Johanna Carr
BBC News Online

Four young sisters have been streaming their own children's church services from their home in Exeter during the coronavirus lockdown.

Ivy, 5, Clara, 8, Amy, 10, and 11-year-old Ellen Gill wanted to do something while their local church is closed.

Image source, Gill Family

Their weekly Children's Liturgy, streamed on the Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church's YouTube channel, external, includes prayers and readings, as well as advice for people on how they can help those in the community.

Children’s Liturgy services take place during Sunday Mass, with readings and prayers adapted so they are easier for young people to understand.

The two youngest girls normally attend them at their church in Heavitree, Exeter, and their father Nick often leads the services.

Mum Julia Gill, said: “When the churches were closed, Father Jonathan Stewart asked us, as Children’s Liturgy volunteers, if we could do something for the YouTube channel.

"We asked the girls if they wanted to be involved and they decided to do the whole thing themselves.

"Once they’d done it, there was no stopping them and they’ve done it every week."

Amy added: "We miss seeing our friends while our school and church is closed and this is a way for us to do something that everyone can watch and enjoy.”

Andrew Segal
BBC South West

Recycling centres operated by Devon County Council are to reopen "for essential use only" from Monday, 11 May, the council has said.

The authority said it defined "essential use" as waste that "cannot be stored without causing a risk of injury, health or harm to the resident or other members of their household".

It added that residents were urged to only travel to centres if the waste presented a hazard and "cannot be legally and responsibly disposed of in other ways".

It is the first stage of what will be a phased reopening for Devon’s 19 household waste recycling centres (HWRCs)

To protect the public and staff a series of health protection measures will be in force, including a one-in one-out policy and 2m (6ft 6in) social distancing guidelines. Staff will not be able to assist with the unloading of waste.

The council said: "These measures are likely to cause significant delays and queues and residents are advised to postpone their visit where possible."

Punchbowl in Crediton is not due to open until Friday, 15 May.

Image source, Devon County Council

Rebecca Thorn
BBC News Online

Twelve care homes in Plymouth have confirmed or suspected cases of coronavirus, the city's council has said.

The number was revealed at an online meeting providing updates on the Covid-19 response.

It follows a "significant increase" in the number of coronavirus-related deaths in care homes across the South West.

Cabinet member Kate Taylor said "all of the right steps" were being taken to ensure the safety of staff and residents.

This included booking hotel beds for care staff and working with outside organisations to provide enough PPE for all 97 care homes.

Councillor Taylor said: "We are absolutely committed to ensure all of the staff in our care homes have everything they need to get through this period."

Ben Woolvin
BBC South West Home Affairs correspondent

There has been a significant increase in the number of coronavirus-related deaths being recorded at care homes in the South West of England.

Figures from the Office for National Statistics published on Tuesday morning show 169 people died in care homes in the South West in the week ending on 24 April - more than double the number recorded the previous week.

The week before it was 73, so there has been a 131% increase.

Care home managers have told the BBC they are concerned any easing of lockdown measures could put their residents at greater risk.

BBC Radio Devon

Coronavirus helplines in south Devon are getting 130 calls a day, managers have said.

The Torbay Community Development Trust said the helplines had taken in excess of 6,000 calls overall since launching in mid-March.

The trust said issues being dealt with were "becoming more complex as the lockdown begins to affect mental health and the strains begin to show in relationships".

It added that it had also helped with more than 1,000 emergencies.

The lines are staffed seven days a week from 08:00 until 20:00.

Jenny Walrond
Health Correspondent, BBC Spotlight

There have been four further deaths in the South West of England of people infected with coronavirus reported in the latest public figures for hospitals.

NHS England said the latest fatalities were in:

• Cornwall Partnership Trust - one
• Dorset Healthcare - one
• Torbay - one
• Yeovil District - one

In total, 325 people have died in hospitals in the region, including 153 in Devon and 83 in Cornwall.

In care homes in the region, 169 deaths of people infected with Covid-19 have been recorded in total.

Andrew Segal
BBC South West

Organisers of the Charlestown Regatta have announced, external that this year’s regatta week has been postponed until 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

It had been due to take place at the beginning of August.

The regatta’s committee said it was a "very difficult decision" but the "health and wellbeing of our guests, the residents of Charlestown and our committee is our highest priority".

The committee added that members were now working to confirm dates for the 2021 event, which would be its 50th anniversary.

The historic harbour has been used as a filming location for many TV shows, including Doctor Who and Poldark.

Image source, Amanda Segal

Amy Gladwell
BBC News Online

Wooden rainbow keyrings are being specially made by a small business in Devon which is aiming to raise £100,000 for charities "involved in COVID-19 resilience".

All profits for the key rings, made from sustainable birch wood by Teignmouth company Inspirwood, will go to charities including NHS Charities Together, Age UK and food banks.

Image source, Pete Williams

They cost £4 and can be ordered online, external and delivered to someone of your choice "to say a personal thank you", Pete Williams from the company said.

"We have a friend who works for the NHS in Torbay and we felt really bad she was working her socks off doing 12-14 hour days while we were doing not a lot really," he said.

"We have other friends working in supermarkets and postmen out there, we felt a bit inadequate so my wife Kate and I decided to do something."

"We're hoping to spread a bit of happiness and positivity," he said.

The project sold 50 in the first day of trading.

Andrew Segal
BBC South West

The 2020 Devon County Show has been cancelled, organisers have said.

The Devon County Agricultural Association said the decision for the 125th show had been made "with regret".

It was initially moved from May to August, but it has been rescheduled for 20-22 May 2021.

Mary Quicke, chairwoman of the association's council, said organisers appreciated it would be "a great disappointment to our agricultural community, traders, competitors and, of course, the thousands of visitors who attend our show every year, all of whom love the show as much as we do".

She added that bosses were "confident we have made the right decision in the circumstances and must put the welfare of everyone associated with the show above all else".

The show has been going since 1872.

BBC Radio Devon

Two Devon MPs are among Conservatives calling for funeral services to resume in churches.

The 36 MPs, including Totnes's Anthony Magnall and Newton Abbot's Anne Marie Morris, signed a letter to the Church of England saying the "grief of bereavement is being translated to trauma" for families who had been denied a church funeral.

The letter suggests clergy be allowed to enter their churches to officiate at funerals while observing safety measures.

Churches closed in March, with funerals only permitted to take place at the graveside or the crematorium.

The Church of England said its advice came after safety concerns.

Andrew Segal
BBC South West

Cornwall Council has restarted its bulky waste collection service.

It said that coronavirus social distancing rules meant it was "unable to offer assisted collections for the time being", and people have been asked not to approach waste collection crews.

It added that it was "anticipating an unusually high demand for this service" and asked people if they could "hang on to your items a bit longer until we can return to a more normal level of service, we'd be very grateful".

The council said last week that it was working on reopening its 14 Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs).

Councillor Rob Nolan, the cabinet member for environment, said he needed reassurances from the government that trips to such centres would be considered acceptable during the Covid-19 lockdown.

Household collections of waste and recycling continue, and the council said it was still following "usual collection times".

BBC News England

Artwork has been appearing on beaches around the country during the coronavirus lockdown, much of it dedicated to the NHS.

In Devon, the Torquay Sand Man, known for creating elaborate sand art in the resort, created a huge motif on the beach.

Find out more here.

Image source, Astrality Marine

Vanessa Pearce
BBC News

Image source, Bill Rowland

Amateur radio use in the UK has seen a "significant" rise during the coronavirus lockdown as people seek new ways of staying connected.

One 11-year-old girl from Cornwall, Anne-Marie Rowland, has been running twice-weekly meetings to help keep people in contact.

Find out here what she and other people around the country have been doing.

Andrea Ormsby
BBC Spotlight

“It’s the highlight of my week” says 89-year-old Betty Glanville, from Torpoint, who is being read a story over the phone by a child every week.

She lives alone and has not been out of her house for more than a month.

It’s organised by a south west charity called Silver Stories, and its founders say it’s really come into its own during this period of lockdown isolation.

Silver Stories has been running in the region for four years and was about to launch nationwide when coronavirus hit.

Elisabeth Carney-Haworth, its co-creator, said the children and older people - called silver readers and silver listeners respectively - both get a lot out of it.

Twitter

BBC Radio Cornwall

More than 500 households across the parish of St Agnes have signed up to fill their villages with sunflowers.

The St Agnes Sunflower Festival 2020 is the initiative of community interest company Growing Together Cornwall CIC , externalwith the aim of "bringing people together" in the coronavirus crisis.

Any household in the parish of St Agnes, which includes Mithian, Blackwater, Mount Hawke and Porthtowan, can sign up for a sunflower starter kit.

More than 500 kits have been sent out to date and people are already reporting that their seedlings are popping up.

BBC Radio Cornwall

Cornwall's household waste and recycling centres, external should be opened immediately says a Cornwall councillor.

Image source, Getty Images

Last week Cornwall Council said it was working to reopen the centres "in the next fortnight" but was seeking reassurance from the government that trips to the tip will be acceptable during lockdown.

Cornwall Councillor Olly Monks said: "Many people throughout the county have large amounts of waste that needs to be taken to our recycling centres now.

"The reopening of recycling centres is already essential, already taking place throughout the country and already overdue in Cornwall."

Press Association

Cabinet Office Minister Johnny Mercer says the government is considering a "range of ways" to honour key workers for "exceptional contributions" during the Coronavirus crisis.

The Plymouth Moor View MP was responding to a question from MP James Sunderland who asked if a campaign medal might be appropriate for those on the front line of the response.

Mr Mercer said making Captain Tom Moore an honorary colonel was an example of the government's approach.

During Cabinet Office questions, he said: "There will be a range of ways to mark exceptional contributions once we are through the crisis, including considerations of how the honours systems might play a role.

"Departments continue to consider internal mechanisms to reward individuals and teams with the recent example of Captain Tom Moore being appointed as an honorary colonel."

Mr Mercer also highlighted the work of armed services personnel during the outbreak.

He said: "As part of the national Covid-19 response, defence has supported NHS trusts in a variety of ways.

"We have distributed PPE and diagnostic equipment, we supported the planning, construction and staffing of Nightingale hospitals and provided service personnel to conduct testing in both regional and mobile testing sites."

Mr Mercer said as of Monday morning the armed forces' Covid Support Force has 2,935 personnel deployed to assist civil authorities.

Jenny Walrond
Health Correspondent, BBC Spotlight

There has been only a single death of a person infected with coronavirus reported in the latest public figures for hospitals in the South West of England.

NHS England said the latest fatality was in the Royal Cornwall Hospital near Truro.

In total, 321 people have died in hospitals in the region, including 152 in Devon and 82 in Cornwall.

Daily updates for deaths nationally in care homes are now being issued by the government, but BBC South West has not been given a regional breakdown.

BBC Spotlight

The owner of a riding stables says he may have to have some of his horses destroyed, and sell the others because of rising bank debts.

Andy Reeve has run the St Leonards Equitation Centre, external, near Launceston, for 43 years. He has seen his income drop to nothing in the past six weeks.

He said he has no means of paying his bills and while some creditors have given him time to pay others haven’t despite the circumstances.

Mr Reeve said there are 30 horses who all need to be fed and looked after.