KIVELLS auctioneers, who run the Holsworthy Livestock Market, have announced that during 2017 the company helped raise over £114,000 for charities and good causes throughout the westcountry and beyond.

Around 70% of the funds raised by Kivells this year will go to charities within Devon and Cornwall to include the Devon and Cornwall Air Ambulances, HATS theatre in Holsworthy and Burden Grange.

Over £6,500 was raised at local harvest festivals at chapels and church halls from as far west as Tideford and north as Milton Damerel.

One of the biggest fundraisers was the evening at Webbery near Bideford organised by the Ratcliffe family and raised over £8,500 for Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital in London. Director of Kivells, David Kivell, said: “Our company has been serving the communities within the west country since 1885 and have been pleased to help raise over £500,000 for good causes over the past five years.”

Some of the more unusual charity auctions included selling a number of ‘Pink Sheep’ at Exeter in aid of Devon Air Ambulance raising £3,000 and the Western Morning News Business Awards dinner at St Mellion raising over £1,800 for ‘Farms For City Children’.

James Morrish of Kivells said: “Despite challenging times, west country folk are very, very generous when it comes to supporting charities in the region.

“For me, it doesn’t matter where the charity auction takes place, it’s all about the end result.”

Kivells’ final charity auction of 2017 took place at Holsworthy market on Friday, December 22. It was the annual oven ready poultry sale, which included over 100 lots on behalf of Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution (RABI) and both Devon and Cornwall Air Ambulances.