News

A founder member of the Chivenor Military Ladies Choir will be swapping song sheets for running shoes when she takes on the TCS London Marathon next month.

Jane Batchelor from Fremington will be joining thousands of runners braving the iconic 26.2-mile course in the capital on Sunday, April 23.

After applying for a place for nine years without success, Jane was offered a gold bond place to run for Children’s Hospice South West (CHSW), which runs the Little Bridge House children’s hospice, also in Fremington.

“I’ve been running for around 10 years now and after being rejected for the London

Colleagues at Coastline Housing have presented £12,440 to Children’s Hospice South West.

The money is the result of a year’s worth of corporate fundraising by colleagues at the Cornish housing charity and is a record breaker too – the most Coastline has ever raised for a charity of the year.

Allister Young, CEO of Coastline Housing, explained: “Each year colleagues vote for a charity doing great work in Cornwall that they wish to support and we were delighted to support Children’s Hospice South West last year as we know they carry out really vital work in our county.

“The fact that we got to

Ballroom dancers from across East Devon have helped raise thousands of pounds for Children’s Hospice South West (CHSW).

Dance partners Jean Pollington, from Ottery St Mary, and Mike Green, from Exeter, raised £5,025.93 by holding an annual charity dance at Clyst St Mary Village Hall.

They also raised the money by attending car boot sales throughout the year.

Good friends Jean and Mike, regularly dance at various ballroom events, including the Wonford Community Hall dances every Friday afternoon.

Jean said: “I’ve been organising the dances for around 12 years now and they always prove very

A Torquay man has been braving freezing cold water every day throughout February to raise money for Children’s Hospice South West (CHSW).

When many people are cranking up the temperature on their morning shower, Josh Butler, 27, can usually be found channelling his inner Wim Hof and slowly plunging into an ice bath pod in his back garden.

Inspired by the legendary Dutch ‘Iceman’, and by hearing about the vital care that CHSW offers children and young people with life-limiting conditions and their families, Josh hopes to raise £1,000 for the charity by completing his 30-day cold water challenge

British Gas and Taunton Rugby Club have made a £21,400 donation to Children’s Hospice South West (CHSW).

The Titans, who announced a multi-year partnership with the energy supplier last year, held a pre-match lunch and fundraising auction at Veritas Park in December.

More than 250 people attended the event prior to the home game against Birmingham Moseley, bidding on a host of special items and experiences donated by local businesses, including signed rugby balls, golf days and stays at Cornish hotels.

The auction raised £1,400 and British Gas boosted the total with a £20,000 donation. CHSW

Regulars at a weekly coffee morning in Barnstaple have presented a £500 donation to Children’s Hospice South West.

The Thursday morning get-togethers at the Meddard House retirement housing in Bevan Road have raised tens of thousands of pounds for local good causes over the years, including more than £7,000 since residents were able to get together again following Covid lockdowns.

The money is raised through the sale of raffle tickets, with prizes generously donated by residents and local businesses.

Collecting a cheque for CHSW, long-standing volunteer Ray Hales said: “Little Bridge House in

Children’s Hospice South West (CHSW) has reopened its Brixham charity shop with a fresh new look.

The shop in Fore Street has been given a complete makeover and features a new open plan donation sorting area and energy efficient lighting and heating.

Manager Wendy Roberts said the improved layout would offer customers an enhanced shopping experience, as well as a better working environment for staff and volunteers.

“We’re delighted to have been able to give such a special shop a facelift and are excited to be able to reopen the doors this week,” said Wendy.

“As well as being more energy

A public art trail featuring a sleuth of colourful bears is launching in North Devon next month.

The 25 life-sized bears have all been individually painted by local artists and will form a series of mini art trails in and around Barnstaple, Bideford, Torrington and Ilfracombe.

The Bear Hunt Art Trail, being held in support of Children’s Hospice South West (CHSW), goes live on February 11. People will be able to a download a special mobile app to track down all the bears, find out more about the artists and the charity, and create their own virtual collection.

Some of the bears were briefly

Employees at Bristol-based recruitment agency Kingston Barnes have faced their fears to successfully smash a £10k fundraising target for Children’s Hospice South West (CHSW).

Employees were encouraged to break boundaries and push their limits by taking part in a ‘ Charity Challenge Month’ in September. Staff did skydives, climbed 10 peaks in 24-hours in Snowdonia, and even came face to face with snakes and wild cockroaches!

The company raised a total of £10,957 for CHSW after hearing about the vital care the charity offers local families when it scooped the Charity of the Year award at the

Affinity Devon has announced Children’s Hospice South West (CHSW) as its chosen charity for 2023.

The outlet shopping village in Clovelly Road, Bideford, is planning fundraising events throughout the year and will have donation boxes in stores for anyone who would like to support the charity, which runs the Little Bridge House children’s hospice in nearby Fremington.

Affinity Devon's Operations Manager, Craig Hill, said: “We’re delighted to CHSW as our charity of the year. Although already a well-established charity, the support required to keep this fantastic service going is ever growing so