Charities

Alex tackles “crazy” challenge for charity

A fitness fanatic from Exeter is planning to run 100 miles in 24 hours to raise money for two local causes.

Alex Sparkes, 30, will start on Exeter Quay at 12 noon on Saturday December 14 and run four-mile loops throughout the night and the following day.

He’s raising money for FORCE Cancer Charity and the children’s ward at the Royal Devon and Hospital.

“I’ve done lots of 50 and 60 mile runs but not something of this intensity. I think I’ve got it in the locker,” said Alex, a personal trainer and online coach who set up the All In Run Club a year ago and has...

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Exeter students help raise over £85k for British heart foundation

Authored by News Desk
Posted: Mon, 11/25/2024 - 7:45pm

Residents at Collegiate UK’s Exeter student accommodations this year donated over 4,000 bags of items to The British Heart Foundation (BHF), raising an impressive £85,239 for the charity this year alone.

The resident donations made through October 2023 to September 2024, totalling over 32,000 kilograms, were collected as part of BHF's "Pack for Good" campaign, demonstrating the continued commitment of Collegiate UK to supporting this vital cause. The campaign is designed to encourage students to donate good quality, unwanted items such as second-hand clothes, utensils, electronic...

Westbank’s gym-users benefit from world-class kit thanks to Exeter Chiefs Foundation

A generous donation from the Exeter Chiefs Foundation has enabled Westbank Community Health and Care to kit out its accessible gym in Exminster with a fantastic new piece of equipment, offering the same functionality for both disabled and able-bodied users.

The compact Equalizer 6000 is one of the most effective multi-gyms in the world. Designed by a paraplegic and fully adaptive for wheelchair users, it allows people of all abilities to perform an extensive range of exercises, from rowing and bench presses to vertical butterflies and lat pulldowns.

The Exeter Chiefs...

North Devon views chosen by blood cancer patients set scene for charity calendar

Authored by News Desk
Posted: Tue, 11/19/2024 - 9:59pm

For fish and chip shop owner Mark Dimelow, the historic Exeter Quayside means more than to most people.

While visitors enjoy the cafes, ice cream and places to stroll, for Mark, Exeter Quayside has become a sanctuary, while he has been undergoing treatment for blood cancer.

Mark, 60, who lives in Landkey and has a restaurant in South Molton, is one of 12 blood cancer patients who have contributed to the 2025 calendar produced by the charity, Exeter Leukaemia Fund (ELF).

Each month features a different location in North Devon, chosen by one of the hundreds of...

Lady Seawards School Raises £888 for Children in Need with School Marathon

Lady Seawards School in Exeter is proud to announce that, through the incredible efforts of our students, their families and our staff, we have raised a fantastic £888 for Children in Need.

Our school community came together for a school marathon, with students running laps of the playground to support this worthy cause.

The event was a true testament to the spirit of courageous advocacy that we foster here at Lady Seawards.

The school council led the initiative, inspiring students to not only take part in the run but also to engage in the broader mission of...

Cat charity celebrates a year in new site and over 500 cats helped

Authored by News Desk
Posted: Mon, 11/18/2024 - 9:07am

A cat centre in Clyst Honiton is marking the first anniversary of its move to state-of-the-art facilities which have allowed the team to help over 500 cats since opening.

Cats Protection Devon Cat Centre, located just off Sidmouth Road, moved into its new building on 15 November 2023 after more than two years of construction works. The new centre replaced outdated buildings which no longer met the charity’s minimum standards for either cat welfare or staff and volunteers. It was designed to provide and promote cat care excellence in the area as well as create an enjoyable...

Poignant poem tells the story of a rough sleeper in this year’s St Petrock’s Christmas campaign

Exeter’s local homelessness charity, St Petrock’s, launches its Christmas fundraising campaign today, with a powerful thought-provoking video , filmed from the perspective of someone with no option but to sleep rough.

The film tells a story that is fictionalised, yet very common

Although the account is fictional, trauma and poor mental health are key causes of homelessness among the people St Petrock’s supports.

A former client of St Petrock’s, who slept on Exeter’s streets for six months before being helped into supported accommodation last year, has kindly...

Care home worker takes on the Himalayas for charity

Authored by News Desk
Posted: Tue, 11/12/2024 - 6:19pm

This November, an intrepid team member from Barchester Healthcare’s new Stoneham Grove care home in Tilehurstwill set out on a challenging, extraordinary and life-changing trek, all in the name of checking chests! Along with Giovanna Fletcher and some other famous faces, Stoneham Grove’s plucky Home Services Advisor, Megan Best, will embark on a 5 day trek in the Indian Himalayas, in a bid to raise funds towards CoppaFeel's life-saving mission.

Breast cancer charity, CoppaFeel, are on a mission to stamp out the late diagnosis of breast cancer by making sure that young people are...

Help for Heroes' nurse receives national award

Authored by News Desk
Posted: Sun, 11/10/2024 - 10:32pm

An Exeter-based Help for Heroes nurse has paid tribute to her ‘wonderful’ colleagues after receiving a national nursing award.

Janine Whitley, 46 who served in the Navy for 25 years and saw four tours of Afghanistan, has worked as a Veterans Clinical Advisor across Bristol, Somerset, Devon, Dorset, and Cornwall, since 2021.

Originally from Sidcup, in Kent, she joined the Royal Navy straight from school as a communicator, aged 16. As a Wren she served on both HMS Exeter and HMS Liverpool, before obtaining her qualifications as a nurse, as it was always her ambition to...

New Bishop of Exeter becomes Patron of city’s homelessness charity

The new Bishop of Exeter, Rt Rev Dr Mike Harrison, has become the new Patron of Exeter’s local homelessness charity, St Petrock’s immediately following him taking up the position formally at the start of this month.

Bishop Mike, who took up the post on Saturday 2nd November, has a long association with homelessness charities since the very beginnings of his church career as a curate in South Lambeth, and later in Bradford and Leicester, and so didn’t hesitate before accepting the invitation to become St Petrock’s Patron, before he had even formally become Bishop.

The...

Charity’s celebration to thank its army of volunteers

More than 40 volunteers have attended a special celebration organised by Westbank Community Health and Care to thank them for their tireless hard work and dedication throughout the year.

The Exminster based charity relies on an army of volunteers to deliver its extensive range of health and wellbeing services across Devon. These include Devon Carers, which supports around 32,000 unpaid carers across the county; Westbank’s Neighbourhood Friends and Patient Transport services, which support vulnerable and isolated people in the community; the Community Cookery School; Exminster based...

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