Here’s what some of our visitors and guests had to say:

“Fab people- where we can have a safe place to sit and watch. Lovely.”

“Excellent facility having the marquee and hard standing.  Easy to find as we were directed to it. Felt very well looked after with a good view.”

“The stand was in a good location, allowing for people to go to the viewing area, very approachable people on stand.”

“We found the stand really helpful for our disabled Dad.  I did not know it was here and trying to find somewhere to watch the show when a gentleman showed me the way to this stand. Everyone was really helpful and we were given drinks and snacks. Many thanks.”

“Great work across all sectors . Always friendly and helpful. Just keep up the excellent work everyone.”

“Lovely stand, very helpful to point out that my disabled nan could use it. Great ringside view and a nice snack provided.  Thank you!”

“It’s a great tent to have as normally with my disability I find it hard to see and get a good spot to watch the arenas.  Fantastic service”

“I was  very pleased with the size of the stand, it was very spacious, it had a good viewing area ensuring you were able to see the shows. The staff/helpers were very helpful, nothing was too much trouble, they were cheerful and always had a smile.”

“Very nice to be able to sit in my wheelchair out of the wind. Away from the crowds, be able to see the show jumping etc.  bonus having a drink given to me as well. People were very nice”

“The stand was fantastic”

The nationally focussed charity, which also has offices across North Devon and in Cardiff and Warrington, has been able to complete this move through the sale of its original home on Topsham Road and this has provided the opportunity to invest in more modern, city centre offices.

Christopher Knee, CEO of the St Loye’s Foundation said: “We look forward to delivering  the next phase of our work from our own premises and to opening up  a convenient and welcoming drop-in centre for past, current and future friends.”

Rachel said: “The whole thing was fantastic. After taking in all that had been said to me, I actually got the first job I applied for.  I was determined to be on the ‘Yes’ pile rather than the ‘No’ or ‘Maybe’ pile (something my Tutor impressed upon me to the degree that it was a real driver for me to succeed) and in week four of the course I became the first person to get an offer of work before finishing the course, thanks I have to say, to the motivational support I received from the team at St Loye’s.

“A real highlight of the experience for me was meeting with people who felt like me and were in the same situation as an unemployed single parent.

“Whilst on the course I woke up every morning knowing I was getting up for a life changing time in my life.  It was a great experience and my Tutor helped me find the person I used to be. She gave me confidence and the positive attitude and motivation when delivering the training was fantastic.

“I had also been more than a little worried about not being IT minded.  Being sat at a computer, shown how to use it, encouraged to look at and use job websites, knowing there was always support from a motivational team of Tutors/Advisors was good for me.  I now use the internet and computer in my job on a regular basis.”

When Rachel thought about going back to work, her thoughts turned back to insurance, the only career she’s known, but having been encouraged to look at all opportunities, her St Loye’s group went into Exeter City centre to ‘knock doors’.

“I picked up an application form for Lloyds Pharmacy.  I received help in completing the form, submitted it and, despite lots of motivational support, was genuinely surprised when I was invited for my first interview.  I felt nervous and unsure so after more handholding and tutoring on interview techniques and questions, I attended the interview with more positivity than I thought I had at this stage!  What an outcome – I got the job!

“I started with Lloyds Pharmacy as a Sales Assistant but within three months had moved on to Healthcare Assistant and for the last five months have been covering maternity leave of my Supervisor so am now Acting Supervisor/Dispensing Assistant.

“I was again nervous about taking the Supervisor role but remembered what had been said to me whilst at St Loye’s – “grab the experience, give it ago and who knows!”

“I have now learnt so much about running pharmacy.  I have been supervising staff, dealing with holiday and sickness records and procedures, training staff in day to day duties and also on how to provide blood pressure and diabetes service offered by Lloyds.  On policies and procedures I have had to deal with Health and Safety Audits – preparing and submitting reports.  On the money side of things banking and cashing up has been added to my skills set and I am benefiting hugely by studying on my Dispensing NVQ Level 2 course.

“In addition to all of this, I have covered for staffing shortages at our Teignmouth and Tiverton Hospital Chemists.

“I am very proud of what I have achieved particularly as with Dyslexia, I have had to learn Latin names of drugs and medicines and this has been, and remains, challenging. It’s now nearly two years since I joined Lloyds and my weekly hours have now increased to 24. My Tutor was a lovely lady who made everyone feel welcome and the way she trained you to believe you will create the perfect CV and that if you keep at it you WILL get a job made me believe in myself again. I am very grateful to her and the rest of the team and although I haven’t needed post-training support, I’m really pleased to know that there is an ongoing interest in how I am doing – I will always be grateful.”

Fit again, the 41 year-old needed to look for work and he relocated to Exeter from his Totnes home town and made his way to Exeter Job Centre Plus to sign on.

Phillip said: “My JCP Advisor felt I needed support in getting back into work and thought I would benefit from attending a two day ‘Finding & Getting a Job’ course as part of the JCP Support Programme. The training provider they referred me to was St Loye’s.

“It was an excellent experience. On arrival I had no real idea of what the course involved other than that writing a CV would be part of the training.  The welcome was warm and friendly, and the course overview gave me much more information on what would be covered.  “Initially I wondered if the course is what I needed but with positive encouragement, motivation and support I realised that in order to compete in today’s job market, I needed exactly what was on offer.

“Attending the course made me realise the importance of getting a good CV and how to make best use of it. Creating it helped me recognise that I had good skills which in turn boosted my confidence. I also felt more motivated and focused about searching for work.

“A lot was covered in the two days of the course but I was pleased to know that there was a door still open to me at St Loye’s where I could get ongoing additional help from this friendly, supportive team of advisors and tutors in putting what I had learnt into action.

“Getting a CV was now achieving results for me, and working alongside others who ‘were in the same boat’ as me was important as it is easy to feel you are on your own when you are out of work.

“In addition, the one-to-one ongoing support and motivation helps you get back into work and it’s good to know that I always have somewhere I can go if I need any further help in the future.

“I was encouraged to look at all opportunities not just ‘the ideal’ and started to be more ‘open’ about my job search.”

Phillip made a lot of job applications and his realistic attitude to getting back into work saw him take a temporary seasonal job at Iceland packing customers purchases ready for delivery over the Christmas period. Soon after this came to an end, he was invited back to work at Iceland with increased part time hours and subsequently took on further hours as a cleaning operative.

Phillip continued: “Gradually my hours and job content increased.  It is now six months since I joined Iceland and there is talk of training on the tills to help out on the shop floor, going out on deliveries as a driver and also at some time in the future to be considered for managing or supervising the cleaning team. I am looking to stay with them for some time to come.

“I would always highly recommend St Loye’s as a great training provider for anyone who is serious about getting back into work!”

Dates available throughout the year as well as the above event.

Jump for us and help improve the lives of people facing serious life challenges!

You’ll be in safe hands with Skydive UK Ltd as you jump in tandem with their highly experienced instructors who between them have completed over 30,000 jumps!

Their tandem jumps are from 15,000 ft, exiting out of the fastest and most comfy jump plane in the country. After the exhilarating 10,000 ft freefall, you’ll enjoy a relaxed parachute ride over the beautiful landscape of South West England - click here to take a look at the amazing video now! 

By fundraising for St Loye’s, you’ll be helping to make a real difference to the lives of people who face ongoing life challenges. Individuals like Tom, who at the age of just 22 had his immediate future taken out of his hands when he suffered a stroke. With our help, Tom is now back at work and enjoying life to the full again.

If you’re part of a business, why not use this as a staff team away day?

Jump for FREE!

If you raise a minimum of £395, we’ll pay for your jump so you’ll skydive for free! This leaves a balance of at least £145 to help improve people’s lives.

We give you full support to maximise your sponsorship and you can choose where your money goes:

1. ‘Transitions’ – helping service leavers and veterans to secure lasting employment, or

2. ‘Positive Opportunities’ – enabling people with autism in Devon to access training, volunteering & employment, or

3. ‘The General Fund’ – your funds can be used for any purpose to help improve people’s lives.

To set up an online sponsorship page, please click here or to raise money the traditional way, please email us at fundraising@stloyes.ac.uk or call 01392 255428 for sponsor forms.

Go for it!

Make this a year to remember by doing something amazing while helping people to overcome their challenges. Click here for full details.

How to Book

We suggest that you get your sponsorship requests underway and only book when you are confident that you’ll reach your minimum target of £395.  When you are ready, you can then book online by clicking here

If you have any questions or concerns, we’re here to help.

Thanks in advance for your support!

Phil & the Fundraising Team

We hold our Meet St Loye’s events at Brittany House between the hours of 10am and 4pm.

Once you’ve contacted us to advise us that you’d like to attend, you will be sent a 45 minute appointment slot between these hours.

You will be able to come in and meet our staff in a relaxed atmosphere and  a tour of our residential premises at Hope Court if you are considering  staying on a residential basis.

This informal event offers you an ideal opportunity to visit us, meet the staff, trainees and Disability Employment Adviser, as well as chat about:

Our flexible range of Training Programmes
Support Services
Personal Development
Employment Opportunities

Dates for 2013:

Wednesday 9th January                       Wednesday 11th July

Wednesday 13th February                    Wednesday 8th August

Wednesday 13th March                         Wednesday 12th September

Wednesday 17th April                            Wednesday 10th October

Wednesday 15th May                             Wednesday 14th November

Wednesday 12th June                            Wednesday 12th December

Please note, due to the popularity of the courses we offer, demand is very strong. Government funding for these courses is limited.  It is therefore advisable to check with us first as to the availability of places on courses so as to avoid disappointment… Thank you. 

We look forward to seeing you!

If you are unable to attend any of the above dates, or do not feel this event is best suited to you, there are a number of other options available for you to speak to staff prior to training with us. For more information please call us on 01392 255428.

Unfortunately, St Loye’s Foundation is unable to cover the cost of travel to the Meet St Loye’s event.

Directions to Brittany House

The winning ticket was drawn out by the Deputy Lord Mayor of Exeter, Cllr Percy Prowse in front of an enthusiastic crowd of on-lookers in Princesshay Square at 11am on Monday 17th December. Phil Roberts, our Fundraising Co-Ordinator then called her to give her the good news – and Abbey didn’t believe him at first as she thought it was a friend making a prank call!  Once Phil convinced her it was genuine, she said “To be told that I am the winner is the best Christmas present ever – I can’t wait to go for my first drive in it!”.

The raffle for the car, which was donated to St Loye’s by Exeter’s Truscotts Peugeot dealership has raised over £10,000 for our Positive Opportunities service which helps people with Autism in Exeter and East Devon to access training, volunteering opportunities and employment. Sam Patterson from Truscotts said: “It has been great to be able to support St Loye’sto do its very worthwhile work.” and Wayne Pearce, Princesshay Centre Director, said: “Princesshay have been pleased to support this car raffle to enable St Loye’s to raise a lot of money to continue to make a difference to so many lives.”

Phil sums it up perfectly: “It has been a hugely successful raffle and we are very grateful to all the people who have supported us. We are pleased with the money raised for Positive Opportunities - I and our team of St Loye’s volunteers have enjoyed meeting shoppers whilst we have been in Princesshay over the last 3 months. Thanks again to everyone for making it such a success!”

Photos with our lucky winner coming soon!

We hold our Meet St Loye’s Open Days at Brittany House between the hours of 10am and 4pm.

Once you’ve contacted us to advise us that you’d like to attend, you will be sent a 45 minute appointment slot between these hours.

You will be able to come in and meet our staff in a relaxed atmosphere and  a tour of our residential premises at Hope Court if you are considering  staying on a residential basis.

This informal event offers you an ideal opportunity to visit us, meet the staff, trainees and Disability Employment Adviser, as well as chat about:

 Our flexible range of Training Programmes
 Support Services
 Personal Development
 Employment Opportunities

Dates for 2013:

Wednesday 9th January                       Wednesday 11th July

Wednesday 13th February                    Wednesday 8th August

Wednesday 13th March                         Wednesday 12th September

Wednesday 17th April                            Wednesday 10th October

Wednesday 15th May                             Wednesday 14th November

Wednesday 12th June                            Wednesday 12th December

Please note, due to the popularity of the courses we offer, demand has been very strong. Government funding for these courses is limited.  It is therefore advisable to check with us first as to the availability of places on courses so as to avoid disappointment… Thank you.

We look forward to seeing you!

If you are unable to attend any of the above dates or do not feel this event is best suited for you, there are a number of other options available to speak to staff prior to training with us. For more information please call us on 01392 255428.

Unfortunately, St Loye’s Foundation is unable to cover the cost of travel to the ‘Meet St Loye’s’ event.

Directions to Brittany House