A minister from Withycombe, who has lived among poor Sioux native Americans, has raised more than �500 to highlight their plight after a shift in an Exmouth coffee shop.

Father Stephen Hoyle, 47, of St John in the Wilderness Church, lived amongst the Oglala Lakota (Sioux) Nation during the summer, the second poorest nation in the Northern Hemisphere.

He saw their plight and, to help them lift themselves out of poverty, they want to build a coffee shop called Black Medicine. The shop on the reservation would sell beverages to commuters passing through on their way to and from work.

So Father Hoyle took part in a ‘barista’ shift at Mangoes Coffee shop in The Strand alongside owner Simon Waite to raise money.

Fr Hoyle said: “I’ve wanted to visit them ever since I was nine. I wanted to do something to help.”

Mr Waite said: “It was very successful and was a very busy day. We would be willing to this again in the future.”