Who we are
We are a steering group based in Kingsbridge, a small market town in the South Hams district of South Devon. Our members include representatives from local grassroots and social enterprise organisations already serving South Hams residents: Next Steps Together, Livewell Southwest, and South Hams Community Action.
What we're doing
We are campaigning to convert a former Devon County Council Day Centre facility into a Community Health and Wellbeing Hub for people of all ages, incorporating a dedicated Dementia Meeting Centre.
Tumbly Hill Day Centre was formerly a council-run facility that cared for adults with learning disabilities and older people with dementia. Since the pandemic, these services have declined, and the centre is now closed. However, the need for this kind of support in our local community has increased, as have the levels of social isolation and loneliness in this rural part of Devon.
We hope to reignite these services for Kingsbridge and its surrounding communities and create a thriving centre for social activities and wellbeing services for all age groups.
Tumbly Hill offers two large workshop spaces, two kitchens, five meeting rooms and a beautiful garden, all of which will be lost and converted into flats if we cannot raise the funds to secure the lease in time.
What's our vision
Dementia Support at Tumbly Hill
Our community urgently needs more practical, emotional, and social support for people living with mild to moderate dementia and for family members who are the primary carers at home. Many of these families live in rural communities, feel socially isolated and have little access to support services.
To meet this critical need for dementia and carer support, our new Meeting Centre at Tumbly Hill will operate three days a week, providing services such as:
- A weekly drop-in memory café
- Cognitive stimulation therapies
- Individual counselling
- Complementary therapies
- Support groups focused on supporting families living with dementia in and around Kingsbridge.
We also plan to recruit volunteers to run outreach meeting centres in villages surrounding Kingsbridge. This will encourage people living in rural communities to access our services and extend their social connections at our Tumbly Hill Meeting Centre.
Other Community Services at Tumbly Hill
To make full use of the fantastic facilities available at Tumbly Hill, we will also create the following:
- Mental health support for young people and adults with neurodiversity (e.g. autism, ADHD, and dyslexia)
- Opportunities for homeschooling groups, training courses and psychoeducational workshops for all age groups
- Drop-in family services (parenting support, baby & toddler groups)
- A variety of meeting spaces for community groups and individuals
- A dementia-friendly sensory garden
A crucial part of our vision for Tumbly Hill includes developing intergenerational services and activities that will:
- bridge the gap between generations
- develop cross-generational peer support
- preserve local skills and pass on knowledge
- reduce social isolation and loneliness among all age groups
What we need
To create this brand new Dementia Meeting Centre and Community Hub for Kingsbridge, we need your support.
We've already submitted funding applications to cover most of our development project costs. However, we need to raise a further £25,000 by the end of August to secure the lease for Tumbly Hill and cover the first year's maintenance costs.
We are close to making this happen, but the deadline is fast approaching, and this valuable community asset may soon be lost. Therefore, we are asking our community to support us in any way they can to make this ambitious but achievable project successful.
In summary, this is our vision for Tumbly Hill:
- Raise enough funds by the end of August to secure the space for community groups who already provide services or run activities at Tumbly Hill.
- Develop a Dementia Meeting Centre that runs 2-3 times a week to support people living with dementia and their caregivers.
- Introduce drop-in family services for children and young people.
- Support neurodiversity (Autism, ADHD, dyslexia etc.) and
- Make Tumbly Hill available for other service providers, community groups, and residents.
Thank you for your consideration and your time. We would greatly appreciate any contribution you can make.
Whether you can contribute financially or not, please share our story, this crowdfunding link, and our social media pages with your family, friends, and colleagues.
The more widely we can promote our vision to save Tumbly Hill, the better our chances of creating a dedicated Dementia Meeting Centre and Community Hub for Kingsbridge.
To follow our social media pages, please click on the following links:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tumblyhill
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tumblyhill
Our social media handle on all platforms is: @tumblyhill
Share your views - by completing our community survey
If you have some spare time, please also consider completing our Community Survey so that we can tailor our plans even more closely to the needs of our local community.
Please follow this link to complete our survey: Tumbly Hill Community Survey Link.
If you need a printed copy of the survey, would like to volunteer your time or your skills, or would like more information about our cause, please email our Tumbly development team at [email protected]
Thanks so much for your support from everyone on the steering group for: