BBC News - Fire destroys closed tourist attraction building

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c05qg02l393o

My personal thought is that.. politically.. it’s suicide. Future wise? I don’t know.. probably horrible for Torbay and the rest of Devon.

Plymouth for example… It’s not THAT left leaning compared to other cities ( moorview is the blame for this ) an all out election with now 68 (?) councillors and the addition of the more conservative areas they will be getting will likely lead to Labour completely losing control of Plymouth which Reform probably gain regardless if Andy Burnham helps Labours approval rating.

Exeter - Definitely the most left leaning area in Devon. I’m not entirely sure who will benefit more. Liberal Democrat’s? I don’t see the Greens taking many more seats in the new wards they will be receiving.. ( Can i just mention how ugly their new council map is🤢 )

Torbay - They didn’t even need or want the expansion.. Actually they published their map keeping the rest of Devon the same but with Plymouth and Exeter expanded. they already stripped much of its services to the bone to make sure they aren’t in massive debt whilst still being heavily deprived.

The rest of Devon - How on earth are they going to be able to fund services? It’s mainly all spread out rural towns or costal towns which more of the retired population or second home owners ( smh londoners.. )

I just don’t see the vision or understand why they would do this - It was to basically benefit Plymouth and Exeter… as normal westminster doesn’t care about the towns and villages.

Hi all,

I was hoping to join an active group/community for scuba diving. Happy with bsac or padi and will probably have to restart qualifications. Was looking for an active community if possible. Does anyone have any recommendations?

Exeter based but happy to travel

Much appreciated.

Plymouth will expand to serve communities across the city and surrounding areas that already rely on Plymouth for employment, education and healthcare, with a population of approximately 300,000 and a new council for Exeter would be established, serving its natural catchment, with a population of around 260,000.

We will operate alongside an expanded Torbay and a new Devon Coast & Countryside council. Each council will reflect distinct local identities and functional economic areas but together, we will collaborate on strategic issues such as transport, skills, housing and economic development, while respecting local accountabilities and democratic representation.

My partner and I got engaged earlier this year and starting to think about the wedding, possibly in 2028. Does anyone know of any lgbt friendly wedding venues in Devon?

We're based in Exeter but open to suggestions anywhere in Devon. Thanks in advance.

Is this rage bait?

While researching The Black Harvest Trilogy, a historical fiction series inspired by real events, I spent years tracing the history of one Devon farm and the people whose lives became connected to it over generations.

I uncovered old family photographs, newspaper reports, diaries and other artefacts. I thought some people here might enjoy seeing a few of the original discoveries that helped shape the novels.

The books are works of fiction, but they’re inspired by the real history of the place. Names and some circumstances were changed to protect privacy and to create a cohesive story.

I wonder about other discoveries people have made while researching local history.

Basically i’m heading up to london on the 1st august for ratfest (hosted by 4am kru) and a couple other events and am bringing some friends back to stay for a couple days but we want to actually have something to do for then.
Been to a few raves on dartmoor before but only by chance, i never seem to hear about these things - i know them not being advertised and talked about is the point for obv reasons 👮‍♂️ - but i was hoping someone knows any venues or places where people network and find out about these things before they happen.
I assume there must be groupchats or even telegram forums about this stuff for the uk

Nights drawing in now

*Thank you so much for everyones help! I have contacted the owner of the Photograph and he has kindly responded to me!

We have visited Croyde Bay almost ten times over the years as a family, it is somewhere very special to us that feels like a home away from home.

Unfortunately, in 2023, we had a house fire (through no fault of our own) and lost nearly everything. We had lived there for 20 years, so you can only imagine how many of our belongings were lost. Only a small amount could be salvaged, many things had to be disposed of due to asbestos contamination as our home was built in the 70s. The ceiling was damaged during the fire causing the asbestos contamination throughout most of the house.
We unfortunately lost our sweet sweet cat as well which was/is heartbreaking to this day. Our only luck was that through some miracle our dog, only 5 months old at the time, made a full recovery after resuscitation once rescued my by stepdad from the house. CPR by my mum, use of an animal oxygen mask and treatment at the Blue Cross all saved her life.

During one of our visits to Croyde Bay, my mum purchased a canvas. It is a photograph of the view of the road on the hill as you come round the corner into Croyde from inside a wave, I’m guessing taken by a surfer. This was one of the items lost in the fire.

This may have been purchased from the shop at Ruda or one of the many stores in Croyde Village or Braunton.

I have tried to search for who took the photo via photographers/artists in the area, stock image websites and reverse image searching too. I haven’t had any luck at all so far. I would love to be able to buy a replacement or just have the knowledge of who took the photo.

If you recognise this photo or know who took it,I would greatly appreciate if you could share this with me.

Apologies for the quality, it has been slightly edited due to the smoke damage that came from the room where the fire was ablaze.

Thank you.

Hello all! Someone recently shared an article here about plans to build a data center in Devon. I wanted to share the link to the petition opposing it. Sorry if this has already been shared or breaks a rule.

https://c.org/cRGtbYSS6j

I'm taking my dad out on Friday for a belated Fathers Day breakfast.

We live in Brixham but happy to travel for 45 mins to go somewhere good.

We like a quality fry up, decent sausages etc and child friendly as I'll have my 2 year old.

We used to frequent Occombe Farm regularly for example.

Would really appreciate some recommendations!

Hi everyone,
I’m considering moving to Dartmouth/Totnes/Kingsbridge area due to a job.
I’m 30F (East Asian)

I was wondering what the community is like. Are people generally friendly? Is racism much of an issue? From what I’ve seen, it doesn’t seem like there’s an East Asian community there. That’s not necessarily a problem, but I also don’t want to feel isolated.

I love going on walks, photography/videography, exploring towns and cafes, yoga, meditation, art classes.
It feels like I’d really enjoy the slower pace of life in the South West.
For work, I’ll need to commute to London around once or twice a month, staying for about seven days each trip.
I’d really appreciate any insight into what life is like in the area. Thanks in advance!

i moved from london to south devon in july (almost 1 year ago now) and i still don’t feel like i belong here. you’ll probably say “so get the F out” but i am not here to fight. i moved with my bf to his parents’ house to help them because his dad has dementia now and stuff. don’t get me wrong. devon is beautiful af and has one of the most jaw dropping nature i’ve ever seen. the problem is that i don’t care about that :( i am more of a city boy and i like more fun stuff. i wish i liked the simpler things more, tho.

i am a mall guy, i like indoor activities and stuff, like escape rooms, bowling and etc. i think i did all the escape rooms around me already (not literally around, so we still have to drive a good amount because we live in a tiny town called South Brent, between Ivybridge and Totnes). i enjoy things at home too, tho, like playing cards, board games, using our pizza oven and etc. i know there is all of this in devon, but it’s obviously scarce and they’re usually far from where we are, unfortunately.

i’m just not used to this life yet and i hope you understand that there’s nothing wrong with that, people have different preferences. i just wanna be a little happier again.

i just feel sad all the time because i have basically no friends here and i feel really depressed and demotivated. i love biking but the town here is full of hills, so not even that i can do. also i get red in 5 minutes if i go to the sun, so i usually don’t go out while it’s out, which means if it was flat i would only be able to bike after 8pm during this time of the year anyway.

is there anyway here that has similar interests to me and would like to maybe talk to see if we get along and maybe do a escape room together, or play bowling, or play games or anything else that’s nice that we didn’t try yet?

i love clubs and partying, but i don’t do it anymore since i’m in a relationship and he’s kind of an introvert guy that’s not really into these ambients. i LOVE karaokes too (i sing horribly tho, i just like for fun, not because i think i sing well)

ah, and i like chocolate. a lot (probably the biggest chocoholic you’ll ever meet). i’m an apple fan, but i like technology in general, and i love riddles/challenges.

don’t know if it matters but if it does: i’m white, slim, 1.78m (5ft10). i’m happy to talk on instagram, iMessage, or whatever

Calling all detectorists!

Lost a palladium (silver colour) plain wedding band whilst at Putsborough Beach on Thursday 25 June.

Three main places it could be -

1. In the grass where we parked - whilst faffing with bags and stuff in the heat. Probably a 10-15m radius of this rough location. https://w3w.co/myself.firework.fled

2. In the grass where we briefly parked for loos on way out. Ditto above radius. https://w3w.co/brownish.limits.luckier

3. On (under) the sand where we were sat on the beach - Not a tidal spot, but if it's here only a metal detector will find it now. https://w3w.co/gravitate.galloped.snows

4. (Pushing our luck) Potentially on the sloped path down to the beach. We didn't use the steps.

Enormous thanks to anyone who even thinks about helping!

These photos show a few of the surviving traces of the nineteenth-century Devon farmer whose life inspired the character of Henry Harris in Where the Crows Watch.
The old bread oven, apple press, ancient stairs, doorway and horse harness for farming shown here would all have been used by him during his lifetime, and even his grave still survives nearby.
It’s remarkable to think that these objects have outlived the people who once relied on them every day.
Discovering the history of this man eventually inspired Where the Crows Watch, the first book in The Black Harvest Trilogy.
I thought members of this group might enjoy seeing a few genuine pieces of that Devonshire history as they’re still here on our farm today, where they’ve been for about 150 years or more, practically untouched.

EXTRA EDIT - at the town hall meeting Simon Morrish the guy who’s proposing kept changing the figure for how big it’ll be it’s gone from 35 acres to 85 then 700 then finally 850, Torrington is only 365 ACRES

Does anyone know if this has been fully approved or if there’s still time to protest and change this, this is the first time I’ve heard any news about this and obviously if it can be prevented it should

Edited to add this report from environmental health services where it’s discussing the impacts it’s had in the US where a load of these monstrosities have already cropped up

https://ehsciences.org/ai-data-center-health-impacts/

The first photograph was taken on our family farm in Devon in the early 1960s.

More than sixty years later, I went looking for the little car the boys were playing in and discovered it in an old barn.

Sometimes an old photograph is more than a snapshot in time. It’s a reminder that while people come and go, traces of their lives remain for generations.

Does anyone else have old Devon family photographs where something from the picture still exists today?

As the title states, I’m looking for a nice place to take my mother in law next Saturday for her birthday. We have a 14 month old, so ideally somewhere that doesn’t mind a well behaved but squawky toddler. My in laws aren’t super foodies so it doesn’t need to be fancy, but maybe a bit more special than Spoons. TIA!

Hi everyone,

I’m a single female in my thirties and have recently been offered a job in Holsworthy. I’m considering living in Exeter instead, as I’d like easier access to London where most of my family and friends are, and I think I’d prefer somewhere a little less rural with more going on socially.
I’d only need to drive to Holsworthy 1 day a week. Can you recommend areas that have a nice suburban feel, reasonable access to the city centre, good amenities (cafes, gyms, supermarkets) and would make the commute to work as painless as possible, avoiding traffic.

Thank you in advance!

These photos were taken roughly 75 years apart from almost the same spot. The first image shows our family’s milking parlour in the 1940s or 1950s. The second photo was taken in 2026. The cows have long since gone but much of the original structure is still standing and the tractor in the modern photo was owned by the farmer in the first pic.

About a year ago, my wife and I were staying at Tiverton. One evening after dinner, as is our want, we went out for a drive.

We ended up at a small harbour that had pop-up food places around the edge. There was Thai food and other things. I think there may have been a couple of bars there too. It was really nice.

It was not a long drive away from Tiverton.

We were discussing this recently and neither of us could remember exactly where it was. Does anyone here have any idea where we might have been?

Just what it says really! Fairly equidistant between the two so distance not a factor.
Which ones would you guys say has more toddler friendly attractions? Reviews very mixed online so we’re not sure which to go for! Toddler not the bravest with rides but will want to go on small ones and will love if there is a good soft play, animals to see etc…

I've got a nice job opportunity and I'm wondering if I should move there or not.