Rooted in community | Shaped by experience | Guided by clinical insight

Next Steps Together (NeST) is based at the newly created Tumbly Hill Health & Wellbeing Hub in Kingsbridge. We provide inclusive, community-based support for people living with dementia, neurodivergent adults and young people, and those navigating grief, loss or major life transitions.

NeST is a Community Interest Company (CIC). We operate as a not-for-profit, with funding from grants and income from paid services such as training delivery, therapy sessions and commissioned support. This blended model helps us keep services affordable and responsive to local community needs.

Our Services

We offer a broad and evolving programme of support, including:

Dementia Support

Dementia is at the heart of our work. We offer Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (CST), memory-friendly group activities, carer peer support and inclusive creative sessions.

In Summer 2025, we will launch Devon’s first Dementia Meeting Centre at Tumbly Hill. Our Meeting Centre will be based on the internationally recognised Dutch model of dementia care and aligned with the University of Worcester’s Adjusting to Change framework and dementia research programme.

Meeting Centres are proven to support emotional adjustment, carer resilience, and social wellbeing, and we’re proud to be bringing this model to the South Hams.

Support for Neurodivergent People

Our work with neurodivergent adults and young people includes life skills development, creative and social groups, peer mentoring, and tailored family support. Sessions are strengths-based, co-produced, and welcoming to people who may not have felt included in more traditional services.

Counselling and Emotional Wellbeing

Our counselling team offers one-to-one and group support across a range of issues, including:

• dementia-related distress and life changes
• carer fatigue and anticipatory grief
• bereavement and loss, including disenfranchised grief
• neurodivergence-related emotional health challenges
• ecotherapy and nature-based reflection

We also provide reflective supervision and mentoring for people working in caring or people-facing professions, including teachers, youth workers, care staff, hairdressers and salon professionals. These sessions offer protected space for reflection, emotional resilience and professional growth.

Intergenerational Activities and Community Education

Our intergenerational work brings people together across age and experience through activities like gardening, cooking, storytelling, music and co-created projects. These sessions reduce social isolation and create shared learning between older adults, young people and the wider community.
Alongside this, we run awareness and empathy-building sessions for schools, professionals and the public — focusing on dementia, neurodivergence and grief. These sessions help to reduce stigma, build confidence and promote more inclusive relationships across generations and sectors.

Complementary Therapies and Mindfulness

We offer therapies such as reflexology, reiki, sound therapy and guided meditation. These sessions are delivered by qualified practitioners, designed to support individual wellbeing and emotional balance in a calm, inclusive environment.

Physical Wellbeing Sessions

Our programme of inclusive movement sessions includes:

• FaME (Falls Management Exercise)
• Strength and balance maintenance classes
• Dementia-specific classes
• Parkinson’s-specific classes
• Chair Yoga and Pilates

These sessions support strength, balance, confidence and physical independence, as well as social connection and wellbeing, and are suitable for a range of ability levels.

Creative and Social Groups

We facilitate activities that support connection, confidence and shared meaning — including reminiscence groups, themed discussions, nature-based activity, storytelling and arts-based sessions.

Volunteering and Placements

Our aim over the coming months is to develop ‘The NeST at Tumbly Hill’ as a local hub for supported volunteering and community involvement. We will shortly be publicising meaningful roles and training opportunities for local residents, students, trainee professionals and people looking to either re-enter the workplace or try something new.

Our volunteering roles include group support, kitchen and gardening help, creative facilitation, reception cover, and back-office support.

Local businesses offering staff volunteering days are warmly invited to connect with us. We provide structured, purposeful placements that can contribute to employee wellbeing, skill-building and meaningful community engagement. For Chamber members, we would be happy to offer tailored volunteering opportunities and talks to support your staff wellbeing or Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) aims.

How We Work

We welcome referrals from professionals, as well as self-referrals and informal drop-ins from members of the public. Whether someone is accessing support for the first time, has found other services inaccessible, or simply wants to take part in something purposeful within a welcoming setting, our aim is to make that experience clear, warm and easy to navigate.

Our work is shaped by lived experience and developed in collaboration with the people who use our services, as well as those who support them. We work closely with families, local health and care professionals, and community organisations to design support that is both practical and personal.

We also maintain strong links with Livewell Southwest, Devon County Council, GP practices, and social prescribing teams to ensure that individuals are signposted to the right support at the right time.

While our roots are firmly in the community, our services are evidence-informed and align with local health, education and social care priorities. This gives professionals confidence in referring to us, while also encouraging individuals and families to access support in a way that feels right for them.

Our Values: The Four E’s in Next Steps Together

The name Next Steps Together reflects both what we offer and how we work, at every level of the organisation.

Each E in our name represents one of our four core values: Educate. Engage. Enrich. Empower.

These values are not just slogans to us. They guide everything we do, from how we welcome a new volunteer to how we design a support group or review a referral pathway with a local health team. They help us build relationships, stay responsive, and ensure our services feel relevant and respectful to everyone involved.

Educate

We create space for learning and shared understanding. This includes practical life skills, emotional literacy, peer-led learning, and open conversations about dementia, grief and neurodivergence. We also run community awareness sessions and intergenerational projects that help people build empathy and insight across age, role and experience.

Engage

We work in relationship, with individuals, families, professionals and community members. Engagement at NeST means consistency, listening, and co-production. People shape the services they use, contribute as equals, and build trust over time.

Enrich

We focus on what adds value to life, whether that’s through creativity, nature, movement, reflection, or simply social connection. Our activities aren’t just therapeutic or practical; they’re about identity, joy and shared experience. That might mean a storytelling session, a gentle gardening or art group, or a moment of peace in our calming sensory room after a stressful week.

Empower

We support people to make informed choices, stay involved in their own care or personal development, and define what matters to them. Whether someone is accessing support, volunteering, or delivering a session, we create an environment where voice, autonomy and confidence are recognised and respected.

 

Connect With Us

We welcome partnerships, referrals, collaborations and joint projects, whether you’re a local business, a professional team, a social prescriber, or simply curious about what we do. We’re excited and proud to be part of the South Hams business and community network, and are always open to new ideas, conversations and opportunities to work together.