Charities

Local homebuilder steps up for mental health in Devon with £1,500 donation to Step One Charity

Step One, a charity dedicated to supporting individuals facing mental health and wellbeing challenges, has received a generous donation of £1,500 from local homebuilder Barratt David Wilson Homes Exeter. The donation will contribute towards initiatives such as the BeWell@StepOne programme, which provides peer-to-peer support to tackle social isolation and promote mental wellbeing across Devon.

The history of Exeter-based Step One Charity dates to its founding in 1937 as St Loye's College to provide support for people with disabilities to develop skills and achieve their potential...

Drive Creative Studio continues to baaa-ck the Rowcroft Hospice Sleep Walk

Authored by News Desk
Posted: Wed, 04/25/2018 - 11:15am

Ladies across the South Devon will join Barbara the sheep and her farmyard friends on Saturday 7 July for the baa-rilliant ladies-only Rowcroft Sleep Walk charity event. The team at Exeter-based design agency, Drive Creative Studio, has supported Rowcroft Hospice for eight years with the branding, design, advertising and promotional materials for the Sleep Walk. This year, as well as designing and illustrating the 2018 Sleep Walk materials, Drive Creative Studio is also showing support by becoming an official sponsor of the event. Team members of Drive have been working with Rowcroft since...

New tricycle allows disabled boy to play outside with his friends again

Authored by Claire Small
Posted: Mon, 04/23/2018 - 10:30pm

A five-year-old boy from Exeter, who has spina bifida and hydrocephalus, conditions that affect his mobility, has received a specialist tricycle that will allow him to ride outside with his friends and family for the first time. Arthur Alderson is unable to walk unaided and is a part-time wheelchair user. Although he is a confident child, with lots of friends, his poor balance means that he is unable to ride a standard bicycle leaving him a spectator when his friends cycle outside. But thanks to Caudwell Children, the national charity that provides practical and emotional support to...

Keeping it in the family!

Exeter Junior School Headmistress Sue Marks and her daughter, alumna Amy Marks, are celebrating completion the Brighton Marathon on Sunday 15th April for charity.

The dynamic duo are raising money for The Children's Society and MIND, in support of the school's charity bike ride from John O' Groats to Land's End over the summer.

Sue said she was very proud that she and her daughter, 2013 Exeter School leaver Amy, completed the marathon for two such good causes.

"Both charities are meaningful to us particularly as my mother used to do a lot of work with MIND when she...

YMCA Exeter collaborate with the University of Exeter to record music album

Residents and volunteers at YMCA Exeter are delighted to announce that a recording of their EP album “Blessing” is now available online to download from Spotify, Amazon, Deezer, Google Play and iTunes.

The EP album is the result of a joint project called ‘Making Invisible People Visible’, between YMCA Exeter and Professor Paul Cloke at The University of Exeter. The album took YMCA Exeter residents’ on an emotional journey through song-writing, creativity and public performance, giving them the opportunity to make their voices heard.

The music programme at YMCA Exeter seeks...

10 year old Emily completes her 488 mile cycle for Shelterbox

10 year old Emily Read from Exeter gives the family pet Arty a celebratory hug. She arrived at misty Ness Point, Lowestoft on Sunday afternoon following her fortnight-long cycle along Britain’s widest point.

Through wind and rain, along muddy towpaths, and up steep gradients, 10 year old Emily kept on cycling, surely the youngest person ever to undertake such a 488 mile challenge. She was fundraising for ShelterBox, inspired by seeing their stand at the Devon County Show.

image004.jpgAlong the way she found time to visit ShelterBox’s HQ and Visitor Centre in Truro, and...

"Volunteering is helping me learn new skills to get back into work"

Authored by Hospiscare
Posted: Mon, 04/16/2018 - 11:24am

Christopher Hunt, 34, from Dartmouth has been unemployed for an extended period of time after being diagnosed with stomach cancer. After receiving the all clear, Christopher was keen to get back into the work place.

Christopher explains, “My experience with cancer has made me think more seriously about my life. It has completely changed my outlook and perspective. I have a completely different attitude on goals and what I want to do with my life. I knew I wanted to return to work but with no usable references or experience I struggled to find employment.

“I decided that...

Recruitment firm donate £100 in memory of Director’s father

Authored by News Desk
Posted: Thu, 04/12/2018 - 9:22am

ISCA Recruitment, an independent recruitment consultancy based in Devon, made a company donation of £100 following one of the team’s sudden and unexpected loss of her father. Jo Blythe recently lost her father suddenly following a heart attack. “My Dad was an active 71 year old. He woke my Mum in the early hours of the morning and said he was struggling to breathe and had some discomfort in his stomach. Whilst waiting for an ambulance, he stopped breathing and my Mum performed CPR for 25minutes until the paramedics arrived and took over. Despite the heroic efforts of my Mum, there was...

Local foodservice provider raises over £1,800 for Devon charity

Last month, Bidfood’s depot in Devon donated £1,820.33 to the local charity Call South West, to help them support children and adults with communication difficulties.

The Devon depot has supported Call South West for the last two years, so far donating over £4,500 from a variety of fundraising activities. These activities included: sponsored bike rides and walks along the South West Coast Path, a ‘Calendar Girls’ style 2018 employee calendar, as well as cake sales and raffles..

The depot’s generous donations will go towards Call South West’s funding of Augmentative &...

Donkey ‘therapy’ helps autistic young adult tune into the world around her

Authored by NewsDesk
Posted: Wed, 03/28/2018 - 8:08pm

Emily is autistic and has very limited vision and hearing, making communication difficult for her, but The Donkey Sanctuary and a miniature donkey named Juniper have helped her make a connection into the world around her. 23-year-old Emily from Exeter often struggles to control her emotions and can at times become very distressed and confused, but since coming to The Donkey Sanctuary headquarters in Sidmouth, Emily has learnt that donkeys are more than just adorably long ears, soft furry noses and charming characters; donkeys matter and can help with the development of critical life skills...

Lifetime achievement award for local charity CEO

Authored by News Desk
Posted: Sun, 03/25/2018 - 8:01am

Families for Children, Chief Executive Caroline Davis, OBE, has received a Lifetime Achievement award for her services to children and adoption in the South West. Caroline beat off three others worthy contenders from across the UK to be awarded the Gareth Marr Lifetime Achievement Award the National Adoption Week awards in London.

Caroline has worked in children’s services for 40 years. She has spent the last 25 years as the CEO of one of the UK’s most successful Voluntary Adoption Agencies, Families for Children. She works tirelessly with other professional bodies and agencies...

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