Wincanton charity total for Yeovil Freewheelers EVS

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Otter Garden Centre in Wincanton has announced the charity total raised during 2018 for charity of the year, Yeovil Freewheelers. We are delighted to reveal that the final amount came to just under £2,000.

How we did it

Funds were raised through collecting tins at the tills and four door collections manned by members of the Freewheelers. Additionally, customers donated generously into buckets next to the extremely popular animated reindeer display that ran during the Christmas period.

Wincanton Branch Manager Alex Provis says a huge thank you to all customers who dug deep to help us raise this figure. Every penny counts for this local charity. The Wincanton team are delighted to have been able to support them with this donation.

There’s more good news for the Freewheelers too, as the Wincanton team is continuing to support them as charity of the year throughout 2019.

The charity

Yeovil Freewheelers blood bikeYeovil Freewheelers EVS is the oldest operational blood bike group in the UK. It provides a unique out-of-hours free courier service carrying urgently needed medical items. These include blood, medical notes, medicines and biological samples between different hospitals and patients in their homes. The ‘blood bikes’ serve the South Somerset and North Dorset areas.

It costs a minimum of £35,000 a year to maintain the free service to the NHS. This is provided by support from the public and local businesses.

To find out more about Yeovil Freewheelers, click here.

Ottery St Mary charity total for Alzheimer’s Society

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Supporting the fight against dementia

The charity team at Otter Garden Centres in Ottery St Mary has revealed the total raised for 2018 charity of the year, Alzheimer’s Society. This came to just over £8,000 and beats last year’s charity total. The money will help fund services across Devon as well as important research into dementia.

How we did it

Staff quizzes and the annual Memory Tree helped fundraising efforts. The largest amounts came from donations given on the land train taking visitors to Santa’s Grotto and a group of animated acapella penguins, which were a real hit in the Plants Centre; together these raised £3,000.

Claire Frost, Community Fundraiser for Alzheimer’s Society in Devon, Cornwall and Isles of Scilly said: “We are extremely grateful to the staff and customers at Otter Garden Centres for all of the time and energy they put into their fundraising for Alzheimer’s Society.

“The money they’ve raised will help to transform the lives of everyone affected by dementia, through support and creating lasting change for the 84,000 people estimated to be living with dementia in the South West. We want everyone affected by dementia to know that whoever you are, whatever you are going through, you can turn to Alzheimer’s Society for support, help and advice.”

Alzheimer’s Society services in Devon

Alzheimer’s Society provides a number of services across Devon. The charity’s dementia support workers offer information and practical guidance to help people understand dementia, cope with day-to-day challenges and prepare for the future through its Devon and Torbay Dementia Advisor service. Other services include a telephone helpline and online forum ‘Talking Point’, a helpful online community where anyone who is affected by dementia can receive valuable support.

Local ‘Singing for the Brain’ groups, based around the principles of music therapy, provide people affected by dementia an opportunity to meet new people in a friendly, fun and social environment. The charity also operates a number of memory cafes across Devon. These informal groups allow people in a similar situation to get together for a chat over a cup of tea, or coffee, and the chance to take part in a variety of activities.

As well as supporting services, money raised for Alzheimer’s Society also helps to fund research into the cause, care, cure and prevention of all types of dementia.

Alzheimer’s Society

  • Alzheimer’s Society is the UK’s leading dementia charity. We provide information and support, fund research, campaign to improve care and create lasting change for people affected by dementia in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
  • Dementia devastates lives. Alzheimer’s Society research shows that 850,000 people in the UK have a form of dementia. By 2021, 1 million people will be living with the condition. This will soar to two million by 2051.
  • Dementia deaths are rising year on year and 225,000 will develop dementia this year – that’s one every three minutes.
  • Dementia costs the UK economy over £26 billion per year. This is the equivalent of more than £30,000 per person with dementia.
  • Alzheimer’s Society funds research into the cause, care, cure and prevention of all types of dementia and has committed to spend at least £150 million on research over the next decade. This includes a £50 million investment in the UK’s first dedicated Dementia Research Institute.
  • Alzheimer’s Society provides a National Dementia Helpline, the number is 0300 222 11 22 or visit the website.