Community groups are thriving in Exeter with support from the City Council
Published: 29 February 2024
Community groups in Exeter will continue to thrive with the support of the City Council and the Exeter Community Lottery, the Lead Councillor for Communities has pledged.
Cllr Martin Pearce said the last 12 months have been a busy and successful time for the Council’s Communities team.
He said: “We’ve launched the Exeter Community Lottery, which means dozens of groups all over the city have had pounds put in their pockets and it has proved to be a great success.
“There are so many different groups coming forward to benefit from the Community Lottery and I am so pleased that it has come forward.”
In addition to the Community Lottery the Council has invested just under £1m over the last four years in direct grants to community groups.
Cllr Pearce said: “Some of these grants have been big, to allow redevelopment of facilities and to make sure that our community centres stay open, and some have been small, so that people can do outreach projects in the heart of their communities.
“That will continue this year. I’m really pleased that when Council agreed its budget recently there was agreement by almost everyone in the room that we should continue the grants programme as we have done previously.”
Cllr Pearce said a major priority has been ensuring the work of Wellbeing Exeter can continue after Devon County Council and the NHS announced they were withdrawing funding.
“The City Council has been working hard to save an organisation which has done so much fantastic work in our city. I’m really pleased that we’ve managed to invest £270,000 a year for the next couple of years to make sure that at least some of the amazing work they do can continue, to support people here in our city.”
He said community groups are incredibly important to quality of life and wellbeing in Exeter.
“Community groups are absolutely vital because they touch all parts of the community – we have sports groups, crafts groups, local history groups – whatever you are interested in there is a group you can get involved in and the Council is there supporting that group,” said Cllr Pearce.
“We aim to make sure that there are no financial barriers preventing people accessing the groups in their community, and that’s what funding from the community lottery or directly from the Community Grants Programme means – that people can access these services free of charge, get involved and be part of their community.”
To take part in the Exeter Community Lottery or to register a good cause visit https://www.exetercommunitylottery.co.uk/