Three community groups across Devon* have received over £2,700 from The Co-operative Bank in the latest round of grants from its Customer Donation Fund.
Among the recipients was Exeter-based Sweetpea Smallholdings, a community interest company (CIC) that aims to reduce social isolation by bringing people from a variety of backgrounds together to grow fruit, vegetables and herbs.
Made up of mostly disabled volunteers, the CIC grows produce at sites across Exeter all year round, which is delivered to those in the community who are most in need. As well as growing produce,...
Volunteers who give up their time to tackle crime in their communities and ensure police custody suites are up to standard have been thanked by Devon and Cornwall’s Police and Crime Commissioner and Acting Chief Constable.
There was a record turn-out for the Police and Crime Commissioner’s volunteer thank-you event, held at Andy Hocking House at Middlemoor police headquarters on Monday, February 12.
In attendance were members of the Commissioner’s councillor advocate scheme, who work with neighbourhood policing teams to tackle issues in cities, towns and villages around...
Walk and Talk is a new initiative in Devon and Cornwall asking women aged 18 and over: “Is there a place you feel unsafe? Take us there”.
Devon & Cornwall Police will be linking up with women in person to understand more about what our region looks like and feels like, seeking to understand more through first-hand experience about the places and spaces where women feel unsafe.
The Walk and Talk initiative will be trialled for three months, starting this February, in selected locations across the force area. Anyone wishing to take part can apply using the email at the...
Exminster-based Westbank Community Health and Care has reached more people in the local community thanks to a year of fantastic support from a village pub.
Staff at The Royal Oak in Exminster partnered with Westbank throughout 2023, providing hospitality and donations totalling an incredible £2,525. In December 2022 and 2023, publicans Mel Bowden and Scott Reddin kindly hosted 3-course festive lunches to the value of £1,100 for 50 of the charity’s clients. They also organised several fundraising activities, including a raffle, a donation bucket and the sale of star decorations on...
A community library in Exeter is opening its doors to residents as a warm hub after being awarded a grant to tackle fuel poverty.
The £2,000 grant for Heavitree PCC has come from National Grid Electricity Distribution’s £5 million Community Matters Fund which is supporting hundreds of groups across the South West, Midlands and South Wales.
Heavitree Friendly Library meets twice per month at St Michael's church in Heavitree, offering a free library service for the community as well as a social space for people to meet. Each session includes a story time for parents and...
The run-up to Christmas has been busy for local health and wellbeing charity Westbank Community Health and Care, with a full calendar of events for members of its community and its team.
The festive celebrations got off to a heartwarming start when Year 2 children from Exeter Pre-Prep School visited Westbank’s Day Centre at Exminster to sing a melody of Christmas songs for regular clients.
The following day, the Royal Oak in Exminster kindly hosted a 3-course meal for fifty of Westbank’s clients to mark the end of a year of fantastic support from the pub.
A Devon-wide health and wellbeing charity, based near Exeter, is seeking support from businesses and volunteers in the ‘final push’ for a new venture that will offer free workshops to people of all ages to teach them how to prepare nutritious meals from scratch with simple, affordable ingredients - at a time when cooking healthily, cost-effectively and sustainably has never been more important.
The idea of creating a bespoke teaching kitchen at Westbank Community Health and Care began simmering away a year ago following the Covid lockdowns. During the pandemic, the charity...
Devon & Cornwall Police are reminding people to respect and protect rural communities and businesses this Easter, when exploring the countryside.
With the tourism season traditionally starting over the Easter holidays, Cornwall and Devon’s population can increase by around a third.
Cornwall’s Rural Affairs Officer for Devon & Cornwall Police, PC Chris Collins said: “We’d like to encourage people to take extra care when they explore the countryside this Easter to help protect our environment, our wildlife and our historic landmarks.
A cafe in Exeter has become a regular meeting point for a rapidly expanding group of aspiring house and techno DJs.
So far Sunset Society cafe has hosted four successful community meet-ups giving new DJs the opportunity to spin their tunes on professional decks in a relaxed and supportive environment.
The house and techno Facebook group founder Tim Lawton is staggered by the response from local music lovers since the community’s launch last September.
At last Saturday’s meet-up, the first this year, Tim said: “There’s clearly a real thirst for music artists for...
The Devon branch of the countryside charity is once again on the lookout for award-worthy churchyards across the county. Since Devon CPRE launched its Best Churchyard Competition six years ago, the charity has come across inspiring stories of communities pulling together to make the most of the green spaces around their churches and chapels.
Last year’s winner, All Saints in Kenton, near Exeter, and the runner-up, St Michael the Archangel in Chagford, were both fantastic examples of how local people can transform their churchyard when they draw on their individual strengths in...
