Historic Opening of Budleigh Salterton's First Almshouses

Royal Visit Celebrates first Budleigh Almshouses

Press release from The Almhouse Association, 15th June 2026:

The town of Budleigh Salterton celebrated a historic milestone on Tuesday 9 th June as His Royal Highness The Duke of Gloucester, Royal Vice-Patron of The Almshouse Association, officially opened the town's first-ever purpose-built almshouses and the first new almshouse charity established in the UK in fifty years.
The landmark development at 4 East Budleigh Road has been delivered by The
Shandford Trust, a local charity established following the 2020 closure and subsequent sale of the Shandford Residential Care Home.
Accompanied by the Deputy Lord-Lieutenant of Devon, Lee Howell OBE QFSM
FIFireE DL and Nick Phillips, CEO of The Almshouse Association, His Royal
Highness was welcomed by prominent regional and county figures. These included Gina Woodcraft, the Mayor of Budleigh Salterton and the Lord Clinton.
During the visit, The Duke went on a guided tour of the three newly completed,
highly sustainable homes. Designed to offer warmth, exceptional comfort, and very low running costs, the dwellings accommodate local single residents or couples of limited means. The Duke spent time meeting the very first residents to cross the threshold this spring, who spoke warmly about their secure new homes.
His Royal Highness was also introduced to the adjoining Seachange Community
Centre, a ground-breaking local health and wellbeing facility. This unique partnership ensures that all almshouse residents have direct access to on-call assistance and support networks provided by the neighbouring Seachange staff.
Nick Phillips, CEO, The Almshouse Association comments: “The Almshouse
Association is thrilled to welcome His Royal Highness The Duke of Gloucester to
officially open the first new almshouse charity in fifty years. This is particularly
significant at a time when many established almshouse charities are expanding. It is a wonderful accolade to see the community come together to establish a new
charity!
We warmly welcome The Shandford Trust into our community, marking a fantastic milestone for the modern almshouse movement. It is inspiring to see a new almshouse charity established, highlighting how this ancient model of community-led housing remains as vital and relevant today as it has ever been.
Across the UK, the benefits of almshouses for local people in housing need are
incredible. They offer safe, affordable, and truly supportive homes within vibrant,
independent communities.
However, to meet the growing housing challenges of today, we need this movement to scale up. We are actively looking for more almshouse charities to be started across the country. To achieve this, we urgently need more philanthropists to step forward with funding, and more dedicated trustees to give their time and expertise to run these vital new charities. The Shandford Trust is a brilliant example of what is possible, and we hope their success inspires others to help us build a legacy for many more communities across the UK.”
Chris Davis, Chair of The Shandford Trust said:
'The Trustees are very grateful to His Royal Highness for inaugurating Budleigh
Salterton’s first almshouses. The completion of this initial project marks only the
beginning for our local charity. Driven by our team of professional local volunteer
trustees, The Shandford Trust is already actively seeking new build or conversion
opportunities to establish more new almshouses, ensuring older generations can
remain safely within their communities for decades to come.'
Following a series of celebratory speeches with project supporters, the Budleigh
Salterton community presented His Royal Highness with a specially commissioned painting of Otter Head, beautifully captured by a local member of the Budleigh Art Club. To conclude the historic visit, His Royal Highness officially unveiled a dedicated commemorative plaque to mark the opening.