Hub & Business

Projects

A place to connect, collaborate and create impact

Our Hub is the engine room for collective action. It's a vibrant space where community, charity, public and business sectors come together to innovate and solve big social challenges. We host over 30 projects and partner organisations under one roof, creating a uniquely fertile environment for co-working, co-location, and co-production. Through our business services – including room hire, events, and partnerships – we reinvest in our social mission, supporting both sustainability and social value.

The CoLab Community

Click on the logos to find out more about the organisations that are part of the Hub Community, what they do, and how to get in touch!

BCHA logo with a house roof above the letters 'bcha,' and the slogan 'find a way forward help with housing, learning and living' underneath.
Logo of The Eddystone Trust featuring a lighthouse with yellow and blue accents, and text that reads 'The Eddystone Trust, HIV and Sexual Health Services'.
Logo of Momentum Devon supporting male survivors of childhood sexual abuse, featuring a clenched fist icon and blue text.

A Lived Experience Community

Black bold text on a white background reading 'catch 22'.
Logo of Exeter City Council with a 3D gray and black city building on a green base, and the text "Exeter City Council NAVIGATORS" in black and green.
A green circular logo featuring a stylized hand holding a branch with leaves and olives, with the text "The Olive Project" beneath it.

At CoLab, we believe that meaningful change happens when people with lived experience are actively involved in shaping the services and systems that affect their lives. That’s why we’re committed to developing best practice in co-design and co-production—ensuring that individuals impacted by issues such as mental health, substance misuse, homelessness, and the criminal justice system have a genuine voice in decision-making.

Our Practice Lead for Lived Experience and System Change plays a vital role in this mission. Working across CoLab and with partner organisations, they lead efforts to embed inclusive, ethical, and evidence-informed approaches to service design, delivery, and evaluation. By supporting cultural and practical shifts that centre lived experience, we aim to build systems that are more responsive, equitable, and effective.

CoLab’s approach is rooted in collaboration, transparency, and respect—recognising that those closest to the challenges often hold the deepest insights into how to solve them. One of the projects we're proud to support is Common Ground, a lived experience led alliance.

Logo of Devon County Council featuring stylized green leaves and the council's name in blue text.
Logo of Interventions Alliance, part of the Seetec Group, featuring a stylized icon with a blue circle, green rectangle, and dark blue arch, alongside the text 'Interventions Alliance' and 'Part of the Seetec Group'.
Logo with three overlapping circles in blue, yellow, and green, with text 'Common Ground' and subtitle 'A Lived Experience-Led Alliance.'
Logo of Probation Service featuring purple text and a purple icon with horizontal bars

Small Charity & CIC support

We are delighted to be able to offer bespoke packages of support that include elements of finance, HR and mentorship, alongside cultivating an incubator space for CICs or small charities at the start of their journey.

This offer includes 6 months free desk hire, followed by a further 6 months reduced rate with an aim to support these small charities and CICs to build their connections in the community and to help them navigate the complex needs system with our experience.

We have been working with The Olive Project and MoMENtum recently to develop this offer and are pleased to now open this up to the wider community. Click on the logos to find out more about the organisations that are part of the Hub Community, what they do, and how to get in touch!

NHS Devon Partnership logo with text 'Devon Partnership NHS Trust' and three stylized blue and green flowers.
Julian House logo with stylized blue house icons and the tagline 'The home of opportunity'.
Logo for 'Together Drug & Alcohol Service' featuring colorful interconnected circles around the word 'Together' in bold gray letters, with a subtitle 'Drug & Alcohol Service' underneath.
A smiling woman with long brown hair, blue eyes, gold hoop earrings, a gold necklace, wearing a white shirt with pink stripes, in a room with light green walls and a gray couch.

Heather Skinner

Head of Service for Hub & Business

Heather joined the core team in 2021 in a finance support role, having been inspired during the pandemic to follow her passion for non-profit organisations, and has since supported CoLab through several years of transition and major development. Heather has a BA in Global Politics, an LLM in International Human Rights Law and has a strong interest in social justice, championing citizen voice and literacy.

“CoLab is a wonderful space for creative solutions and innovative practice, where strong relationships are at the heart of what we do, and there are opportunities at every corner to affect real system change and impact. Every day I am full of pride and in awe of the incredible work coming from the Hub in support of our community.”

Hear from Heather

Publications

Our Vision

Our vision is to co-create authentic change through shared purpose, where all voices are heard and strengths and experiences are celebrated.

Our Mission

Our mission is to build an inclusive society by amplifying the voices of those facing systemic barriers and who feel excluded. We bring together individuals with lived experiences and professional expertise as equal partners, harnessing our collective power to identify root causes, co-create innovative solutions, and reshape attitudes through collaborative advocacy and community-driven initiatives.

Who are we?

We are not a focus group. We are not just a consultation.
We are people with lived and ongoing experience of homelessness, mental health challenges, substance misuse and recovery, and system navigation — working alongside professionals, researchers, and decision-makers.

We create space for people to be heard, acknowledged and involved in shaping the systems that affect their lives.

What do we do?

  • Host subgroups focused on real issues: Substance Misuse & Recovery, Housing Transitions, Mental Health & Recovery

  • Listen deeply and share stories that matter

  • Work with partners like Exeter City Council, STaR, and University of Exeter

  • Turn lived experience into service insight and practical influence

  • Explore creative ways of communicating — radio, exhibitions, podcasts, workshops

Here’s how we can help:

  • Collaborate on listening sessions, research or insight work

  • Contribute to service reviews or working groups

  • Partner on storytelling, media or exhibitions

  • Provide honest, peer-led feedback on what’s working (and what’s not)


    We work relationally. We care about impact. And we’re building change from the ground up.

We meet on the last Thursday of the month from 11am to 1pm at Salvation Army, Friar’s Gate.
Email john.stammers@colabexeter.org.uk for more information.