FORMER mayor of West Devon Cllr Terry Pearce presented a cheque for more than £800 to his chosen charity, the Children's Hospice South West, recently.

The cheque, for £886.52, was received by Judy Pride, local fundraiser for the hospice, at the council's Tavistock offices at Kilworthy Park.

Mrs Pride said the money would go to the Precious Lives Appeal, which is helping to build the charity's third hospice, Little Harbour, due to be completed in 2011.

Little Harbour will offer a range of services such as 24-hour palliative and end of life care, support for parents and brothers and sisters, as well as help, advice and support in bereavement and beyond.

Children's Hospice South West is funded almost entirely by voluntary donations. They care for children who have terminal illnesses and provide expert care for them, their parents and siblings.

The amount reflects the generosity of people whom Cllr Pearce met during events held in his mayoral year.

The mayor's civic service, held at St Mary's Church, Mary Tavy, raised a large proportion of the money, and other events included a summer barbecue and Christmas and Easter raffles, where donations were collected from members of staff and the public.

Cllr Pearce said: 'It's a fitting end to a fantastic year as mayor of West Devon. I am privileged to be able to hand over this sum to a very deserving cause.

'Children's Hospice South West does excellent work in the area and it's an honour to be able to reward and support their efforts.

'I thoroughly enjoyed my time as mayor, and am grateful that people were so generous with their donations, enabling me to raise this money.'

Mrs Pride added: 'We'd like to thank everyone who made a donation to the mayor. Every penny is welcome for our work for sick children, as well as building a new hospice for the families from the Plymouth area and Cornwall, it's an ongoing cause where funds are always needed.'