Next Steps Together

11/04/2026

🎉We have more brilliant news to share!

After yesterday’s announcement of our Livewell Foundation major grant award, we’re thrilled to share that Next Steps Together (NeST) has been Highly Commended at the South Hams Community Awards.

Since taking on the running of Tumbly Hill last year, we’ve been working hard to transform this much-loved space into a community wellbeing hub for Kingsbridge - protecting a place that has supported local people for many years, while beginning to build something inclusive and sustainable for the future.

To have that work recognised in this way, by our local community, really means the world to us.

This award reflects the dedication of our team, volunteers, partners and the wider community who have supported Tumbly Hill along the way - we’re proud to be building this together.

Congratulations to all of this year’s winners and nominees - there are so many individuals and organisations doing hugely important, often unseen work across South Hams, and it’s a privilege to be part of that wider community.

Thank you to everyone who has supported us so far - whether you’ve attended a session, volunteered your time, shared our work, contributed financially to help us offer free and low-cost activities (including pay-it-forward options), or simply encouraged us along the way.

There are even more activities and services being developed over the coming months - we’re only just getting started!

You can find out more about what’s happening at Tumbly Hill, and sign up to stay connected, via our website:
https://nextstepstogether.org

10/04/2026

🎉 We have some brilliant news to share!

We’re thrilled to announce that Next Steps Together (NeST) has been awarded a major grant from the Livewell Foundation

This funding will help us deliver our Growing Together programme at Tumbly Hill, bringing children, carers and older people together through shared activities such as reading, movement, food and gardening. It will enable us to support more people to connect, build healthier routines and take part in meaningful activities.

Our sessions are inclusive and adaptable, with a strong focus on supporting neurodivergent children and adults, people living with dementia, and others who may find it difficult to access group support.

One person attending our sessions recently told us:

“It’s made such a difference having somewhere we can come together - I don’t feel so on my own anymore.”

Thank you so much to The Livewell Foundation for believing in what we do. We’re proud to be one of ten organisations receiving funding to do vital work across Plymouth and South West Devon.

10/04/2026

We are absolutely thrilled to be included in this year's Livewell Foundation major grant awards.

Congratulations to all the other organisations whose amazing projects are also being supported!

Today, we are proud to announce that the Livewell Foundation is awarding over £84,000 to ten extraordinary organisations delivering community health and wellbeing projects across Plymouth and South West Devon — together reaching more than 1,700 people. Funding has been awarded to:

- It Takes A Village Plymouth CIC
- Stormbreak CIO
- Wellbeing Workshops
- Devon and Cornwall Refugee Support
- The Elder Tree
- Headway Plymouth
- Firestone Plymouth
- Plymouth Music Zone
- Soul Singers CIC
- Next Steps Together

This year, we received a record number of applications to our major grants programme. Every application represented an organisation doing vital work in their community.

We want to thank every organisation that applied. The ambition, care and depth of understanding each one brought to their application reflects the incredible strength of our local charitable sector.

Further funding is available throughout the year via our small grants of up to £1,000. More information is available on our website.

Livewell Southwest

Read more: https://www.livewellfoundation.org.uk/major_funding_announced_.aspx

08/04/2026

Here is this month's 'What's On at Tumbly Hill'

It's been on our website available to download since the beginning of April, but I've only just got round to posting it here!

This month's highlighted activities include:

- Our new twice-monthly Dementia Carer's Support Group

- A Dementia Awareness training session, and

- Phoenix Rising's New Beginnings course for women who have experienced domestic abuse

03/04/2026

Save the date! 😀 Join us on Saturday 6th June for our first Volunteering Together Day at Tumbly Hill.

Volunteering offers the chance to learn new skills, share experience, and be part of something that feels worthwhile and makes a difference. It can build confidence, spark new interests, and bring people into contact with others they might not otherwise meet.

This event on Saturday 6th June brings together voluntary groups, charities and community organisations, alongside people who may be thinking about volunteering, but don't quite know what they would like to do, or how to go about finding the right organisation to join.

For organisations, this is an opportunity to network, share ideas, and explore how working more closely together can strengthen the support available.

For the community, it is a chance to see what opportunities are available, ask questions, and find something that feels like a good fit.

11/02/2026

🧠 Did you know there are many different types of Dementia?

Alzheimer’s disease, Vascular dementia, Frontotemporal Dementia and Dementia with Lewy bodies are four of the most common forms of dementia, and they can all affect people differently.

➡️ This is a guide from the Alzheimer's Society to a few of the most common symptoms for each illness.

Dementia looks different for everyone, so a person’s symptoms may not look exactly as they are described here.

💙 However by knowing the signs, we can make sure that we don’t brush off or ignore some of these lesser-known symptoms, to help everyone with dementia get a crucial early diagnosis.

🔗 https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/
☎️ Dementia Support Line 0333 150 3456

04/02/2026

New article alert! We’ve had an article published about ‘Loneliness and social isolation: what role can Meeting Centres for people affected by dementia in the United Kingdom play?’ by Working with Older People. Find out more at https://doi.org/10.1108/WWOP-10-2025-0051

04/01/2026

📻Six channels, playing non-stop music, by decade.

💃 Whether you're into the swinging sixties, the smooth sounds of the 40s or like to twist and shout to 80s classics, there's something for everyone.

If you, or someone you know, lives with dementia, m4dRADIO could help make those difficult moments just that little bit easier.

Visit www.m4dradio.com and listen on your phone, tablet or even ask Alexa to play 'm4d radio'.

28/12/2025

This week we talked a lot about eating and drinking in dementia.
Not just what people eat. But also how eating feels when the brain is working differently.

Some of the key themes we covered:
• Eating is cognitively exhausting, not just physical
• Appetite changes aren’t always refusal, often they’re fatigue
• Routine matters, but rigidity can cause harm
• Timing, pace, and environment affect intake more than we realise
• Cutlery and tools can make eating harder or easier
• “Feeding” isn’t the right word — dignity and choice matter
• Clean plates don’t equal good care
• Flexibility doesn’t mean ignoring health conditions like diabetes
• Presentation, colour, and texture can support eating without compromising nutrition

One of the most important points this week was that, we are not always trying to increase intake.
Often, we’re trying to reduce distress. When eating becomes calmer, kinder, and less pressured, people often eat better anyway.

Thank you to everyone who shared experiences, asked thoughtful questions, and challenged the conversation respectfully. These discussions matter— because eating is one of the most emotional parts of dementia care.
Next week, we’ll move into a new topic but this one stays with us.
Because food isn’t just fuel.
It’s comfort, identity, and connection.

20/12/2025

We had such a lovely day yesterday - our first Christmas celebration at Tumbly Hill 🎄🎉❤️ Thank you to everyone who helped make it happen 💕