RGB Building Supplies has selected Exeter’s Ladysmith Junior School, Sidmouth Amateur Radio Society and Umberleigh-based UK Wild Otter Trust as its first Well Built Community Fund finalists for 2020. It’s now down to a public vote to see which group is chosen to receive £1,000 to spend at an RGB branch.

Ladysmith Junior School has been gifted a Plymouth City Bus, which it would like to turn into a ‘Reading Bus’ for smaller groups to enjoy lessons outside of the traditional classroom setting, as well as an area where pupils can read during breaks. The school’s site manager will be taking on the majority of the work and would use the donation to purchase the tools and materials needed to complete the renovation.

Sidmouth Amateur Radio Society has recently started renting a former football social club from East Devon District Council, which is in need of refurbishment. If voted as the Community Fund winner, the society will use the £1,000 donation towards the building renovations, as well as constructing further rooms and installing indoor bathroom facilities. Once the building is complete, the society is hoping to extend its use into a venue which can be used by the wider community.

UK Wild Otter Trust is one of only five centres in the UK that is able to help injured and orphaned otter cubs back into the wild. It is hoping to build a rehabilitation centre so it can increase the number of otter cubs it can care for to 12. If voted as the Community Fund winner, the charity will use the £1,000 towards creating a compound of five ponds of differing sizes.

Kevin Fenlon, CEO of RGB Building Supplies, commented:

“Our Well Built Community Fund continues to prove extremely popular and once again we were inundated with nominations from schools, community groups, projects and charities from the region. Congratulations to Ladysmith Junior School, Sidmouth Amateur Radio Society and UK Wild Otter Trust for being chosen as finalists. We’re now encouraging people across Devon to vote.”

Votes can be cast by visiting RGB’s Exeter, Exmouth or South Molton branches during opening hours and placing a chip in the relevant box, by voting in the poll that will be at the top of RGB’s Facebook page, or by emailing [email protected] and putting the name of the group being voted for in the subject line.

The vote will take place between Monday 20th January and 8am on Monday 3rd February. Votes cast outside these dates will not be counted. Only one vote per person via one method of voting will be counted.

The winner of the £1,000 to spend will be the group that receives the most votes.

Terms and conditions can be viewed by visiting RGB’s website – www.rgbltd.co.uk.