Jenny Walrond
Health Correspondent, BBC Spotlight

The Alzheimer's Society says a third of people with dementia live in rural areas.

They often face poor transport links which are costly or difficult to use, leading them to miss doctors' appointments.

A new rural dementia guide is being launched at the Devon County Show today to help people and their families access the support they need.

Duncan Wilmot, a farmer near Ivybridge whose mother has dementia and now lives in a care home, says it is not an easy disease to deal with.

"She needed constant care from Dad and if something happened on the farm and the cows got out, you couldn't just leave your wife at home while you go out and sort out the cows," he said.

"You had to either take her with you and hope she doesn't walk off while you're doing whatever you're doing, or leave her at home with a friend of the family. But last-minute you don't really get that option."

Devon Live

The inquest into the death of Exeter nail bomber Nicky Reilly, who died in prison, is expected to take place this summer., external

Reilly, a Muslim convert from Stonehouse in Plymouth, was found dead in his cell on October 19, 2016 at HMP Manchester, also known as Strangeways.

BBC Radio Devon

On the A380 around Kingsteignton, heading towards Exeter, one lane is blocked due to a broken down lorry.

Alex Osborne
BBC Weather

Today will be dry and fine.

Long spells of sunshine will continue into the evening.

Maximum Temperature: 15 to 18C (59 to 64F)

Daniel Clark
Local Democracy Reporting Service

Devon County Council has performed a U-turn on plans to allow sponsorship at 120 roundabouts in the county.

The scheme could have raised nearly £50,000 but the item was withdrawn from a council agenda, with the authority saying that further consultation was needed.

Image source, Google

The scheme was also considering renting out street lighting columns, bridges, properties, web pages and fleet vehicles for sponsorship opportunities.

A spokesman said: "We've looked at the benefits and costs of setting up a formal system of sponsorship. We've now decided that we're going to continue with the current system where towns and parishes can arrange to do this on a more informal basis."

BBC Radio Cornwall

Fifteen beaches in Devon and Cornwall have been awarded Blue Flag status.

Carbis Bay in St Ives and Blackpool Sands in Dartmouth (pictured) are among those judged by Keep Britain Tidy to be clean and safe, with great facilities and water quality.

In Newquay, Great Western Beach has been awarded a blue flag for the first time.

In total, 65 beaches across the UK successfully applied for the status.

The Blue Flag holders in Devon and Cornwall are:

• Blackpool Sands
• Breakwater Beach
• Challaborough Bay
• Dawlish Warren
• Great Western, Newquay
• Gyllyngvase, Falmouth
• Meadfoot Beach
• Oddicombe Beach
• Polzeath
• Porthmeor, St Ives

• Porthtowan
• Sandy Bay, Exmouth
• Trevone Bay
• Westward Ho!
• Widemouth Bay

BBC Radio Devon

• On the M5, at junction 30, and on the A3052 at Clyst St Mary, traffic is heavy heading towards the Devon County Show.

Ben Woolvin
BBC South West Home Affairs correspondent

The number of mobile phones being confiscated from the region's prisoners has increased significantly in the last six years.

Eighty-nine were found at HMP Channings Wood in 2017, 30 at HM Prison Dartmoor and 48 at HM Prison Exeter.

An ex-offender who has served time in two of Devon's jails says most inmates are using their phones to arrange the delivery of drugs.

He said: "They would use the phone to contact loved ones outside, or some friends and say, 'Right, you can get some spice in.'

"And they'd bring that in through the visits on their person, in the mouth, or if they've got children, they'd use them in the seat carriers and bring it in that way. Or it'd come in over the wall and when you'd go out on the yard, you can just pick it up."

Jenna Hawkey
BBC News Online

Firefighters were called out to a gas leak in Bradworthy , externalon Wednesday evening.

Crews from Holsworthy and Hartland, as well as the Environmental Protection Unit from North Tawton and a specialist hazardous materials and environmental advisor, responded to reports of a strong smell of gas in a property on Mill Road just after 20:00.

They isolated the gas tank and allowed the property to ventilate naturally.

Two people were evacuated.

Image source, Google

Newcastle boss Dean Richards and winger Vereniki Goneva are named Premiership Rugby's top coach and player for 2018.

Clarissa Slade, who became a local councillor in Devon when she was 18, has died suddenly.

BBC Weather

Tonight will be dry with cloud breaking up to give some clear spells, allowing it to turn chillier than it was last night.

Minimum temperature: 3 to 6C (37 to 43F)

Thursday looks set to be a dry and fine day with some good spells of sunshine and just a few patches of cloud at times.

There will still be a cool north-easterly breeze.

Maximum temperature: 15 to 18C (59 to 64F)

Del Crookes
BBC News Online

Image source, RNLI/Anna Burn

Children who survived the Grenfell Tower fire last year have visited an RNLI station in London after seeing lifeboats in action on a visit to the South West last October.

Charity, Cornwall Hugs, has provided almost 200 holidays for the bereaved, evacuated neighbours and firefighters since the tragedy on 14 June 2017.

Image source, RNLI

On Sunday, the RNLI organised for six children to visit Tower Lifeboat Station on Victoria Embankment, which is about 300 miles closer to their home than Penzance.

Daniel Clark
Local Democracy Reporting Service

Image source, LDRS

A bid to register two Exmouth seafront sites as assets of community value has been rejected by East Devon District Council.

The chairman of Save Exmouth Seafront, Nick Hookway, had asked the council to protect the former Exmouth Fun Park plot and the Harbour View cafe.

Image source, LDRS

Had it been granted it would have meant that the organisation would have six months to offer to buy the sites, if they were put up for sale.

But the council rejected the requests saying that there was nothing particularly unique about the sites.

• Assets of community value were introduced in 2012 by the coalition government under the Localism Act.
• Parish councils and community groups can nominate venues they feel are "community assets" to a local authority.
• If they local authority agrees to register the venue, the act says communities will be given time to bid for the venue when it is sold.
• However, the scheme does not require the owner to sell to the community group.

BBC Radio Cornwall

The company behind South Crofty Mine says it hopes selling shares on the stock market will bring it the revenue to reopen.

Strongbow Exploration has launched on the AIM Market, external.

Tin is now worth five times more than when Crofty closed in 1998.

The flooded shafts in Redruth will have water pumped out of them and then a decision will be made about whether to start mining again.

Del Crookes
BBC News Online

Police say they would like to identify a man after an assault in Plymouth last month.

The attack happened between midnight and 00.15 on Sunday 8 April outside Revolution nightclub in the Derry's Cross area of the city.

A man in his 30s was punched in the head, leaving him with several dislodged teeth and a serious injury to his jaw.

Image source, Devon and Cornwall Police

Del Crookes
BBC News Online

Image source, Getty Images

The government has confirmed it will cover the cost of removing dangerous cladding from council and housing association tower blocks after the Grenfell fire.

Theresa May told the Commons that the work will cost an estimated £400m.

The three Mount Wise tower blocks in Devonport, which are owned by housing association, Plymouth Community Homes, should benefit.

Image source, Derek Harper

Mark Bradford, acting chairman of the Mount Wise Towers Residents' Association, says he is glad something is happening but is thinking about moving out because of all the work taking place on the block.

"I'm glad it's happening for the people who will live here in the future," he said. "There are residents who have lived here all their lives and they won't move. But it's coming a bit too late for me."

Torquay United sign ex-Crawley Town and Woking winger Bobson Bawling for their first season in National League South.

BBC Spotlight

The injuries suffered by a fisherman off the coast of Cornwall were caused by a dead shark, it has been claimed.

Max Berryman was winched to hospital with severe lacerations to his leg on Sunday and was understood to have been attacked by a shark the crew had inadvertently brought up on board.

Phil Mitchell, skipper of the Govenek of Ladram, said: "It was dead but the size and the weight of them - just manhandling it around the boat is dangerous."

Mr Berryman is understood to be recovering at the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro.

Image source, Tony Fitzsimmons