News in Dawlish

A fresh fundraising drive has been launched to buy a new minibus for Dawlish Community Transport.

The charity is a lifeline for many vulnerable, isolated or disabled people in the area, enabling them to get to medical appointments or activities to support mental wellbeing. It is also used by schools and care homes that need appropriate transport.

January was colder and slightly wetter than average. The month started cold with northerly winds and a few showers.

High pressure to the west of Ireland moved across northern Scotland maintaining cold air across SW England producing several frosty nights.

An expenditure budget of £544,660 has been agreed by Dawlish Town Council for the 2021-22 financial year.

While acknowledging the shortage of income caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the financial planners have worked hard to draw up the best possible spending programme for the town.

A new £50,000 fund has been launched by Teignbridge District Council, specifically for voluntary and community groups providing Covid support.

Organisations can apply for a maximum of £10,000 to help fund projects that reduce loneliness, improve mental health, and give people better digital access.

A 'joyous display' of colourful knitted and crocheted creations is to take shape at the Lawn this spring.

Val Hempstock of the Spin a Yarn group, part of Assist Teignbridge, is organising a 'yarn-bombing' initiative, with the wool decorations to be put in place in the first week of April.

This video, produced by the NHS, offers a behind-the-scenes look at how the mass Covid vaccination centre was set up at Westpoint, and introduces many of the people involved in creating and running it.

Volunteers from Network Rail were among those who helped prepare the buildings for the medical teams to move in.

The Gatehouse Primary Academy is to receive £500 from Dawlish Town Council to help buy computer equipment for children having to learn at home during lockdown.

The school's PTA had applied for £250 towards the £1,600 cost of 20 tablets.

A Dawlish man has been questioned about an attack on a man in Teignmouth last week.

A man in his 30s was left with cuts and a head injury after an incident in Bank Street on Thursday, January 21 at about 4pm.

Health chiefs remain confident that the four highest priority groups in Devon will have received their first Covid-19 vaccination by the mid-February target.

They say all those aged over 80 will have been offered an appointment by the end of this week at the latest, while 95.4 per cent of care homes in Devon had been vaccinated by last Sunday.

Dawlish's Red Rock Youth Centre should have been celebrating its 10th year at the end of 2020 – but the Covid restrictions meant no event could take place.

However, the charity Dawlish Action for Youth (DAY) has been looking back at the last decade, and the years of campaigning and fundraising that led up to the opening of the Red Rock Centre in September 2010.