Express & Echo (Exeter UK) back issues from December 2007:
Act now to create a carpet of snowdrops for the spring
Dec 01, 2007 ... With the last remnants of autumn colour fading fast from theflowerbeds, it's tempting to wait till the spring before venturingout into the garden. Yet with a little application now, your garden could be the envyof the neighbours with a riot of spring colour, thanks to ...
Enjoy animal magic in the masai mara
Dec 01, 2007 ... Imagine flying thousands of miles to escape the hassles of normallife and commune with nature in the raw - and ending up insteadwith noisy neighbours. That's exactly what I got on safari in Kenya. For two nightsoutside my tent in the middle of the bush, starting with ...
Stinky but stunning
Dec 01, 2007 ... Also known as the stinking iris, foetidissima is an unusualevergreen perennial. It is eye-catching in the winter border because the seedheadssplit open in late autumn to display rows of ...
Celery made simple
Dec 01, 2007 ... Celery has a reputation for being difficult, but celery growinghas been made easier with self-blanching varieties. It should be sown indoors at least eight weeks before the ...
Dig those artichokes!
Dec 01, 2007 ... Clear the last of the fallen leaves to add to the leafmould pileand prevent a build-up of pests. Move large deciduous shrubs when they are leafless and dormant,between now and mid-March. Cover brassicas with netting if pigeons are a problem. Plant any cane, bush and ...
Cheap way to increase stock
Dec 01, 2007 ... Here are three tips from In the Garden to increase your plantstock on a budget: Swap plants with your neighbours. Lift and divide overcrowdedclumps and offer some to your green-fingered neighbours and you arelikely to be rewarded with ...
Romantic break
Dec 01, 2007 ... The Oban Bay Hotel and Spa in Scotland is offering lavish,two-night romantic packages until December 21 for pounds157.50 ...
Early festive gift
Dec 01, 2007 ... The Three Tuns Hotel in Durham, which dates back to the 16thcentury, is offering two nights' dinner and B&B for pounds109,between ...
Church services
Dec 01, 2007 ... Alphington Methodist Church, Chapel Lane: 10.30am Service withRev David Easton (S). Belmont Chapel, Western Way: services at 9.30am (with creche andyouth work groups) and 11.15am (with creche). Evening service 6.30pm Blessed Sacrament Church, Heavitree: Mass 9am, 10.30am and ...
Woodley holds nerve to win
Dec 01, 2007 ... The finals of the annual Devon County Smallbore Rifle AssociationChampion of Champions were held at Okehampton Rifle Club. There were three categories - .22 rifle, lightweight sport rifleand air pistol. Andy Ferrara, of Paignton Rifle Club, won both the LSR and theair pistol ...
High-scoring Devon triumph
Dec 01, 2007 ... The Devon team had an excellent shoot in the first round of theInter County Knock Out competition, putting up the second highestscore of the round to qualify ahead of Yorkshire. Scores: Lindsay Agates (Pinhoe) 99; Paul Batten (Okehampton) 98;Robert Beard (TVR) 91; Willy Booth ...
Budleigh trio all hit maximums for team
Dec 01, 2007 ... After six rounds of the Devon County Winter Smallbore RifleLeague, the race for the title is delicately poised with a tie atthe top of the overall championship. Only three points separate the top three ladies in their table,the junior leader has only a one-point advantage and the ...
Tiverton still unbeaten
Dec 01, 2007 ... Paignton's A and D teams are unbeaten in Divisions 1 and 3 afterthree rounds of the Devon County Air Pistol League. Tiverton A arealso without a defeat in Division 2. However, Paignton A have anaggregate score one point worse than Okehampton A, which could costthem ...
Choir set to be in full voice
Dec 01, 2007 ... Budleigh Salterton Male Voice Choir will be treating audiences toto harmonies and tuneful melodies at a special concert tonight at Colyton Town Hall. The choir, which was founded 33 years ago, exists to provide anenjoyable hobby for its 60 members, performing 12 to 15 ...
Holly's sounds of Christmas
Dec 01, 2007 ... Back by popular demand, Buddy Holly and the Cricketers areplaying Exmouth Pavilion tomorrow. The group will thrill audiences with their spectacular show,Holly at Christmas. They have been a hit all over the world, enthusing spectators asfar afield as the Middle East and ...
Magical drama for youngsters
Dec 01, 2007 ... Chaplins Mini Pantos presents The Magic Castle at the BarnfieldTheatre tomorrow. The 75-minute Christmas show is an original Chaplins tale set inHappy Town, where residents live in a state of uninterrupted joy. That is until wily Squire Slug, the evil villain, steals ...
Custody battle set to get quite rough
Dec 01, 2007 ... This one-off comedy drama stars Kevin Whately and Alison Steadmanas Jack and Jenny Evans. The couple have been married for almost 30 years, but thingshave gone sour lately and, after Jack admitted to having an affairwith a colleague, they've decided to divorce. Their ...
No rush of adrenaline for hitman
Dec 01, 2007 ... Hitman (Exeter Vue and Odeon) is the big-screen version of thetop-selling video game. Director Xavier Gens has recreated the mood of the digital universe. What it lacks is the ...
Festive fun with Santa's big brother
Dec 01, 2007 ... Packed with festive schmaltz, Fred Claus (Exeter Vue and Odeon)is saccharine sweet. Vince Vaughn stars in this modern-day fairy tale about therivalry between Saint Nick ...
Devon pair through to national show jumping finals
Dec 01, 2007 ... Devon duo Claire Wilson and James Johnson are both through to thefinals of a prestigious national show jumping championship. They will be competing at the KBIS Equestrian National AmateurShow Jumping Championships, which take place this weekend at ArenaUK in Lincolnshire, where ...
Large entry for season's first meeting at kenton
Dec 01, 2007 ... The Black Forest Lodge course, near Kenton, will kick-off thepoint-to-point season in the Devon and Cornwall area tomorrow. Large entries in both the Maiden races has led to both beingdivided to give eight races on the card. Reigning area champion jockey Richard Woollacott, who ...
Kings otters move up table
Dec 01, 2007 ... Kings Otters moved up to fourth in the Exeter & District LeagueFirst Division with a 5-0 victory over an improving ExeterUniversity outfit (17-25, 18-25, 17-25, 23-2, 7-15). At Ottery, Kings lost 4-1 to Exeter side WVC Wanderers, who arenow up to second place. Torexe Eagles ...
Round three at little silver
Dec 01, 2007 ... Round three of the Winter Series Motocross Championship takesplace at Little Silver Moto Parc, Exeter, tomorrow. The last round of the series had to be called off because ofheavy rain at the time, but promoters are pretty confident aboutrunning this round. There is a fair ...
Bradninch are up and running
Dec 01, 2007 ... Bradninch recorded their first win of the season in the Exeter &District League Billiards Division with a 4-0 win at Polsloe &Priory B. England International Eddie Andress had a break of 57 and AlanLuke notched up a break of 42. Leaders Broadclyst were 2-0 downagainst Pinhoe - ...
Council throws out idea of multilingual road signs
Dec 01, 2007 ... The idea of multilingual signs to stop foreign lorry driversusing unsuitable roads in Devon has been thrown out. The county council officers and the Highways Agency had beenasked to look into the possibility because of the growing number offoreign drivers ending up on narrow rural ...
City are underdogs for FA Cup clash
Dec 01, 2007 ... The financial reward for winning a second round FA Cup tie isunlikely to propel football clubs into the super-tax bracket - avictory is worth just pounds24,000 - but the opportunity of drawinga big name in the third round offers the tantalising prospect ofprestige and of causing a famous ...
My heart rules my head when it comes to footballhead in here over three or four decks
Dec 01, 2007 ... Football - if ever there was something that proved thedistinction between thinking with the head and with the heart, thebeautiful game is it. I can't think of any other aspect of life where someone mightthink to themselves that something is a bad idea and likely to endin ...
Grecians' whole appears to be less than the sum of the parts
Dec 01, 2007 ... It's developed into a happy week for Exeter City, with mountingexcitement ahead of our FA Cup second round tie at Bury and muchanticipation, not to mention relief, caused by the announcement thatCity's future looks to be at St James's Park. Forgive me then if I choose this moment ...
Cup omens are good if Grecians can overcome bury at gigg lane
Dec 01, 2007 ... It has been 76 long years since their respective paths havecrossed in the FA Cup, but today at Gigg Lane, Bury and Exeter Citywill meet like long lost family members. It was way back in January 1931 that the Shakers and the Grecianslast met in the cup. That was a memorable ...
Johnson is glad to have competition
Dec 01, 2007 ... Flanker Tom Johnson believes Exeter Chiefs' back-rowers arereturning to fitness at just the right time. The 25-year-old thinks the Sandy Park outfit have a tough set offixtures around the Christmas period. But their cause is helped by the news that Chad Slade is not faraway ...
Devon great at recycling
Dec 01, 2007 ... Devon is the third best of 120 authorities in the country atrecycling, new figures from Defra ...
Choir marks anniversary
Dec 01, 2007 ... Cantilena will give a charity concert in the Sidwell StreetMethodist Church, Exeter, tonight. The event ...
Daryl hits fast track after seven-year schooling gap
Dec 01, 2007 ... A student who achieved stunning examination results on a specialExeter College course despite missing seven years of school, ishelping to encourage other teenagers with no qualifications tocontinue learning. Daryl Cox stopped going to school because his family was movingfrom town ...
Play-off final date is set
Dec 01, 2007 ... The Blue Square Premier play-off final has been booked for Wembley Stadium on Sunday, May 18. The dates have still to be officially announced, but theConference board has approved the new play-off programme. TV channel Setanta Sports have a role to play because they want to ...
Ex-promoter oakes is guest
Dec 01, 2007 ... Former Falcons promoter Peter Oakes will be the Exeter SpeedwaySupporters' Club's guest of honour at their next monthly meetingthis week. The meeting will take place at the Cat & Fiddle Inn, Clyst StMary, on Tuesday (7.30pm). Oakes will be speaking about his long and ...
England C to visit the park
Dec 01, 2007 ... International football will return to St James's Park next yearafter it was confirmed yesterday that Exeter City have been selectedto host an England C game. As first revealed by Echo Sport last month, Paul Fairclough'sside will take on Wales at the Park on February 20 as they ...
Derby clash will sell out
Dec 01, 2007 ... Exeter City are confident the Boxing Day derby clash againstTorquay United at St James's Park will be a sell-out. Just under 5,000 tickets have already been snapped up for thefirst league meeting between the bitter rivals since February 2003,when the Grecians lost 1-0 at ...
End of an era as long-serving secretary Keith retires
Dec 01, 2007 ... Almost 200 golfers took part in a two-day mixed competition tocommemorate the retirement of long-serving Exeter Golf & CountryClub secretary Keith Ham. Representatives from the Devon County Golf Union and fellow clubsecretaries joined in the event with the members, ensuring the ...
Powrie happy with efforts
Dec 01, 2007 ... Exeter triathlete Catherine Powrie says competing at the IronmanWorld Championship 70.3 was a 'fantastic experience'. The 35-year-old pharmacist from Alphington completed theendurance course at Clearwater, Florida, in under five hours,beating her personal target. Powrie said: ...
Perry's pointers
Dec 01, 2007 ... I often hear golfers talking amongst themselves about the complexmechanics of the swing, but rarely will I hear players talk aboutthe basics or the fundamentals. The fundamentals are so simple that players assume,unfortunately, that they have taken care of them years ago. On ...
Tough round for Devon duo
Dec 01, 2007 ... Devon professionals Sean Mason and Kevin Harper both face abattle to make the cut at the opening event of the 2008 ChallengeTour. Both Mason, of Teign Valley, and East Devon's Harper arecompeting in the Abierton del Litoral Personal competition atRosario Golf Club in ...
WI anniversary plans halted due to lack of interest in committee
Dec 01, 2007 ... A wi group has been forced to call an abrupt halt to its 75thanniversary celebrations. Witheridge Women's Institute was founded in 1932 but this weekretiring secretary Jill Yendell confirmed that the organisation hashad to be suspended for three years because nobody had ...
Stargazers spot first light
Dec 01, 2007 ... An Exeter-based academic has become one of the first astronomersto see lights from the "building blocks" of our galaxy in some ofthe most sensitive observations ever made of the universe. Until now the clouds of hydrogen gas which existed when theuniverse was 2.7 billion years old, ...
Cash pledge helps club
Dec 01, 2007 ... A pledge of pounds1,000 has helped set up a youth club in a Devonseaside town. An unnamed donor has come forward with the cash at BudleighSalterton. Twins Claire and Rachael Haestier, 15, and fellow ExmouthCommunity College pupil Robyn Whittaker, 14, are behind the ...
Devon butcher claims prestigious accolade
Dec 01, 2007 ... Devon butcher Pipers Farm has won a prestigious award from BBCRadio Four. Pipers Farm, based in Cullompton, beat off its rivals to scoopthe station's Food and Farming Award for the Best Food Producer. Celebrities from the world of food including Rick Stein, OzClarke and ...
Store enjoys anniversary
Dec 01, 2007 ... Furniture manufacturer Multiyork celebrated the 10th anniversaryof its Exeter showroom recently. As part of the event the store, in the Harlequins ShoppingCentre, pledged to give Exeter Hospiscare five per cent of all salesover their special two-day celebration and a total of ...
Ton-up Louise takes booktrack gold
Dec 01, 2007 ... Young book fan Louise Naylor was all smiles after receiving hergold Booktrack award for ploughing her way through 100 books. The avid reader is a fan of a variety of different works from theclassics of Enid Blyton to more modern novels by famous writers suchas Jacqueline ...
Healthy food on the menu
Dec 01, 2007 ... Children will learn about healthy eating and nutrition as part ofa competition run by the Exeter Chiefs. Pupils from city schools are being asked to design a healthy mealfor the rugby players. Club administrator Angie McGuire said: "We hope that encouragingan interest in the ...
Calum set for a big day at Twickenham
Dec 01, 2007 ... Today is the big day for young rugby fan Calum Pillivant. After winning a competition, the 12-year-old, from Okehampton,will be a mascot for the Barbarians as they take on world championsSouth Africa at Twickenham. He was selected for the honour after putting his name forward ...
Wait for college rugby pitch is nearly over for gifted county players
Dec 01, 2007 ... A city school is finally hoping to use its new rugby pitch - morethan a year after it opened. The pitch at West Exe Technology College is set to be used forthe first time after Christmas. It has been under construction since the school building openedin September 2006 and has ...
Street lights safety plea
Dec 01, 2007 ... Street lighting needs to be installed near a caravan park toimprove residents' safety, a campaigner is arguing. Mel Stride, the prospective Conservative parliamentary candidatefor Central Devon, is leading calls for Devon County Council toinstall street lighting at Ashburton ...
Festive fare at church in city
Dec 01, 2007 ... An Exeter church is holding a Christmas market tomorrow just intime for the festive shopping rush. The event at the Mint Methodist Church, in Fore Street, will runfrom 10am to 2pm.There will be a ...
City estate agents have different takes on property market
Dec 01, 2007 ... A leading city estate agent remains upbeat about the localhousing market, despite national surveys pointing to a downturn. Keith Parnall, of the Mortgage Advice Bureau, part of estateagency Wilkinson Grant, says strong employment is helping tosustain sales. "I would say it ...
Gold medal joy for schoolgirl
Dec 01, 2007 ... Teenager Kathryn King has been presented with a gold medal byformer England rugby player and Daily Telegraph rugby correspondent,Paul Ackford, in recognition of her own sporting achievements. The 17-year-old from Sidmouth was given the medal at an event tocelebrate the 220th ...
Willow tunnel is a big school favourite
Dec 01, 2007 ... Pupils at Bendarroch School at Aylesbeare, near Exeter, have beenhelping to extend a willow tunnel in the play area. Headteacher Nigel Home said: "The children play in the tunnel agreat deal. They love it and had a lot of fun helping with theextension. They've been making Christmas ...
Devon is ranked with Las Vegas and Brazil as a top destination
Dec 01, 2007 ... What does Devon have in common with Brazil, Las Vegas andVietnam? The answer is they have all been voted some of the most populardestinations for UK travellers to visit. That's according to a report published by the World TravelMarket. The Global Trends report rated ...
Dangerous date
Dec 01, 2007 ... Outrageous women calling themselves Dangerous Curves present whatis billed as a Christmas show of ...
Pub wins plaudits for its role within community it serves
Dec 01, 2007 ... A devon pub has received a highly commended award in a nationalcompetition. The Mare and Foal at Yeoford has been presented with a highlycommended award in the Calor Rural Pub in the Community Awards. The scheme aims to celebrate pubs that have diversified theirbusinesses to ...
Eldest children firm favourites
Dec 01, 2007 ... Eldest children in the South West are more likely than theiryounger siblings to start their own company, according to a Barclayssurvey of small business bosses. The survey revealed that more than a third of the region'sentrepreneurs - 39 per cent - are the first born. In ...
How Devon compares to Rio and Vegas
Dec 01, 2007 ... Las Vegas: casinos, casinos and more casinos; concerts by divaslike Celine Dion and Elton John Croatia: the old city of Dubrovnik; the country, bordering theAdriatic Sea, includes six World Heritage sites and eight ...
Live music woos shoppers
Dec 01, 2007 ... Exeter's Harlequins Shopping Centre has celebrated the success ofits first late- night Thursday shopping - and is looking forward tothree more before Christmas. Maggie Reeday provided live music and there were hundreds ofentries for a prize draw and the chance to win pounds150 ...
Golf for kids
Dec 01, 2007 ... Exminster Golf Centre raised pounds2,437 in the recent BBCChildren in Need Appeal. More than ...
Bring a little cheer to children's lives
Dec 01, 2007 ... I would like to make a special appeal to your readers, to invitethem to make a difference at Christmas by holding a specialChristmas Cheer event, in order to raise money for The Children'sTrust, a national charity which provides care, education and therapyfor children with multiple ...
City wants unitary cake and to eat it
Dec 01, 2007 ... Congratulations to the Echo for bringing the argument between thecity and the county councils to the attention of the wider public,City demands a share of pounds48m airport windfall Echo, November28. We must have an urgent update from the city's chief executive asto whether the ...
Ahmadinejad not calling for genocide
Dec 01, 2007 ... In his letter, We must stop Iran making weapons, Points of view,November 28, Paul Drewett misquotes a phrase often attributed toMahmoud Ahmadinejad. The Iranian president, quoting the AyatollahKhomeini, is reported to have said that "Israel should be wiped offthe map" - not "wiped off ...