Photo of Councillor Dan Ledger, EDDC's Portfolio Holder for Sustainable Homes and Communities
Councillor Dan Ledger, EDDC's Portfolio Holder for Sustainable Homes and Communities (Credit: EDDC and Kyle Baker Photography)

A new overarching service to provide support for voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) groups and organisations in East Devon will soon start to take shape.

Commissioned by East Devon District Council (EDDC), with funding from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities), this important work for the VCSE sector starts this summer and will be facilitated by independent charity, Devon Communities Together which has a long-established reputation for working closely with rural communities and the groups and organisations that support them.

The new service will be designed in close collaboration with East Devon’s VCSE sector to provide better connections across VCSE groups and organisations in the district. It will encourage joint approaches to tackling important local issues which it is anticipated will include topics such as health and social care, social isolation and loneliness, fund raising, community resilience, transport, inequalities and climate change. Local VCSE groups and organisations will decide what’s important.

It will also work on new ways of working on and influencing East Devon-wide policy and service development.

This newly commissioned work demonstrates EDDC’s commitment to the VCSE sector, which it greatly values for the impact it makes on the lives of residents.

Councillor Dan Ledger, EDDC's Portfolio Holder for Sustainable Homes and Communities, said:

“Through this contract, the Council is looking forward to making new connections, supporting VCSE organisations and working with them to identify sustainable plans, including refreshing local grant schemes”

In coming weeks, the Devon Communities Together team will be contacting VCSE organisations across East Devon to make sure they have an opportunity to fully engage in this exciting new work.

Jo Atkey, Deputy Chief Executive of Devon Communities Together, said:

“Devon Communities Together has a long history of supporting VCSE sector groups and organisations across Devon, whether that’s helping social enterprises to establish and grow, or working with community groups to access funding,”

“We are looking forward to collaborating with and providing support to the rich array of VCSE organisations in East Devon. The sector is vitally important to so many aspects of community life and through this new service we hope to build on the amazing work that’s already going on.”

Nicola Gurr, Chair of Trustees of Devon Communities Together added:

“I am really excited that Devon Communities Together and East Devon District Council have this opportunity to work together on such a great project. The wealth of knowledge available from all parties will be instrumental in providing even more support across the VCSE sector in East Devon.”

For more information, please contact Devon Communities Together on info@devoncommunities.org.uk or call 01392 248919.