If you support a partner, relative or friend who would not be able to manage without you, you may be an unpaid carer.
On Thursday 21 November, Westbank's Devon Carers is holding an Information Fair at Exeter Library in Castle Street and advice stands at the city's main hospital and Nightingale Hospital.
Come along to find out more about the services to support you and your rights as a carer.
Making sure unpaid carers across Devon are aware of their legal entitlements is top of the agenda on Carers Rights Day this month, following a report earlier this year that evidenced the daily experiences of hundreds of carers in the county and the toll looking after a partner, family member or friend can take on them.
Westbank Community Health and Care’s Devon Carers service has been supporting unpaid carers for 25 years. The theme of this year’s Carers Right’s Day on Thursday 21 November is ‘recognising your rights’. On that day, Devon Carers is organising an Information Fair at...
Westbank Community Health and Care’s newest trustee, semi-retired health worker Pam Smith, has attended her first board meeting for the charity this month.
70-year-old Pam, from Alphington in Exeter, has worked in senior health service management roles for more than 20 years, including as a PCT Chief Executive. Since 2013 she has worked on a freelance basis supporting general practice, latterly mostly in Cornwall, working through a provider owned by all the GP practices in the county. Pam has previously chaired a small local dyslexia charity and is looking forward to supporting the...
Young carers from Devon, who attended this year’s Young Carers Festival with the support of Westbank, have told the charity they ‘had the time of their life’ at the annual event.
Through its Devon Young Carers Service, Westbank Community Health and Care supports more than 3,000 young people aged from 4 to 18 who help look after someone who is ill, disabled or misuses drugs and alcohol.
Through the generous support of local organisations, the service was able to take 18 young carers - accompanied by 3 staff members and one volunteer - to enjoy a weekend at YMCA Fairthorne...
Devon Carers is ‘Putting Carers on the Map’ this week as part of an annual campaign to raise awareness of caring, highlight the challenges unpaid carers face and recognise their invaluable contribution to society - estimated to save the Devon economy over £2 billion a year!
Devon Carers, a free service by Westbank Community Health and Care, is putting on a host of events to celebrate Carers Week (10th – 16th June). The service is also planning several events as part of its milestone anniversary to mark 25 years of supporting unpaid carers across the county. Over the last two and...
Throughout Volunteers’ Week (3 - 9 June), Westbank Community Health and Care is celebrating the army of volunteers who are the beating heart of the Devon-wide charity and sharing volunteers’ stories to inspire more people to help make a difference.
Volunteers’ Week - now in its 40th year - is a week when charities across the South West celebrate those who give up their time to help others and say thank you to them for the contribution they make. The week also raises awareness about the many benefits of becoming a volunteer and the diverse volunteering roles available.
Pupils at Exeter Pre-Prep School in Exminster have recently run the equivalent of four marathons as part of a sponsored fun run to raise money for Westbank Community Health and Care, a local charity that aims to improve the health and wellbeing of people across Devon.
With 72 children under the age of seven, the school hoped that pupils and staff would be able to run a collective marathon (26 miles) throughout the day, with each class taking turns to run laps around the school grounds. However, they managed to clock up a combined total of 112 miles, the equivalent of more than four...
Marc Astley, a well-known local journalist and news editor, is the latest trustee to join the board of Westbank Community Health and Care and says he’s on a mission to spread the word about the work of this fantastic, community charity.
As an experienced media professional and a former editor of the Exeter Express & Echo newspaper, Marc is well-placed to do this. His achievements include co-founding the UK Daily Ltd, a stable of 10 online news and feature platforms including The Exeter Daily. He also set up the successful Exeter-based PR and Marketing Agency, Astley Media,...
The run-up to Christmas has been busy for local health and wellbeing charity Westbank Community Health and Care, with a full calendar of events for members of its community and its team.
The festive celebrations got off to a heartwarming start when Year 2 children from Exeter Pre-Prep School visited Westbank’s Day Centre at Exminster to sing a melody of Christmas songs for regular clients.
The following day, the Royal Oak in Exminster kindly hosted a 3-course meal for fifty of Westbank’s clients to mark the end of a year of fantastic support from the pub.
It’s traditional to send seasonal greetings at this time of year but a Devonwide health and wellbeing charity is encouraging people to make a donation instead of giving Christmas cards.
Westbank Community Health and Care has launched its ‘Donate in Lieu of Christmas Cards’ campaign, asking people to make a charitable gift rather than spending money on buying and posting cards this festive season.
Katie Elliott, Westbank’s Head of Fundraising and Marketing explains why, “Every donation we receive, however large or small, makes a real difference to our ability to provide...
