Charities

In 2025, Topsham business HCT Turf launched its ‘Turf it Forward’ campaign, offering up to 150 square metres of locally grown turf to a deserving community space. Hospiscare ’s Searle House in Exeter was selected as the winner, with plans to refresh the hospice garden and the lawn at the main entrance.

The team had hoped to lay the turf in November, but Storm Claudia brought heavy rain and high winds across the South West, making the work impossible. Soon after, major building works at Searle House meant the site was inaccessible, forcing the project to be put on hold.

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To mark National Puppy Day (23rd March), the annual celebration of the unconditional love and joy that puppies bring into our lives, Guide Dogs is sharing puppy love and searching for more volunteers across South and Mid Devon.

Unlike pet puppies, guide dog pups are brought up to be given the skills and experience they need to succeed as life-changing guide dogs, supporting people with sight loss.

This includes building their confidence in different environments and getting them used to new sights, sounds and smells.

Puppies live at home with their puppy raisers...

Lorna Collingwood-Burke joins Step One at a time when more people than ever are relying on community-based mental health support, and when closer collaboration between health and social care services across Devon has never been more important.

Lorna brings more than 40 years of experience across public service, private enterprise, and consultancy. Trained as a nurse and midwife in the UK and later worked in Canada, she went on to build a distinguished leadership career in Devon. Prior to retiring in 2019, she served as Chief Nursing Officer and Interim Deputy Chief Executive for...

While the initial response to a catastrophe is often defined by the flashing lights of emergency vehicles, the true work of restoration begins long after the sirens fall silent. Once immediate danger passes, communities face a complex web of needs that government agencies are rarely equipped to manage alone. This is the moment when the specialized, boots-on-the-ground power of the charitable sector becomes a lifeline.

Nonprofits serve as the persistent engine of recovery, shifting the focus from surviving a moment to rebuilding a life. These organizations bridge the gap between...