Devon Air Ambulance Trust currently has 14 shops across the county, and is proud that all items sold have been wholly donated by the community which it serves.

Martin Bell, Retail Director of Devon Air Ambulance Trust said “Our annual awards are a way of promoting the fantastic work our retail team do day in, day out; from managers, assistant managers, support staff and volunteers, every team member plays an essential part in helping to raise funds needed to keep Devon’s two Air Ambulances flying.”

Topsham has two Devon Air Ambulance charity shops.  Tom Robertson is the Assistant Manager for both and was awarded ‘Assistant Manager of the Year’. He has been with the Charity for 16 months.  Over the past year Tom has developed his role and been involved in areas outside his remit.  He has embraced social media using humour on the Topsham shop Facebook page in particular and has supported other less experienced members of the team in relation to digital media.  He is happy to volunteer and help out at events and get more involved which included taking part in the 2014 Commando Challenge.

Our Exmouth charity shop was rebranded in 2013 as a £1 shop. Manager Sue Redfern, Assistant Manager Judith Prytherch and their fantastic family of volunteers embraced these changes and have made a huge success of this new initiative.  Having exceeded sales of £1,500 some weeks (that’s a lot of items!) this shop is also environmentally responsible selling items which may have otherwise ended up as landfill.  This was why they were voted ‘Devon Air Ambulance Trust Charity Shop of the Year’.

Rosey Oakes, Volunteers Support Officer said "We are currently looking for volunteers to help in our shops. Could you spare some time? Volunteering has many advantages. It doesn't just give you that feel-good factor but it’s also a great way to learn new skills, enhance your CV and improve your employment prospects.  Volunteering has also been proved to increase your self-esteem and confidence and decrease depression.”

If you would you like to find out more about volunteering please get in touch with Rosey; ether by phone 01392 466666 or email r.oakes@daat.org