Sidmouth trailer appeal’s quadruple success

An appeal for a trailer to help a Sidmouth man’s charitable work had a better response than he ever imagined.

Mike Rock is one of four volunteers who recycle waste paper so charity Dream-A-Way can be rewarded – and now they each have towing space.

He was working at capacity collecting half a tonne of paper every week, and now he has tripled that amount and the size of the charity’s reward from Devon County Council.

“It’s unbelievable, and it was all in response to the article in the Herald,” said Mike.

“We were inundated with calls – we even had to turn some away because they weren’t suitable.

“You can see the difference it’s made.”

His car was fitted with a tow bar for free by Hamilton Garage in Sidford before he asked if any residents had an unwanted trailer.

Four people handed theirs over, with the other three going to Mike’s Exeter colleagues and Dream-A-Way chairman Jeff Merrett.

Mike now wants to reach out to even more businesses and schools in Sidmouth, and said there is plenty of demand.

The volunteer added that it was a ‘win-win’ arrangement as businesses cut costs of having their waste paper removed and the cause gets an even bigger reward.

“Every paper collected makes a difference – most people in the South West know at least one person who is disabled,” he said.

The charity celebrated its 20th anniversary with a party in Exeter on Tuesday.