Over £1m in S West grants in 2025.

Clare’s important legacy lives on.

In 2025, The Clare Milne Trust awarded £1,023,122 in grants to organisations across Devon and Cornwall working to support people living with disabilities. The funding has been distributed to a wide range of charities and community organisations whose work makes a tangible difference to the lives of children, young people and adults throughout the two counties.

These grants help sustain and develop services that are often essential to daily life. Funded projects include practical care and support, inclusive activities, specialist equipment, therapeutic programmes, accessible transport, and opportunities for social connection that help reduce isolation. Many of the organisations supported by the Trust are deeply rooted in their local communities, responding directly to the needs of disabled people and their families with knowledge, compassion and expertise.

Across Devon and Cornwall, many charities continue to face rising demand for services alongside increasing financial pressures. In this context, grant funding remains an important source of stability, helping organisations maintain existing provision while also adapting to emerging needs. The Trust’s grant-making is intended to strengthen this local network of support, enabling organisations to continue delivering services that improve quality of life, promote independence and widen opportunity.

The Trust was established in memory of Clare Milne, whose life continues to shape its purpose and values. Clare lived with cerebral palsy and brought warmth, resilience and determination to all who knew her. She died in 2012, but her legacy endures through the work of the Trust and the organisations it supports. The funding awarded each year reflects a continuing commitment to causes that mattered deeply to her: inclusion, dignity, and improving the lives of people living with disabilities.

What makes these grants particularly significant is their local focus. By concentrating support within Devon and Cornwall, The Clare Milne Trust helps ensure that resources remain close to the communities where they are most needed. This regional approach allows the Trust to respond to a diverse range of needs, from small grassroots groups serving individual towns and villages to larger charities working across the wider South West.

Behind every grant is a shared aim: to help create communities in which disabled people can participate fully and live with greater choice, confidence and support. Whether through small specialist projects or larger county-wide services, the impact of this year’s funding will be felt in many different ways over the months and years ahead.

Through these grants, Clare Milne’s legacy continues in a practical and meaningful way, supporting organisations whose work improves lives every day across Devon and Cornwall.