Kingsbridge Rotary Club have presented cheques to the two president’s charities, Riding for the Disabled and St Luke’s Hospice, Plymouth.

President Sylvia Griffin chose the two charities when she took office last year, and plans to keep them as her chosen charities for the next year.

“We have raised £550 for Riding for the Disabled and St Luke’s Hospice this year, I would love to make it £1,000 by keeping them as my chosen charities for next year too”, Sylvia said.

Peggy Douglas, director of Riding for the Disabled, accepted the cheque for £550 from Sylvia, saying: “We fill a massive hole in organisations with our four-legged friends, and we rely on other organisations for our fundraising, so thank you. It will be put to good use.”

Peter Ward, community fundraiser for St Luke’s Hospice, said it was a “phenomenal amount” and “very much appreciated”. He said that since joining the St Luke’s team in February he has seen “so much from the local community” and said that having ‘Plymouth’ in the title means people don’t realise they support individuals “from Liskeard to South Brent”.

He said that it cost £6million a year to run St Luke’s Hospices and their services, and while the NHS provides a third of that, £4.5million need to be raised through donations every year, and with an ageing population, the service is growing every year.

He said that the people at St Luke’s hospice in Turnchapel makes up just 8 per cent of the people supported by the charity across Devon and Cornwall. He added: “No one should be alone at such a difficult time”.

Sylvia is stepping into her second year as president of the Kingsbridge Rotary Club next week.