News in Axminster

East Devon District Council has paid tribute to the late Douglas Hull, ahead of his funeral this week.

Alderman Hull was one of East Devon's longest serving local councillors, holding a series of elected offices over a period of more than 50 years.

After being elected the new chairman of East Devon District Council, Councillor Cathy Gardner admitted that the authority faced a very difficult period and was "in a terrible financial state".

Councillor Gardner, a member of the Independent East Devon Alliance who represents the Sidmouth Town ward, was elected this evening.

Axminster Town Football Club have welcomed a £1,500 grant from the Football Foundation to help with pitch maintenance.

The Premier League, The FA, the government and Sport England have come together through their Football Foundation to launch a new 'Pitch Preparation Fund' in support of the game, which is currently facing unprecedented challenges as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak.

A stretch of the A35 between Axminster and Honiton is closed to allow for emergency repairs to be carried out to a burst water main.

The road has been closed through Wilmington, from Old Taunton Road in Shute to Tower Road in Honiton, for most of the afternoon.

Axminster Heritage Centre, situated in the old Thomas Whitty carpet factory in Silver Street, was due to begin its summer season shortly before the coronavirus broke out.

The centre was planning a range of activities to accompany a new temporary exhibition which would have included bringing in several sheep to be sheared in the courtyard. But because of lockdown, this has not been possible.

Temporary "street cafe" licences are being introduced by Devon County Council to help hospitality businesses re-open in the coming weeks, as coronavirus lockdown restrictions continue to ease.

Although a large number of cafes and pubs currently remain closed, many are already planning for when they are able to re-open.

The director of Public Health Devon has explained some of the common misconceptions surrounding the 'R' rate, as it is expected to rise in the South West over the coming days.

The 'R' value, also known as the reproduction rate, is a key metric that helps gauge the rate of the spread of coronavirus, helping the government make decisions on how to ease lockdown.

Axminster residents are being warned by Trading Standards to watch out for scams involving the new NHS Test and Trace service.

The government system, which launched last week, is designed to reduce the spread of Covid-19 by quickly testing people with symptoms and either phoning, texting or emailing whoever they have had close contact with to tell them to isolate for 14 days.

Axminster's weekly street market is back in businesses with stalls no longer restricted to just food stuffs.

The market was forced to close down due to coronavirus on March 19th but a few food outlets drifted back complying with government instructions and self distancing rules.

arc (Axminster), a registered charity offering unique counselling services to adults, is often referred to as "the hidden gem in Axminster".

Since it was founded in 2007 by Catherine Davies, Arc has supported nearly 2,500 referrals - but its services has never been more in demand than during the current crisis.