Our Aim
Our Aim is, with voluntary support, to improve the quality of life of those in need with our community.
That community now stretches throughout Kingsteignton to Newton Abbot and the surrounding villages.
In 2017 we secured a grant for a year from the Big Lottery’s Awards for All Programme to employ a coordinator to develop more patient support services in Kingskerswell and the surrounding villages alongside Sharing Care. By November Kerswella Care was born.
We are now also working with representatives from Buckland who are establishing a patient support group there – BuSS
Click below to see a video of our Volunteers
Our History
KingsCare League of Friends began life as an idea born of the GPs at Kingsteignton Medical Practice. They employed one of their receptionists for a few hours a week to recruit some volunteers to bring patients into the surgery for appointments in their own cars. A few more visited patients in their own homes to sit with the cared for whilst the carer went out, delivered prescriptions. A Lunch Club and a social afternoon known as Tea & Chats were added as time went by.
1997
KingsCare became a charity and independently employed a coordinator for 20 hours week. In December we won a minibus with the Herald Express, the local evening paper.
2003
We opened a Memory Café in Newton Abbot and our charity shop, the Hub, in Kingsteignton.
2010
We were awarded the Queens Award for Voluntary Service, the first group in Teignbridge to do so.
2012
The Coordinator’s role had grown enough to employ an assistant coordinator.
2013
The Hospital Discharge Coordinator joined the team.
2014
We were awarded a 5 year Reaching Communities Grant from the Big Lottery to develop services and activities in Newton Abbot. The Transport Coordinator and Mental Health Support worker joined the team.
2015
Our Wellbeing Coordinators joined the team.
2016
KingsCare's 20th anniversary, our Health and Wellbeing project was launched, and Kerswella Care was set up in November.
2017
KingsCare League of Friends became a Charitable Incorporated Organisation – CIO. Our Creative Writing group and swimming sessions were started.
2018
The Hope Project was launched and facilitators were trained. Do It For Deaks was formed following the sad and sudden loss of Kyle Deakin. The project aims to help prevent local suicides.
2019
Life with Arts project launched. Covid closed many projects and changed our support to be more home-based. We delivered 150 Christmas hampers to the local community. The Black Cab was bought to provide transport with Covid safe screening, and face to face meetings stopped moving to zoom meetings to continue our support to clients.
2020
A slow return to providing a safe service with the help and support from our amazing volunteers.
2021
KingsCare now has 17 members of paid staff and over 100 volunteers. A Fundraising Manager was recruited to help secure funding and The Sorting Office project.
2022