From 17th to 20th September Brixham will be hosting the Festival of Good Health and Wellbeing to help promote a healthy and happy community.
Organised by Brixham Future, the 3 day festival will include exhibitions, displays, information, activities, talks, taster sessions and entertainment. There will be many opportunities to participate, and enjoy this diverse range of events, for both residents and visitors as follows:
FREE THREE-DAY EXHIBITION for public walk-in /out on health and support
FREE TASTER SESSIONS of varied healthy activities available locally
FREE MUSIC from established Choirs to street music to relax and enjoy
FREE INTRO LESSONS to Pilates, Yoga, Tai Chi, Line dancing, Karate, & Golf
FREE ART LESSONS for 50 people to help undertake this form of relaxation
FREE TALKS on medical & mental health and professional services available
FREE GUIDANCE on healthy eating/diets and other key health matters
FREE PROMOTION of local community services and reducing social isolation
FREE SIGNAGE to services that help with the cost-of-living issues & help etc
FREE OPPORTUNITIES to get involved in your local voluntary sector
FREE TESTING INFORMATION for personal medical attention ( blood pressure monitoring, cancer screening for breasts & bowels, PSA testing etc)
FREE MEDICAL ADVICE & INFORMATION (from stalls to printed literature)
FREE BASIC FIRST AID & CPR training from the Devon Air Ambulance
Following on from last year successful pilot project, Brixham Future CIC has now launched the `Brixham Auctions` to raise funds for the local Voluntary Sector supporting projects and events in the year. A spokesman said:
All our projects and event have had a high degree of innovation such as our Brixham Lottery , our 14 Wall murals which adore the town, or our five major public educational and entertainment events for VE & D-Days , the late Queens Jubilee or recent Kings Coronation etc
We wanted to deliver a project that would help boost our wonderful local voluntary sector which is the beating heart of our community. Like everywhere else it would benefit from a boost in income to help deliver more outputs which already are amazing value for public money donated by local people.
The idea is that local people donate hand portable items or goods, but stipulate which local `not for profit` organisation they wish the proceeds to go to. In this way we raise funds from redundant, unwanted items or pre-loved goods that are desirable and of value. People may not have cash to donate to their favourite local cause, but sometimes have a few treasured possessions that can be turned into a donation.
Local groups can raise large sums with help of their supporters. People can bring items to the Auction to be held in the Brixham Yacht Club on Friday 22nd May 12 noon -4pm and on Saturday 23rd May 1030am -1pm before the Auction begins at 2pm. The auction itself is a lot of fun and cash only is required or mobile phone bank transfers. All goods must be taken by the purchasers on the day and no items put up for auction left unsold are returned unless collected on the day by 4pm.
Six vehicles – 2 ambulances, and four other vehicles – packed with 3,000 KG of much needed medical and humanitarian aid left from Fore Street on Thursday 6th of November bound for Poland. On Sunday 9th November our team of eight volunteer drivers handed over the vehicles and their contents for onward transport to various locations in Ukraine, update from jonathan Parr below:
We have handed over 6 vehicles packed with Medical Aid and Humanitarian Aid this afternoon, these 6 vehicles will now be in Lviv, one ambulance will be going to Sumy Hospital with around £10,000 plus worth of antibiotics and painkillers and a vehicle which is urgently needed, also the children’s hospital in Sumy will get some beautiful hade made teddies and bunnies. Another vehicle will be emptied and taken to the Dnipro front line area with lots of equipment and aid for the front line. The two Mitsubishi L200 4×4 vehicles will end up on the front line once emptied of wheelchairs, walkers, crutches and generators. The other vehicles full of medical supplies will go to hospitals which require the aid. We feel extremely proud to have contributed towards offering our support to Ukraine and for the contribution of the drivers in driving close to 1800 km over the last 3 days. We are now relaxing in Krakow and have just eaten a fantastic meal in a Ukrainian restaurant.
Thanks again all who have supported us in this trip, especially on Remembrance weekend.
The anticipated costs of the convoy rose to over £41,000, as we needed to purchase a 6th second-hand vehicle, thanks to the volume of much need supplies donated by from the generous people of Brixham and surrounding areas.
Major contributions have come from Brixham Future CIC & Brixham Lottery, several local churches, Rotary and Probus groups, Brixham Does Care, the Conservative Club, Cricket and Rugby Clubs, Middle St traders and Chamber of Commerce. Several local individuals have made small and substantial cash donations, for which we thank them all.
Our last range of events raised a total of £5,683, to which we can add both small and very large donations. Many people gave gifts in kind, which we have been able to auction or raffle etc to raise funds. It has been a tremendous Brixham effort, and we thank everyone who contributed..
We are particularly pleased that the convoy medical supplies includes over £10,000 of urgent items, for Sumy hospital, which was recently bombed. These supplies. including antibiotics and 10 First Responder Medical Trauma Bags, go straight to front-line areas with newly trained medics from the hospitals. They will save hundreds of lives.
Our local people, also rallied together to provide a range of much needed items, including generators to provide power and light (as Russians bomb the civilian electric stations) , warm clothing and blanket (as temperatures fall to minus 20 degrees in winter) and a range of other personal hygiene and mobility items.
We are also proud of the eight Volunteer drivers, who endured four arduous days, and no doubt sleepless nights, in shared minimal accommodation along the route – Jonathan Parr ( Team Leader), Richard Parr, Peter Plummer, Chris Kennedy, Roger Ames, Daniel Adamski, Rich Rubensaat and Sean Castle,
The vehicle procurement, collecting and sorting of tons of supplies plus acquisitions of specific medical supplies have all provided a substantial challenge but we delivered in less than 6 months.
Once again, our thanks to everyone who who helped make this convoy a great success. .
This occasion, supported by the Brixham Lottery, will see the town transform into a hub of activity from Wednesday, May 7 to Sunday, May 11.
Eighty years ago, on Thursday, May 8, the nation came together to celebrate the end of the Second World War in Europe, which had begun in 1939.
Together, communities across the country mourned those we had lost and expressed gratitude to those who fought for our freedom. For many it was, and remains, an opportunity to look toward to the future with hope.
Throughout the week, Brixham residents and visitors alike will gather to remember the sacrifices made by members of the armed forces and the merchant navy, as well as the local heroes and heroines who either gave their lives or returned home bearing the physical and emotional scars of war.
The commemoration will also honour the vital contributions of the men and women who worked on the home front, including those in factories, mines, shipyards, and farms — such as members of the Women’s Land Army and Women’s Timber Corps.
Special recognition will also be given to the ARP wardens, police officers, doctors, nurses, firefighters, local defence volunteers and others who bravely carried out their duties during those difficult, frightening, and uncertain times.
To mark the occasion, Brixham Future community interest company, a not-for-profit organisation that addresses local issues, is collaborating with the town’s local voluntary sector to deliver over 40 free public events.
This follows their successful coordination of a similar number of events in June 2024, which honoured the 80th anniversary of D-Day with activities including exhibitions, concerts, church services, and historical displays.
The community will come together for a parade, a theatre musical, a concert, a special museum exhibition, displays, a dinner and dancing, a brass band, singing, and much more.
A spokesperson for Brixham Future CIC said: “We are committed to delivering these quick win and low-cost events that enhance our town, highlighting our cultural heritage for both residents and visitors to enjoy.
“The basic idea is that by enhancing Brixham’s culture offer from its rich history, we boost our community. The events and activities will not only commemorate the enormous sacrifices made at home and abroad, but also link joyously to celebrating, as people did 80 years ago, with the arrival of peace in Europe.”
Brixham Future have confirmed plans for the painting of three new murals in Brixham.
The first new mural site is on the corner of Middle Street and Apter Hill, on the high side elevations. The intended mural takes inspiration from our local heritage fleet including the `Vigilance` and `Provident` sailing trawlers with their characteristic red sails. The work will hopefully commence around 9 September and take approximately 2 weeks to complete.
The second new mural site is in Union Lane, which runs off Fore Street down to the main town car park entrance. The Union Lane is a steep ramp that was once part of an escarpment that ran along Fore Street upon which are now a row of retail and accommodation premises. Below this escarpment in what is now the main town car park was an estuary along which the sea reached a point where the Town Hall is now built.
The chosen flank wall stretches from the corner of Costa Coffee down to the `Long Bar` Public House. It is one of the largest wall elevations in town located in this historic spot where sailors would have come ashore to collect water etc for their ships moored out at sea sheltering below the Napoleonic forts at Berry Head.
The use of this estuary during the Napoleonic wars will be commemorated with a large mural of Lord Nelson and his fleet which achieved a historic victory at the battle of Trafalgar in 1805. The painting of Nelson is taken from an earlier painting without him wearing his eye patch. The work is expected to commence around 23 September and end a month or so later before winter weather sets in.
The third new mural site is on the upper elevation of the King St site of Hans Gift Shop down near the Southern quayside. It will consist of a detailed representative figure of a sailor from the 17th Century with a poem adjacent reflecting the towns relationship with the sea. The work is expected to start around 21 Oct for 2 weeks and is subject to change, if we have inclement weather .
These murals, at a cost in excess of £8,000, are part of a Brixham Future CIC micro-regeneration strategy to bring benefits to the town. Supported by the Brixham Lottery we have already delivered three new murals earlier this year, as well as the 6 days of free public events to mark 80th Anniversary of D-Day.
A spokesperson for Brixham Future said:
“We are extremely grateful to all the people who buy Brixham Lottery Cards as it is the major funder of our local murals. We hope our murals make the town more attractive place to live, work or visit and generate interest whilst highlighting our rich history.“
