Dartmouth Caring
-more important than ever as it approaches 30 years of support to our community
Celebrating its 30th birthday in July 2018, Dartmouth Caring has come to play a critical role in how this community supports those in need, our elderly and vulnerable local people, to live happy and vibrant lives as well as connecting those who are isolated, and in improving health and well- being across our community. The charity’s aims are fixed
around working voluntarily in the local area, mainly working within the health and welfare sector, social services and the education sector. Additionally they offer a range of support activities to assist those that may be struggling financially. Whilst based in Dartmouth assisting those that live in the town, they also provide support across the surrounding villages of Stoke Fleming, Strete, Blackawton, Kingswear and Dittisham. Manager and coordinator of the charity is Nick Hindmarsh who joined in 2016 having previously been the Principal of the Dartmouth Academy. Nick reports to a board of Trustees, chaired by Dee Nutt and currently including Iris Pritchard, David Flowerday, Charles Sutherland and Linda Hirst. Nick is supported by a team of 9 part and full time staff – Kate Cooke
(transport and administration), Karen Blake (Office administrator), Sally Edwards (Finance), support workers; Katherine Allen, Natasha Branton, Sarah Farnsworth (coordinator of the Memory Café), Celia Stevens, Kay Pratley, and Buffy Mattheson counsellor and coordinator of Young Dartmouth. Finally Andie Day who is the new Palliative Care and Cancer Liaison Nurse. Over its first 20 years, Dartmouth
Caring thrived and grew primarily as a volunteer organisation focused on transporting its clients to medical
The remit of the charity is simple - to help people lead an independent life by providing access to a wide range of community services.
appointments, organising a weekly lunch club and fund raising events. For the past 10 years, the charity has seen a significant widening of its remit whilst it has worked in tandem with stretched statutory services across the area. This has meant it has taken on an increasingly busy and trained staff to help those in need. Much of this work has been conducted in private and thus unseen. In October 2017, Dartmouth
Caring was among the first to be presented with a new South Hams quality mark for the work the charity is doing to support the health and wellbeing of the community. The remit of the charity is simple -
to help people lead an independent life by providing access to a wide range of community services. The list of these is long but it includes: • Lunch clubs • Transport to medical appointments
• Visiting support workers • Close liaison with the medical and social services supporting Dartmouth
• Memory Cafés • Advice and support for carers • Shopping • Befriending • Benefit and housing advice • Advocacy
The charity now has 1,700 clients on its books, 400 of which live in local villages. The demographic is not exclusively elderly. Increasingly, a large number are now less than 60, those seeking advice with their housing needs or help with benefits. A number of staff have been trained as DWP advisers (Department of Work & Pensions) to give advice on pension credits, attendance allowances for the elderly,
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148
