Laurie Fentiman and Angela Goddard who wrote our recently published 'Discovering Exeter' booklet on this area will lead aur walk. So we have a chance to ask questions and get expert answers on what will be more than doing the walk in the booklet on your own. Even if you done the walks there, doing it in company will add a new dimension. You might know that Countess Wear has a fascinating social and industrial history from the medieval period right up to today.

Alex Adams from the University of Exeter Grounds Team will lead a walk through the University grounds, highlighting the amazing collection of trees they hold. As you may know there have been changes due to new buildings having been erected. Alex will talk about how nature diversity and green spaces have been maintained on campus and are looked after. The grounds and gardens of the University of Exeter’s Streatham Campus have been awarded the title of Accredited Botanic Garden by Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) in July 2025.

Kitty Vega will talk about the ISCA Collection, the work of Henry Wykes, and efforts to preserve this collection by Peter Thomas and now the South West Heritage Trust. Join Kitty, a project manager specialising in heritage collections and a current PhD student at the University of Exeter, to uncover Exeter’s past through the remarkable ISCA Photographic Collection - one of the city’s most significant visual archives.

Diana Taylor will guide our walk in Junew. We will start outside Waitrose where the Heavitree workhouse used to be. We will then proceed up to Polsloe Road mainly down the main street, veering off to the Heavitree Church area. There are a lot of historic places in Heavitree and the walk will be focusing on these.

Naome Glanville, the Arts and Culture Co-ordinator at the University of Exeter, will speak to us about the University's Art Collection, including some Exeter/Devon artworks in her talk.

Following our meetings with businesses, local residents and local Councillors, Exeter Civic Society together with InExeter and Citizen Architects (trading name of Fabrica Architecture Ltd) will present the latest suggestions for the improvement of this important street in Exeter. For the Open Day we were invited to use the Devon Ukranian Association premises, which opened earlier this year in North Street. The Open Day follows a Charette meeting with experts to be held on 10 June and will present the results from that workshop. We hope the Open Day will attract your attention, whether you are local to the area, have your business there or are just generally interested to see one of the oldest streets in Exeter which, we feel, has been a bit neglected for decades being improved. Bring your ideas, discuss them with us - and hopefully this will set some decision taking wheels spinning.

Our Saturday meeting in May will be an afternoon social event at St Thomas church from 14.00 which will include a talk and tour of the church. We will have a buffet tea for which there will be a small charge. We did hope to use the church hall but that is now not available. Access to the church is via Cowick Street where you can get many busses stopping either at St Thomas station or opposite the Sawyers Pub near Vicarage Road. There may be some on-street car parking and it is possible to park in the Cowick Street shopping centre for a fee. If you wish to attend can you confirm to Keith Lewis by email to help us plan the catering (keithatecs@gmail.com) .

The County Hall Tree Walk will be starting at the earlier time of 11.00am. Ed Dolphin will lead the walk, which is scheduled for approx. 90 mins, but the length is flexible and depends on the weather. It will be joint event with Sidmouth Arboretum, as they celebrate their tree week. Numbers are limited to 15 from us: Sat, 18 April, my count was up to 9, so 6 spaces left only. You need to book yourself in via out whatsapp group or send me a text message to 07766 706614. I will let you know once the booking is full.

A social event where visitors and guests are welcome and refreshment will be available. Ed Dolphin, our speaker for this meeting, will talk about Sidmouth Arboretum. Sidmouth's remarkable treescape was recognised in 2012 when the town and surrounding valley were declared a Civic Arboretum where all the local trees are celebrated. Originally a community led project, it is now a registered charity dedicated to engaging people with their trees and enhancing the treescape.

Hilary Neville will lead a walk in the St. James's Park area. We will look at the history of the area, including some changes that have taken place since Hazel Harvey wrote Exeter Civic Society's "Discovering Exeter: Sidwell Street" in the 1980s, which is now being revised for its second edition. Those who joined our visit at the Football Stadium last year will remember how rural this area looked in the 19th century.

Wendy Rakestrow is guiding a walk through Exwick, Come and join us to see what we can find of the old Essoic village. Mentioned in the Domesday Book and more recently in Pevsner, Exwick grew exponentially in the late twentieth century. The walk is mostly on the flat and the one hill can be missed out if necessary. Please be aware that the walk is no circular one, it will finish at The Thatched House pub, where there is a bus stop nearby and shops as well as access back to the river walk. Unfortunately the pub isn't open in the afternoon and the public toilets are also closed. As always, you do this walk at your own risk. You won't be insured by the society or the lead walker.

The modern University of Exeter plays a major role in all aspects of the city’s life. But how did so small a city, even with so long a history, come to be selected as a base for a university? Julia Neville explores how - against the odds - a few dedicated men and women nurtured the idea of a university in Exeter and fought for funding and support to make tier vision a reality.