As part of our Surprise Supplies initiative, we recently invited charities to get in touch and tell us how a donation of £1,000 worth of building materials would be of help to them. All the entries have been whittled down to a final six and it’s now down to the public to decide which two charities receive £1,000 each.
Hector’s House, Torquay
Hector’s House Cat Rescue was set up in 2020 and predominantly helps stray cats who, through no fault of their own, cannot easily be housed, or need to be reunited with their owners. The charity is formed of volunteers who have experience working with cat rescues and have a passion for strays. Hector’s House needs to build new cat pens and update some of its existing pens and would use the donation of materials to do this.
Little Hero, Cadeleigh
Little Hero was set up by John and Lee-Ann Rainsbury following the sad death of their son Will who was just six years old. Will had battled with an aggressive childhood brain tumour called Medulloblastoma. As children undergoing treatment for cancer will have a suppressed immune system, they and their families do spend a lot of time isolating. Little Hero has gained planning permission to build ‘Will’s Woodland’, an eco-lodge where one family at a time can be away from people, enjoy nature, be outside, and spend time together. If voted as a Surprise Supplies winner, the charity will use the £1,000 towards materials for the project.
Sirona Therapeutic Horsemanship, Totnes
Sirona provides equine-based therapeutic and educational activities to disadvantaged, disabled and excluded young people in order to increase health and well-being and guide them towards more positive life outcomes. The charity has recently passed an assessment to rehome two rescue donkeys from The Donkey Sanctuary. However, it does need to build a new shelter before the donkeys can arrive and would use the £1,000 towards materials needed for the project.
The Beacons Dancers, Torquay
The Beacons Dancers are made up of people who use wheelchairs, walking sticks and frames. It is part of the Wheelchair Dance Sport Association and meets weekly for dance lessons and to have fun with music. The charity is based at Abbey Hall in Torquay and also runs an arts and crafts group which is open to everyone to help combat isolation and loneliness. The hall is lacking toilet facilities and, if voted as a Surprise Supplies winner, the charity will use the £1,000 to purchase materials to update a toilet block that would be used by able-bodied people.
West Cornwall Search & Rescue, St Day
West Cornwall Search & Rescue Team is an inland resource and supports the police, fire and ambulance services with search, rescue and emergency response across the area. The charity is completely run by volunteers and all equipment, vehicles and its base are funded through voluntary donations. The charity would like to build a drying room at its base to provide a purpose-built space where the team can properly dry wet kit and would use the £1,000 towards materials needed for the project.
Wings South West, Bideford
Wings South West works with disadvantaged children, young people and adults, as well as those with additional needs. It runs leisure activities, alternative curriculum activities with those struggling at school, and various programmes, such as conservation projects and motor mechanics. To add to the programme of activities, Wings South West would like to create a brand new space in Abbotsham for mountain biking and BMXing, and if voted as a Surprise Supplies winner, it will use the £1,000 towards materials needed for the project.
The two finalists that gain the most votes will receive £1,000 each to spend at their local RGB branch. Votes can be made in one of two ways:
- By visiting RGB’s Facebook page and liking the photo in the Surprise Supplies album that represents the charity they would like to see win; the album will be pinned to the top of the page.
- By emailing RGB@pmwcom.co.uk and putting the name of the charity they would like to win in the subject box
Votes can be cast between Monday 15th November and 8am on Monday 29th November 2021. Votes cast outside of these dates will not be counted. Only one vote per person via one method of voting will be counted.
We wish all finalists the very best of luck.
Terms & Conditions:
- Voting will take place between Monday 15th November and 8am on Monday 29th Any votes cast outside these dates will not be counted.
- The recipients of £1,000 each to spend at an RGB branch will be the two finalists that receive the highest number of votes.
- Any votes deemed false will not be counted.
- The winning charities will be required to take part in photocalls with an RGB representative. The photos will be distributed to the media and uploaded to RGB's website and social media platforms.
- RGB Building Supplies reserves the right to award the prize to a runner-up if contact is not received from the voted winners after 10 days.
- The winners are required to be involved in a follow up photocall showing how the building materials were used.
- The prizes do not have a cash alternative.