Leading housebuilder donates £24,000 to Devon homelessness, suicide prevention and hospice charities

Leading housebuilders Barratt and David Wilson Homes have donated £24,000 to Devon charities to help support homeless people, young men at risk of suicide and people in hospice care.

Barratt's Exeter-based team raised £12,000 through a range of events and initiatives before the lockdown, which has now been doubled by Barratt Developments' head office, in recognition of the important causes and the high level of funds raised.

YMCA Exeter is one of the charities to receive funds in order to help support homeless people in Devon.  Members of the Barratt team took part in a sponsored sleep out event earlier this year, helping to raise awareness of the growing levels of homelessness in Exeter and the South West, as well as vital resources.

The rising suicide rate in the Newton Abbot area, particularly amongst young men has personally impacted two Barratt staff members. Together they used the housebuilder's volunteer day to take part in local community charity KingsCare's #DoItForDeaks roadshow, selling raffle tickets and collecting donations locally. The events were held to help protect young people and give them hope for the future following the tragic death of Kyle Deakin (Deaks) at just 22 years old, in 2018.

Finally, Hospiscare, which supports people with life-limiting conditions and their families across Exeter, Mid and East Devon, receives ongoing support from Barratt Developments in recognition of their vital work in the county. With support continuing, members of the Barratt team have been on visits and tours of their care centre and offices and are continuing to support the charity with donations.

Most of the money raised locally by the Exeter team was raised at the Barratt David Wilson charity ball held at Exeter University at the end of last year and a charity golf day at Bovey Castle on 3 May last year, before now being doubled by Barratt Developments nationally.

Nicki Reid, sales director for Barratt David Wilson Homes Exeter said: "There's probably no need to say what a difficult year 2020 has been for everyone, but certainly more so for some than others, which is why we're delighted to make a positive contribution to the communities we live and build in. It's wonderful to see that contribution doubled by the head office team in recognition of these vital causes that are close to the hearts of members of our team, and of their hard work fundraising."

Gareth Sorsby, YMCA Exeter Joint CEO said: "We'd like to say a big thank you to Barratt David Wilson Homes. The funds they raised are helping us to support young people who are coming out of homelessness and looking for the support of a loving community to move forward. Some of our residents have been sleeping rough, others are care leavers and others may have been sofa surfing or living in a tent or car - it's so important for us to be able to protect those who are most vulnerable and provide the wrap around care they need to get back into a community and thrive again."

Andrew Randall, Chief Executive of Hospiscare added:

"We are incredibly grateful to Barratt David Wilson Homes for supporting Hospiscare in this way. We need support more than ever as we are facing a £1m+ deficit this year due to the impact of COVID-19 on our income streams. On behalf of Hospiscare, I would like to say a huge thank you for this generous support. This donation will help Hospiscare to continue to deliver its outstanding expert care to people in the local area who are living with a terminal illness and supporting those close to them."

Briony Enright, Mental Health Worker for KingsCare said:

"We were absolutely delighted to be chosen as one of Barratt David Wilson Homes' charities of the year and a donation of £8000 really makes a big impact to the #doitfordeaks project. The raffle tickets the Barratt team helped us to sell also raised nearly £3000 for the project, which was amazing!

"The roadshow was intended to encourage young people in our area to come along and find out what mental health support is available and how to access it. We really want to eliminate the shame and stigma that is attached to suicide and poor mental health, and encourage young adults, particularly men, to reach out for a helping hand should they need it."