Residents and staff welcomed popular presenter, Judi Spiers and her much-loved sidekick Gus Honeybun, to The Old Vicarage Residential Care Home in the picturesque village of Otterton. The local celebrity duo are on a mission to raise awareness and much needed funds as part of Hospiscare’s annual ‘coffee morning’ fundraiser. The campaign runs throughout September and is supported by Mercedes Benz SW who provide a Hospiscare branded car for Judi’s travels around the county.

The Old Vicarage is an independent, family-run residential care home, providing compassionate care which promotes independence, reduces loneliness and provides quality of life in older age. Located in a beautiful Grade II listed building, surrounded by stunning gardens, The Old Vicarage offers the ambience of a country house-style hotel, where residents can enjoy a peaceful and relaxing retirement. Owner Rebecca Parkin said: “Our residents and staff really enjoy having an opportunity to invite our families, friends and members of our friendly community into our home. We like any excuse for a party, lovely food and a good natter, helping to raise money for such a worthy local charity is just the ‘icing on the cake’!” She adds: “It was great to have Judi and Gus join us in raising funds for Hospiscare, a charity very close to our hearts here at The Old Vicarage.

The resident’s main lounge was transformed into a vintage tea-shop with background music performed by local pianist Bruce Odlin, adding to the atmosphere. Residents had enjoyed creating their own teapot decorations, along with flower arrangements in tea pots adding to the ambience of the beautifully decorated rooms. The admission fee of 5 included coffee, cake and entry into the charity raffle. An array of delicious cakes made in-house by Chef Sue Potter were also available to buy and take home, generating further funds for the charity.

Members of The Old Vicarage care staff had been busy baking home-made cakes in a bake-off, judged on the day by Judi with help from Gus giving ‘bunny hops’ and a wink to select the winner as Trish Lewis with a lovely Victoria sponge. A grand total of 700 was raised during the morning in aid of Hospiscare.

Hospiscare provides expert support, resources and personalised specialist care for people in Exeter, Mid & East Devon who have been diagnosed with a terminal illness. They need to raise 6.5m a year to provide 24-hour support. Judi Spiers – Ambassador for Hospiscare said: “A massive thank you to The Old Vicarage for hosting a wonderful coffee morning and I am delighted to say the monies raised on the day will help to ensure Hospiscare is here for over 2,000 patients every year who rely on its expert care and support.”

www.theoldvicarageotterton.com

https://www.hospiscare.co.uk/events/flagship/hospiscare-coffee-morning

Read all about it: The Exeter Daily

Read all about it: Grow Exeter

Read all about it: Devon Life

Read all about it: Caring UK