Five years of Kintota
From a small support provider to an award-winning Plymouth team — five years of Kintota, in the moments that mattered most.
On 19 September 2025, we opened the office doors and invited anyone who wanted to pop in for tea, coffee and a chat, to celebrate five years of Kintota. The invitation put it simply: five years of helping people live better lives in the community. That’s still the whole point.
How did it start?
Our mission has stayed the same since the beginning: we’re dedicated to empowering vulnerable individuals to live independent and fulfilling lives, specialising in mental health support and general support services, so clients can overcome challenges and achieve their goals. Our commitment to person-centred care means each individual gets support tailored to them, so they can maintain their dignity, wellbeing and independence.
Five years on, that hasn’t changed. What’s changed is how many people it’s reached, and how many staff it now takes to deliver it.
What have we believed the whole way through?
Underneath the mission sit six values we’ve held onto since the beginning: respect, compassion, integrity, wellbeing, empowerment and excellence. In our own words, respect means treating everyone with dignity, valuing their unique perspectives and experiences. Compassion means responding to the needs of others with empathy and genuine care. And empowerment means believing in the potential of individuals, and striving to help them reach it through support, encouragement and opportunity. Five years of practice hasn’t changed a word of that — if anything, it’s sharpened it.
What has the team been recognised for along the way?
In 2023, Kintota won Small Business of the Year at the West Country Women Awards, sponsored by Somerset Council — the trophy handed over on stage, the screen at the ceremony declaring it plainly: “WINNER — Small Business of the Year — Donna Davies, Kintota Care.” The following year, 2024, Kintota won it again — proof the first win hadn’t been a one-off.
In 2025, it was the SWCA’s turn — and this time, it was a double win. At the South West Care Awards gala at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in December 2025, Kintota won Employer of the Year, and Lucy Hendy, our Operations Manager, won Rising Star of the Year. The Plymouth Chronicle covered it as “Double Awards Success for Plymouth Care Provider.” The team got dressed up, sequins and formalwear, for the night — the same instinct that took them to the West Country Women Awards two years running: turn up, represent the people you work with, and enjoy the night when it comes. This time, they came home with two trophies.
How do you know a small company is growing?
One honest way is to watch how often it’s hiring. Back in December 2024, Kintota was looking for two full-time support workers. By February 2025, that had grown into full-time, part-time and weekend roles. By September 2025, the ask was more specific again — full-time, part-time and weekend support workers, each one now expected to hold a full UK driving licence and have access to their own car.
What does the team actually look like now?
By the summer of 2025, the “Our Team” poster told its own story. Donna as director, Lucy running operations, Caitlin as project manager, Ashleigh and Deborah as client managers, John keeping the rota straight, Neil and Jayne as senior support assistants. Then a long list of personal support assistants — Louise, Steph, Melissa, Barbara, Tanya, Caroline, Phoebe, Helen, Sharon, Danielle, Stella, Emma, Kelly, Selina, Jade, Claire, Paige, Nicola, Justin, Elouise, Gemma, Heather, Faye, Pauline, Chris, Nadine, Tonia and Beth, among others.
What changed in 2026?
In July 2026, we moved. The new office is at Lower Ground Floor, Oakfield Press, Elliot Road, PL4 0SG. As we told everyone at the time: if you want to come and speak to us, you’re more than welcome! It’s a bit tricky to find, so if you get a bit lost, give us a call.
Our office hours are still 10 until 3, and nothing else has changed. The new office is a lot bigger, which means more room to run around. We’re keeping the old Cattedown Road office too — it’ll be used for one-off events, rather than staffed day to day.
What’s next?
More of the same, really, which is the whole point. More first tenancies like LW’s. More flood recoveries like RT’s. More solo trips to Sainsbury’s. More Christmas Eve dinners delivered by hand. More Dementia Heroes and LD Heroes profiles, more nights out at award ceremonies, more people finding their way to us because someone they trust pointed them in our direction.
If you’d like to see what people say about that work in their own words, have a read of kind words. And if you’re wondering what starting support with Kintota actually looks like, five years on, our client journey is the place to start.