A care agency which is operating in the Chagford area has turned around its fortunes after nearly closing a year ago, with support from a community interest company Karrek Community CIC.

NEDCare is helping people stay in their own homes in the Chagford area. Following difficulties last summer, the community-owned, not-for-profit charity has grown back to providing almost 1,000 hours of care per month thanks to the determination of their staff and partnership support from Karrek Community CIC.

Chloe Beal from NEDCare said: ‘Since our threat of closure last year, we have had a really positive turnaround of events thanks to collaborative support from Karrek Community CIC.’

She went on to explain how a NEDCare carer recently came to the rescue of an elderly woman the service was caring for was targeted by a fraudster. The carer turned up for a visit to find a smartly dressed man just leaving the house. The woman living at the address told her that that he had claimed to be a sales representative from a building firm who had left with a cheque for £3,950 for imaginary foam insulation removal.

NEDCare’s employee immediately raised the alarm with family members, the cheque was cancelled and the cheque book hidden. The family member was extremely grateful for the carer’s intervention, saying ‘many thanks to you all [for] going above and beyond to help Mum and myself out’. NEDCare was set up out of a base at Moretonhampstead Hospital to provide care for people in their own homes in the north-east Dartmoor area, a rural area where regular visits provide a vital lifeline. As part of the service, they cooperate with the NHS community nursing team to remedy health and safety issues at home, thus preventing more serious illness or injury.