Taunton Open Door Charity

Newsletter Winter 2025

Thank you to everyone who has supported us this year

Open Door has been very busy this year. We have completed phase 1 of our building project with repairs to the Bell Tower. We have welcomed two new staff and have provided support to 206 individuals who have made 3280 visits to our Centre. We would like to thank everyone who has supported Open Door during 2025.
This newsletter celebrates the impact our work has had on the people we support, the work of our volunteers and the generosity of our local supporters.
Staff, volunteers and clients wish you a happy and peaceful Christmas and Happy New Year!

Impact of your support

No amount of data can capture the impact your generosity has on the work we do to help rough sleepers in Taunton. We recently received two pieces of feedback from clients. The first poem is about the value of Open Door, the second poem about clients who share the experience of being a rough sleeper in Taunton. (All names have been removed to preserve anonymity.)

The Open Door
I can safely say Open Door saved my life.
Shepherds there that gave me light.
I came in despair and such fragility.
And what I got was smiles, warmth and hot tea.
So, thank you all that work there.
The staff, the agencies and mostly the volunteers.
Truly you are your brothers' keepers.
For you see the humans and not rough sleepers.
This lack of stigma made me feel valuable.
For as we walk the road to the world, we are invisible.

To the people I met...
To ~, his friends' provider. Who would share with them has last drop of cider. Even offered me although an outsider. Can you think of a heart that could be kinder?

To ~, who may come across loud and bold but within that soul is a heart of gold. When I see people pass him as he sits in the lane and pretend not to see him causing me pain.
I hope karma burns them like moths to a flame. And in their realisation of selfishness, they feel some degree of shame.

To ~, so calm and so kind. Reflective, supportive with an intelligent mind. Determined to finish that jigsaw to the end and once on a very cold morning I saw him give his scarf to a friend.

To ~, who I sadly just met. Such a nice person it is my one regret.

And lastly to ~, our beloved Royal Marine. Who served his country and his Queen. Toured Afghanistan and saw things obscene. Should have come back a hero to his country but is sadly unseen.

We may not have money nor material wealth, but what we have is resilience, empathy, love and strength. The experience we share is what makes us and because of that life will not break us. A band of brothers before me I see. And I promise you now never invisible shall you be to me.

Christmas Appeal

Christmas is a time when people reflect on how to support each other in their communities. The poems above show how donating to Open Door impacts the lives of some of the most vulnerable people within our community. If you already donate, thank you.

It's very simple to make a one-off donation or to set up a regular donation via the Charites Aid Foundation (opens in a new window). Donating via the CAF platform allows us to collect 25% extra free of charge when you agree to Gift Aid. Alternatively, follow the QR code.

Volunteer Insight

Open Door simply would not exist without our team of volunteers. Thank you. As you’ve seen our clients value the work of our volunteers highly. It is inspiring to know that working with our clients also has an impact on the lives of our volunteers as illustrated by this recent feedback.

“What’s it like being a volunteer at Open Door? Well, it can be a little bit crazy (in a nice way), funny, sad, super rewarding, emotional, uplifting, self-reflecting, poignant, heart rending and occasionally boring (when doing the laundry!). We get amazing support and feedback from the truly awe-inspiring staff, without whom our lovely clients would not get the life chances they deserve. Let’s hear it for Open Door!!!”

“As a volunteer, every moment spent helping someone with clothes, food, having a chat or simply sharing a warm smile is a reminder that even the smallest acts can change lives — including my own. In giving, I’ve found a deeper sense of purpose & connection and have learned the true meaning of “anything could happen to anyone.”

Volunteer Leanda’s wreath making workshops are becoming a tradition, helping raise important funds for Open Door.

Thank you to our supporters

We are most grateful to the following organisations who continue to provide valuable financial support. Vital Salon has become a valued corporate supporter. The business generously matches all donations provided by their customers and since April this year they have donated £3,268.

We have received a generous grant of £18,000 from the Help Through Winter Fund administered by the Somerset Community Foundation. Help Through Winter is a coordinated campaign led by Somerset Council and funded by the Government's Household Support Fund.

The Bishops Lydeard Mill, who have funded Open Door for many years. Yvonne Back handed over a cheque for £1,500 at an event at the Mill at the end of September.

Shirley, Yvonne and two other people holding up a cheque

Gifts in kind

We truly feel a part of the community when we get so much support from local groups.
Employees from B&Q have helped repaint the Centre.
Staff from Specsavers recently visited and provided free eye tests to six of our clients, all of whom also received complimentary glasses.
Green Days Day Care and My Day - Services for adults with Learning Disabilities provide valuable help with grocery deliveries every week.
Richard Huish College students have been helping decorate the Centre ready for Christmas.

Food Donations

We provide over 5,000 meals a year to rough sleepers in Taunton and we are grateful for regular donations of food from, Nandos, Cook, Somerset Larder, Aldi and Marks and Spencer.

Every harvest festival our food stocks are replenished through the generosity of the community of churches, schools, individuals and businesses throughout the area. Thank you to all those who donated vital food this autumn.

Our Christmas tree at the Open Door centre.

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Taunton Open Door | 1A Mount Street | Taunton TA1 3QB
01823 271996 | www.tauntonopendoor.org.uk

Page last updated: Wednesday 17th December 2025 1:20 PM