Last month, a concert was held at Ivybridge Methodist Church to raise funds for the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) Transcription Centre in Ivybridge.
Headlining the evening were the The Kingsmen Close Harmony Chorus who have chosen RNIB as their charity of the year. The group consists of over fifty men from South West Devon from anywhere from Torquay to Plymouth, who...
Paignton Zoo bird keeper Lisa Jones freely admits that she has an interest that borders on obsession. She’s fascinated by feathers.
“During the summer months, lots of birds at Paignton Zoo start to moult… I think feathers are among the natural world’s most incredible adaptations. While I was cleaning out the Ural owls, who are moulting heavily now, I wondered if anyone else would be as...
A major South West conservation charity has announced its patrons. Both are star names regionally and nationally.
Naturalist Nick Baker and broadcaster Judi Spiers have been unveiled as patrons of Wild Planet Trust, the charity that runs Paignton Zoo, Living Coasts in Torquay and Newquay Zoo in Cornwall.
These are the first patrons that the Trust, previously known as Whitley...
Two vets from Indonesia are the first to benefit from a unique new scholarship programme run by a Cornish vet charity. OVAID – Orang utan Veterinary Aid – is run by Nigel and Sara Hicks, based in Launceston. They help hard-pressed orang utan rescue centres and sanctuaries with veterinary support and donations of equipment.
The new OVAID Bronwyn Scholarship meant that two South East...
Money spent by guests having a great day out in South Devon is directly helping to protect some of Southern Africa’s most iconic animals.
Wild Planet Trust is the charity that runs Paignton Zoo, Living Coasts in Torquay and Newquay Zoo in Cornwall. It helps fund conservation on the ground in one of the hardest countries in the world to work in - Zimbabwe. The Matobo Hills area, in...
The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association needs volunteers to help improve the confidence and independence of people with a visual impairment. Some of those hoping for a volunteer have been waiting for several months, so getting involved could really help change someone’s life.
My Guide is a service that Guide Dogs offers whereby a trained, sighted guide, is partnered with someone with...
The matriarch of Paignton Zoo died at the age of 49. Born in 1970, she came to Paignton Zoo in 1977 and for many years lived with female Asian elephant Gay. Duchess collapsed in her enclosure on Sunday 14th July and had to be put to sleep.
Zoo spokesperson Phil Knowling said: “The enormous, immediate and heartfelt public response prompted us to think about how we should remember her....
Zoo keepers at Living Coasts in Torquay are naming and shaming their naughtiest penguins. They’re writing the names of mischievous birds on a chalkboard for guests to see - and singling out others for their good behaviour.
The 63 African penguins and 12 macaroni penguins at Torquay’s coastal zoo mix freely with guests. But some penguins are better-behaved than others. Zoo spokesperson...
The charity zoo has its very own branded blend – Zoorabica. It’s the first time the charity has offered its own named coffee. The new beverage is supplied by Coffeeworks, based in Exeter, an independent company with over 20 years’ experience.
Paignton Zoo Group Catering Manager Jennifer Proctor, who helped choose the final blend, said: “We have gone for this new blend because of taste...
Devon conservation attraction, Dartmoor Zoo, has welcomed two happy and healthy baby marmosets to its community. The zoo is now calling on members of the public to help name the as-yet unnamed new born marmoset twins.
In the wild, common marmosets face threat of habitat loss from deforestation with an estimated 80% of forests in Cerrado Region, Brazil felled since 1970*. The successful...
