ACED Volunteer of the Year 2026 is announced

Art & Culture East Devon (ACED) has announced the winner of the ACED Volunteer of the Year award 2026.

The ACED Volunteer of the Year award recognises a volunteer’s contribution to an arts or heritage organisation and recognises the impact they have made to the East Devon cultural landscape.  

Congratulations to the winner of the ACED Volunteer of the Year 2026: Kate Weedon from Poltimore House.

Kate Weedon's passion for the heritage of the house and its grounds has inspired her to volunteer at Poltimore for more than 20 years.

Kate was nominated in recognition of her dedicated work gathering and protecting a precious archive of photographs, documents and interviews. Largely behind the scenes, she has accumulated a wealth of resources to develop a future People’s Archive. She had to gain the confidence and trust of a wide range of people who donated not only their precious documents but also personal family memories.

Throughout long periods of vandalism at Poltimore House and since the devastating arson attack in 2024 which destroyed so much of the physical history of this site, Kate persisted in collecting and protecting physical fragments of history- from mosaic birdbaths to the precious avenue of lime trees.

With so much of the House now sadly lost, the Poltimore Archive created by Kate stands as a poignant and invaluable repository of its local history, heritage and culture.

The announcement was made at the ACED Network Summer Meeting at Kennaway House in Sidmouth. Last year's winner, Laura Hewitt from Seaton Museum, presented Kate with a beautiful glass award, created by contemporary fused glass artist, Susan Purser Hope.

The shortlisted nominees were:

• Jacqui Blackmore, Sidmouth Jazz Festival
• Dr Madeleine Collie, Budleigh Music Festival
• Cat Easeman, Thelma Hulbert Gallery
• Roz Hickman, Fairlynch Museum
• Billie McGovern, Axminster Guildhall
• Jane Nicholls, Sidmouth Folk Festival
• Andrew Pilkington, Sustainable Project Live
• Jacky Stockhill, Exmouth Museum & Heritage Centre
• Peter Thomas, Seaton Museum

On winning the award, Kate Weedon said:

I am thrilled and humbled to receive the award of ACED Volunteer of the Year 2026. There have been so many dedicated volunteers who have put in an incredible amount of time and effort over the years and who have been instrumental in the preservation of the heritage of Poltimore House. The work continues and the fire will have given us new opportunities.

My congratulations go to all the other nominees who have contributed so much to culture and heritage at their culture organisations too, all of whom are worthy winners. Volunteering is such a rewarding experience, and I would whole-heartedly encourage anyone considering it to give it a go.

Councillor Nick Hookway, Portfolio Holder for Culture, Sport, Leisure and Tourism, said:

This annual award recognises the fantastic contribution volunteers make to our cultural life across the district. 

The range of nominations was impressive. It is always a difficult decision for the panel to make, given so many volunteers go above and beyond their role, but Kate's 20 years as a volunteer and her outstanding 
contribution to protecting local cultural history truly deserve recognition.

The Poltimore House archive she has created will be a vital resource - preserving knowledge, memories and a sense of connection - and represents an important part of our community heritage in the social landscape in East Devon.