News in Sidmouth

A review of Jane Austen's Emma from the Sidmouth Summer Play Festival .

Mocha Restaurant enjoys pride of place on Sidmouth seafront, and I couldn't resist going in during a recent downpour. .

I'll be honest, I stumbled across Browns' Kitchen Bakery by accident on my way into town from the Ham car park - and I'm so glad I did.

It's run by the famous duo Liv and Louise, who used to run Browns' Kitchen Restaurant (now Milsons Point), and features a selection of homemade baked goods and hot drinks.

I'm writing my first column for Nub News linked to my 'passion' – the environment, litter and specifically this time to shine a spotlight on recycling and waste collections in the area.

Being both a member of East Devon District Council and Sidmouth Town Council, plus being the Chair of the Sidmouth Plastic Warriors I have a unique insight into the work of the teams in Streetscene and Suez, who do such a fantastic job.

Novak Djokovic is pathetic and will rightly face criticism for taking advantage of an exemption in Covid-19 rules to avoid being vaccinated ahead of the Australian Open.

The 20-time major champion has been condemned for his distrust of vaccines and his alternative approach, which appears to rely on the supposed healing power of water and positive thinking.

I'm not really one for brunch, normally opting for a bowl of porridge in the morning and a sandwich at lunch.

But now I'm fully convinced.

Wednesday (20 October) was a particularly wet, windy, and confused day in terms of weather - and nothing makes me hungrier than walking around town with damp socks.

I saw a sign pointing the way to The Bagel Shop on Cross Lane as I walked through the town centre, and decided to try it out.

The EDDC Conservative Group is very disappointed that the Jurassic Coast Centre in Seaton is now closed, hopefully temporarily, after the operator Devon Wildlife Trust pulled out of the multi-award-winning site in the middle of September. As with many other venues the pandemic has led to a huge drop in visitor numbers and is clearly a major factor in this sad decision.

It is difficult to see how an attraction designed around the story of rocks and time can be repurposed for something else, an idea being floated by the current administration at EDDC. There is no evidence that a change of style would work and continue to draw visitors to Seaton, as was the case previously.

Following the sentencing of a former member of East Devon District Council (EDDC) after being found guilty of despicable sexual crimes against children, the Conservative Group of councillors on EDDC are calling for Disclosure and Barring (DBS) checks for all existing councillors.

The Conservative Group wants every prospective candidate and all existing councillors to undergo the checks which show any criminal convictions now, with the enhanced version required if an individual is expected to work with vulnerable people, including children, being demonstrated as necessary during the COVID-19 pandemic.

I'm really pleased to be able to share some of my thoughts with you on a regular basis by providing some words for Nub News.

Over the last few weeks during the campaigning for local elections, I've been grateful for every conversation I've had on the doorstep because it is these exchanges that really bring the issues that matter into sharp focus.