Latest news with #Dawlish
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Dawlish holiday park celebrates 50th anniversary
A Devon holiday park has celebrated its 50th anniversary. Cofton Holidays, near Dawlish, was bought and opened in 1975 by brothers George and Alf Jeffery. The park said it celebrated with special anniversary events and entertainment, plus a look back at its history and an exclusive gin in collaboration with Exeter Gin. Helen Scott, whose parents bought the park, said the way it worked had changed, including it being open all year, and offering more than just seasonal employment. More news stories for Devon Listen to the latest news for Devon Ms Scott said: "We bought a farmhouse on the park in around 1980 and moved there and I would have been about eight years old." She added it used to be "quiet" and "relaxing" over the winter and "busy summers". "Now things have changed completely - we're open all year round. "I think we recognised after so many years if we kept open all year round we could offer jobs all year round, rather than just summer seasonal jobs." She added: "Our focus is looking at what we can do as a family business and we can decide what to invest into certain things and improvements that will make it better for our guests to come back year after year. "Doing everything we can to keep the park sustainable... that's been very important to us for a number of years now. She also said: "Patterns and the way people book has changed. I think they're booking more short break holidays.. Any sort of economic uncertainty will affect the way in which people book." She explained that when people came to the park for a holiday and the weather was not good, there would be a mixture of reactions. She said: "You get the hardened campers that are in a tent in the rain and loving it and walking around in their flip flops and not a care in the world. And you may get one or two that are a little bit down in the mouth when it's a wet holiday. "I think I always did intend on coming into the family business... and all of us really have gone off and had other jobs and then come and brought those skills into the business, and I think that's been quite important to the business too." Follow BBC Devon on X, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to spotlight@ More on this story Campsites hopeful of busy Easter amid tax rise Related internet links Cofton Holidays Celebrates 50 Years of Memories
BBC News
4 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Devon holiday park celebrates 50th anniversary
A Devon holiday park has celebrated its 50th anniversary. Cofton Holidays, near Dawlish, was bought and opened in 1975 by brothers George and Alf Jeffery. The park said it celebrated with special anniversary events and entertainment, plus a look back at its history and an exclusive gin in collaboration with Exeter Gin. Helen Scott, whose parents bought the park, said the way it worked had changed, including it being open all year, and offering more than just seasonal employment. Ms Scott said: "We bought a farmhouse on the park in around 1980 and moved there and I would have been about eight years old." She added it used to be "quiet" and "relaxing" over the winter and "busy summers". "Now things have changed completely - we're open all year round."I think we recognised after so many years if we kept open all year round we could offer jobs all year round, rather than just summer seasonal jobs." She added: "Our focus is looking at what we can do as a family business and we can decide what to invest into certain things and improvements that will make it better for our guests to come back year after year. "Doing everything we can to keep the park sustainable... that's been very important to us for a number of years now. She also said: "Patterns and the way people book has changed. I think they're booking more short break holidays.. Any sort of economic uncertainty will affect the way in which people book." She explained that when people came to the park for a holiday and the weather was not good, there would be a mixture of said: "You get the hardened campers that are in a tent in the rain and loving it and walking around in their flip flops and not a care in the world. And you may get one or two that are a little bit down in the mouth when it's a wet holiday. "I think I always did intend on coming into the family business... and all of us really have gone off and had other jobs and then come and brought those skills into the business, and I think that's been quite important to the business too."
Yahoo
18-07-2025
- Yahoo
Plea to stop fishing after black swans eat line
A local council has pleaded for people not to fish at a river in a Devon town after incidents of swans ingesting fishing lines. Dawlish Town Council has urged the public to stop fishing in the town's water stream following two separate incidents in the space of 24 hours of black swans attempting to eat fishing lines. It said its waterfowl wardens had made two rescues between Tuesday and Wednesday. It confirmed both swans were now safe and well but warned another incident like it could be fatal. More news stories for Devon Listen to the latest news for Devon The council said fishing was not allowed in the river, unless you have a special licence from Devon County Council, and was raising awareness to prevent such incidents. One of the swans had tried to eat a fishing line with a hook that had a fish attached to it before a warden was able to help. The local authority asked residents to report if they saw people fishing in the river to the waterfowl wardens, the police or the Environmental Agency and to be mindful of any fishing lines near the river. Follow BBC Devon on X, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to spotlight@ More on this story Dawlish black swan sitting on eggs killed by dog Sadness as 'shabby' brook blights town's look Black swans' bird flu deaths 'devastating' Related internet links Dawlish Town Council
BBC News
18-07-2025
- BBC News
Plea to stop fishing in Dawlish river after black swans eat line
A local council has pleaded for people not to fish at a river in a Devon town after incidents of swans ingesting fishing lines. Dawlish Town Council has urged the public to stop fishing in the town's water stream following two separate incidents in the space of 24 hours of black swans attempting to eat fishing lines. It said its waterfowl wardens had made two rescues between Tuesday and Wednesday. It confirmed both swans were now safe and well but warned another incident like it could be fatal. The council said fishing was not allowed in the river, unless you have a special licence from Devon County Council, and was raising awareness to prevent such incidents. One of the swans had tried to eat a fishing line with a hook that had a fish attached to it before a warden was able to help. The local authority asked residents to report if they saw people fishing in the river to the waterfowl wardens, the police or the Environmental Agency and to be mindful of any fishing lines near the river.
BBC News
09-07-2025
- General
- BBC News
Holding Dawlish mainline plans 'just ridiculous', residents say
Residents of a Devon town have expressed disappointment at a government decision to hold the final part of plans to secure a key stretch of Devon and Cornwall's main rail route. On Tuesday the government announced it was holding work to secure cliffs from Parson's tunnel near Dawlish to said they had "already invested significantly in securing the cliffs and making the coastline more resilient".One Dawlish resident said the decision "just seems crazy" with another saying "it's a tragedy". Severe storm damage severed the line at Dawlish in 2014, leading to its closure for eight weeks. Temporary repairs followed, including a new seawall at Dawlish and a rock shelter to protect the track from cliff falls north of Parson's fifth and final stage was to secure the cliffs from Parson's Tunnel to Teignmouth, and this has now been put on 62, said: "I think it's ridiculous with the money that they spent just to actually abandon it now, it just seems ridiculous. "My wife now relies on the train to get to work at Digby and if anything happened to the railway she wouldn't be able to get to work along with a lot of other people. "With all the work that they've actually done to stop now just seems crazy." The government said it would "keep this scheme under review as the preliminary works complete and for funding at future fiscal events".Madeline, who lives in Dawlish, told BBC Radio Devon it did not seem "very sensible to make it so vulnerable".The 48-year-old said: "I think it's very bad for the area, the line is sort of an artery which is running the whole way to Cornwall, this whole area is very dependent on it."I also think the whole reason that it's trying to sort of create safety against the sea, so if we do have any storms it gets knocked down - I think that can end up being a lot more expensive." Fiona Bonet-Ramirez from Newton-Abbott uses the service to get to work and said the pause was "a real shame".She said: "It is the most beautiful part of train line I think in the whole country - anyone would agree with that."It's a tragedy... I think it's a bad decision because you have the impact on the local people but also the impact maybe on tourism." 'Follow it through' Dawlish resident Alan Rabbage, 55, said it did not make sense for the government not to complete the said: "To be honest with you I'm not surprised because that seems to be sign of the times."I believe it's the fourth or fifth stage now they've spent all this money - why not follow it through and finish it in my opinion."
