I WOULD like to say how touched we were here at West Devon CAB in Okehampton when we received a donation from the Riverside Social Club; a club funded by employees of Polestar Foods/Heinz factory before the infamous redundancies in February 2011.

I am sure we all remember the concern and community spirit that came to the fore in Okehampton during this difficult time. In direct response to the breaking news, both our volunteer and outreach advisers were eager to put their training to good use in order to provide help and advice to those affected as soon as possible.

Like many other charities, West Devon CAB is feeling the affects of the current economic climate and has experienced reductions in funding due to cuts made in other organisations. Despite this our aim is to be able to provide advice to our local community and people in need wherever possible.

Being able to respond to the Polestar redundancies as quickly as we did goes to show the importance of having the Citizens Advice service available locally and to receive a donation, and to have been nominated by the employees of Polestar as a beneficiary, is a great honour.

So on behalf of WDCAB, may I please take this opportunity to say a huge thank you to all those former employees who nominated us. The money received will be used to continue providing the best advice service possible to West Devon.

Mandy Kenyon

Development Officer

WDCAB

CLIC Sargent recently received a fantastic donation of £559.46 from the Riverside Social Club. This money was donated by former employees of the PoleStar Foods/Heinz Factory in Okehampton who were sadly all made redundant in February 2011.

The social club funds benefitted a total of 15 charities, all being chosen via a nomination process. CLIC Sargent would like to thank these individuals for their support. 

Every day, ten children and young people in the UK hear the shocking news they have cancer, so the Riverside Social Club's contribution is really important, helping us to continue supporting them and their families.

We are the UK's leading cancer charity for children and young people, and their families.  We are there from diagnosis onwards and aim to help the whole family deal with the impact of cancer and its treatment, life after treatment and, in some cases, bereavement:

l We provide clinical, practical and emotional support

l Our health and social care professionals include nurses, social workers, youth workers and play specialists

l We provide financial support to meet extra costs, free 'Home from Home' accommodation close to specialist hospitals for families and offer free breaks so that families can spend time together.

Thank you so much for your help in enabling us to thank all of the local individuals supporting children and young people with cancer.

Sarah Shaw

CLIC?area fundraising manager – Devon and Cornwall