A community fundraising event for Hospiscare, organised in memory of a much-missed local resident, takes place this Saturday, July 27, in Budleigh Salterton.

The summer fete at St Peter’s Church hall will be the second ‘Wendy’s Day’. The first was held in June 2022 in memory of Wendy Jones, who died of cancer in 2020. She was looked after by Hospiscare, and her grieving husband Stuart wanted to raise funds for the charity in gratitude for its support for both of them during her final days. The day, organised by Stuart's friend Kim Holmes, was a great success and brought in around £3,500 for Hospiscare.

This Saturday’s event, also organised by Kim, starts at 12 noon and runs until 3pm. It will feature a range of stalls selling crafts, bric-a-brac, books and toys, a tombola, a raffle, a lucky dip and ‘guess the number of hearts and fairies in a jar’. In addition, four Budleigh artists - Wendy Markham, Gill Wilson, Teresa Creton and Sue Sayer – will be selling their paintings at the event, and donating the proceeds to Hospiscare.

Stuart Jones, who now lives at Pinewood Residential Home in Budleigh Salterton, will be having his head shaved at the fete, and is inviting donations to Hospiscare. Several shops in the town including The Card Shop are taking donations for his head shave.

SJB Foods are donating all the food for the day – the owner offered as soon as he saw the poster advertising the event up at the Pinewood Residential Home.

There will also be a Memory Board at the fete, where people can pin photos of a their loved ones and write a message.

Kim is hoping the event will raise a large sum for Hospiscare, which is currently facing a £2.5million deficit because of insufficient funding and rising costs.

The charity has already reduced its administration costs and cut the number of beds on its ward in Exeter, and later this year it will be changing the way it delivers at-home care for patients in a further money-saving exercise.