Okehampton community interest group, Community Links, held a special coffee morning last week (November 3) in aid of cancer charity, Macmillan Cancer Support.

Community Links, which offers a wide range of support to struggling individuals and families in the area, encouraged people to attend its usual Thursday morning coffee group to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support which provides specialist health care, information and mental support to those impacted by cancer.

As yet, the interest group has not calculated the final figure raised, but dozens of people attended the event to enjoy a slice of cake and a cup of coffee or tea in the company of friends.

The Community Links coffee morning is run by Vicky Hopkins and is held at Refresh Cafe every Thursday from 10am-12pm.

It was set up with the aim of reducing loneliness in the Okehampton area by providing a space for people to come and socialise with others.

As part of its work, Community Links recently celebrated Befriending Week, a national event which encourages people to make new friends, as the community group has started to see a rise in the number of people in the area suffering with loneliness.

The group runs a befriending service which is currently used by 31 people in the area with a further 13 on the waiting list.

At the moment, the group is calling out for more volunteers in order to ensure that every lonely person can be ‘befriended’ by a volunteer. There are currently 15 people volunteering.