Persimmon Homes South West behind the Inglewood development in Paignton has handed a £1,000 donation to YMCA South Devon.

Persimmon Homes South West presented the cheque on-site to the charity, which has been active in the area for over a century, alongside local Torbay councillor, Cllr Alan Tyerman.

YMCA South Devon are a not-for-profit organisation that works autonomously from other YMCAs, serving young people, their families, and the communities of Torbay and the South Hams for over a century. Its current base in Paignton was opened in 1969 by the Queen Mother.

It runs an Alternative Provision for children and young people struggling in mainstream school, offering social and emotional support to enable them to access education again, as well as a Nightstop project, providing safe places to sleep for young people in times of need.

It is also a registered Nursery, with lots of additional services including use of its outside woodland area, gardens, basketball court, library, indoor sports hall, and trips to the beach. It also hosts toddler and youth groups.

Persimmon’s Community Champions scheme sees £700,000 spent on good causes and much-valued organisations across Britain each year. Recent local recipients include Paignton Cricket Club, South West Blood Bikes, National Coast Watch Torbay, the English Riveria Airshow, and Galmpton Whist Club.

Inglewood currently has three and four-bed homes for sale from £299,995, which has recently released properties for its latest phase.

Persimmon’s sister company, Charles Church, also has an outlet on-site, The Orchards, consisting of 23 four-bed and four five-bed properties, available from £414,995. There will be a total of 373 homes once complete.

Marking the donation, Persimmon Homes South West Sales Director Stacey Harris said:

“Persimmon’s central mission is to leave a positive and lasting legacy wherever we build. We do this not just through the delivering the much-needed homes local people need, but through supporting much-valued organisations in those areas too.

“With us delivering nearly 400 high-quality properties in Paignton, we are very happy to support a century-old institution in YMCA South Devon. We hope this donation helps them in their valuable work in the area.”

John Currie, Community Development & Fundraising Lead for YMCA South Devon, added:

“Here at YMCA South Devon, we are incredibly grateful to Persimmon Homes for their generous donation, which has enabled us to make important improvements at our new premises.

“The funding has been used to install new fencing, creating safe and secure individual outdoor spaces for both our nursery and youth provisions.

“We have also been able to install a new entrance gate to the nursery, helping to ensure the area is secure and welcoming for the children and families who access our services.

“These improvements will make a lasting difference to the safety and development of the young people that we support in our community.”

Cllr Alan Tyerman, Torbay Councillor for Churston with Galmpton and Cabinet Member for Housing & Finance, commented:

“Councillors across the country are always keen to see developers go above and beyond to help local charities and organisations are part of their presence in our communities, so I am very happy to see Persimmon doing this in Paignton through this donation to YMCA South Devon.”