Taunton Open Door Charity

Newsletter Autumn 2026

We are building a future
that supports rough sleepers

Harvest Festival donations

In advance of all the donations that we receive each year at harvest time, we would like to thank everyone for their generosity in donating food and clothing which helps us to provide for the needs of rough sleepers in Taunton. To see what we need and how to donate please use the link below to visit our website.

Support us with food or other items

Impact of our services

In 2025 The Open Door supported 207 rough sleepers who made 3457 visits to our support centre. Our volunteers provided over 4259 hot meals. Beyond meals, we supported rough sleepers with essential everyday needs with 1,343 showers, 772 loads of laundry, and 4,221 items of clothing.

Working with the Somerset Homeless and Rough Sleeping Nursing Service we provided access to 208 medical consultations; we made 119 referrals for housing support to the Somerset Council Outreach Team.

Increase in use of our services in 2026

In comparison to the first six months of 2025, in the first six months of 2026 we have seen 17% more total visits to the support centre.
We have provided 33% more hot meals; made 75% more housing support referrals to Somerset Council; seen an increase of 53% in nurse consultations, and a 64% increase in consultations with the Somerset Drug and Alcohol Service.

The most satisfying feedback we get comes directly from our clients, one of whom recently wrote the following:
"Having found myself homeless and living rough for the first time, Open Door and the team were a beacon of light. They offered me great food, clothing, showers, haircuts and access to medical help. This was an absolute god send. The Open Door team were incredible; they didn't judge at all. It was nothing more than full support, friendly faces and guidance on how to get back on my feet. On top of that they help me find accommodation and now I can get on with rebuilding my life."

Positive feedback from clients

We recently conducted a survey of a sample of 22 of our clients. We asked them 8 questions about their experience of attending Open Door asking them to rank their satisfaction from 1 to 10 with a score of 10 representing 'very happy' with the experience.

It was gratifying to hear that for 7 out of the 8 questions asked, the clients rated their experience as higher than 9 with the clients being most satisfied with the service provided by the staff and volunteers.

Volunteer insight

Our volunteers are the welcoming face of Open Door. Aside from preparing all of the meals and managing the flow of donations into Open Door, it is the empathy of our volunteers that is our greatest strength; a listening ear and a warm smile go a long way, treating our clients with dignity and respect at a vulnerable time in their lives.

"It is a complete privilege to volunteer at Open Door. It is very fulfilling because we know that we are serving some of the needs of one of the most vulnerable groups in society. It has been humbling to hear their stories, their struggles and also the positives about how they are trying to help themselves obtain a more secure and long-term term future."

If you know anyone who might be interested in volunteering with Open Door, please invite them to get in touch with us to find out more.

Thank you to our supporters

We are most grateful to all those who supported the charity during the Big Give Small Charities Week Campaign helping us to raise an amazing £5,633 to help rough sleepers in Taunton.

Grant from Postcode Lottery

The Open Door is the first port of call for people rough sleeping in Taunton at one of the most vulnerable times in their lives. We are delighted to have received a grant of £50,000 with funds raised by players of the Postcode Lottery to be spent over the next three years.

The funding will help us build a future that supports rough sleepers at a time when support is more required than ever.

Somerset Council support is vital

We work very closely with Somerset Council and their outreach team, to whom we refer people who are rough sleeping in their search for accommodation. To meet the immediate needs of rough sleepers and play our role in providing a pathway to accommodation requires a mix of funding.

We are grateful for the annual funding we receive from Somerset Council which is more important than ever as the external funding environment becomes more competitive and uncertain year-on-year.

Facebook Taunton Open Door

www.tauntonopendoor.org.uk

Copyright © 2026 Taunton Open Door - All rights reserved.

Would you like to comment or do you have a question?
Send a message to info@tauntonopendoor.org.uk

You are receiving this email because you opted in via our website. Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

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

Page last updated: Wednesday 7th October 2026 12:22 PM