TWO Barclays Bank employees in Okehampton found it was a piece of cake to give a fundraising boost to local children recently. Staff members Angela Garnham and Elizabeth Ash last month ran cake stalls raising money for young people. Angela's cake stall at a Christmas Fair raised £166.53 for the Friends of Winkleigh Primary School and Elizabeth donated £116.50 from her stall at a coffee morning to North Tawton Pre-School and Busy Bees. The money raised was matched pound for pound as part of the Barclays Community investment programme, bringing the total to £333.06 for the primary school and £233 for the pre-school. Robin Hampshire from Friends of Winkleigh Primary School said the money raised at the recent Christmas Fair was earmarked for supporting ICT developments. He said: 'We are very grateful to Barclays and to Angela for their generosity.' He added: 'The Friends hold several social and fundraising events throughout the year. 'In summer we have a Duck Race on the river Taw at Brushford, including a barbecue and live band, and in November we have a grand bonfire and fireworks party in Winkleigh with the fireworks donated by local businesses. 'We also hold a school disco at the end of the summer term and many other social events.' The most recent event was a subsidised coach trip for parents and youngsters to see a panto at the Northcott Theatre in Exeter. Alison Varma from North Tawton Pre-school and Busy Bees said the group was 'very grateful' to Barclays for its help in boosting the total and said the money would 'make a big difference'. David Bond, community relations officer for Barclays said: 'At Barclays we strive to strengthen local communities in which we live and work by supporting a range of causes from local schools to centres for older people. 'This is a fantastic example of Barclays staff fundraising with the local community to achieve something which we hope will make a real and lasting difference'.
