Cub Scouts in Plymouth have become the latest youngsters to earn Healthy Relationship badges in a programme supported by the NSPCC.

Youngsters from the Cub pack at 31st Plymouth Ernesettle Scout group followed in the footsteps of children in their Squirrel and Beaver groups to complete the scheme and were presented with their badges at a ceremony last week. Every child also received a teddy bear for their efforts.

The Scout group has been working with the NSPCC’s Together for Childhood project in Plymouth to develop the badges which are the first of their kind to be handed out in the country.

Derriford Hospital has unveiled vibrant underwater-themed murals in the Children’s Theatres anaesthetic rooms and corridors, designed by local artist Ellie Johnson – better known as Mrs Murals – with vinyls by Hart Miller/ Frootful illustrations.

The initiative aims to transform the hospital environment, making it feel less clinical and more welcoming for young patients.

The newly painted corridors lead from the waiting area through to the anaesthetic rooms, featuring colourful sea creatures that children can spot and enjoy. The hope is that these lively designs will provide a sense of comfort and distraction for children during their hospital visits.

After over two decades of dedicated voluntary service, Plymouth RNLI crew member Richard Gibson has stepped down from his role on the lifeboat crew.

Richard joined Plymouth Lifeboat Station in 2004 at 29, following a conversation with a crew member during a work meeting. Living just a stone’s throw from the station and working nearby, he was well-placed to respond to the pager and quickly became a key part of the team.

Plymouth Lions Club have donated £400 to the 2174 (North Plymouth) Squadron of the RAF Air Cadets.

Lions vice president elect George Poad, who formerly served in the RAF, and club secretary Ian Hill visited the cadets to make the presentation.

Lion Ian gave a talk on the Lion young leaders in service scheme and he and Lion George were given a tour of the facility, which they described as ‘very interesting.’

The Air Cadets offer many fun and exciting opportunities such as flying, gliding, adventure training and the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme along with visits to RAF stations, sports and much more.

They do not directly recruit for the Royal Air Force, but are an integral part of it, providing exceptional training that is recognised by the RAF. The transferable skills that are learnt will also help in many civilian jobs and in day-to-day situations.

Luke Pollard MP is calling for recommendations for his 2025 ‘Buildings at Risk’ list to highlight Plymouth’s iconic disused buildings, challenging the owners to invest in them or sell them to someone who will.

Every year, Luke issues a list of ten iconic Plymouth buildings that have fallen into disuse and disrepair. These are buildings that with the right investment could be brought back to life.

Investment would preserve Plymouth’s history whilst giving these buildings a fresh purpose – helping to provide employment, stimulate the local economy and keep Plymouth flourishing.

Visitors to the new summers exhibitions will also encounter a new version of The Hop – a large eye catching sculpture which was originally commissioned for London’s Southbank Centre in 2022.

Adapted especially for Plymouth and created from Bradley’s signature materials of fluorescent Plexiglas and LED in dark blue and yellow, the work is set to project a spectrum of colours across The Box’s Tavistock Place square over the summer.

A rabbit found abandoned on Dartmoor spent Easter being cared for at a Plymouth animal sanctuary.

Bluebell was found by a dog walker on the moor and taken to Woodside Animal Welfare Sanctuary at Elfordleigh, on the edge of Plymouth.

With the charity unable to trace her owner, Bluebell is now being looked after at the sanctuary where, despite her traumatic experience, she is doing well.

Mark Hackett, chief executive of University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust, has warned that Derriford faces tough financial challenges in the year ahead with nearly £70 million of cuts to be made.

He said that the savings of £67 million represent around six per cent of the UHP’s £1 billion annual expenditure with the majority being reductions in pay.

He said: “Although we did deliver a large savings target last year of £56 million, we have never made a saving of this magnitude before on a recurrent, every year, basis. Much of our funding goes on pay for our 11,000 staff plus pay to bank and agency staff. Overall we will have to reduce our total spend on pay by about £34m per year.

Derriford Hospital will benefit from a new, £200 million state-of-the-art Emergency Care Building after the Department of Health and Social Care rubber-stamped funding for the project.

Stuart Windsor, Future Hospital director, said “Since the announcement in January about support for our Emergency Care Building project, we have worked at pace to finish and submit the final business case for this much needed facility.

Slimming World members in Plymouth have raised £75,000 for Cancer Research UK by donating the clothes they’ve slimmed out of to the charity’s shops.

The Big Slimming World Clothes Throw with Cancer Research UK is an annual event that takes place in Slimming World groups across the UK. It sees members donating good quality clothes, shoes, and accessories that no longer fit – and they’re confident they will never need again.

The generosity of two junior football clubs meant people receiving care in Livewell Southwest’s mental health inpatient units had a sweet surprise at Easter.

Eve Redmond, a referral coordinator at the Glenbourne Unit in Plymouth, put out an appeal online for Easter egg donations as she hoped to bring a little joy to patients who were not able to go home or see loved ones over the holiday. The response far exceeded her expectations.

Eve said:

“Not all our patients got to spend Easter with their families, and sometimes a small gesture like receiving an Easter egg can make a big difference to their day.

“I had a wonderful response. We received more than 100 eggs, including an incredible donation of more than 70 from Mount Gould Under 6s and Under 11s Football Club.”

Ninety-nine-year-old Charlie Trevethan always looks forward to the Plymouth Chronicle being delivered to his home in Southway – but he had a special reason to appreciate the latest delivery.

Charlie, who will be 100 later this year, lives alone at his home in Southway and earlier this month he took a tumble in his conservatory and was unable to get back on his feet.

He had been helpless on the floor for the best part of an hour when the local Chronicle distributor Dan Jacob came to deliver the paper – and saw Charlie’s plight.