ASIDE from celebrating the community spirit and the spectacle of country life, one of the primary purposes of the Christow & District Show has always been to raise funds for charity and it was this tradition which prompted the show’s committee to approach the Motor Neurone Disease Association back in 2023.

The Christow & District Show, which this year will be held on Saturday, August 17, is a unique one-day event bringing together villages from Tedburn St Mary to Cheriton Bishop, from Longdown to Dunchideock and throughout the Teign Valley as far as Chudleigh Knighton.

Show Secretary, Jan Deane, was delighted to invite Elizabeth Cargill and Brenda Lazarus to attend the show on behalf of the Exeter and East Devon branch of the MND Association and to benefit from a donation from the show.

‘We had a special reason for choosing the MND Association’ Jan said.

‘The wife of our previous, long-standing show secretary was diagnosed with motor neurone disease in 2022 and although not on the committee, she always played an active part in getting the show up and running each year including organising the hugely popular dog show’ she added.

‘The show committee felt that supporting the MND Association last year was, in a small way, a fitting memorial to her’ Jan said.

The Exeter and East Devon branch Chairman, Elizabeth Cargill, said: ‘MND is a devastating condition which can create a drastic, challenging impact for individuals and their families.

‘Those afflicted by MND require a variety of specialist equipment, from cutlery to assist eating, to neck braces, to home improvements such as widened doorways to accommodate specially adapted wheelchairs.

‘It is with a grateful heart the volunteers at Exeter and East Devon Branch of the MND Association thank Christow & District Show for their kindness and contribution towards making a difference to individuals and their families at a critical time.’

Peter Preston, Chairman of Christow & District Show, was delighted to present the cheque for £1,000 to Bernard Stamp, representative from the MND Association.

‘I hope this donation will go some way to providing the vital access to support and direct help to those with this debilitating disease’ Peter said.