Westbank Community Health and Care is celebrating the first cohort of newbie cooks to have completed Foundation Courses in basic kitchen skills at the charity’s recently opened Community Cookery School.
The purpose-built teaching facility at Exminster, near Exeter, opened its doors to beginner cooks this autumn, offering free eight-week workshops to people of all ages who want to learn how to cook simple, nutritious, affordable meals.
A well-attended launch party allowed guests, including sponsors, to see the bespoke teaching kitchen in use. The event marked the completion...
Devon Carers, a free service by Westbank Community Health and Care, is this month celebrating 25 years of supporting unpaid carers across the county and is planning several events throughout the coming year as part of its landmark anniversary.
The charity provides a wide range of support services to those who look after family members or friends because they are ill, frail, or have a disability, mental health or substance misuse problem.
Over the last two and a half decades, Westbank’s Devon Carers has grown to be one of the largest charitable organisations in the UK...
A Tesco shopper in Exminster has chosen to give £5,000 to St Peter's Church of England Aided School, Exeter as part of its Stronger Starts campaign.
Shoppers in 100 large Tesco stores were given the chance to take part in a lucky dip to find specially created gold versions of its iconic blue voting token worth £500,000 in grants to local good causes.
St Peter's Church of England Aided School, a co-educational secondary school for students aged 11-16, was one of three local establishments available to vote for in the Exminster Express store to receive the £5,000 Golden...
A five-year-old boy from Exminster has come to the rescue after charity shop staff reported the theft of a giant toy giraffe from its shop window.
Little Theo heard how ‘Danny’ the giraffe was to be raffled off to raise funds at the Cancer Research UK shop in Exeter for Stand Up To Cancer, but thieves had stolen him one Saturday morning.
Theo, who attends Exminster Primary school, was so moved to help staff after his beloved grandmother Margaret died from cancer two years ago. He got in touch to donate his own special giraffe to the charity shop in Sidwell Street in...
A small, friendly preschool near Exeter that welcomed its first intake of young children last spring has already received a good grade.
In a recent Ofsted inspection, the Kidzone at Exminster - operated by local charity Westbank Community Health and Care - was described as a ‘Good Provider’.
The charity’s preschool for Over 2s opened its doors at the end of April 2022, with just three children attending over three days. Since then, it has quadrupled its numbers and extended its opening hours. The facility now looks after 12 young children over five days and has recently...
Exminster public house The Royal Oak provided a festive community lunch for up to fifty guests as part of its year-long commitment to Devon charity Westbank Community Health and Care.
The pub will be supporting Westbank throughout 2023 after choosing the local organisation as its Charity of the Year.
The pub closed its kitchen to the public to lay on a complimentary two-course lunch for some of Westbank’s regular users and volunteers - and the festive fare went down a treat.
Pauline Dinnis, who was driven to the venue by Westbank volunteer Mark, said: “I’m...
Westbank Community Health and Care, based in Exminster, has opened its doors to local people as part of a new initiative to provide a warm and welcoming space to those challenged by the continual rise in the cost of living.
Mindful that many members of the local community are struggling as a result of the recent hike in their household bills, the charity has launched its Warmwell at Westbank initiative at its premises near Exeter.
The former Seedlings Cafe has been transformed into a comfortable, cosy space with a lounge and dining area where people can drop in for...
At the start of this year, Chris Jebb from Exminster had never run more than 10K but on Sunday (October 2) he’ll be joining thousands of others pounding the streets of the capital in the London Marathon. It’s undoubtedly a challenge but one which Chris is determined to complete in order to raise funds for a charity very close to his heart, Children’s Liver Disease Foundation (CLDF).
“Back in 2017, my wife and I received the devastating news that our one week old son, Leo had an incredibly rare and complex liver condition,” explains Chris 33, an accountant for Exeter based Hi-Line...
Local health and wellbeing charity Westbank will soon be providing even more services and facilities for preschool and school-aged children near Exeter, overseen by a highly-experienced new Childcare Manager.
The expansion of Westbank’s Kidzone will give families in the Exminster area the option of wraparound childcare - a ‘one-stop’ facility for drop-off and pick-up - and a stimulating new indoor-outdoor environment where their children can play and explore.
Lucy Elliott recently joined the Westbank team as Kidzone Childcare Manager. Lucy has more than 12 years of...
Thousands of unpaid family carers across Devon, who were already experiencing financial hardship after having to give up paid work to perform their caring role, are being pushed deeper into debt and poverty, according to Devon Carers. Devon Carers is a service provided by local charity Westbank Community Health and Care, based at Exminster, near Exeter.
Even before the pandemic, a funding crisis in the social care system meant thousands of unpaid family carers in Devon and across the South West were under real pressure. Funding cuts and the closure of local care services have...
