the South West according to records released by the Office for National Statistics.

Riley replaced Joshua in the top ten most popular names for baby boys, climbing five places from number 13 to number...

More than half of young people put apprenticeships as 'first choice'

New data from research company ICM reveals that 57% of young people in the South West would choose to do an Apprenticeship if one were available.

Nationally, the numbers of young people who would like to do an Apprenticeship rises to 56% of those who are already university students and 66% of those who are already employed, but receiving no training.

The increasing popularity...

South West sees fourth largest population growth in the UK

The population of the South West region is estimated to have grown by 38.8 thousand, according to figures released today (Thursday 8 August) by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

The figures reveal that the overall population of the UK was estimated to be 63.7 million in mid-2012, up from the estimated 63.3 million in mid-2011. This represents a growth of 419,900 (0.7%) in the...

Creative England launches £1m games support programme for South West

A one million pound programme providing expertise and grants for emerging and established games companies in the South West has been launched by Creative England.

Creative England GamesLab, funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and supported by the Government’s Regional Growth Fund (RGF), is the agency’s first ever dedicated support scheme for the games industry....

Warmer weather brings increased numbers of jellyfish to our shores

The UK’s leading marine charity says people visiting the beach this summer should keep their eyes peeled for wobbly visitors who act as a barometer of the seas. After a slow start this year, jellyfish blooms started increasing in June and July as our coastal waters warmed up.

Every summer hundreds of reports of jellyfish sightings are made to the Marine Conservation Society’s (MCS)...

Plymouth man charged with series of burglaries across the region

A Plymouth man has been charged in connection with a series of burglaries across the region.

Stephen Ready, 32, from Crownhill in Plymouth, has been charged with three counts of commercial burglary and one of attempted burglary and is appearing at Truro Crown Court this morning.

The charges relate to burglaries at Matford Filling Station, Exminster, Exeter between 16-19 July...

Beach Schools South West launches

Lessons may never be the same for children in the South West following the recent launch of Beach Schools South West.

The team will be offering schools the chance to take classes out of the schoolroom and onto the shoreline for a new type of outdoor learning.

Beach Schools South West offers lessons on the beach which tie in with the national curriculum and OFSTED outdoor...

Thunderstorms may hit the South West as hot weather breaks

The Met Office issued a severe weather warning on Monday 22 July with thunderstorms anticipated in the South West in the next few days.

The recent prolonged spell of high pressure and heat is likely to give way to cloudier conditions with the risk of isolated thunderstorms or longer spells of thundery rain and some torrential downpours in places.

The Met Office said: "The...

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