THE deputy mayor of Holsworthy raised awareness of the Over and Above charity during Holsworthy Town Council’s full meeting on October 2 because, like herself, many hadn’t heard of it before.

Cllr Helen Parker said: “I attended a civic dinner this month for the charity Over and Above. It was really informative.

“I’ve worked for the trust for a very long time but I’d never heard of it before, so for those who don’t know either, when the Seamoor Unit was being built at North Devon District [Hospital] and SCBU [Special Care Baby Unit] they raised funds for it but now they are raising funds for a wellbeing centre, similar to the Force in Exeter Hospital.

“They support patients going through chemotherapy treatment, those dealing with a death as well as complimentary therapies like massage or simply a quiet place to sit and have a cup of coffee for if someone has received bad news.

“They are hoping to open this by Christmas if it runs as successfully as the Force in Exeter.

“Like I say, I’ve never heard of Over and Above before but it seems like it could be a really good thing.”

Cllr Parker was thanked by the mayor Jo Heaven for bringing it to the councillors’ attention.