Latest news with #TorbayHospital
BBC News
2 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Volunteers offer adventure and support to young and older people
Volunteers from around the South West have been sharing their stories for Volunteers' 60% of people in Devon and Cornwall volunteered at least once last year, according to a recent government Dowman volunteers for Shallowford Farm, in Dartmoor, which gives some of the "most disadvantaged" young people from inner cities a flavour of life on a working former fire fighter Earl Hinsley-Self said his role as a discharge lounge volunteer at Torbay Hospital gave him a sense of purpose after retirement. Ms Dowman said many of the young people she takes to the countryside "haven't even been out of London"."So it can be quite daunting - the first thing they notice is the smell," she start early, feeding and mucking out pigs before breakfast ahead of a day packed with activities such as hiking, climbing trees and lambing - depending on the time of the youngsters get over the initial "shock" of smells, spiders and seeing animals, "you start seeing the amazement in them", said Ms Dowman. Ms Dowman grew up in London and first visited the farm in 1992 as a child on a camping trip, staying in "old army tents".Her mother was on one of the farm's first trips in 1977, she said, and her son and grandmother had also been to the farm - making four generations of visitors."Dartmoor is one of my favourite places in the world and I love sharing this experience with the children," she said. When Earl Hinsley-Self was unable to work after recovering from lung cancer, he signed up to a volunteering open day at the local hospital."I was completely sold on it", he said, "as it meant being part of a team... and putting something back into the community".Mr Hinsley-Self now supports people who are being discharged from hospital."It just puts people's mind at rest, that they've got someone to talk to," he said he enjoyed meeting "new people every day" and made "the best" cup of teas. Talking and board games Mr Hinsley-Self is one of more than 400 volunteers at the hospital, with others doing everything from admin to pet therapy and presenting hospital Payne, from Torbay and South Devon NHS Trust, said the trust was "extremely fortunate" for its team of hospital put on a cream tea to thank them earlier this week, he trust said more than 4,000 patients had "some form of social interaction" with volunteers - such as playing board games, talking or being read to - between October 2024 and March 1,666 patients were given food or drink by volunteers in that time, while more than 11,000 notes had been delivered by volunteers, the trust said. Mandy Rolleston and Sharon Bamford both volunteer at Cornwall Playhouse in Truro, Rolleston said there was a "great sense of community" among theatre's more than 200 volunteers, who check tickets and help audience members have a "fantastic experience".Ms Rolleston said volunteers come from all walks of life, with lawyers, medical professionals, business owners and "a lot of headmistresses".Mrs Bamford previously worked in the building in the 1990s, when it was the Hall for Cornwall and helped set up the old venue's volunteer program, when it was "a pasty and a pint to run the bar"."I still get very emotional, [the hall] still means a lot to me."Alex Laidlaw, front of house manager, said the team of volunteers were "massively important" and helped the theatre to Laidlaw said "about 50%" of the volunteers still worked or studied Rolleston said she would "absolutely" recommend volunteering to anyone."You get so much from it - the community, the support, the stimulation," she said.
BBC News
10-05-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Lung cancer screening begins in Torbay and south Devon
The NHS has started a programme aimed at screening about 45,000 people in south Devon for lung and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust will offer lung cancer screening to people aged between 55 and 74 who have ever smoked and are registered with a participating GP in the O'Regan, clinical lead for the programme, said it was "absolutely vital in helping us detect lung cancer at the earliest opportunity"."The earlier any form of cancer is detected, the better the outcome for the patient as it gives us a better chance of achieving a cure," he added. The trust said over the next two years, about 45,000 people would receive a letter offering them a phone call with a medical professional to asses the risk of that call, some people would be invited to a free lung cancer the results of the scan show signs of anything of concern, the patient would be referred for further lung scans and treatment at Torbay screenings take place in a mobile unit currently parked at Sainsbury's car park in Newton Weston, from the Peninsula Cancer Alliance, which is co-ordinating the screening scheme, said: "Due to there being few to no symptoms at an early stage, lung cancer is regularly diagnosed late.""Attending a lung cancer screening appointment could save your life," she added.
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Three injured in crash outside school
Three people have been injured in a crash outside a school in Devon, police have said. Devon and Cornwall Police said officers were called to the A382 in Teigngrace, near Newton Abbot, at about 05:45 GMT to reports of a two-car crash. Police said two of the three people injured in the crash, which happened outside Stover School, were taken to Torbay Hospital by paramedics. Motorists were being advised to use alternative routes while the road remains shut. Follow BBC Devon on X, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to spotlight@ Devon and Cornwall Police
BBC News
07-03-2025
- Automotive
- BBC News
Three injured in crash outside Devon school
Three people have been injured in a crash outside a school in Devon, police have and Cornwall Police said officers were called to the A382 in Teigngrace, near Newton Abbot, at about 05:45 GMT to reports of a two-car said two of the three people injured in the crash, which happened outside Stover School, were taken to Torbay Hospital by were being advised to use alternative routes while the road remains shut.
