Last year in Devon roughly 800 teachers left the profession altogether, out of a workforce of 5000 full-time equivalent teachers.

Only around 200 newly qualified teachers started in the same year.

Is this sustainable? I know that birth rates are falling and the average age in Devon is rising, but how do we keep teachers teaching and encourage young people to get into the career?

Torquay. Channel 4 didn't like this bit for some reason.

Can be gorgeous……….Hatherleigh

Hello Devon!

What makes the Lustleigh Show so thoroughly winning , like the Soho Summer Fête, is that none of it is remotely necessary and all of it is done with total conviction. Nobody, in the twenty-first century, needs to know whose bantams are best or whose fruitcake achieves the ideal density, and yet here were several hundred people who plainly did need to know, and had waited a year to find out. It is the great, daft, indestructible machinery of the English village asserting, once again, that community is a thing you build in a muddy field with a raffle and a beer tent and a man on a loudspeaker apologising for the tannoy. I left with a slice of cake I hadn't meant to buy, a rosette-shaped hole in my understanding of horticulture, and the settled conviction that any country capable of taking this much trouble over a courgette is, whatever its other failings and despite The Donald’s best efforts, going to be perfectly all right.

https://www.tylaar.net/test-1-1-1-4-2-1-1-2-2-1-1-1-1

Not the best weather wise but we’ve had an amazing week in Mortehoe, and this guy had the most amazing morning on the dog friendly beach in Woolacombe.

Wish I could have done the parkrun on Saturday, I read it is supposed to be one of the best/toughest in the UK.

What is this place like in winter? I’d love to come back (so would the dog)

Hello everyone!

With physical fulfilment on the horizon and digital fulfilment started, I wanted to put together a game of Mistborn: Legacy! (The Cosmere RPG)

I'm looking for 3-5 players, and I will GM the game! I have all of the digital resources, as well as a Demiplane subscription ready! I intend on running a committed, long term campaign, hopefully being able to explore future adventures (such as the upcoming Showdown in Shadesmar) as well as homebrewing and writing our own adventures and stories.

Where: I am based in Torquay, Devon, but I am more than happy to commute to a central location nearby.

We'll play either in a local Board Game café, or I will host at my house. (Be warned - I have 2 cats!) Session 0, and potentially the first few sessions will be ran at a public board game café locally (Nexus Games)

When: I'm looking to run the game on a Wednesday, Thursday or Friday during the day time - around 12pm to 3pm

My credentials: I've read almost all of the Sanderson novels, and ran a brief game of the Stormlight RPG last year, so I am familiar with the setting, and will be re-reading the books and going over WoBs to et re-familiarised with the setting! I absolutely adore fantasy and storytelling.

I've been playing TTRPGs for just over 2 years, and I love it. As a GM, my style is character and narrative focused, and I have experience with homebrewing items and systems, as well as writing my own adventures and settings.

If you have limited experience with either TTRPGs or Sanderson's work (or both!), but are still interested, please feel free to message me anyway - all are welcome! Cosmere RPG has some fantastic introductory resources and I do love preparing a lore doc:D

I do not care for the use of generative AI - whether images or text at my tables, and would kindly ask players not to use it.

I am a queer individual, so my table will be LGBTQ+ friendly and inclusive - no bigotry or discrimination here ^^

Thanks for reading!

They "temporarily suspended" births in North Devon on 11th August due to staffing shortages that the Trust have known about for years.

There's been a huge campaign to get it reopened ASAP and apparently 60+ babies have now been born in Exeter that should've been born in Barnstaple. Thankfully, no incidents have been reported.

Did it affect you? Friends of mine from North Cornwall booked an Airbnb in Exeter for a week around their due date, just to be safe and avoid the 2+ hour drive.

Hi everyone 😊

I’m originally from Poland, and I’ve been living in the UK since 2014. I grew up in a small village, so I think that probably explains a lot about why I love my simple life and being surrounded by nature. I live in Devon with my husband and our two cats. (No children). Having a two-cat limit feels absolutely brutal... 😂 I'm used to adopting all the stray cats and dogs in the village but hay ho, at least I have 2. I barely drink alcohol (occasionally) and I don’t smoke. I'm now really trying to look after my health but I don’t mind if someone does drink or smoke...I’m not the kind of person who tries to change other people’s habits or tell them how to live.

It would be amazing to find someone who would actually enjoy doing things together like going for long 1 or 2 day walks around Dartmoor for example, just exploring places, being in nature and simply enjoying the time together. 🏕️ I haven't explored Devon much yet and I know there are lots of beautiful places in here. I would love to create some sort of map so we could mark all the places we've been to.

I’m not on Facebook, Instagram or anything like that. I’m really trying to stay away from social media and even youtube as much as possible. I don’t want to spend my time sending each other 50 yt shorts. I’m trying to get my screen time down to only what feels necessary... just like we did when we were kids.

In the past few months I’ve realised I’ve wasted too much time scrolling through things I wasn’t even interested in and trying to fit in somewhere I didn’t actually want to fit in. 🥺🤔 I’m a quiet person and I genuinely enjoy a simple life. I’d love to meet another female who feels the same way. Someone who can just enjoy life the way it is. I would appreciate a friendship (female friendship) where both people feel comfortable being themselves. I don’t expect daily messages or constant contact through WhatsApp, calls etc. I’m not looking for something forced or for the person to feel like if they won't message me everyda, the relationship will fall... no. 😊🌼

Also if you like reading, we could share this interest while exploring all the beautiful places around Devon.

Please if you decide to message, tell me a bit about yourself 😶‍🌫️

i’m m29. me and my boyfriend started learning poker this week and it would be nice to find someone or some groups to play with more people 😬

WaterWatch recorded around 2,700 sewage discharges totalling 1,677 hours across the South West between 24th and 30th August. For comparison, the previous week we had 299 hours.

There was significantly more rain last week, around 40.2mm, so you would expect storm overflows to operate more frequently. But that still seems like a very large increase, particularly given that 40.2mm is less than the roughly 62mm of rainfall the region would normally receive across an average August.

I’m interested in what people think about this rather than just posting another angry sewage story.

At what point does the frequency of storm overflow use stop being an unavoidable consequence of heavy rain and start demonstrating that the sewerage system simply doesn’t have enough capacity?

And, particularly for anyone who understands wastewater infrastructure: is this level of overflow operation what you would reasonably expect after 40mm of rain in a week, or should the system be capable of handling considerably more?

Hey everyone! 👋

I'm 26 and recently started a new social group for people in their 20s & 30s around Torquay. I recently moved here from the US and would love to meet some more local people!

I'm planning relaxed events like walks, food/drink outings, bowling, outdoor activities and more. Our first event is a social walk through Cockington this

Wednesday 😊

If anyone's interested in meeting some new people locally, feel free to check it out:

Join me at 🚶 Cockington Social Walk https://www.meetup.com/torquay-outdoor-lovers-meetup-group/events/316354662/

Would be great to meet some more local people!

Event description down below 👇** **

(Cockington Social Walk)

Wednesday, September 2, 2026 5:45 PM - 8:00 PM GMT+1

🚶Come join us for a relaxed social walk through Cockington!

We'll meet at the tables outside Abbey Refreshments (the café will be closed at this time). Please arrive at 5:45pm as we'll leave promptly at 6:00pm. 🕰️

The walk to the main area will take around 30 minutes, where we can explore the area together and take some time to chat and get to know each other.

Afterwards, we'll head to The Drum Inn, where anyone who'd like to can stay for a drink or something to eat. 🥘🍻🍷🫖☕️

Then we'll head back together, which will be around another 30-minute walk.

No pressure - just come along, meet some new people, and have a good time! 😊

1. Ok this is a cheat …… Bude in Cornwall, duck racing care of the RNLI on Bude canal but it’s soooo close
   
2. Punch & Judy with Crocodile; Lustleigh Show
   
3. Ferret Racing (who knew), Lustleigh Show (again)
   
4. A zillion dog competitions, Lustleigh Show (again)
   
5. James Ravilious Exhibition, The Burton, Bideford (just wonderful)
   
6. Hatherleigh Village in the sunshine
   
7. Appledore Quay (stunning place photographed also by Ravilious -see 5)
   
8. Clovelly (the secret to walking back up is to zig zag)
   
9. Hartland Point Lighthouse as a storm comes in……..
   
10. The Tally Ho! In Hatherleigh……..because
    
11. Bude again…..big surf…..

My family and I are thinking about moving to Ottery St. Mary from Hampshire. My husband is from Devon so we’re keen to make the move.

I’m looking for advice on living in Ottery, along with the local schools. We have a five year old and almost eight year old. Our primary reason for picking Ottery would be the proximity to Exmouth, Exeter, motorway access and Kings School. My questions are:

-What is it like as a place to live for families?
-What is Kings like and is it worth relocating to the area for the school?
-What are the local primary schools like?

Thanks in advance.

Hi everyone!

Looking for recommendations for my husband's birthday in mid-December. He's been to the area before and absolutely loved the coastal walks and excellent food in the area. This year, for his birthday, I'd like to take him somewhere nearby.

The watchword here is COSY. We'd love to find places where we can:

1. Eat some fabulous food. Again cosy, so we're probably not looking at super slick places in a town centre.

2. A comfortable place to stay. Ideally near good place(s) for dinner, so we can hopefully enjoy a glass of red wine before we toddle home with full bellies. Hotel-restaurants or pub-hotel-restaurants ideal! If we could somehow also stay near the sea this would be fabulous, but aware that might narrow the field.

3. Scenic walks nearby. Very aware we'll probably get rained on, but worth it for a day out walking along the coast. Ideal if there's a nice pub we can stop at along the way.

4. MAYBE somewhere we could do a spa day nearby, so he can enjoy a birthday massage.

For reference, somewhere like Glebe House looks ideal for food, vibes, local walks - if it was closer to the coast it would be perfect!

Would love your recommendations - either individual (best walks, best pubs, best places to stay), or somewhere that combines ALL of these requirements, if it exists!

Visiting end of September just solo but coming just to chill and explore local towns and food. Where do you recommend going or little cycling rides. Any great seafood places I need to get to ?

Hi everyone, today around 3:50 pm there was a standoff along Southtown, with a black Defender refusing to reverse to let 3 or 4 cars through. When I left, they had been stuck there for around 20 minutes and the police had been called. Just wondering if anyone knew what ended up happening?

Staying just outside Lynton for a couple of days soon. Looking for recommendations for places that offer a reasonable gluten free range. Ideally cafes for breakfast/brunch and nice places for dinner.

Thank you!