Refreshments raise thousands for Hospiscare

An ongoing fundraising initiative at Chilcotts Auctioneers has raised nearly £7,000 through sales of refreshments to eager visitors.

Every auction day, Chilcotts hands over the staff kitchen to the local Hospiscare team to sell teas, coffees and snacks including delicious home-made cakes and bacon rolls.

The initiative began in 2011 after Chilcotts discovered an old kitchen in a dusty room adjacent to the saleroom in Honiton; the room was being used by Stags Estate Agents to store their sale boards.

Liz Chilcott explained: “The main saleroom dates from the 1950s and was originally part of Honiton’s livestock market – it was where the famers sat down at tables to eat their lunches, the meals had been prepared by the auctioneers’ wives in this small kitchen.”

Liz, and auctioneer husband, Duncan, decided to install electrics and a water supply and put down new flooring to make the kitchen usable again.

“Our bidders want to be able to have refreshments during auctions, so we asked Mary Bolshaw and the fund-raising team of Hospiscare Honiton if they would like to provide teas and coffees for our customers on sale day, making use of the kitchen,” said Liz.

“The Hospiscare Café is a great success - our customers are happy, we are happy because it keeps our bidders in the sale room, and funds have been raised for a very worthwhile cause, especially as the new King's House Day Hospice received its first patients on February 10 this year. We keep a running total of the fundraising and everyone, including our buyers, was thrilled when this recently edged towards £7,000.”

Fundraising continues at every sale day in Silver Street, and visitors to the auction are actively encouraged to buy themselves a cuppa in support of Hospiscare.