News

AN RAF veteran has celebrated his 90th birthday by doing a skydive for Children’s Hospice South West and Macmillan Cancer Support.

Arthur Bennett, from Barnstaple, is no stranger to jumping out of aeroplanes – he did a skydive for CHSW and North Devon Hospice in 2018 – but his latest tandem jump at Dunkeswell Airfield, near Honiton, came just days after turning 90 on September 16.

“It’s a fantastic feeling freefalling at 15,000ft and the views of Devon and Cornwall were marvellous,” said Arthur, a former RAF senior aircraftsman.

“The instructor let me take the handles for a bit and we did

On October 30, Kevin Doherty from Yeovil is planning to take part in a sponsored litter pick for Children’s Hospice South West (CHSW). But it won’t be any old litter pick, Kevin will be covering 30 miles from Yeovil to Weymouth and he’ll be dressed as Bananaman!

It won’t be the first time Kevin has raised charity funds in this way. The idea was born in 2019 as a fundraiser for Veganuary which saw him collecting 44 bags of litter over 2 days and covering 20 miles - litterpicking from Yeovil to Dorchester. In October 2020 he did the litterpick in reverse, walking from Dorchester back to Yeovil

The weekend of the 9th and 10th of October marks the 10th Woolly Weekend to be held at Kelly House, Lifton.

Kelly House has been the home of the Kelly family for the last 900 years. When Sophia Kelly moved back to her ancestral home 11 years ago, she found that it was chilly after being used to central heated accommodation, So she needed some good warm woollens.

After discovering a beautiful hand-knitted gloves produced in South Brent in Devon and some exciting, dyed yarn from Cornwall, she became aware that the southwest had a vast range of local producers of woolly products. But there was

This summer has seen multiple fundraising events held in Plymouth in memory of 11 year old Oliver Brown, which have raised over £24,000 for Children’s Hospice South West (CHSW).

Oliver, from Plymouth, died in November 2019 after a three year battle with a rare blood cancer and was supported by Children’s Hospice South West (CHSW) at it’s Little Harbour children’s hospice in St Austell.

Since Oliver’s death his family have been fundraising hard for the charity and its hospices. Oliver’s Mum Nicky explains the support they received and why they want to give back;

They just made everything

Saturday night saw the return of Children’s Hospice South West’s Moonlight Memory Walk to Falmouth.

150 people walked the five mile route around the town, as well as others who took part virtually, in memory of their loved ones. £20,000 was raised in sponsorship for the charity which runs three children’s hospices; Little Bridge House, Charlton Farm and Little Harbour.

Before the walk began at 10pm a memory ceremony was held in Kimberley Park, and live streamed on facebook for those who took part virtually. The ceremony included poems and readings from hospice staff, words from two families

The movers and shakers of the South West construction industry came together to raise funds for Children’s Hospice South West at the third annual Girling Jones Golf Day last week.

The event at Exeter Golf and Country Club on September 23 raised a massive £9,000 for the charity, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2021.

Exeter-based construction recruitment consultancy Girling Jones is a huge supporter of CHSW, raising thousands of pounds since the company was established more than 10 years ago. The first golf day in 2018 raised £7,500, while the 2019 event raised £8,700.

Staff have

A tree has been planted at Little Harbour children’s hospice in St Austell in memory of a local man who donated the land for the hospice to be built.

Howard Rosevear, who died in February aged 87, generously gifted the land at Porthpean to Children’s Hospice South West (CHSW) in 2008.

This week a Sorbus tree, kindly donated by St Austell Soroptimists, was planted by CHSW Co-Founder and Chief Executive Eddie Farwell and Howard’s children Kathryn, Helen and Ivan. It has taken pride of place alongside a tree planted in 2016 in memory of Howard’s wife Shirley.

Mr Farwell said: “We were all

Tales of the unique community of Somerset have been unveiled in new book called ‘ Deepest Somerset’ - the proceeds from which will benefit three local charities.

The book, written by Fanny Charles and Gay Pirrie-Weir, has an introduction by His Royal Highness, The Prince of Wales, and has been funded by Lord Rothermere’s Rothermere Foundation. Its contributors include some famous names including Michael Eavis, Cameron Mackintosh, and Alice, Julian and Matilda Temperley.

Deepest Somerset delves into all corners of the region, into the small towns and villages where community is still the

Children’s Hospice South West’s spectacular Santas on the Run Goes Freestyle will be returning this December.

More than 2,000 people took part in the last festive 2k fun runs around the Eden Project in Cornwall, RHS Garden Rosemoor in Devon, and Lloyds Amphitheatre in Bristol in 2019, raising nearly £80,000 in support of the charity’s three children’s hospice.

Last year during lockdown, more than 1,000 people raised a massive £75,000 by taking part in a virtual Santa run but this year, CHSW fundraiser Kiley Pearce hopes an army of fun runners and walkers will be back at Rosemoor and Eden, and

Freemasons from across the West Country have made a very special £29,000 donation to Children’s Hospice South West (CHSW) in memory of HRH Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh.

A total of 29 Mark lodges from across the region each nominated a local CHSW hospice to receive a share of a £1.3million wider grant from the Mark Benevolent Fund, the official charity of the Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons. Money was distributed to more than 250 hospices across England and Wales to celebrate the life of the Duke, himself a Freemason, who died in April.

Cheques were presented to CHSW’s three hospices