charity

Sense, the national deafblind charity, is offering budding athletes from Devon the opportunity to take the challenge of a lifetime and run this year’s London Marathon.

The charity that supports and campaigns for people who are both deaf and blind across Devon, has guaranteed places for the iconic race in April.

Tara Hamdi from Sense, said: “The London Marathon is one of the world’s greatest but getting a place can be difficult, so Sense wants to give local runners the chance to run for a cause close to home. Whether you’re a seasoned runner or a novice we’ll support you...

A local soldier is challenging himself to cycle 1000 km on a stationary bicycle for Blind Veterans UK, the national charity for vision impaired ex-Service men and women. Steve Tonking, aged 34 and from Exeter, enjoys tackling fitness challenges and will be running the London Marathon for Blind Veterans UK later this year. He is now set to raise the bar and cycle a distance of 1000 km which is equal to cycling from Beeston, Nottingham to John O’Groats. Steve said “I wanted to challenge myself physically whilst raising as much money as possible for Blind Veterans UK at the same time. My...

British Heart Foundation (BHF) shops are delighted to announce that 280 bags were donated to their Bag It. Beat It. event held at Princesshay. The donated items will now go on to be sold in local BHF shops and could generate up to £5,000to help fund life-saving research.

BHF shop’s Bag it. Beat it. campaign urged the public to donate bags of unwanted items. Every bag donated funds life-saving heart research, helping over 40,000 little heroes continue to fight congenital heart disease.

Before the BHF was founded, only one in five babies born with congenital heart disease saw...

This March sees Rock Solid Race returning to Escot Park for the third time – bringing with it more obstacles, more races and more days to do it in (the event will be running on both days this year).

Founder and owner Ashley Jardine is thrilled with the reaction to the event. Having left a safe career as an Optician just three years ago, he took a big gamble on carving out a new career in Obstacle Racing. It looks like it has paid off.

“Just three years ago, Escot Park was our very first event and since then we have become known as being one of the best races around.”...

Exeter based charity Dream-A-Way recently provided a holiday grant to young Tom from East Devon and were delighted to meet up with him and to hear about his wonderful holiday experience Tom flew to Rome with his carers in November for a 5 day holiday at the Star Hotel Metropole. Tom is an absolutely delightful young man and it was a real pleasure to spend some time with him and his lovely carers, Julie and Kate. He has no vision whatsoever and is autistic. Nothing though, has stopped him from researching foreign countries and cuisines and cultures.

He has found totally amazing ways...

Graeme Smith, a Maintenance Assistant from the Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust Estates Department who is well known around Heavitree Hospital for his successful charity book stall, has just published his very first novel - The Awakening of Abraham Brown.

Over the past five years Graeme has raised over £10,000 for charity by wheeling out his charity trolley, stacked mainly with books and some bric-a-brac, into the main entrance foyer of Heavitree Hospital. Patients and staff kindly donate items to the stall each week, which supports two main charities, the Devon Air...

Twenty-one-year-old Gilbert Toby Ip aims to complete an incredible year-long challenge in Exeter High Street on New Year’s Eve.

Gilbert, an ex Student of Queen’s College Taunton who is currently studying at Bath University, set himself the enormous target of running 2014 miles during 2014, all in aid of Help for Heroes and The Royal Marines Charitable Trust Fund.

Having completed 2014 miles during early December he simply moved his goal to 2,222 miles - culminating in a staggering 100km ultra-marathon on New Year’s Eve.

Gilbert has chosen to complete his epic...

A Hospiscare charity shop manager saved Christmas for a Topsham family after finding nearly £1,000 in notes stuffed in a donated pair of men’s boots.

The £980 was still in wads with bands around them after an elderly man had collected them from the bank to give to his family at Christmas.

He stored the money in the boots then forgot and donated them to the local Topsham Hospiscare shop.

Jackie Hulin, shop manager said: “A gentleman brought in two bags, one of clothes and another with boots and he gift aided them.

"I put them to one side and it was only when...

This Christmas, British Heart Foundation (BHF) shops are urging South West people to give back by donating their unwanted Christmas presents to charity. The profit raised from BHF shops goes on to fund life-saving research into heart disease.

Over half [64%] of people from the South West said they receive two unwanted Christmas presents every year. With the average price per Christmas gift at £21.75, over £2.7 billion pounds worth of unwanted presents could be donated to charity this year.

South West BHF shops accept all of your unwanted gifts, everything from candles,...