A Dartmouth family have raised over £1000 for the Rowcroft Hospice in memory of their late sister.

The Ash family raised the money in the name of their sister Debbie Ash, who sadly passed away in Rowcroft Hospice on Christmas day after a short battle with a rare cancer.

Debbie was a HCA nurse and had 5 sons and six grandchildren. 

She had previously raised money for Rowcroft herself by taking part in a sky dive with other friends and colleagues.

The family raised funds for Rowcroft via a raffle, quiz and from the retiring collection at her funeral. The total raised was £1,482. 

Debbie Shotton, Rowcroft Community Fundraising Officer, said: “It is wonderful that Debbie’s family and friends have chosen to raise funds for Rowcroft.

“We rely on our community to help us care for 2,500 people every year across South Devon.

These funds could provide three days care and support to a patient on our inpatient unit, helping them and their loved ones when they need it most.”

Donations of prizes were made by local businesses in Dartmouth and Paignton, The Cherub Inn, The Embassy Tavern, George and Dragon, Howdens joinery, Travis Perkins, Masons Kings, Marks and Spencer, The Inn Theatre Company and several private donors.

Debbie’s brother, Chris Ash, said: “We are very grateful for the generosity of people who donated prizes and their hard-earned cash.”

The raffle and quiz were held alongside a charity head shave for Cancer Research UK, in which Chis and Maria Maguire, a friend and HCA colleague of Debbie, went under the shears at a fun evening in the Embassy Tavern in Paignton in January. Which raised over £2000.