Local schools and organisations raised thousands with the Kingsbridge Estuary Rotary Club swimarathon in October, and cheques have now been handed over.

KERC has handed over £2,000 each to the Devon Air Ambulance Trust and HomeStart South and West Devon, collected from members of the 52 teams that entered the swimarathon last year.

More than 300 swimmers participated in Swimarathon last October, with each swimmer having several sponsors, the total number of people making donations is close to two thousand.

Half of the money benefits local causes and primary schools, while the other half is split between two charities chosen by Kingsbridge Estuary Rotary.

Kingsbridge Estuary Rotary president, Steve Kerr, said: “I would like to say a big ’thank you’ to all the swimmers who took part in Swimarathon. Your efforts and the support of your families and friends has made these donations possible.

“You are assisting two excellent local charities: Devon Air Ambulance and Home-Start South and West Devon. Thanks must also go to everyone who helped to make the Swimarathon event run so smoothly, including the team leaders, the local rotary organisers and Tone Leisure.”

While the essential work of the DAAT is well-known, HomeStart South and West Devon is less well known. For 18 years Home-Start in the South Hams has provided one-to-one befriending and mentoring support to families who are experiencing difficulties.

The charity believes that “every child deserves the best start in life and that parents are the best people to ensure they get it”. However, there are times when, for a variety of reasons, this can be difficult.

Offering one-to-one peer, befriending support is the corner stone of their service, which has a proven track record of over 40 years.

All volunteers have parenting experience and undertake 35 hours of initial training. They are offered regular on-going training and have supervision every eight weeks. Accreditation and career development support options are offered.

Volunteers visit the family they are matched to every week for around two hours and offer emotional and practical support. Support is usually for up to a year and focuses on enabling through building confidence, supporting access and helping a family to develop networks.

The aim is to build the families emotional and financial resilience. Their ‘stepping stones’ model of group work aims to engage families using intensive support and a gentle approach with a view to signposting and supporting them to access wider support services.Hayley’s story: "I had just come out of hospital following a C-section. Having left an abusive relationship I was very down and bringing up the new baby and my two older children alone. I had no local family support. "My volunteer was amazing. At first she just gave me time to build my strength back up, but as the weeks went by she began to help me rebuild my self-esteem. I don’t know where I would be if it wasn’t for her."Rachel’s story: "After the birth of my third child I felt very down. My health visitor said I had postnatal depression. I was finding everyday tasks like feeding myself and the children incredibly hard. "My husband was working long hours and I felt as though I was just going through the motions until he came home and I could hand the children over to him. When the volunteer arrived I didn’t think it would make much difference but she just listened, helped out with the kids and was cheerful. "I began to look forward to her visit and to make an effort that day. She was always encouraging and supportive and as I began to feel better she helped me think about the future. "I wanted to lose weight and get a part-time job. A year on, with her help that is exactly what I have done! I feel like my old self again and I can be the mum I want to be."Mike’s Story: "When my wife died leaving me with two small children it felt as though my world had fallen apart. I was grieving and was suddenly solely responsible for the children. My volunteer was a godsend. "She was able to give me ideas and suggestions but also let me know when I was doing things well. I began to feel that I could do it and I was not completely alone. We will never get over losing her but my volunteer made me see that I can do it."