North Devon has gone mauve mad today (Friday) for the annual Big Purple Day. It was held to raise money for the Special Care Baby Unit Appeal run by hospital charity Over and Above. Hundreds of staff at Northern Devon Healthcare Trust and North Devon District Hospital in Barnstaple wore purple, and sold cakes, held raffles and drank out of purple mugs to raise money. Year 10 work experience students from schools across North Devon also took part during their placement at the hospital. Over and Above volunteers have been selling raffle tickets, purple bows, pens and t-shirts throughout the week. Five local Tesco stores donated prizes for the summer purple day raffle. Volunteers were also at Tesco today. Elsewhere, staff at East and West Bakery in Barnstaple made purple cakes for the big day, while other local businesses also got into the Purple Day spirit, including Lilicos at the Square. Fundraising manager Ian Roome said It was a fantastic day and it was great to see so many people taking part to support our hospital charity. Big Purple Day was established to raise funds and awareness to provide better health services locally at North Devon District Hospital.Click here to return to our homepage for more North Devon news.
