Charities

Former market manager completes first leg of UK charity tour

A Tiverton man has completed the first leg of his charity tour of the UK coast.

Jim Bray is taking on the mammoth road trip – entitled Exploring Britain’s Coast and Seaside Pubs – to raise money for Hospiscare.

The cash-strapped local charity cared for his sister, Emma Ansley, before she died of cancer aged 48.

Jim started from Tenby in South West Wales at the end of July and, travelling anti-clockwise, has reached the Exe estuary.

It’s the closest he will be to home and Hospiscare’s base in Exeter.

Following a brief spell at home to do some...

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News Desk

News Desk

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Westbank's new trustee Marc Astley

Westbank's newest trustee is a man on a mission

Marc Astley, a well-known local journalist and news editor, is the latest trustee to join the board of Westbank Community Health and Care and says he’s on a mission to spread the word about the work of this fantastic, community charity.

As an experienced media professional and a former editor of the Exeter Express & Echo newspaper, Marc is well-placed to do this. His achievements include co-founding the UK Daily Ltd, a stable of 10 online news and feature platforms including The Exeter Daily. He also set up the successful Exeter-based PR and Marketing Agency, Astley Media,...

Devon Air Ambulance scoops Exeter Living Award for services to local communities

Authored by Mary Youlden
Posted: Tue, 03/12/2024 - 10:23am

Members of the Devon Air Ambulance fundraising team were delighted to receive the Exeter Living Award for local charities on behalf of the organisation on Thursday evening.

The team was up against some worthy competitors locally and were thrilled to have been awarded the accolade. Jo Rigby, Head of Fundraising at Devon Air Ambulance said:

"We are incredibly proud to have received this amazing award from the Exeter Living Awards, 2024. We were up against some fantastic charities, each deserving of such a prestigious award, so thank you to the judging panel who recognised...

Devon veterans can now apply for life-changing mobility support

Authored by News Desk
Posted: Tue, 03/12/2024 - 6:44am

Devon veterans with mobility issues attributable to their service are now able to apply for support from the reinstated Veterans’ Mobility Fund (VMF).

Administration of the life-changing fund was awarded to Help for Heroes and Blesma by the Office for Veterans’ Affairs (OVA) and the Armed Forces Covenan t Trust Fund in September, 2023.

The VMF is a central fund, awarded by the OVA, to support veterans with physical disabilities through grants to enable them to access mobility equipment that improves their quality of life.

It is believed there are more than 65,...

Classics Galore! compere Victoria Graham

Classics Galore! is back for 2024 with BBC star as compere

Save the dates! Classics Galore! is back for 2024. The concert is at the University of Exeter’s Great Hall on Saturday November 9 and tickets go on sale on Monday July 15 .

The compere for this year’s show in aid of FORCE Cancer Charity is Victoria Graham, who has been a presenter at BBC Spotlight, the most watched TV news programme in the South West, for more than 15 years.

Victoria has a very personal reason for supporting Classics Galore! after losing her father to bowel cancer eight years ago.

“You never imagine it’s going to happen to you or someone you...

City charity invites residents to camp in their gardens for local homeless people

An Exeter-based homelessness charity is inviting people to sleep out under the stars in April, to help raise money for its work with rough sleepers.

But St Petrock’s Big Night Out is a sleep-out with a difference, as participants will bed down in safe locations such as their gardens, garages or workplaces, rather than in one central place.

St Petrock’s Director, Peter Stephenson, who will be settling down in his shed for the night, said: “People’s experiences on Friday 12 April won’t compare with the physical and mental trauma of being homeless of course. However, it’ll...

£56,000 charity donations by Devon homebuilder

Authored by News Desk
Posted: Thu, 02/22/2024 - 11:43pm

Local homebuilder with developments across Devon, Barratt David Wilson Homes Exeter, donated over £56,000 and volunteered a total of 61 days to charities in the South West last year.

Each year, Barratt David Wilson Homes Exeter provides funding for charities and organisations across the region as part of its commitment to creating positive legacies in the communities where it builds.

Balloons received financial help after donations dried up during the cost-of-living crisis and the demand for their services increased. Balloons has a dedicated network of volunteers and...

Hair at the Academy shines a spotlight of hope for Exeter’s homeless community

Exeter-based Hair at The Academy (HATA) is making waves of positive change for those who need it most. They will shine a spotlight on supporting people experiencing homelessness in the city with their remarkable work in the community by extending their free education provision to empower those most in need.

Following the resounding success of their pilot projects where they ran hairdressing and barbering training courses for homeless people at their salon in Kimberly Road, Exeter, a registered VTCT Centre of Excellence - one of the UK’s market-leading vocational and technical...

Utilities company supports Devon charity to keep people warm at home

100 ‘warm bags’ to keep winter chills at bay are being distributed to people in and around Exminster as a result of a partnership between Wales & West Utilities and Devon charity Westbank Community Health and Care (Westbank).

The bags are being distributed to people in the local community through Westbank’s recently-launched Warmwell at Home initiative. Each bag contains hand warmers, a thermometer, a pair of thermal socks, a travel mug, a hat and gloves, a hot water bottle and a large blanket.

Wales & West Utilities, the gas emergency and pipeline service,...

Call goes out to make a splash in Diabetes UK challenge

Authored by News Desk
Posted: Fri, 02/09/2024 - 10:28pm

Leading charity Diabetes UK is putting a call out to people from Devon to take part in a sponsored swimming challenge, which raises vital funds for the charity, this spring.

Swim22 runs between 22 March and 22 June and involves swimming a total of 22 miles –the same width as the English Channel. Participants can take on the challenge at their own pace, in their local pool or the open water, accumulating the miles across the course of the 12 weeks.

All funds raised will go towards Diabetes UK’s work, funding life-saving research and helping people living with diabetes to...

Picture of 4 men standing next to a Devon Air Ambulance critical care car

DAA introduces two new Critical Care Cars thanks to the HELP Appeal

Devon Air Ambulance (DAA) is excited to unveil two new Critical Care Cars which will strengthen its service and help more people needing urgent pre-hospital care.

The two new Volvo XC90’s are high performance 4-wheel drive cars which have been specially converted for their emergency role and include a blue light response kit which combine to give critical care teams the best chance of reaching a patient’s side as quickly as possible.

Each Critical Care Car is equipped with the same specialist medical equipment and medicines as the Charity’s helicopters, so their highly...

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