I'm sending "Tidings of Comfort and Joy" to you all. Thank you so much for visiting and liking the pictures, reels and posts on my North Devon Focus Website, Blog, Facebook, Flickr, Instagram & Youtube. Thank you for sharing your news and local events. Cheers Pat Adams
🎄🎄🎅🎅Merry Christmas🎅🎅 🎄🎄
Here's to a happy, colour full, peaceful 2026
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Edenmore Nursing Home in Ilfracombe, North Devon, have been overwhelmed by an outpouring of generosity this Christmas, after receiving over £500 worth of Christmas gifts for its residents (fondly known as family members), through a TikTok campaign run by a relative of a person living in the care home.
The campaign was started by Charmain Lovett, whose dad, Harry, lives at Edenmore.
In early November, Charmain shared a short video on TikTok, inviting anyone who
was able to donate a small gift to the family members via an Amazon wish list
she had put together.
While Edenmore Nursing Home ensures each family member receive a
personalised Christmas gift from the team, Charmain wanted to set up her own
initiative so the home might receive a collection of shared gifts, activities
and treats for everyone to enjoy together. The idea was inspired in part by an
online friend of Charmain’s, who had previously run a similar campaign for her
nan, Beryl, called Beryl’s Christmas.
The response to the campaign was immediate. Charmain shared: ‘Literally
within the first 24 hours, all of it had been sold almost, so I just kept
topping it up [the wish list] with little bits and pieces. People are just
amazing. I can’t wrap my head around it.’
For Charmain, the campaign was deeply personal: ‘It's a bit of a
different one for us this Christmas, because my mum passed away earlier on in
the year. Gayle, the home manager at Edenmore, was just brilliant and really
supportive of me, my brother Will, and dad in that time. So I just thought it'd
be a really nice thing to do something nice back for them.’
Harry has lived at Edenmore since April this year. Described as ‘a
proper London boy’ by his daughter, Harry was a chauffeur and worked for
Rolls-Royce for a time.
Charmain shared: ‘One thing that he's always been almost obsessive about
is making sure that he knows where his car keys are. So Gayle's husband made
him a little set with a tag saying Harry's keys. So he's always got his keys in
his pocket.’
Harry also worked in construction and labouring, and loves fixing
things, so the home also got him a plastic toolbox set to tinker with around
the home.
‘It was those sorts of things that made a big difference to dad's
happiness there. So when I was doing the wish list, I was making sure that I
was putting activity items in as well. So it wasn't all just about chocolates
and body spray!’
The gifts have now been dropped off at the home, along with notes from
the senders, to be sorted for Christmas Day.
Gayle, Home Manager, shared: ‘It means everything to the team and I that
Charmain thought of us. We are all truly touched by the kindness and generosity
of everyone who sent a gift. Thank you from all of us at Edenmore.’
The home’s team and family members have been busy preparing for the festive celebrations over the last few weeks, painting decorations, writing their Christmas cards and hosting their own carols-by-candlelight.
Edenmore Nursing Home offers the reassurance of 24-hour nursing care so
that help is always available when needed, without delays or waiting for
support to arrive. To find out more, visit https://www.edenmorenursinghome.com/
The Burton at Bideford has been awarded £50,000 from Art Fund, the national charity of museums and galleries, to reimagine how its collections are used and shared over the next two-years.
The funding is part of a total of £1.3 million awarded to 29 museums and galleries through the latest round of Art Fund’s Reimagine programme, supporting innovative collections projects in museums and galleries across the UK.
Burton 2101: Collections for the Future will use the backdrop of The Burton’s 75th birthday in 2026 to reimagine the role of its collections for future generations in Torridge. It will pilot projects with schools, community groups and in the public realm to find new ways to connect residents to the stories of their past, present and future.
Launched in 2020 in response to the pandemic, Reimagine was developed to address the most urgent challenges facing UK museums. This latest round focuses on collections – a cornerstone of Art Fund’s mission and one of the areas of museum practice with the greatest demand for funding.
The UK is home to some of the world’s most remarkable collections, yet the resources required to care for and interpret them are increasingly strained. Art Fund’s Museum Directors Survey in 2024 found that 56% of museums cite a lack of funding for collections as a major barrier to essential work such as digitisation, collections reviews and acquisitions.
Harriet Cooper, Director at The Burton at Bideford said:
“It has been a challenging few years for the museum sector and as The Burton at Bideford enters its 75th year in 2026 we are excited to think about the role we can play in the next 75-years of culture in Torridge. Our rich collections are at the heart of this and this vital funding from Art Fund will help us to reimagine how they are used over the next two years. ‘Burton 2101: Collections for the Future’ will see us pilot expansive collections projects, consult more closely with our local community, learn from innovative organisations across the UK, and build a long-term strategy to support art and artists in North Devon to thrive.”
Jenny Waldman, Director at Art Fund, said:
“At the core of Art Fund’s purpose is supporting museums to develop, care for and share the collections that enrich people’s lives. I'm delighted we've been able to support The Burton at Bideford through our final round of Reimagine funding, enabling museums to explore their collections, connect with communities and ensure that works of art, objects and their stories are shared and preserved for future generations.”
The Burton at Bideford was originally established in 1951 to house the collection of artist Hubert Coop RBA, gifted to the town of Bideford. The permanent collection now holds a rich array of objects and artworks that vividly capture the history of Bideford and its surrounding area.
Highlights include work by artists including Gillian Ayres, Sir Joshua Reynolds PRA FRS, Aubrey Hunt, Bertram Prance and James Ravilious; alongside one of the leading ceramics collections in the South West and the archive of Mary Stella Edwards and Judith Ackland.
This funding has been made possible thanks to support from The Kirby Laing Foundation, Art Fund members and supporters of Art Fund's Expanding Horizons appeal.
If you would like to find out more about Burton 2101: Collections for the Future and how you can get involved, please sign up to The Burton’s newsletter at www.theburton.org or get in touch at info@theburton.org.
