Family Compass

16/02/2026

📢 Volunteer Treasurer Opportunity

Are you a finance professional looking to use your skills for meaningful impact - or gain valuable board-level experience?

Family Compass, a children’s mental health charity, is seeking a volunteer Treasurer (Trustee).

🕒 4–6 hours per month

📍 Quarterly in-person board meetings in Barnstaple, North Devon, otherwise potentially remote

💼 Board-level governance role

❤️ Direct impact on children and families

This role would suit a retired finance professional looking to give back, or someone developing their finance career who wants trustee experience within a regulated charity.

You’ll oversee financial governance, support budgeting and strategic planning, and help safeguard the sustainability of our services.

If you’re interested in strengthening children’s mental health provision in our community, we’d love to hear from you.

For more info and to download a role spec, go to https://www.familycompass.co.uk/

or email keda.johnstone@familycompass.co.uk

15/02/2026

We urge EVERYONE with experience of adoption support to add your voice to this much overdue consultation ⏬⏬⏬

📣Adoption UK welcomes the publication today of a government consultation on the future of adoption support, after many months of campaigning for this, alongside adoptees, families and sector partners.

🗣️The consultation is open for 12 weeks, and we urge all those eligible to respond to do so here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/adoption-support-that-works-for-all

Adoption UK will be sharing further thoughts on the outline proposals and opportunities to feed into our response in due course.

👉Please see our initial response here: https://ow.ly/OXYz50Ycoqz

13/02/2026

A MASSIVE thank you to the fabulous Lucille for stepping up to run the TCS London Marathon for us after our lovely runner Caroline was sadly injured 💛🏃‍♀️

We had so many incredible people apply (thank you to every single one of you!), but to keep it fair we pulled a name out of a hat - and Lucille was our lucky pick! We just know she’s going to be amazing.

Lucille says:
"I'm so excited (and a little nervous!) to be running the London Marathon for Family Compass – my very first marathon! I'm incredibly grateful for the opportunity to support such an amazing charity and can't wait to take on this challenge."

Meanwhile, Caroline is still very much part of the team and continuing to support our fundraising efforts 🙌 We truly have a dream team, and we know they’ll do us proud.

Let’s get behind Lucille as she takes on her first ever marathon! 💜

12/02/2026

Just...wow!

Look what the wonderful Annie Williams has donated to Family Compass...an abundance of multi-coloured twine and wool which the children we support will LOVE to get creative with in their sessions 🧶🧵

Thank you so much for thinking of us Annie!

11/02/2026

Don't be scared this Friday 13th 👻!

Join us for a fantastic Charity Quiz Night at The Quay Café, Braunton – and help raise vital funds for Family Compass.

🕡 Doors open at 6.30pm
🎟️ Tickets just £5
🎁 Plus a raffle with great prizes!

The evening is organised by the fabulous Caroline McPherson. Although she’s sadly had to pull out of running the London Marathon due to injury, she’s still fundraising like the absolute star she is ⭐ (and we have another brilliant runner stepping in!).

So come on in out of the rain, test your knowledge, bring your friends, and enjoy what promises to be a great night for an even greater cause.

📲 Scan the QR code on the poster to book
📧 Or email: caroline.mcpherson@gmail.com

Let’s make this Friday 13th lucky for Family Compass! 🍀

09/02/2026

This week is Children’s Mental Health Week, and this year’s theme is “This is my place.”

It feels like the perfect moment to pause and reflect on why place has always mattered so much to us at Family Compass.

When we first set up Family Compass, we had a really clear vision. We dreamed of being based in a space that felt wonderful, warm and genuinely welcoming - somewhere children and families could feel at home. A place that was easy to get to, where walking through the door didn’t feel intimidating, and where support felt human, kind and easy to accept.

When Family Compass was still just a seed of an idea, we visited an incredible charity called The Parent House in Islington. It was very different to what Family Compass would become, but at its heart was something we never forgot: a beautiful space and an inspiring team who helped people feel safe, seen and supported. That visit stayed with us.

It took many years, a lot of patience, and more than a few twists and turns… but we finally found our home at the Old Town Station, somewhere you will always be greeted with a friendly face and a warm welcome.

Today, we’re celebrating the power of places - and the people that make them so special 💛

09/02/2026

📣 UPDATE: we've selected our runner for the TCS London Marathon ! What an incredible bunch of people to choose from, it was so difficult that in the end we had to pick one out of a hat! Watch this space for more info...

Well… this isn’t the post we planned to write - but here we are.

Our London Marathon charity runner has had to step down due to injury 😔
She is still supporting the cause with a charity quiz (true champion behaviour 👏), but we now URGENTLY need someone else to take on the marathon itself and raise the rest (or as much as they can!)

If you:
🏃‍♂️ Are already doing a bit of running
🏅 Have dreamed of doing the London Marathon
❤️ Want to support a brilliant cause
💪 Are an absolute true and total legend of awesomeness who couldn't stand by and let an opportunity like this pass you by

…this could be your moment.

We have less than 3 months to go, so please share widely, tag runners, and shout if you or someone you know might be up for it. Let’s make sure this place doesn’t go to waste.

06/02/2026

On behalf of the whole Family Compass Team, and the children, young people and families we support, we want to say a huge thank you to the following North Devon Council councillors for choosing to support us through your Community Councillor Grant:

Graham Bell
Caroline Leaver
Frank Biederman
Ricky Knight
Jo Orange
Liz Spear
Helen Walker
Louisa York

Your contribution to our running costs makes a real, tangible difference. It helps us keep the lights on, the building warm (no mean feat in an old train station during winter!), and ensures we have the session resources our children need to feel safe, supported and able to thrive.

These behind-the-scenes costs are often the hardest to fund, as many grants quite rightly focus on direct support for children. But without warm, welcoming spaces and the basics in place, that support simply couldn’t happen.

We are incredibly grateful for your belief in what we do and for helping us continue to be there for the families who need us most. Thank you 🙏

04/02/2026

The BBC Radical podcast recently featured Louise Allen, a foster carer sharing powerful reflections on care, connection, and what children in foster care really need to thrive.

Most children in care are fostered, but there is a shortage of 6,000 foster carers nationally. Why is that?

As an organisation that works closely with children in foster care and the carers who support them, this one really stayed with us.

We’d love to know - have you listened? What resonated with you? What conversations did it spark for you as a care-experienced child or young person, foster carer, professional, or ally?

Link in the comments ...

27/01/2026

Calling all Ilfracombe friends and supporters!

If you shop at Tesco Ilfracombe, please take a moment to vote for Family Compass in the Tesco Stronger Starts community vote.

Every day, we support local children and families, helping children and young people grow in confidence, manage their big feelings, and find their sparkle. Your vote means more hope, more smiles, and stronger families right here in Ilfracombe.

Thank you for helping us to help our community 🙏

16/01/2026

We would like to say a HUGE thank you to Sam, Stu and their customers at The feel good Larder in Barnstaple...

Thanks to their amazing donations, we now have an incredible array of art kit, sensory equipment, books and crafty stuff... all of which will be used by the children we support during their therapy sessions. It's always a struggle for us to fund resources like this, but they make such a difference, enriching activities and encouraging creativity.

If you fancy a coffee, a tasty wholesome salad or a yummy gluten free cake you will not find a more welcoming place 💛

We love our community!

15/01/2026

Someone amazing recently recommended the podcast Strangers on a Bench to us - and it’s such a beautiful reminder that while we’re all different, there is humanity and goodness in every single one of us. And EVERYONE is interesting...especially the people who don't think they are!

Have you listened? What did you think?

https://www.youtube.com/

A new podcast where singer-songwriter Tom Rosenthal talks to strangers on park benches.