Thank you to all the organisations who have donated goods and funds to help people whilst they are staying safe at home.

Tesco and FareShare

Since the beginning of April the Westbank team have collected twice weekly food boxes, full of fresh fruit, vegetables, bread and eggs and occasionally chilled dips, humous from Tesco as part of FareShare.

The food received is used by our catering team for the hot meal delivery service. Surplus food is then made into fresh fruit and vegetable boxes and given out to vulnerable families and placed into food crates, which are left at specific points around the village for people to help themselves.

Powderham Farm Shop and Exeter West Lions

Powderham Farm Shop and Exeter West Lions kindly donated £100 worth of fresh quality meat which has been used, with other fresh produce, by our catering team to make nutritious cooked meals, as part of meal service.

Community Supporter volunteers are currently delivering around 65 hot meals a week, to people who are staying safe at home.

Neil Moxey, Butcher Manager at Powderham Farm Shop, said: "We are glad to help and be of assistance to Westbank as a local charity.  We were able to work together, with Exeter West Lions, to assist in supporting the meal delivery service, which has proved so valuable to people in the local community".

Exeter Lions

Exeter Lions generously donated £500 towards our hot meals delivery service. We have used the donation to subsidise the cost of a hot meal so that we can provide this service to more people whose circumstances have changed as a result of COVID-19.  They may be self-isolating or have lost their carers, shoppers or family support. 

Ann, who has used the meal service for her father, said: "Thank you so very much Westbank for all your help during this awful pandemic. I don't know what we would have done without the meals that you have been delivering every day for my elderly 88-year-old father. I think he would have gone very hungry without the delicious meals that your wonderfully caring staff, contributors and volunteers have tirelessly provided for him. I do hope that you will be able to continue this provision for the future."

Crafty Cakes 

Thank you to Crafty Cakes for making Easter very special, with the kind donation of 12 Easter cupcakes and 12 chocolate muffins for the staff team – they were safely distributed and enjoyed by all.

Domino's Pizza, St. Thomas

Thank you to the staff at Domino's who - when one of our long standing volunteers nominated our volunteering team as essential workers - brought up a load of free pizzas and a lovely handwritten thank you note for them.

Royal Devon and Exeter Charity

Thank you to the RD&E Charity for sending the team at Westbank a hamper from Hotel Chocolate.  The chocolates were given out to community support volunteers to thank them for all the help they are providing.

Thank you also to just a few individuals who have gone above and beyond ...

Steven Godbear has been kindling supplying Westbank with items to add to the food parcels that we are sending out to vulnerable families and individuals.

Steve said "I would just like to thank everybody that has donated items during this Covid 19 period, enabling Westbank to help those people less fortunate than ourselves during this awful time."

Liz Smith, on behalf of the University of Exeter, has supplied us with cake, crisps, juice and all sorts of goodies which we have distributed in our weekly food packages, as an extra little treat.

Martin Hawker has been extremely busy making flat packed children’s plane kits and hand-made bird feeders . The planes have been sent to vulnerable children in Exminster school as well as individuals. The bird feeders have been given to clients who are socially isolating; volunteers have been going into gardens to set them up so clients can enjoy the array of birds that come to feed.

Elizabeth Wright, a Westbank Memory café and Hobbies group member, has written and sent hand-made cards to all other members of the Hobbies, Brunch and Ladies Friendship groups. These have been so gratefully received by all, and have really made peoples day.

Finally a big thank you to all of our clients and volunteers who have made trauma teddies for the Exeter branch of the British Red Cross to distribute to children who have suffered trauma.